Safety 1st onBoard 35 Air Infant Car Seat

By Published On: March 25th, 2010

The Safety First onBoard 35 Air Infant Car Seat is […]

The Safety First onBoard 35 Air Infant Car Seat is an effective, simple to use seat that matches safety and utility with style and comfort.
Safety1stOnBoard35AirInfantCarSeatInitially the unit arrives fully assembled and is ready to use right out of the box. The base installs easily into vehicles, whether equipped with child safety seat anchors or not. If anchors are present, the attached latches simply click onto the anchors and the Belt Lock secures the strap in place to prevent shifting. A colored indicator on the Belt Lock ensures proper attachment, showing red if the unit is not locked down and green if the lock is correctly engaged. If the vehicle does not have anchors, the vehicle lap belt or shoulder/lap belt can be threaded easily through the same system and locked into place. The seat can also be easily secured without the included base if needed, although this method feels slightly looser and less secure. Easy-to-read instructions with clear pictures are included for all three methods directly on the units themselves making any of the installations very user-friendly. Once the base is installed, taking the seat in and out of the car is extremely convenient. The seat easily snaps down onto the base with an audible click, and the release handle is positioned so that the unit is simple to remove.
The onBoard 35 Air will fit children from 4 to 35 pounds and up to 32 inches, increasing the time the baby can remain in a rear-facing car seat, keeping the child safer longer. The seat also comes with an adjustable padded insert that provides extra comfort and safety for preemies and smaller babies that can be removed as the child grows; the shoulder straps can also be adjusted into one of four slots to accommodate the growing infant, although they must be removed and rethreaded to do so. Instead of difficult individual buckle adjustments, the shoulder straps are tightened together by pulling one simple strap through the front of the seat. On the side there is an indicator showing the proper seat angle based on the child’s weight, which can be adjusted on the base, although this adjustment can be cumbersome when the seat is installed. The seat itself is lightweight and the large handle makes carrying the seat fairly comfortable.
The Safety First seat is one of the few to focus on side impact protection with their Air Protect technology that cradles and cushions the baby’s head in the case of a side-on crash, immediately lessening the force of a side crash and reducing the chance of dangerous head or neck trauma.
The seat padding is plush as well as stylish, and is also easy to remove, clean and replace. The canopy of the seat is very easy to adjust, but the back does tend to fall down over the release handle when in the down position. Overall, the ease of use and longevity of this car seat, not to mention the added safety of keeping children rear-facing longer and side-impact protection, make this an excellent product, as well as an excellent value.
Price: $180
To buy: safety1st.com