Choosing the right car seat – Snugli Infant Car Seat Review

 

September is Child Passenger Safety Month, and this week has been Child Passenger Safety Week (Sept 15th – 21st)! Is your child in the right car seat? Most parents think they are doing the best thing for their child, but are they really picking the safest options?

Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children 1 to 13 years old. Many times deaths and injuries can be prevented by proper use of car seats, boosters, and seat belts. So with a new infant on the way, I knew it was the perfect time to seek out the right car seat for our little bundle of joy. I was delighted to have the opportunity to receive the Snugli Infant Car Seat for review, and happy to share some car seat tips with all of you!

Car Seat Recommendations via SaferCar.Gov

Choosing an Infant Car Seat

The first seat your baby will ever ride in is an infant seat. These should be rear facing and the baby should remain rear facing for as long as possible. Among infant car seat manufacturers there are of course a lot of differences. I was provided a Snugli Infant Car Seat for review, and couldn’t be more pleased with what the seat has to offer.

About the Snugli Infant Seat

The Snugli Infant Car Seat offers a fashion-forward look with advanced safety features like side impact testing and extended infant weight ratings. Easy-to-use installation features coupled with lightweight design, allow you to travel with ease while on the go! The infant car seat offers a simple adjustable harness and a pivoting canopy to protect baby from the weather. Your baby will be comfortable on the road with the plush head pillow and padded seat insert that are easy to remove for cleaning.

• Changeable style sets offer Your Style. Your Way.™
• Side Impact Tested! Meets or exceeds all applicable Federal Safety Standards
• 4-35 lb. Harness Rating! Nationally recognized by Safety Advocates for low birth weight babies
• 25% lighter than comparable infant car seats. Light weight for Mom; same protection for baby
• Up-front harness adjustment for easy access
• 3 Shoulder harness positions for better fit and longer use
• Separate stay-in-car base allows for easy transfer from home to car
• Canopy shields baby from the elements
• Mom-friendly ergonomic, easy-to-carry handle
• Designed and tested for structural integrity at energy levels approximately
• 2X the federal crash test standard

My Thoughts on the Snugli Infant Seat

What really stood out about the seat at first glance was the sleek design. It is a neutral color, but very pleasing and not so frilly that it is just over the top. Another great feature that I could notice right away was the weight. This seat is really lightweight! After having two children previously I can tell you that a heavy seat gets old after a while.  🙂

As far as function, I love that the seat has two crotch strap locations available so you can adjust this as your child grows (and it works really great right away for newborns)!

There are also three shoulder harness positions, which means you are going to have a better fit for your baby and be able to use this seat longer. Instructions for the shoulder harness adjustment and crotch strap adjustment are included in the owner’s manual.

I also love that it comes with a removable head pillow and padded seat insert. If you have ever taken a newborn on a car ride, you know that their little heads just aren’t meant for these big seats. Having a pillow to help keep their head steady is a wonderful feature, and the added padding in the seat insert makes me more comfortable as a mom.

One of the best parts of this seat is that the seat pad, canopy, and head support are all machine washable! I love that you can remove the fabric and throw it in the wash machine…speaking from experience, this is probably going to be something you will want to do at least a few times throughout the use of a car seat.

Installing the Snugli Car Seat

Installation was quite easy as well. The seat comes with the convenience base, making transitioning from car to home very easy! I made my husband do the install since he has always been the one to install all of our seats (I just can’t seem to get them tight enough when using Latch). If you don’t have someone who can help you, SafeKids.org offers free car seat check-up events throughout the country. You can also usually go to your local police or fire station and ask them to check it for you.

To install you simply connect the base to the Latch system in your car. You will know the seat is in the right position (level) if the indicator is all green. If red, you will need to press the adjustment button on the the base to raise it up or down. (Don’t mind the crumbs in my car — I have kids!!)

Safety Tips from Snugli

One thing I wanted to point out were some safety tips that are in the Snugli owner’s manual. These are tips that are mostly common sense, but I still see a lot of parents doing a few of these every time I go out so I wanted to get the word about about dangerous practices while using an infant carrier.

I admit that I used to put my infant carrier in the shopping cart with my first child. It wasn’t until I learned some safety tips that I stopped doing so. Did you ever do this or do you put your seat in a shopping cart now? Did you know it is not safe to do so?

Safe Kids Car Seat Inspections – Wisconsin

Since I live in Wisconsin, I was able to easily find the information for the available car seat checks in my state. You can find your local information by searching safekids.org to see any events in your area.

Sept. 21 – Car Seat Check Neenah

Sept. 21 – Car Seat Check Plover

Sept. 21 – Car Seat Check Waukesha

Sept. 23 – Safety Wise Wausau

Sept. 24 – Basics of Baby Care Class La Crosse

Sept. 26 – Car Seat Check Madison