FireFly GoTo 2 Seat: My Review

I had waited what seems like forever for the FireFly GoTo 2 seat to come out.  They previously had the smaller version available but Noah was right on the cusp of being too big for it.  Paying the pretty steep price I wanted to wait until the larger version became available.  On March 17, 2014 it was shipped to us (thanks to my parents for getting this chair for Noah).  I couldn't wait for it to come.  I waited daily for it's arrival and by my luck I came home to find a note from FedEx telling me it was here but I had missed them and needed to pick it up from their international office so that I could sign for it.  My dad and I drove out to pick it up and I couldn't wait to open the box. Total cost for Size 2 Seat and shipping from Ireland to Utah was ~$300.00

Our first experience was setting it up on a dining table chair so that Noah could eat with the entire family for his first time as a big boy at the adult table :)  It was a success!

He is still a little too small for this size 2 chair.  He is currently 28 pounds and 35" long.  He has a skinny stomach so the side supports do not quite fit him just yet.  Also the head rest pillow will only go as far down and is shown in the picture which is not quite where we would like it yet.  In another couple inches it will fit him perfectly.  It still works really well for him currently though.

I really like how easy it is to buckle him in and out of this chair because I can use one hand to quickly unsnap it.  Came in really handy when I went to the store by myself.  The straps tighten really easy too and I feel like he is mostly comfortable in this seat.  My only caveat is the crotch strap.  I of course feel like it might be digging into him a tad.  He doesn't seem to mind it at all and it is only tight because he cannot sit very squarely on his hips but rather slides forward to sit on his tailbone. This seats straps fit around all kinds of chairs as long as they have a back support that you can wrap the double back straps around and a bottom which you strap underneath.  However, we did get seated at a booth the other day and this chair does NOT work in a booth.  You have to have a chair to secure it too.  We ended up holding him up with our one arm or hand the whole time and it was not very enjoyable.

Our Second outing was to go grocery shopping.  We were really apprehensive about this trip because Noah had yet to have his afternoon nap and had just finished a full meal (via Gtube) so I was worried about the stomach straps being too tight and causing him to lose his meal all over the cracker isle.  Thankfully all disasters were averted and Noah seemed to enjoy being really high and loved how bumpy the parking garage was (as you can tell from his grin in these photos).  Shopping experience...success!

Our third trip was out to a restaurant.  We were seated at a table and Noah sat there for the entire meal just hanging out and loving life.  Again, you can see from the pictures that he is still small for the chair but he just curled up his legs on the big seat and got into a comfortable position to play with his toys.  His head did get tired so we threw his hooded jacket behind his neck since the pillow is still to high for him unless he is sitting in a fully upright and straight position (which he never does). 

The one shopping experience I have gone on by myself did leave me with a few hurdles.  It is hard to carry a heavy toddler along with this chair and his pump bag and his diaper bag all by myself.  I learned that next time I will park outside next to the shopping cart stand to pick one up there and load everything into it then.  I am sure it was a sight to be seen as I tried to throw the chair into the child seat of the shopping cart while dumping the bags in the basket portion and then swinging a heavy Noah into the chair and then holding him there while I tried to strap him into the seat before the seat was actually strapped to the cart.  This my friends was a challenge and lesson learned.

My Pro List for the Goto 2 Seat:

• soft material and wipes clean really easy
• easy strapping system and fits anything with a bottom and back
• fits all large and small shopping carts I have found
• really like the plastic pulls on the end of the straps for easy/quick tightening
• foam material in the pillow is really sturdy and comfortable
• seams are really durable and look to last a very long time
• side supports are standard size but work well for Noah
• Like how there is a soft fabric flap that covers the harness straps

My Cons List for the Goto 2 Seat:

• I wish the side supports were adjustable to accommodate the skinner child
• I wish the head rest would adjust lower than is currently does
• wish the crotch strap had some type of extra padding to it to make it more comfortable.
• Wish is came with a bag to store it in as ours gets pretty dirty going from place to place and being stored in our trunks

My overall review is that I LOVE this chair. It is really light weight and easy to carry into any place you can imagine (just watch that you are not dragging the straps).  Noah doesn't seem to mind this chair at all and even though he is still a tad too small for this size 2 it really works for him and for us.  Our next trips on the list are to install it in our bike trailer and go to the park and then put it into a baby swing at the park and see how he does it in there.  We also would like to try and attach it to a wagon and bring him to the zoo and who knows what else we might find to use it for.  It is pretty expensive for what it is but anything for special needs usually is.  Worth saving for if your child cannot sit unassisted like Noah and has balancing issues.  

Update: 4-18-14 I am going to just start listing pictures of the places we are using this chair (hopefully I can remember to post many of them)

Sitting at a Typinyaki restaurant for Daddy's Birthday.  He loved being part of the action.