I recently had the chance to review the Orbit Baby G3 infant car seat, which holds a rather unique position in the US car seat market as one of the only seats that can be swiveled while strapping in a child. It intrigued me enough to inspire me to buy the Orbit Baby G3 Convertible on Amazon this weekend in order to put it through its paces. Let’s see how it compares to the infant seat and to other, more traditional convertible seats on the market!

Orbit Baby G3 Convertible – What’s the big deal?

The Orbit Baby G3 Convertible is essentially the convertible version of the Orbit infant seat. Like the infant seat, you can actually rotate or swivel it on its base when loading or unloading your child. The seat doesn’t rotate when it’s actually being used, of course, but the theory behind the seat is that the rotation makes the seat a snap to use for comfortably getting your child into and out of your vehicle. Like the infant seat, the convertible is also compatible with the Orbit Baby stroller frame and Orbit rocker, and you can also install it without the car seat base.

Beyond the ease of use benefits, the Orbit convertible is also an ecologically-friendly seat, as it is made from allergen friendly and toxin-free materials. It additionally comes with detailed side impact protection elements that I’ll go into soon.

As a convertible seat, the Orbit Baby toddler convertible can be used both rear-facing and forward-facing. The rear-facing configuration can be used with infants, toddlers, and even smaller preschoolers, while the forward-facing configuration will help keep elementary-aged children safely restrained. Because of its decent weight limits, you will likely be able to use it with older children for at least a few years in elementary school before switching to a booster seat. Let’s take a closer look at the Orbit G3 convertible!

Buy the Orbit Baby toddler convertible seat on Sale at Amazon here.

Orbit Baby G3 Convertible Seat Limits for Weight and Height

Rear-facing: 15 to 35 pounds. Your child must have full head control and be able to sit up independently. There is a 49″ height limit for your child when standing, but for all intents and purposes you can go with the standard 1″ height restriction relative to the top of the seat shell.

Forward-facing: 25 to 65 pounds. Your child must again be under 49″ in height when standing. While you can forward-face from 25 pounds, I highly suggest continuing to rear-face until you reach the height and weight limits of the convertible in its rear-facing configuration, since rear-facing is the safest position for every child.

Dimensions and Lifespan of the Orbit Baby G3 Convertible

The Orbit Baby G3 convertible weighs 21.5 pounds. The interior height of the seat is 23″ while the interior width is 11.5.” The exterior width is 18″, which means this is one of the best seats out there for 3 across installation compatibility. You can view the complete 3 across guide for cars, SUVs, minivans, and pickup trucks here to figure out which car seats are most likely to fit whatever you drive. A 2 year limited warranty is included with the G3 convertible.

Using the Orbit Baby G3 Convertible

Installation and Use

Installing and using the G3 convertible is straightforward out of the box, whether you use the included LATCH straps or vehicle seat belts. Orbit Baby allows you to install it either with the included Side Impact Braces or through the Car Seat Base that was included with the G3 infant car seat.

Orbit Baby reasons that if you’re buying the convertible seat, you’ve already bought the infant seat, so they don’t include the base with the convertible. Personally, I would have preferred for them to have included it, as that is one of the biggest selling points of the G3 convertible (the fact that you can rotate it while getting your child into or out of the seat), but on the other hand, I do understand their logic. If for some reason you did buy the convertible without first buying the infant seat or would simply like another base, you can order one separately from Amazon here or buy the seat and base in a seat together here.

Side Impact Braces

The side impact braces are a unique feature of the G3 convertible designed to protect your little ones from side impact forces while simultaneously offering additional stability to the seat. Per Orbit Baby, they also work well with narrow center seating positions without getting in the way of your lower LATCH anchors or your vehicle’s seat belt buckles. I can’t verify how well they work in crash protection, having never crashed a vehicle while using the G3, but I can confirm that they don’t make it any more difficult to install the seat without the rotating base. The simple downside is that they don’t swivel.

