Recaro Performance Sport- A car seat worth the money!

I am what you call car seat crazy. I hate seeing kids in the wrong seat for them or in their seat incorrectly. I also hate car seats that are the minimum standards and have bad information on their seats. Such as the whole "forward facing from 20lbs and 1 year" It makes parents think they can just turn their kids around when they are one and they will be safe. That is so far from wrong and I hate that its okay for car seat companies to advertise like this. So when it did come time to turn my three year old around forward facing I was nervous. Okay beyond nervous.  I am still nervous but it has been almost a month and I am getting more use to it. Although I am never going to get use to the constant talking and in my business that has started now...

One thing that does make me feel better about him being forward facing is the seat that we got for him. In my opinion it is the best seat on the market. It has the highest side impact crash test standards and has above average safety features.  Plus it has features that I find nice, such as a multiple position crotch buckle so that means not more digging under my kids butt to find a buckle! Easy to clean fabric, and is equipped with easy latch instillation. 

First let me tell you about the specs of this seat:

Child weight - 20 - 90 lbs Harness mode. 30- 120 lbs Booster mode. 

Child height- 27-50 inches Harness mode. 37-59 inches booster mode.

Seat weight- 22lbs 

Seat height- 30 inches

Seat width- 18.5 inches

Seat depth- 14 inches

Features & Benefits:

Two-in-one car seat: Toddler car seat and booster car seat
Supremely safe and comfortable
Exclusive, twist-resistant HERO system positions shoulder pads correctly to ensure the best neck, head and shoulder fit
Side impact protection
Energy-absorbing EPS memory foam
Breathable mesh
Cup holder
Chest-clip storage pockets
Easy-adjust, no re-thread harness

Pictures of what I love about Dexter's new combination harness to booster seat. 

First I have to say I love the adjustable crotch buckle. I have spent the past two years digging under my kids but for his buckle. I love that it is right there. He is 2 weighs 28lbs and is fairly tall and he is on the second slot.

  

The shoulder straps come with super soft padded covers. Also the straps are outlined in white so when you are putting the seat back togther after cleaning or something or just buckling your kid in you  know they are right before you finish. I know this sounds like an added "frill" but it seriously saved me a ton of time! I took the seat apart to look at it in booster mode while I was putting it back together I got a strap fliped had it not had the white lines I wouldn't of noticed till I finished! 

 

So when I was looking for his seat I kept reading about Recaro's "hero" shoulder straps. But I could not find ANYWHERE what on earth that meant. It just kept saying it hols the straps in place. I was so confused. I had seen another brand car seat and the straps had mini straps attached to the buckle but this sounded different so let me show y'all what it is!  Okay so the first picture you will notice the shoulder pads and then a blue pad on the back, they are one long piece of fabric. so the should pads do not move. Ever. The pads are a bit short in my opinion and don't fit "just" right on my 2 year old but they are stuck there. Not really sure if I like this feature or not. I guess if it helps some parents keep their kids safe its nice. in the second picture that is the back of the shoulder strap hero thing. 

  

Next is comfort. My kid has always been in a Recaro seat so he expects to be comfortable. The seat has a cushion on bottom that is thick and the top is topped with memory foam. Max is demonstrating how much the cushion sinks when you place 20 lbs on it! 

  

Room to grow. Dex is in the lowest position its actually a little to low for him and I had to raise it up to the next notch. The shoulder belts were *just* below his shoulders when I bumped it up they were above his shoulders like they should be for a child riding forward facing. The second picture is how tall it can get! That is a lot of room to grow. Third picture is it at its tallest in booster mode. (for children *at least* FOUR years and older. just cause your kid can ride in a booster seat does not mean its right!!)  One other thing, when it is fully up right you can hit the headrest as hard as you want and it won't budge. Some seats I tried in the store moved back and forth at the slightest touch!

   

This is our seat without any thing extra on it. I love all the EPS foam for the sides and head. From someone who took of the coverings on almost ALL the seats in the store this one had way more then most. I would still like some on the bottom sides but no seats had that. Also you can see in the second picture how the LATCH system stays in place. Its only on one side and I am not 100% sure why. but it is a nice feature so I know its in the correct position and it has not slipped down.

This is how the cover comes on and off. It is super easy to take apart. The ProRide is a super nice seat but let me tell you taking that thing apart to clean is the worst! This is much much easier!

 

The LATCH belts are a little short and I had a hard time getting the seat into my 2012 Toyota Sienna they almost weren't long enough! But I do love they have the click latch and the loop to pull on the to tighten.

SO there ya have it what I love about our new seat!! Here is my almost three year old Forward facing for the first time. Took two seconds for him to start kicking my seat! haha. 

So now onto what I don't like. (Notice there is only two pictures?? hehe) 

    

The short LATCH strap and this GIANT gap between my seat and the car seat. Because the LATCH belt was so short I couldn't fit a noodle back there. I am going to call the Technician department on Monday and see if I can't get some advice! Although when I did install it even though there was a gap my husband was able to tighten it so much that it did not move side to side more than in inch! 

 

I think this is just a Recaro thing in that they love having bizarre ways to make the head rest go up and down. So the first photo is not mine its from the Recaro website. But you see that little black box towards the bottom? Yeah you have to lift that up to move the head rest up and down. So that means when it comes time to move your kids seat to the next height you have to take the entire seat out of the car to fix it. PITA. The second picture is of our pro-ride you turn the knob to move the head rest. It hurts after a while.

So bottom line.

Do I feel this is a safe seat and trust my kids life in it? YES!!

Would I recommend it to a friend? YES!

Want any more information on this seat just leave a comment and I will try to answer it.

*DISCLOSURE- The views and opinions expressed in this blog are purely and entirely my own. I do not claim to be nor make an effort to be an expert on a certain topic, product or service.  I will only endorse companies, products and services that I believe, based on my own experiences, are worthy of endorsement.  All product or service claims should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. I did not receive any compensation or free products for this post.