Safety 1st onSide air Convertible Car Seat

By Published On: August 31st, 2011

As a first-time mom with a head full of worries, […]

As a first-time mom with a head full of worries, no product gets thrown into my baby care arsenal until I inspect it up and down and deem it worthy of my full approval.
Take it from me: Safety 1st’s onSide Air Convertible Car Seat meets the highest of standards. The best part of this car seat is its safety features—everything else is an added bonus! The seat is equipped with amazing side impact technology that shields your baby from side impact in a collision and also releases air from the headrest to redirect crash energy away from the baby. Although I hope we never have to rely on it, I’m so reassured to know this impressive safety measure is at the ready.
Safety 1st onSide air Convertible Car SeatWhen installing the seat you have two options: Rear-facing for babies from 5 all the way to 40 pounds and forward-facing for kiddos from 22 to 40 pounds. The seat was easy to install and adjust, and Safety 1st provided thorough directions. I used the LATCH system, which takes literally one minute to hook-up. (Nearly all vehicles manufactured after 2002 are LATCH-compatible. But don’t worry: The seat can also be secured using a seat belt if you need or prefer to do so.) The onSide air has four harness heights and three buckle locations for extended use with your growing baby.
I was concerned my daughter, Lucy, would not be able to take a comfortable nap in a car seat is positioned so upright, but Safety 1st anticipated that potential problem and provided a handy solution for it as well. They created a recline stand that kicks up underneath to allow baby to lie back for a possible nap in the car without her head drooping forward. More good news: Reclining the seat takes up a minimal amount of extra space.
The onSide air is a lightweight product that’s sleek in style. I like the removable cup holder, which will no doubt come in handy when my little lady starts using sippy cups. I have scouted many different brands and models of seats and, at first impression, I would have thought with its aesthetic appeal and amazing safety features the onSide air would be one of the seats costing upwards of $200. But—a happy surprise—it retails for less than $100!
I feel like I struck gold on this one. The fears of a parent may never go away but a car seat with superb safety technology, excellent style, generous comfort and a manageable price tag sure do ease my worries of finding the best seat for my daughter.
Price: $80
To buy: safety1st.com