Safety 1st onBoard 35 Infant Car Seat

The Safety 1st onBoard 35 is a rear-facing infant car seat designed with two things in mind, comfort and safety. Everything about this infant seat screams quality, from its unique “air protected” cushions to its reclining feature monitored by an easy to read glass bubble. This infant seat is ideally designed for babies weighing 4-35 pounds and up to 32inches tall. This is probably the only child seat on the market that is designed to effectively accommodate premature infants or babies not are below average size. Not to be outdone by other infant seats the Safety 1st onBoard 35 also has a top class adjustable five-point harness system.

The fact that the onBoard 35 is a rear -facing car seat is a real plus as these are inherently very safe, if used correctly. As a result of the way they are installed, rear-facing infant seats tends to protect a baby’s head very well from both frontal and side impacts. A big safety feature of the Safety 1st onBoard 35 are the “Air protected” cushions, these are open cell foam pillows encased in plastic that manages energy in a crash by limiting compression through the gradual release of air . These are used on the sides, in place of energy absorbing EPS or EPP foam found in most other child seats. Safety 1st onBoard 35 has thicker “air protected” cushions up high for bigger babies, and smaller ones low enough to protect newborn and premature babies. The cushions found in the seat are removable and machine washable.

The base and the seat itself are two separate units. The reclining feature is found on the base, where there is an easy to use lever under the base that is used to adjusts the recline angle. On the seat it is an easy to read bubble gage with a guide attached to let you know the appropriate reclining angle for infants of different age and size. This is a big plus when compared to other car seats, reason being; Young babies should be as close to a 450 angle as possible when travelling in an infant car seat so as to reduce the risk of an airway obstruction. Older babies should be slightly more upright. The onBoard 35 lets you know if your child is in the appropriate reclining position.

This infant seat is designed to facilitate either LATCH or seat belt installation. Unlike the hooks used by many other infant seats, the LATCH straps connect to the car seat using mini connectors that has a push button release. When using a seat belt installation, there is a LATCH storage compartment on the base that gets the LATCH straps and connectors completely out of the way. The carrier may be installed without the base but this is not advisable.
The onBoard35 offers 17% more leg room than other infant seats. This is great for the child however it can be a real bother for the passenger whose seat is directly in front of the infant seat. If you are big on color then you might be disappointed that the onBoard 35 does not offers much variety there. These disadvantages are negligible though as for any parent the big things are comfort and safety, two things for which the on Safety 1st onBoard 35 receives an A++++.

The Safety 1st onBoard 35 has some of the most advance safety features found in any infant seat. Its retail price ranges from $180-$200 and can be found in various stores or online.