The Cosco Apt 50 is a convertible car seat that grows with your child until they’re about 4-years-old. It’s a good, affordable option for families looking for something to get them through the first few years before needing to transition to a booster.
Upon testing the product, there were certainly some advantages of this car seat. For starters, it’s easy for traveling. It’s lightweight, coming in at just 7 pounds. We were able to easily and quickly switch it between vehicles.
Additionally, installation is a breeze compared to other car seats. There’s also no difficult steps when converting from rear to forward-facing mode.
Even though we liked the ease-of-use and inexpensiveness, there were some flaws that steered us away. First, the crotch buckle placement makes it difficult to use for larger children in rear-facing mode.
However, this can be alleviated by using the LATCH system to install the seat. Furthermore, the harness adjustment just wasn’t our style. Each side of the harness has to be individually adjusted, making it difficult to get an even outcome.
Overall, it’s a decent car seat for its price range. There are a few safety features that make it worth the price and it can be laundered in the washer and dryer, but that’s about it.
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This article will review the most prominent features of the Cosco Apt 50 Convertible Car Seat. It will also discuss things we like and dislike about the seat, as well as our overall impression.
Height & Weight Limits
In rear-facing mode, the seat accommodates a child from 5 to 40 pounds. Once your child reaches a minimum of 22 pounds, the seat can be switched to forward-facing mode, all the way until your child is 50 pounds.
With these weight limits, The Cosco Apt 50 will fit most children to the age of 4 before needing to move on to a booster.
Top Features of the Cosco Apt 50
Grows With Your Child
The Cosco Apt 50 Convertible Car Seat has two modes of use. It starts out as a rear-facing infant seat and converts to a forward-facing child seat.
Many Adjustable Options
Not only does this convertible seat grow with your child, but it is also extremely easy to adjust, ensuring that it fits your child perfectly.
Six strap heights and three locations for the buckle combine for a myriad of sizing options. The highest strap option is 16”, so it is able to accommodate children up to 43” tall.
Simple Installation
The Cosco Apt 50 Convertible Car Seat is equipped to be used with your vehicle’s LATCH system or seat belts. Both of these installation methods can be used for rear-facing mode and forward-facing mode.
Parents with this car seat rave that both types of installation are straightforward and can be done in five minutes of less. When used properly, the lower anchor belt (LATCH) or the vehicle belts are equally safe.
Convenient for Busy Parents
Between spit up and goldfish crumbs, a car seat can get messy from only one single ride. Busy parents hardly have the time to constantly be scrubbing out stains and vacuuming up crumbs.
Because of this, Cosco has made it so that its Apt 50 Convertible Car Seat cover can be both washed and dried in a machine.
In a snap, the cover comes off in one piece and can be cleaned in your washer and drier on a gentle setting and with low heat. A quick wash and dry can have your car seat looking, and smelling, good as new.
What We Like
Easy for Travel
Perhaps the best part about the Cosco Apt 50 Convertible Car Seat is how easy it is to travel with.
First, it is extremely lightweight for a car seat. At only seven pounds total, this seat can be effortlessly carted around between cars and appointments or carried through airports and hotels. Many busy moms describe being able to maneuver this seat easily while holding a child or luggage.
Second, as previously mentioned, the ease of installation makes this seat a breeze to pop in and out of taxis. Many users claim to use this car seat solely for travel purposes because of its usefulness.
No Adjustments To Seat Between Modes
With many convertible car seats, switching from rear-facing mode to forward-facing mode takes multiple steps and moving parts.
With the Cosco Apt 50 Convertible Car Seat, you simply detach, turn the seat around, and reattach. No pieces of the seat need to be removed or added in order to convert between modes.
To make things even easier, the seat has color-coded labels on the side.
Blue stickers give information for using the seat in rear-facing mode, while red stickers hold information for forward-facing installation. Each sticker even has a QR code that, when scanned, takes you to a step-by-step installation video to follow.
Inexpensive
One of the most popular things about this seat is its price. It’s rare to find a safe and reliable car seat that is under $100, but the Cosco Apt 50 beats that price by a long shot.
This seat is a great option for families who don’t have a lot of money to spend or have to buy seats for multiple children at once.
What We Don’t Like
Crotch Buckle Placement
In rear-facing mode, when the seat is installed using the vehicle seatbelt system, only the closest two buckle positions are available to use. While this will likely be suitable for most children during their time riding rear-facing, it may be too tight for larger children. This negative can be avoided, however, by using the LATCH system to install your seat.
Harness Adjustment
Instead of adjusting as a unified harness, each side of the harness on the Cosco Apt 50 needs to be adjusted individually. If not done carefully, this can make the sides uneven and be frustrating to mess with each time you put your child in.
Wide Seat
The Cosco Apt 50 Convertible Car Seat has fairly wide measurements. This is due to the double cup holders, one on each side.
While the cup holders are most definitely convenient and useful, it can take up some precious space in your car.
If you have a smaller vehicle, you may want to check the measurements carefully before deciding to purchase.
Cosco Apt 50 Convertible Car Seat, Vibrant Blue
Overall Impressions
Overall, the Cosco Apt 50 Convertible Car Seat is a budget-friendly option with many of the same safety and convenience features as much more costly seats. If you have a large family, multiple children to buy for, or just don’t want to break the bank with a new car seat, the Apt 50 is a suitable option.