Let's talk about Safety1st infant seats

I've noticed that these don't get a lot of love around here. I can understand why in some ways--ie they only go up to 22lbs and there is no news that that will change right away. But I wanted to share some of the ways that the Safety 1st infant seat was really GOOD.

Editing this post to add new info! There are rumors that the Safety 1st OnBoard aka Eddie Bauer Sure Fit are going to be tested for 30lbs RFing (currently they RF to 22lbs) and the new models have EPS foam, lockoffs, the same good rearrangeable padding, and the price is right. :thumbsup:


First thing, it fit a super small baby. The lowest strap height is very low. There is a crotch position adjust as well, which helps to get a very snug fit on a teensy newborn.

The headrest that comes with it is amazing. There is the added feature of hip support that is great for a newborn. There was no rolling around, no need for extra rolled blankets to support the head or anything like that. It was just a really, really good fit right from the start. My DS was 6lb12oz at birth and super long/skinny (he was all legs and feet!). His tiny torso and extremely skinny body fit perfectly in this seat, and I didn't worry about him slouching, shifting, etc. It would have fit a smaller baby.

Next thing, this seat is surprisingly narrow. At the seat bight, it is SIGNIFICANTLY narrower than the SS1. For this reason, IMO it's a good option for cars where space is an issue. This seat behaved beautifully in a 3-across situation in a small car.

It can be installed with seatbelt or LATCH, and it can be used easily without the base.


Drawbacks I noticed: on my model (about 4 years old IIRC) there were no built-in lockoffs, so if you don't have LATCH or locking seatbelts, a locking clip would be necessary. Personally, I don't find locking clips hard to deal with at all for seats with bases, but lockoffs are always nicer.

I also found that the sunshield got a bit floppy and didn't want to stay up. Not a big deal, but a bit annoying. It could be that my seat was just getting worn out from years of use, though.

Back height seemed somewhat short to me. DS outgrew this seat by height long before reaching 22 lbs.


Anyone have any thoughts to contribute about this seat? Pros? Cons? Let's share opinions about this oft-unmentioned seat.

I do tell a lot of people about this seat. What bugged me is the back adjust ones. The adjust, release and sun shade are all clustered. I hate that. The front adjust are nice, but the harness is different to adjust height on.

Judi said:

I do tell a lot of people about this seat. What bugged me is the back adjust ones. The adjust, release and sun shade are all clustered. I hate that. The front adjust are nice, but the harness is different to adjust height on.

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Good point. Mine was the back adjust model, I had forgotten!

TBH I didn't find it was too much bother. I just pre-set it in the house with 1 finger of space, and then reevaluated whenever I took the seat inside. I always thought front adjust would be nice for wearing snowsuits, but since we know that snowsuits in a seat are a no-no anyway, I didn't find the back harness too terrible.

But wowza, after seeing the pics in that thread, I can TOTALLY understand why the Snugride seems to beat it out if only for ease of harness adjustment. Why on earth would they avoid a splitter plate? Silly designers.

Well, you know, engineers! If they would just add a couple pieces of velco to the sunshade, it would keep it out of the way.

I do like it, but my main issue with it was that the handle HAD to be down. Only recently, at the last Lifesavers Conference in April 2008, did Dorel say the handles could left up. That and the rear adjust harness were two big drawbacks. Now that the seat has a built in lockoff(although not on every model), front adjust harness and the handle can be up, it is super nice. Too bad it's nearly impossible to find without the stroller.

The majority of the safety 1st infant seats are $75. Yeah, even the front adjust ones at walmart and kmart. IMHO they are way nicer then a low end sr. Seriously, the have lower bottom slots that fit smaller babies better, they all have eps, and they come with a half way decent infant insert. And aren't all of their bases adjustable now?? I don't see how it's any more difficult then any other seat like a sr or evenflo seat to install and its way better quality on the cheap side:twocents:

I love the Onboard, since it's a cheap 4 lb minimum seat, and has great head support.

