As a parent who travels frequently with my kids, here is my review of the Wayb Pico Car Seat and if the compact and lightweight design are worth the high price tag.
Traveling with young children can be a logistical challenge, especially when it comes to ensuring their safety and comfort on the go. As a parent who travels frequently, I’ve found the Wayb Pico Car Seat to be a true game-changer in our travels.
This lightweight and compact car seat offers a convenient combination of portability and safety features that make family trips significantly easier. While it comes with a higher price tag, the convenience and peace of mind it provides are well worth the investment. In this blog post, I’ll share my detailed review of the Wayb Pico car seat, highlighting its pros, cons, and my overall thoughts if it’s worth the investment.
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What is the Wayb Pico Car Seat?
The Wayb Pico car seat is a lightweight, compact, and highly portable forward-facing car seat designed for children aged 2 years and older. Weighing just 8 pounds and folding to a size small enough to fit in an airplane overhead bin, it is ideal for families who travel frequently. The Pico features a 5-point harness and breathable mesh fabric for comfort and safety, and is FAA-approved for use on airplanes. While it is a very expensive car seat, the convenience and ease of transport, make it a popular choice among traveling parents.
Wayb Pico Car Seat Specs
- Orientation: Forward-facing only
- Harness: 5-point harness
- Car Seat Width: 14.75 inches
- Car Seat Weight: 8 pounds
- Height Limit: 30-45 inches
- Weight Limit: 22-50 pounds
- Head Height Rules: Ears must be contained within the headrest
- Dimensions (Folded): 11.6 x 14.5 x 18.9 inches
- FAA Approval: Yes, for use on airplanes
- Expiration & Warranty: Expires 7 years from the date of manufacture and comes with a 3 year limited warranty.
- Installation: Can be challenging with a car seat belt; newer models have longer top tether straps
- Materials: Aluminum frame and breathable mesh fabric
Pros of the Wayb Pico Car Seat
Portability and Lightweight
The biggest draw of the Wayb Pico car seat and why we chose it is how compact it is. The Pico folds down to a size of 11.6 x 14.5 x 18.9 inches, making it easy to carry and stow, fitting in airplane overhead bins and even in a backpack. It’s also one of the lightest weight car seats on the market, weighing only 8 pounds. This is huge when you have a lot of luggage to carry through the airport.
Being only 15 inches wide, this is one of the narrowest car seats on the market making it ideal for fitting 3 across, even in smaller cars.
Travel Friendly
The Pico is approved for use on airplanes, making it ideal for families who fly frequently. I also love that since it is so compact, if it’s a long flight and my kid wants to stretch out a bit, we can just fold it up and slide it under the seat in front of us or up in the overhead bin. It’s super easy to install on the airplane with the lap belt and I’m able to install it in about a minute. When it is installed, my kid is still able to sue the tray table which he loves.
You can watch Wayb’s Airplane installation video here.
The compact fold and lightweight nature also make it super easy to navigate through airports and other travel hubs. We usually just stick ours in the bottom of our large car seat backpack that also fits our daughter’s car seat, or we strap it to the handle of our suitcase.
Not only is it great for airplanes, but it can easily be carried for use in taxis, Ubers, and other ride-sharing services, which is great for traveling around cities without having to rent a car but keep your kiddo safe.
Safety Features
While it is a small car seat, the Wayb Pico car seat is considered safe. It meets all U.S. safety standards and has been rigorously tested to ensure it provides effective protection for children in the event of a crash.
- 5-Point Harness: The Pico uses a 5-point harness system, which is widely regarded as the safest option for securing young children in car seats. This harness distributes crash forces across the strongest parts of a child’s body and keeps them securely positioned in the seat.
- FAA Approval: The car seat is approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for use on airplanes, indicating that it meets stringent safety criteria for protecting children during air travel.
- NHTSA Approval: The Pico meets all US standards regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- Durable Construction: The Pico is made with an aluminum frame, which provides strength and rigidity while keeping the seat lightweight. The use of durable materials contributes to its overall safety performance.
- Crash Testing: The Pico has been subjected to crash testing to ensure it meets or exceeds federal safety standards. This includes testing for front and side-impact collisions.
Cons of the Wayb Pico Car Seat
High Price
Coming in at $380, this is a very expensive car seat. While it is made of high quality materials and solves a lot of pain points for traveling parents, that’s a lot of money to spend on a piece of gear strictly for convenience.
They do sell a Re-Certified Wayb Pico Car Seat for $342 saving you a few bucks.
Comfort Issues
The Wayb Pico does not recline at all so I have found it can be a little uncomfortable for my kid to fall asleep in it. He still does fall asleep in it, but it just doesn’t look to be as comfortable.
Parents have also complained that the crotch buckle is too short which can be uncomfortable for their kid as they reach the weight/height limits. I haven’t had this issue yet, but something to be aware of.
Short Range of Use
With the Pico having a weight limit of 50 lbs and a height limit of 45 inches, it’s a pretty short window of use compared to many other car seats. My kids are both on the smaller side so I will get a good 4-5 years out of it likely, but many kids will grow out of it by the time they are 4 or 5 years old.
My overall Thoughts on the Wayb Pico Car Seat
As a parent who frequently travels, the Wayb Pico car seat has been an invaluable asset for our family. Its lightweight and compact design make it incredibly easy to carry through airports and fit into rental cars, which is a game-changer for anyone who has experienced the hassle of lugging around bulky car seats. At just 8 pounds and with the ability to fold down to a size that fits in an overhead bin, it takes *some* of the stress out of traveling with young children
While it’s not a perfect car seat with the high price, short range of use, and overall comfort, the convenience and safety features of the Wayb Pico make it a worthwhile investment for us and families who travel often. If you travel less frequently, and mainly use public transportation at your destinations, then you can probably skip grabbing this car seat.
The ability to easily transport a car seat that meets all safety standards outweighs the higher cost in my opinion. For us, the Pico has made family travel simpler and more enjoyable, and if it’s in your budget, I would highly recommend it to other parents looking for a reliable travel car seat.
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