Chicco Nextfit Zip Review | By a mom who owns two!

Chicco Nextfit Zip Review

I just had to write a Chicco Nextfit Zip review after buying a second one for my daughter. We have one in my husband’s car and one in my car. This seat is super comfortable, easy to clean, and really easy to adjust the height, compared to other convertible car seats! I recommend it if you have the space for a fairly tall car seat in your car.

chicco nextfit zip review - its sturdy!
Chicco NextFit ZIP installed in my car!

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Chicco Nextfit Zip Review Summary

Pros

  • Plenty of rear-facing leg room
  • The length of the carseat means it fits easily in the back seat of most cars.  And the person in the front seat won’t have to move their seat forward
  • The extra padding keeps children comfortable 
  • Adjustable headrest means no rethreading the car seat when changing the height

Cons

The only downside to the NextFit ZIP is its large size. This can be a problem for two reasons.

First, the sides of the Nextfit Zip are pretty tall. If your car has low clearance between the top of the seat and the door, it may be difficult to get your child in the rear facing seat

Second, due to its large size, I recommend other car seats if you plan on traveling by plane. You can either buy a different car seat, or have an additional small, low cost seat for travel 

=Related Post: The Best FAA Approved Car Seats =

Chicco Nextfit Zip Features 

  • Removable newborn headrest included
  • Machine washable seat cover unzips for easy cleaning
  • Removable, foldable dishwasher safe cup holder for storing drinks
  • 9 position adjustable headrest means you don’t have to re-thread the car seat buckles when adjusting the height.
  • LATCH tightener makes installing the seat simple!

Washable cover

On other car seats, it’s difficult to remove and wash the fabric. But on the NextFit ZIP, you simply unzip the cover and put it in the washing machine! 

Once it’s clean, you just zip the cover back into place. 

How does the adjustable headrest work? 

Other car seats I’ve tried make it really difficult to adjust the harness height. I have to remove the car seat from the car, unthread the harness, and then rethread it. Usually this involves some tricky way of pushing the straps around

The KeyFit ZIP is the opposite- it’s super simple! I simply press a button and pull the head rest up. And the shoulder harness moves upward with it.

Like most other car seats I’ve used, I adjust the length of the harness with a mechanism near the child’s legs.

Is the Chicco NextFit ZIP worth it?

The Chicco NextFit ZIP is worth the price because it can last until your child is ready for a booster seat. That means you can use it for at least 4 years, and possibly longer, depending on your child’s height and weight! 

Click here to check the price of the Chicco NextFit ZIP on Amazon

The NextFit ZIP can be used rear-facing until your child is 40 pounds. The average child doesn’t reach that weight until about 4 years old! The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear-facing car seats until at least 2 years of age. Many parents move their child to a forward facing seat between two and four years of age.

And it can be used forward-facing until your child is 65 pounds or until they’re ready for a booster seat! Most parents switch to a booster seat sometime after age 4, depending on their child’s height and weight. The average child reaches 65 pounds sometime after age 7!

The NextFit ZIPs useful features like the infant headrest, easily adjustable headrest, and cup holder mean that you’ll have lots of handy features for whatever stage your child is in!

=Related post: Car Seat Timeline: How to know when your child is ready for the next type of car seat. And what is the next type of car seat, anyway?=

FAQ – Chicco NextFit ZIP Review

How long does the Chicco NextFit ZIP last?

The Chicco NextFit ZIP can last up until your child is four to five years as a rear-facing car seat. Then, it can last up until age six or seven as a forward-facing car seat.

What is the Chicco NextFit ZIP weight limit?

The Chicco NextFit ZIP rear facing weight limit is 40 pounds. The forward facing weight recommendation is 22-65 pounds.

Where can I find the Chicco NextFit ZIP manual?

The Chicco NextFit ZIP manual is available on Amazon here and on the manufacturer’s website here.

What are the differences between the Chicco NextFit ZIP vs Sport?