Other than that though, as far as I'm concerned all infant seats are created equally (with the SS1/Keyfit30/Peg30-30 being obvious exceptions, and Evenflo on the other end of the spectrum) so it's all about what features and pattern you prefer.

mominabigtruck said:

The majority of the safety 1st infant seats are $75. Yeah, even the front adjust ones at walmart and kmart. IMHO they are way nicer then a low end sr. Seriously, the have lower bottom slots that fit smaller babies better, they all have eps, and they come with a half way decent infant insert. And aren't all of their bases adjustable now?? I don't see how it's any more difficult then any other seat like a sr or evenflo seat to install and its way better quality on the cheap side:twocents:

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That is really great to hear a good argument in favour of them. That's a great price, too.

Like I said before the two greatest things IMO were the very low strap height and support for a very tiny baby, and the narrow width. It's great to hear that some of the other kinks have been worked out. :thumbsup:

They provide a list on their website of where to buy. Perhaps calling around would help, if anyone was ever interested in finding one.

Didn't I read somewhere that a Safety First seat would be going to 30 pounds? Maybe on the blogs from the ABC? Or am I imagining this?

NannyMom said:

Didn't I read somewhere that a Safety First seat would be going to 30 pounds? Maybe on the blogs from the ABC? Or am I imagining this?

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Oooh if that's the case I'll edit the OP. LMK, I haven't heard of anything but I would not necessarily be the first to know!

oursonend said:

Oooh if that's the case I'll edit the OP. LMK, I haven't heard of anything but I would not necessarily be the first to know!

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Maybe I dreamed it?

DH installed an Onboard tonight. He loves the lock offs!

I love this for it big shade and ajustable crotch buckle, i don't like the puzzle buckle and wish it went to 30lbs, i would reccomend this seat to a family with a low budget.

Anyone know the differences between the models? Starter DX, Designer 22, and OnBoard? I've never had a chance to play with any of them. Is the OnBoard new?

The OnBoard is fairly new. It comes by itself as the Safety 1st Onboard and in travel systems as the Eddie Bauer Sure Fit. It currently goes from 4 to 22 lb, but rumor has it that they're retesting it to go from 4 to 30 lb. It is nice and deep, has a bubble level on the seat itself, and comes with many rearrangeable support pads. It is a decent, affordable seat that should work well for babies in both the smaller and larger ends of it's weight/height range. The base has a lock-off and the recline mechanism is similar to that of the other Dorel infant seats. The lock-off isn't the easiest in the world to use, but I'd say it's better than a locking clip, especially once you figure it out. Many of the features are due to the fact that Dorel worked w/ neonatal/pediatric medical personell as well as CPST/CPSTIs to design the seat.

DaniannieB said:

The OnBoard is fairly new. It comes by itself as the Safety 1st Onboard and in travel systems as the Eddie Bauer Sure Fit. It currently goes from 4 to 22 lb, but rumor has it that they're retesting it to go from 4 to 30 lb. It is nice and deep, has a bubble level on the seat itself, and comes with many rearrangeable support pads. It is a decent, affordable seat that should work well for babies in both the smaller and larger ends of it's weight/height range. The base has a lock-off and the recline mechanism is similar to that of the other Dorel infant seats. The lock-off isn't the easiest in the world to use, but I'd say it's better than a locking clip, especially once you figure it out. Many of the features are due to the fact that Dorel worked w/ neonatal/pediatric medical personell as well as CPST/CPSTIs to design the seat.

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That sounds exciting! I may have to find one just to check it out.

NannyMom said:

That sounds exciting! I may have to find one just to check it out.

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I agree, that sounds great! :thumbsup:

I've seen it IRL at Sears. If you have a local Sears you might be able to check it out. It doesn't seem to be widely available yet. I kind of wish they'd sell it at places like Wal-mart and K-mart.

There's an Eddie Bauer one at BRU on a travel system. The puzzle buckle immediately turned me off it...the base is nice, though :thumbsup: