Our son outgrew his infant car seat (he exceeded the 22 lb & 29 inch max) but we still wanted to keep him in an infant car seat for a variety of reasons. He also wasn’t really enjoying the umbrella stroller we had. So when we found the S1 Series by Safety 1st, we were excited to give it a try.
The S1 Series by Safety 1st consists of an infant car seat and a stroller. First off, the car seat and stroller are stylish and come in a great brown and slate blue color. They are both very comfortable for baby, and the infant car seat is especially appealing because it comes with Safety 1st’s Air Protect Side Impact Technology, which is like two little pillows on the side of the baby’s head to protect him in the event of a collision. We were able to configure the car seat to our son quickly, and the base we installed in the car in not even 5 minutes. Putting together the stroller took about half an hour but the process was quite simple and straightforward. Both are easy to use, comfortable, and most importantly, safe.
Pros:
– Car seat offers the peace of mind and safety of the side impact air cushions (Safety 1st’s Air Protect Side Impact Technology). The cushions are also a nice head rest for a sleepy baby.
– Car seat accommodates babies from 4 – 35lbs and up to 32″ in height, so you use it for longer than other infant car seats. Our son seems to have much more leg room, and yet feels cozy, when strapped into this car seat.
– The car seat can be used with a seat belt in cars where you don’t have the car seat base. This was a really important feature for us since we have one base but have both a grandmother and a nanny also drive him around. The car seat secures really securely to the seat, even without the base.
– The base is easy to install.
– Stroller has a tray for the child and a tray for the parent! I didn’t think I would appreciate this feature as much as I do, but the baby’s tray enables me to leave little snacks for him. As for the parent tray – I love having my cup of coffee and a covered storage compartment for my keys or other valuables.
– Stroller adjusts to various recline positions for baby’s comfort and convenience.
– Stroller under basket is roomy and easy to access.
– Stroller is easy to open/close.
– Infant car seat can be placed onto the stroller in the early days, so you can use the stroller in place of the snap-and-go frame. Safety 1st calls it the Quick Click attachment.
Cons:
– Lugging a 25+ lb baby in an infant car seat can get heavy. However, the car seat comes with an ergonomically designed handle that makes lugging the car seat around more comfortable and doesn’t slip from your hands and cause blisters!
– It’s a little tricky getting the car seat out of the base. It snaps in quite easily but when pulling it out, you need to pull it straight up.
– Stroller is not as compact as an umbrella stroller, but at the end of the day, it isn’t an umbrella stroller and offers so many more features.
– The wheels on the stroller rattle and are kind of loud.
– The hood for both the stroller and the car seat tend to “stick” a little.
All in all, the S1 Series by Safety 1st is a great car seat and stroller for parents looking for a really safe infant car seat and stroller combo. The pros definitely outweigh the cons, and the S1 system is one of the more efficient car seat/stroller systems I’ve seen to date. The system is really nicely designed and built.. We’ve gotten several comments about how our son is traveling in comfort and style.
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