The Chicco NextFit ZIP comes with an easy to unzip cover for washing, versus the Sport, which does not.
The NextFit ZIP has a flexible cup holder, and the Sport’s is rigid. The ZIP is more expensive versus the Sport. 
The ZIP and Sport are otherwise identical. And both have identical weight limits and the same Super Cinch Latch system

What are the differences between the Chicco NextFit ZIP vs Air?

The Chicco NextFit Air has breathable mesh fabric, and the Chicco NextFit ZIP does not. The Air is slightly more expensive.
The ZIP and Air both have 
-Identical weight limits
-The same Super Cinch Latch system
-Removable, foldable cup holders
-Seat covers that unzip for easy washing 

What are the differences between the Chicco NextFit ZIP vs MAX?

The Chicco NextFit MAX has more features than the NextFit ZIP. The ZIP has 1 foldable cup holder and the MAX has two. The MAX has mesh fabric and the ZIP does not. Finally, the MAX has extended leg room compared to the ZIP. These premium features mean the MAX is more expensive than the ZIP.
Both the ZIP and MAX have the Super Cinch latch system and covers that unzip for easy washing. 

Chicco Nextfit Zip Specifications 

  • Rear facing weight recommendations: 5-40 pounds
  • Forward facing weight recommendations: 22-65 pounds
  • Harness type: 5 point harness
  • Dimensions: 21 x 19 x 29.2 inches
  • Chicco Nextfit Zip car seat weight: 25.1 pounds

Rear Facing Installation 

Out with the old infant seat… and in with the new!

I love how easy it is to install the NextFit Zip! It’s also easy to move between cars. So far, we have only installed it rear-facing. After unboxing the car seat and removing all the packaging…

Adjust the recline

It’s massive, especially compared to an infant car seat!

Since my daughter was about 14 months when we first installed this car seat, I reclined it to Position 1 before installing it in my car. It’s on Position 2 in my husband’s truck. It’s as simple as pulling a handle on the base of the seat just under where the child’s feet will be.

I then placed the seat in my car and checked the bubble level on the side of the seat near where the child’s shoulders will go to make sure it was level. My setting was good, but you may need to adjust the recline depending on your vehicle’s seats.

Install the seat with the LATCH system, shoulder belt, or lap belt

My car has the LATCH system, so this is what I used. However, installing the Nextfit Zip with the shoulder belt or lap belt look simple too!

LATCH system installation

The LATCH system for the NextFit Zip is stored in handy dandy compartments under the middle of the car seat. Open the drawers on each side of the seat to pull out the two latches, each conveniently labeled “Pull 1st” and “Pull 2nd.” Make sure the straps are loosened all the way, and close the drawers.

There are 9 recline positions so you can get the angle just right for your car, and for forward and rear-facing!

Next, attach the LATCH straps to the latch systems in your car. And just like the straps say, pull strap #1 first until it’s tight. Then, pull strap #2 until it’s tight.

Finally, you can check your installation by tugging on the car seat and trying to wiggle it. If it moves more than an inch, check and tighten the straps. If it moves less than an inch, you’re good to go!

Related post: Looking for a 4-in1 car seat? Check out our exhaustive, in-depth review of the Graco 4Ever vs the Evenflo Everyfit

Shoulder belt or lap belt installation

If you don’t have a LATCH system in your car, you can use the shoulder belt or lap seat belt to install the NextFit ZIP.

First, unzip the seat cover. Then, pull the shoulder belt through the path labeled in blue “REAR FACING.” Basically, the seat belt will go through right under where the child’s thighs would be.

Finally, buckle the seat belt and zip the seat cover back on.

You can check if you’ve installed the seat tightly by seeing if it moves when you pull on it. It should move less than one inch.

=Related post: The NextFit ZIP makes a great car seat for larger than average babies! Read more here!=

Conclusions: Chicco Keyfit Zip Review

chicco nextfit zip review convertible car seat

I hope my Chicco Keyfit Zip review has shown you the many features of this awesome convertible car seat! It can last for years, has great, easy to use features, and is easy to clean. As long as your car can accommodate this tall car seat, I highly recommend it! If you’d like to see more details, check it out on Amazon here!

=Related post: Is the NextFit ZIP not right for you? Compare the Graco 4Ever and 4Ever DLX!=

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