With car seat laws changing all the time (Pennsylvania’s just changed this summer to increase the rear facing requirements), extended rear-facing is important from a safety and a compliance perspective. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children, so having the right car seat (and having it installed correctly) should be a huge priority for parents everywhere. To help you weed through all the options out there, our Philly Editor has tested another extended rear-facing carseat that’s new in the marketplace this year, the Safety 1st ULTRAMAX™ AIR 360 4-in-1.
Before I even had this car seat in my hands, I was particularly excited about the possibility of comfy rear facing capabilities for kids up to 50 pounds, and forward-facing 5 point harness for kids up to 65 pounds (plus booster seat capabilities up to 120 lbs!). This seat is safe for rear-facing babies as small as four pounds, so, in theory, if you register for this car seat when you’re pregnant, you’ll only ever need ONE seat for the entire time your child needs it (swoon). I wish I’d had the foresight to consider a seat like this one when I was pregnant for the first time; it would have saved me several car seat purchases over the years.
I decided to give the rear facing positioning a try with my incredibly petite, not-quite 40 pound, five year old, as she is frequently complaining about rear facing at her “advanced age”. Having become car seat safety zealots, we have generally held firm with her (and her 7 year old sister is still in a five point harness at 55 lbs), but I do understand the comfort issue as her legs get longer. So, we installed the Safety 1st rear facing, crossed our fingers, and jumped in the car.
The first thing that my daughter noticed was the incredibly soft and cushy seat. This is because of the fancy AirProtect® cushioning system for crash protection and side impact energy management, but she thinks its for a better nap on road trips (no need to correct her on that one). She also told me she didn’t feel nearly as cramped as in her other rear facing seat, though it still looked a little snug to me. The head rest and harness are easily adjustable as your child grows, so this might account for how much more comfy she seems in this particular seat.
Next, there are cup holders! Perhaps this isn’t a concern if you’re buying this for an infant, but you will be using those cup holders before you know it, so don’t take that advantage for granted. We take lots of long road trips and those holders aren’t just used for their water bottles; they often hold colored pencils, markers and crayons for art projects in the car as well.
The frame contains reinforced steel, so it’s a heavy beast, but when I’m considering this from a safety perspective, the heavier the better. The soft, cushiony cover snaps off for machine washing, so you don’t have to worry about it getting too grimy without being able to wash the entire thing. The cup holders can be removed and thrown in the dishwasher, too!
My one complaint is that my five year old can’t buckle and unbuckle the seat belt on her own to get in and out, which she may figure out with more time in the seat. Of course, if I had a toddler prone to getting themselves out of their car seat on the highway, this would be a bonus, but a mama with big kids who stay put would love more of a DIY option here.
The UltraMax™ Air 360 is now available for $259.99 at BabiesRUs, which, in the world of heavy duty car seats, is a pretty great price.*
*Disclaimer: While I was given a new Safety 1st ULTRAMAX™ AIR 360 4-in-1 car seat to review for this post, all opinions are honest and my own.
Mollie Michel is a South Philly resident and a Philadelphia public school parent. A recovering non-profit professional, Mollie is also an experienced birth doula, Certified Lactation Counselor, and the mom of two awesome girls and a sweet pit bull named Princess Cleopatra. In her spare time, she is usually trying to figure out how Pinterest works, training for a(nother) half-marathon with her dog at her side, or simply trying to keep up with her increasingly wily daughters