Baby Jogger City Go Review

Baby Jogger City Go

The Baby Jogger City Go rear facing only car seat has started popping up in baby stores and boutiques. It’s a full-featured lightweight seat with European belt routing, a substantial canopy, and a no-rethread harness. Its sleek looks and city-friendly features are turning heads. How does it measure up?

Baby Jogger City Go European Routing

The City Go features a no-rethread harness, a substantial infant insert, a lockoff on the base and European belt routing. In addition, it has a very large waterproof canopy with UV protection. The base and carrier are narrow which will help in three across situations or tight spaces.

The European belt routing is advertised as a “taxi-safe belt path”. In fact, the seat’s box says “Taxi-safe belt path allows the seat to be installed into a vehicle without the base.” While European routing does limit rotation in a collision, it’s important to note that a seat installed without the base, with standard routing, in a taxi or any other vehicle in which it may be installed, is safe. Installing an infant seat without its base in a taxi is an excellent, safe solution to traveling in the city.

As you might expect from its name, the City Go connects to Baby Jogger strollers, but a special adapter must be purchased separately from Baby Jogger.

Baby Jogger City Go recline bubble and labelling key

The base features a recline foot controlled with a dial, and a level bubble. The side of the seat next to the bubble is labeled with the key for how to use the bubble. We found the labeling a bit unclear; the bubble has a dark blue line and a light blue line, but the key shows red and green zones and a single line.

Installation with the seat belt was easy and straightforward.  The lockoff was less heavy duty than on other seats,  but it closed firmly and tightly around the belt.

Baby Jogger City Go latch strap – watch out for hidden slack

Installation with lower anchors was a bit more tricky. The connector strap strap is run under a plastic bar on the center of the base.  It’s easy to miss the fact that slack may lie on the other side of the bar from the adjuster loop.  Nevertheless, once the slack was removed, lower anchor installation went smoothly. The premium connectors were easy to use and to remove.

Baby Jogger City Go – installation without base

I had no trouble at all installing the City Go using the European belt path. I made the seat level according to the red level line on the side. I buckled through the belt guides, which are wide and very easy to use, and then easily put the shoulder belt behind the seat and into the shoulder belt guide. I then locked the belt and tightened, checking the level line one more time.  (The manual mentions that standard routing can also be used, leaving the shoulder belt next to the seat rather than wrapping it around the back.)

Baby Jogger City Go – hook on belt guide

I did, however, have some difficulty uninstalling the seat after it had been installed with the European routing.  The shoulder belt guide has a small hook within it that makes getting the belt out very difficult.

Baby Jogger City Go – adjuster mechanism

The City Go harness is raised and lowered by way of an adjuster on the back of the seat. The seat has an innovative design where there is no metal splitter plate, as there is on most other rear facing only seats. I found the adjuster fairly easy to use, though it does take a bit of effort to pinch the sides enough to slide it up and down.

The infant insert, referred to in the manual as the body support, must be used for infants under 6 lbs. The manual states, “To prevent ejection or serious injury, only use the body support for children under 12 lb.” We checked with Baby Jogger, since we were concerned about the risk for head slump for a young 12 lb baby if the seat were used without the body support. Baby Jogger confirmed that the body support may be used infants for 12 lbs and above if needed.

The crotch buckle cover was different from other rear facing only seats:  when properly positioned it covers the crotch strap but not the buckle itself. I found myself repeatedly checking to make sure I hadn’t put it on backwards.

Baby Jogger City Go – excellent preemie fit

The City Go fit our preemie Huggable Images doll exceptionally well. The infant insert helps the baby’s back line up with the headrest, avoiding pushing the child’s chin towards his chest; an issue that we have seen in other  in seats with substantial headrests.

Baby Jogger City Go: 2 weeks old, 9 lbs, 20 inches tall

This young man is the son of a very good friend of mine; it’s a thrill to include him in my reviews! Here he is two weeks old, 9 lbs and 20 inches long. He fit well in the City Go; he has a long torso, so we had to move the headrest up a few positions. We tried it with and without the insert, since it’s optional at his weight. We saw that he needed the insert, as he slumped a bit without it. Additionally, without the insert, there was a gap between him and the crotch buckle. The manual indicates a crotch roll can be used, but since he still fit with the insert, there was no reason to replace the insert with a rolled receiving blanket.

In this photo we can also see the proper positioning of the crotch buckle cover: it covers the strap but doesn’t lie under the buckle itself.

Baby Jogger City Go: 5 and a half months old, 16 lbs and 26.5 inches.

This young lady is 5 and a half months old, weighs 16 lbs and is 26.5 inches long.  We had to move up the harness to the highest setting for her. Soon  her shoulders will be  above the bottom of the headrest,  but right now she has a great fit in the seat, and she looked quite comfortable and happy as well!

Baby Jogger City Go: 10 months old, 22 lbs, 24 inches long

Our 10 month old model weighs 22 lbs and is 24 inches long.  Like the 5 month old, he fits in this seat with the harness at the highest position: kids come in different sizes! Also some carry their height in the torso and some in the legs.  We can see that his shoulders are on the cusp of extending above the bottom of the headrest. When they do, it may be uncomfortable for him or difficult to put him in the seat, though the seat won’t be outgrown until he reaches the weight or height limit or his head is less than 1″ inside the top of the headrest.

Baby Jogger City Go – outgrown for toddler doll

Our toddler “model” is 16 months and 30 inches.  His shoulders are above the bottom of the headrest, so in addition to the fact that it’s quite a tight squeeze for him, I found  the straps very  difficult to tighten.  However, this is all a moot point as he has outgrown this seat: his head is about a quarter inch  from the top of the headrest in the highest position and a child will outgrow this seat when his head is 1″ from the top.

Baby Jogger City Go FAA Approval Label

FAA Approval: The FAA approval is written clearly in red on a sticker on the underside of the seat. I personally prefer this to be on the side of the seat, though I know real estate is limited; when traveling by air, parents may need to lift the seat to show the airline personnel the sticker. If the baby is in the seat, this might be quite an unwieldy maneuver!

Baby Jogger City Go Manual Storage

Manual Storage: There is a clearly marked area for manual storage on the underside of the base.

Baby Jogger City Go: 7 year expiration

Expiration:
The carrier and base have a 7 year expiration. This is clearly indicated on stickers both on the base and carrier.