The best car seat is the one that fits your child, vehicle, budget, and lifestyle and has the features important to you. The safest car seat is the one you can install correctly and use properly on every ride! Let us know in the comment section what questions you have about this review of the Wayb Pico car seat. And if you want to compare car seats and let us help you find your recommended car seats, our Car Seat Buying Kits are your best bet!
Wayb Pico Car Seat Review (USA)
Here you will find our comprehensive review of the Wayb Pico car seat, a game-changer in the world of child passenger safety. Choosing the right car seat for your little one is crucial. And the Wayb Pico offers a compact and lightweight solution. We will explore its features, advantages, and disadvantages to understand why it is becoming increasingly popular among parents who prioritize convenience and portability.
Type
A forward-facing only seat
When
From 2+, but preferably when the rear-facing mode of a convertible seat is outgrown
Age
From 2 years until outgrown (4-6 years of age)
What you need to know before you go.*
Forward-Facing Stats
- height limit: 30-45″
- weight limit: 22-50 pounds
- head height rules: ears must be contained within the headrest
Other Seat Stats
- width of seat: 14.75”
- weight of seat: 8 pounds
- crash replacement policy: Replace after a moderate or severe crash
- expiration limits: 7 years
- harness: only one harness height
- lock-off: no
*Head to the Car Seat Buying Kits for a complete database of all car seat stats for our recommended car seats.
✅ Seat is Good for You If:
✅ You frequently use Lyft/Uber/Taxis.
With a compact fold and an optional backpack for convenient carrying, the Pico is a great option for ride-sharing parents who want to keep their child safe! It’s miserable to lug a large, heavy car seat around on every family outing. But it’s not safe to skip the seat, either. The Pico is a great option for families who need to bring their car seat along wherever they go!
✅ You travel often within the US and Canada.
Travel is truly where the Pico shines! The Pico solves all the logistical challenges of schlepping a car seat through the airport. It’s so small and lightweight that it’s one of the easiest seats we know of when it comes to airplane travel. Installing with the airplane lap belt is a piece of cake, and the seat is so low-profile that your child will probably be able to use the tray table in flight for snacking or playing! While it’s certainly an investment, especially compared to some of our other favorite travel car seats, frequent flyers just might find that the convenience factor is worth the price tag.
✅ You need to fit 3 across in a vehicle.
At under 15 inches wide, the Pico is the narrowest car seat available in the US. This means it can fit in places that no other car seat can! Now, before we can give it our ringing endorsement as the best-ever car seat for three-across, we need to touch on the fact that this seat can be difficult to install with the vehicle seatbelt (more on this below!), so it may be a challenge to securely install this car seat in narrow center spots. But if there’s no other car seat small enough to fit, well, it’s probably worth it to take on that challenge!
🚩 Use Caution If:
🚩You would prefer a long-lasting seat.
The Pico is a unique car seat that only offers forward-facing mode. It also has lower limits than most other forward-facing harnessed options, as it’s outgrown at 45” or 50lbs. It also has a fairly short harness height compared to other seats, at 16.5” high. This means that most kids will outgrow the Pico by height, weight, or torso height earlier than they’ll outgrow other premium car seat options.
For kids who are average or petite for their age, the Pico should last long enough for the child to go straight to a belt-positioning booster after outgrowing the Pico. But larger kids may outgrow the Pico by 4-5 years old. And those kids will need another harnessed car seat to bridge the gap until they’re mature enough to sit in a booster.
🚩You intend to travel internationally.
Outside of the US and Canada, vehicle seatbelts typically don’t have a locking mechanism for installing car seats. You’ll need another way to lock the vehicle seatbelt: a locking clip or a car seat with a built-in lock-off. Since there’s no lock-off on the Wayb Pico, you’d need a locking clip to use it outside of the US and Canada — but locking clips are cumbersome and challenging to use. Especially on a seat like the Pico, which is already hard to install with the vehicle seatbelt! Depending on your destination, you may find vehicles that have lower anchors (also called ISOFIX). If so, you can install this seat with lower anchors instead of the seat belt. And the Pico is easy to install with lower anchors, so that’s what we recommend! Watch this step-by-step video to learn how to use a locking clip and practice lots before your trip!
️ Stand Out Features:
It folds!
With the push of a button and a couple of quick adjustments, the Pico folds down to the size of a carry-on suitcase. Simply bring the headrest down to the lowest setting, release the hinge mechanism between the seat portion and the backrest. And flip the seat portion around to fold compactly against the back of the car seat. This whole process takes a few seconds, and then you’re ready for your next adventure!
It’s lightweight
With a durable aluminum frame and comfy mesh “padding,” the Pico weighs in at just 8lbs. It’s one of the lightest car seats out there! Whether you’re using its convenient backpack case or just carrying it by hand, it’s a very easy car seat to transport from place to place.
▶️ YouTube Videos
▶️How to Install a Car Seat on an Airplane
⚠️ Quirks to Be Aware Of:
⚠️ Tough Seatbelt Installation
There’s no way around it: the Pico is really tough to install with a vehicle seatbelt. The lap belt must be routed through two small belt guides within the car seat — but it’s really hard to tighten the seatbelt enough once it’s routed correctly. Because of this, we recommend using lower anchors for installation whenever they’re available in the vehicle. The good news is that this seat is so lightweight that lower anchors can be used all the way through 50 pounds — that’s the life of the car seat!
⚠️ Unique Harness Adjustments
The Pico has one single harness height. This is a very unique design — we’re all used to adjusting our children’s harness heights as they grow! Instead, users will adjust the headrest height to properly contain the child’s head, while the harness height stays the same. For smaller kids, this can create a bit of an awkward-looking fit, with the harness several inches higher than the child’s shoulders. Don’t worry! This is how the seat is designed, and it’s safe as long as the harness is tightened properly.
And speaking of tightening that harness, this is another unique aspect of the Pico! Instead of pulling a single strap at the front edge of the car seat, parents must tighten each harness strap individually by tugging on a tail by each of the child’s hips. Each harness strap must be loosened individually as well. While this process can feel strange to get used to, we don’t think it’s difficult — but if it is too cumbersome, most kids who are old enough to use the Pico can probably squeeze their arms in and out of a tight harness, and you can avoid adjusting it each ride.
⚠️ Short crotch buckle
The crotch buckle length is one of the only common user complaints we hear about the Pico. It is fairly short, and you can adjust or move it further away from the child, like most car seats allow. This can turn into a comfort issue for some children as they approach the upper limits of this car seat.
✈️ Airplane Use
The Wayb Pico is an FAA-approved car seat. This is an excellent option for domestic travel. It folds up and weighs only 8 pounds. If traveling internationally you will need a locking clip in order to do a seat belt installation. You can contact the manufacturer to get one for free, or you can buy this one. We have a video here of how to use a locking clip. For help with all things airplane travel and car seats, check out our Wheels Up Course and private Facebook group.
SITS Bottom Line
In conclusion, the Wayb Pico car seat is a good choice for parents seeking a compact and innovative travel companion for their little ones. With its lightweight design and ability to fold, it offers a convenient and safe solution for families on the move. While it may have some limitations in terms of weight and height range, and it has a pretty hefty price tag, the Wayb Pico excels in portability and can be an excellent option for families needing to keep their kids safe on the go!
Compare Car Seats
Looking to compare car seats and narrow down the best car seat for your family? The Forward-Facing and Booster Buying Kit walks you through our 7Cs of selection, then on to an interactive quiz. And finally, a recommended car seat list is generated just for you! If you are overwhelmed and sick of spending hours researching and reading car seat reviews like this one, the Buying Kit will guide you to Safe in the Seat’s recommended car seats for you in under 30 minutes!
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A note about crash-tests
How does the Wayb Pico perform in crash tests?
Well, that’s a great question. We know that it passes the strict federally required testing that applies to all car seats sold in the United States. But we don’t know exactly how it performs. That data isn’t released by any official sources in the US — not by car seat manufacturers, not by government agencies like NHTSA, not anywhere!
There are a few third-party websites that claim to offer objective crash test data for a variety of car seats. But we at Safe in the Seat don’t pay attention to that data for a few big reasons. First of all, third-party crash tests don’t actually give us meaningful data! Car seat manufacturers crash-test their products hundreds, even upwards of a thousand times. They crash test the finished product in every single installation configuration using every applicable-sized crash test dummy, not to mention a whole lot of testing at each stage of the development process too. So one or two crash tests completed by another organization just can’t give the same level of information! One or two crash tests aren’t going to represent the overall average performance of any car seat across its lifespan.
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If my kid has hit 22 pounds long before his 2nd bday (even before his first), could we use this seat occasionally for travel purposes?
No, age 2 is the minimum for forward facing, even for larger children who meet the size minimums. Bone development is age-based, not size based, so a 22lb 9 month old and a 15lb 9 month old have similar bone maturity – neither child is safe to forward face at that age.
I had this question bc I want to use it on a flight only (not a car). for over 16 month old who fits the height and weight by far. WAYB states the child must be 1, but recommended age is two. Which is confusing and may be written that way bc state laws are different. Do you know why they would write it like that ? I emailed them but I just did it so I haven’t gotten a response yet
Is there a cheaper version of this type of seat, I have 4 kids (5&under) we will be traveling internationally and I need 4 seats, but this one will definetly break the bank hehe
This is one of our favorite seats for international travel: https://safeintheseat.com/graco-triogrow-snuglock-usa-canada/. For the 5 year old, I would look at this one: https://safeintheseat.com/ridesafer-travel-vest/
Is there a reason not to use this as an every day seat? My son is in a Rava in our main car, but looking for something for our secondary car. Already own this for travel, so can I just use this? He’s almost 3, forward facing, etc.
There’s no reason not to use it as your everyday seat. It’s a normal car seat, and they all pass the same crash tests.
how long do you think till other manufacturers will create a similar design at lower price point like the doona stroller seat has been?
This one has been out for a few years already. I don’t know that there’s a huge market for this kind of product. We don’t know of any manufacturers who are working on similar options. Forward-facing only seats are not in high demand so it’s not something they spend a lot of time on. The Doona’s competition is at a similar price point, I wouldn’t say it was really lower.
Not sure! The Pico is such a unique and innovative product and we don’t have any insight about other brands working on anything similar at the moment.