Something important to keep in mind is that the base can only be used when installing the seat in a rear-facing position, so don’t buy it if you’re interested in the swivel feature while both rear-facing and forward-facing. However, if you can accept that limitation, the swivel feature is amazing, and I would agree with other parents who say it’s worth every penny.

You can dock and rotate the convertible seat on pretty much any car seat base, stroller, or rocker made by Orbit Baby, except for the 1st generation car seat base and the rear SmartHub that’s included in the Helix Plus Double Stroller Upgrade Kit. These are both very specific circumstances that aren’t likely to apply to pretty much anyone reading a review of the G3 convertible, so for all intents and purposes, if it’s something made by Orbit Baby, you can dock the G3 convertible to it.

Toxins, Environmental, and Allergen Concerns

Orbit Baby has taken a rather unique stand in the car seat industry by designing car seats with green principles in mind. Rather than follow the trends set by nearly all other car seat manufacturers of using car seats laced with Brominated Flame Retardants, Orbit Baby made the G3 infant and convertible seats from BFR-free materials. They’re still fire-resistant, but they did so without harmful chemicals such as PBDEs and PBBs and BFRs.

Similarly, they make use of fabrics that Oeko-Tex certified as healthy and clean when designing the seat, which simply means that the fabrics are going to be less abrasive and easier on the skin of your baby or toddler. These features might not mean much to you if you don’t suffer from allergies or if your baby has never suffered from rashes or chemical irritations, but if you have a baby with sensitive skin, you’d do well to consider seats by Orbit Baby, as they’re one of the only manufacturers paying attention to the issues of allergens these days.

Buy the Orbit Baby toddler convertible seat on Sale at Amazon here.

Why Buy the Orbit Baby G3 Convertible car seat?

For me, regardless of all the bells and whistles a seat might have, the meat and potatoes (or rice and beans, if you’re a vegetarian) have to do with how good of a job the seat does in keeping kids safe. For me, that starts with enabling rear-facing. When it comes to rear-facing, the G3 convertible isn’t going to win many awards; there are many seats out there that allow you to rear-face to 40, 45, and even 50 pounds, such as the Fllo, Foonf, Rainier, and Pacifica. And on the other end, it also isn’t a seat that can be used from birth, unlike the best infant seat, the Kiddy Evolution Pro, which means you’re going to need a different seat as your baby’s first seat, whether that’s the G3 infant seat or a different seat from a different manufacturer entirely. So why do I like the G3 convertible?

I like it because it makes it easy to get a young child into and out of a car seat safely and quickly. I like it because it’s compatible with the Orbit Baby stroller system, which includes the strollers they offer and the swivel base that comes with the infant seat. The swivel feature, if it matters to you, means this seat can do things that nearly no other seat currently sold in the United States can.

And if that weren’t enough, this is also one of the most ecologically-friendly seats money can buy, in terms of its low toxin count and low allergen design. This is something that might make a world of difference to parents of highly allergic children or to parents who simply want to make sure their children’s car seats have fewer unpronounceable toxic chemicals floating around inside them.

Finally, I’m also a fan of the fact that the seat is approved for airplane use and travel by the FAA, as well as of the use of EPP foam within the side wings. The side wings themselves include multiple zones of foam padding for additional protection.

Is it a seat for everyone? Not necessarily. Some parents will balk at the high price when looking at the weight ranges, and others won’t understand why it might be worth paying extra for a seat that’s made to low-toxin tolerances or that lets you swivel your child. But if these features matter to you, this seat is the sequel to the infant seat and is well worth considering.

I recommend  the Orbit Baby G3 convertible car seat, and you can buy it here in Ruby or Black. You can buy it in a set with the car seat base here. The G3 stroller frame is available separately here. The base by itself is available here.

Unfortunately, it’s not yet available in Canada, but Canadians can buy a similar seat, the Boulevard ClickTight, here.

If you find the information on car safety, recommended car seats, and car seat reviews on this car seat blog helpful, you can shop through this Amazon link for any purchases, car seat-related or not. Canadians can shop through this link for Canadian purchases.