Unboxing:

First impressions of this car seat are daunting to say the least. I pulled it out of the box (a big box) and found I had to dig for the instructions right away. It comes in the collapsed mode, which allows you to attach straps and carry it as a backpack, very handy for traveling, say, on an airplane. By the way, this seat is fully airline compliant, so you shouldn't have any trouble bringing it on a plane.

Anyway, as per the directions, the base of the seat folds out for use, and does so via a simple-to-operate latch. The back of the car seat holds all the various LATCH straps and belts needed for installation either rear- or forward-facing, as well as a seat belt clip for cars built before 2001 that do not have a LATCH system. Also in the box are the backpack straps previously mentioned, as well as the infant padding you can see in the picture above, which will nicely snug in your newborn. Our son is now about 20 lbs and too big to need the extra... Read more

We have 3 children ages 7, 3 and 3 months. I have used various seats from infant to booster over the years for my children. In addition to being an end user of these types of products, I am also an 18 year firefighter a major metro city fire department. I have seen more motor vehicle accidents involving children than I care to recall. My endorsement of this seat falls into two categories; first as a parent, second as an emergency worker.

As a parent this seat is extremely well thought through. If you've used other seats you have asked yourself "why didn't they do this?" you will have finally found the seat that answers that question. If you are new to car seats... you are making a very good choice.

Something as simple as having the buckle fall forward when not in use. Not having to dig out the buckle from under your child's rear end is genius. Big buckles that are easy for an adult for operate one handed. Our 3 year-old has been an escape artist in every other... Read more

I bought this car seat for my youngest son about two months ago. Being the youngest of 3 boys, he had always used our hand me down Britax seats and they are great but getting old. Since he was riding in seat that was almost 7 years old, I thought it might be time to upgrade. I'd heard about the Sunshine kids and that they have a slim profile, so I wanted to check it out. While we have a minivan, we travel frequently and I prefer to have all 3 boys in the middle row during trips. It is easier for everyone but the width of the Britax makes it difficult to fit along with 2 Recaro boosters (which I adore). Anyway, that is how I came to investigate the Sunshine / Diono seats.

What I love:
The steel frame. We live in Southern Europe where the driving is quite perilous. Safety is the PRIMARY concern.
The ability to grown into a regular booster.
The fold and carry. Again, we travel a lot and when we fly, this makes transporting the seat through the airport... Read more