JerseyGirl'sMama
New member
I recently got a chance to play with the Summer Infant Prodigy at Babies 'R Us. I took measurements which can be found here.
The first thing I noticed was the infant insert padding which is required for use under 11lbs. The lower insert is very thick and shallow. I've never seen anything quite like it. It does look like it would fit preemies quite well.
The Safeguard 1-Adjust harness is really nice and smooth with the adjuster button being very easy to access. I did manage to twist the harness webbing just behind the seat and it took me a couple of minutes to correct it since you can't access the harness from the back of the seat. It twisted inside the plastic housing if that makes sense. I'm not sure how much of an issue this could present or if it was more of a fluke with me playing around with it.
The handle has three locked positions, all of which can be used in the vehicle. I thought the handle was ergonomically mediocre and felt quite flimsy. It had quite a bit of movement to it.
The cover consists of a soft suede-like fabric along the inside and a more durable denimish feeling fabric along the outside. I only saw one color option and it was very bland.
I installed the seat outboard drivers side in my '07 Acura MDX.
With the LATCH system, installation was super easy. I had some trouble getting a green smiley with the angle portion. I needed a small noodle to get it just right, but didn't have one with me, so I just proceeded to the tightening step. I applied pressure to the base near the foot area as I tightened and that corrected the angle. The sensor is super finicky and I could see some getting frustrated.
Closeup of the ratcheting mechanism:
With the seat belt install, I ran into the same issue with the angle sensor. I was a tad hesitant to tighten it with my seat belt in there, and was surprised at how much I had to tighten to get a green smiley. When I uninstalled it, my seat belt had a clear indentation from the ratcheting system. It was only installed for a couple of minutes.
Also, the carseat sat a tad crooked in my vehicle due to the shape of both the carseat base and the bolsters of my vehicle seat.
Overall I wasn't impressed with this seat. I do see the benefit of the Smart Screen technology for the average parent/caregiver, but for those who have plenty of experience installing CR's I found it to be a pain in the rear. I just wanted to install it withOUT using the screen!
The first thing I noticed was the infant insert padding which is required for use under 11lbs. The lower insert is very thick and shallow. I've never seen anything quite like it. It does look like it would fit preemies quite well.

The Safeguard 1-Adjust harness is really nice and smooth with the adjuster button being very easy to access. I did manage to twist the harness webbing just behind the seat and it took me a couple of minutes to correct it since you can't access the harness from the back of the seat. It twisted inside the plastic housing if that makes sense. I'm not sure how much of an issue this could present or if it was more of a fluke with me playing around with it.
The handle has three locked positions, all of which can be used in the vehicle. I thought the handle was ergonomically mediocre and felt quite flimsy. It had quite a bit of movement to it.
The cover consists of a soft suede-like fabric along the inside and a more durable denimish feeling fabric along the outside. I only saw one color option and it was very bland.

I installed the seat outboard drivers side in my '07 Acura MDX.

With the LATCH system, installation was super easy. I had some trouble getting a green smiley with the angle portion. I needed a small noodle to get it just right, but didn't have one with me, so I just proceeded to the tightening step. I applied pressure to the base near the foot area as I tightened and that corrected the angle. The sensor is super finicky and I could see some getting frustrated.

Closeup of the ratcheting mechanism:

With the seat belt install, I ran into the same issue with the angle sensor. I was a tad hesitant to tighten it with my seat belt in there, and was surprised at how much I had to tighten to get a green smiley. When I uninstalled it, my seat belt had a clear indentation from the ratcheting system. It was only installed for a couple of minutes.

Also, the carseat sat a tad crooked in my vehicle due to the shape of both the carseat base and the bolsters of my vehicle seat.
Overall I wasn't impressed with this seat. I do see the benefit of the Smart Screen technology for the average parent/caregiver, but for those who have plenty of experience installing CR's I found it to be a pain in the rear. I just wanted to install it withOUT using the screen!