Safety 1st onBoard™35 Air SE Infant Car Seat Review
Reality is starting to set in. Our baby is due in a little over 12 weeks! And, when the Safety 1st onBoard™35 Air SE Infant Car Seat arrived, it really hit me. We’ll be bringing home a baby soon.
Now, I know you are wondering….you have to kids, why do you need a new car seat? Well, I had a student last year that was due any day now and didn’t have a carseat. I wasn’t using mine, so I brought it to school (with her parent’s and the administrator’s permission). Pretty sure she was thankful!
So, needless to say, we needed a new carseat for our little girl. And, I have to confess, I’m a carseat snob. Yep, I said it…I’m very picky. I had read all about the Safety 1st® onBoard™35 Air SE Infant Car Seat with Air Protect™ Side Impact Technology and was happy it arrived to test out.
It’s great because it has a huge weight range; bringing advanced protection to infants all the way from a tiny 4 to a tall 35 pounds. This Special Edition (that’s the SE part of the name) Infant Car Seat features premium fabrics with custom embroidery.
Check out all of these great features.
- Rear-facing 4-35 pounds and up to 32” in height
- Featuring Air Protect™ advanced side impact technology which immediately reduces side impact forces through the precise release of air
- Extended use from a tiny 4 to a tall 35 pounds
- Additional leg room for baby’s comfort
- Customizable insert and low harness slots make the seat ideal for preemies and adjustable for growing babies
- Carry Curve™ Handle features ergonomic design
- Base Belt Lock easily secures your vehicle seat belt during installation
- One Click LATCH installation system
- Premium fabrics with custom embroidery
- Compatible with the Safety 1st AeroLite Stroller which we really enjoyed (click to see our review)
It arrived in the box ready to go. I just had to remove a plastic bag, cut off a couple tags and take off the registration form (always, always, always send in your registration, either via snail mail or the internet…just incase there is a recall, you want to know about this!)
All ready to go. The fabric is nice and soft (almost like a neoprene) and seems very breathable. It seems to big, and it is, and yet, I was able to snap in our tiny baby doll and felt like she was secure and ready to go.
The sunshade does a fairly good job of covering the baby. It’s a little thinner than I would like so it makes it feel flimsy, but it gets the job done. Plus the Safety 1st AeroLiteLX Deluxe stroller has a great sunshade that covers over the carseat and stroller.
It’s hard to see here, but the base has a little door that holds/houses the latch attachments when they aren’t in use. It makes it easy to carry the base and move it without the heavy latches swinging around. The little door was hard to close, but doesn’t effect the functionality of the carseat at all.
Notice also, the grey area that says “belt lock.” If you don’t have the latch system in your car, this is where the seatbelt goes. It helps guide the seatbelt and keep it in the place it’s supposed to be in.
When you flip the base over, you see an adjustable foot to adjust the angle of the base when it’s installed in your car (this is important so that the carseat sits at the right angle in your car).
Here are the LATCH buckles all installed (not tightened properly yet, so you can see how it attached in our van). I am such a fan of these types of LATCHs. I like that they just click in place and I don’t have to feed them through (like some “S” shaped ones I’ve seen). I also like the grey button to release and loosen the strap should I need to take the base out.
Here you can see the little door where either the seatbelt feeds through of the LATCH belt). The LATCH tightens on one side, making it easy to get it tight and secure quickly.
Also hard to see is the level. There is a little silver ball that shows you when the seat is level and at the right elevation for the weight of the baby (I had no idea that it should be at a different angle for different weights of babies).
Here’s where things are a little tricky. Since the seat is good for children up to 32″ and 35 pounds, it has to be large enough to accommodate a child that size. Because of this, it takes up a lot of room in the car. We have a Honda Odyssey which has a lot of room. The driver’s seat is adjusted for me (5’5″) and the second row seat that has this carseat is adjusted as far back as possible. Knowing this, my husband wouldn’t be able to drive the van with this carseat installed in this location. So, when the baby arrive, we will have to have the carseat in the middle seat so that he can comfortably drive.
But, our little baby sure looks happy!
The chest buckle is easy to pop open. I’ve met some seats of friends and relatives that I couldn’t figure out how to open/close (looks like a puzzle). This one wasn’t like it at all. Very easy to open/close as well as adjust the tightness and height of the straps.
And, just to test it beyond the limits, #2 definitely exceeds the heigh limit, but she’s right at the weight limit. I wanted to include this so you can see how big it is. This is our 3 year old in the seat (our 65th percentile for height and weight 3 year old). Actually, if I would have moved the headrests, she could lean her head back and it did fit under the sun canopy. But, obviously, we won’t be using this seat for her.
Overall We are very impressed with the seat. It is big, but it’s got a huge range of weights and heights that can safely ride in it. And, it isn’t heavy! The fabric is very nice and it is super easy to install! If you are looking for a new carseat, check it out. It is available on the Saftey1st site and on Amazon.
*The carseat was provided to facilitate my review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and no other compensation was received.
