Brianne Yeagley, a member of the Bébé Voyage team and a proud mom, reviews the WAYB Pico Travel Car Seat with the help of her daughter.
Recently, we were fortunate enough to connect with the creators of the WAYB Pico at JPMA and got to learn about their game-changing new travel car seat. After giving it a college go traveling with my own super opinionated tot, I can honestly say you need to go buy this bad boy yesterday. Science + creativity = beautiful products we can all enjoy!
Before I go into my fantastic experience, let’s take a peek at the performance specs:
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At 8lbs, this is a manageable carrying weight to add to any trip with your kiddos. And the travel bag? Oh, it is beautiful. Here I am at a whopping 5’2” cruising along with my car seat, stroller, and dear-god-please-let-this-be-enough child entertainment bag. (Check out our travel packing lists for ideas on what goes inside of this one! For a great diaper bag roundup, also head HERE.) My purse and our suitcase were the only other pieces in tow, and we ditched the latter at check in. We keep a simple carabeaner clip around when we travel so I clipped my purse and stowed the bag on the stroller once we were through security. One backpack and one push item! Hooray!
Set up in a car is no more challenging for the WAYB than any other car seat. With a little bit of trial and error, I got it snug as a bug in a rug in several cars. I can say, having traveled with my Cosco Scenera Next up until this point, I didn’t notice any more set up time upon arrival with the Pico in play. I also couldn’t test this one myself having a little “one-ling,” but the Pico is slim enough to fit 3 across in a backseat for those with multiple small ones in transit!
Hubby is also a major Safety Sam and had his reservations about testing a brand new product. The WAYB Pico manual outlines its Safety certifications for automobiles and airplane use and their website offers a wealth of videos on proper installation techniques. As noted on other reviews, the lack of shoulder strap height adjustments is a strange one for parents, but the Pico is actually designed so that use should be discontinued if the rider’s shoulders are above the top of the seat back/shoulder strap. I went to the source to find out about the strap design:
“At WAYB we put a lot of thought into the Pico and its design,” said Jeff Lockie, Innovation Discovery Chief. “The fixed harness height is up to 16.4” and, while it doesn’t adjust, it can be tightened for a secure fit. We designed it that way for maximum protection and to be the best fit for the recommended height and age range. Everything about WAYB’s PICO is intentional and created with the safety of little passengers in mind.”
The height and weight limits you need to know are as follows:
Typically while traveling, I know if my daughter is miserable based on how long it takes her to be convinced to actually get in her car seat. Pleasantly, she didn’t fight this one and reported it was “comfy” during our drives. I’ve read a few other reviews where kids noted the straps were not as comfortable as some other car seats, so I packed the padded covers from our Graco Extend2Fit just in case. We didn’t end up needing them, but it might be a good thing to have for safe measure!
I also had a few of my daughter’s friends give this a test run – for science, people! – and across the board, I was given positive feedback. This included a 5-year-old who is slightly small for his age, a 3-year-old who is super tall for her age, and 2 other 2-year-olds who are my daughter’s BFFs… and by that I mean also super opinionated little boss girls.
Finally, on a solely visual point, the colors for the Pico are just gorgeous. I mean… Look at them! Maximum swoon over here.
As a traveling mom who frequently catches pitying eyes in the airport, I love that this is a beautiful AND functional addition. It reminds me of my stylish days when I could breeze through the airport with only my latte, book, and espadrilles as my accessories. The sturdy structure of the carry bag also doubles as a wonderful coloring book table.
I know the price can be intimidating, but it is worth it. If you leave your house, this is a great solution. If you Uber, this is a great solution. Essentially, if you have a child, this is a great solution. I encourage you to do your own research as well, but I love the Pico. I’ve regularly used the Cosco Scenera Next and Evenflo Tribute LX Convertible Car Seat and find this to be my personal favorite option. And as a mama who spends a lot of time in transit, I definitely don’t say that lightly.
As a matter of transparency, BeBe Voyage members will always disclose when we receive an item at no cost to review. I received the Pico car seat complimentary from WAYB for testing purposes. This has, in no way, influenced my opinions expressed in this review.
