Safety 1st Complete Air Review Followup Comments
I was going to write a full review, one of my typical epic blogs that you can’t possibly read without falling asleep. Unfortunately, I fell asleep every time I thought about writing it. So, I’m going to just add enough followup comments to make you drowsy and then turn it over to another reviewer for more input. You can find my first look in an earlier blog.
Some thoughts-
My wife likes it. We used it extensively over the last few weeks, including a family driving vacation. She is not a carseat advocate, so this is a good endorsement. You can find the Safety 1st Complete Air and the newer Complete Air LX at Amazon and many other stores. Granted, she only used 
it front-facing. In this direction it installs well with LATCH or seatbelt in the vehicles I tried (2000 Subaru Outback, 2006 Honda Odyssey and 2010 Toyota Prius). It tends to fit well on older kids, as the top slot and shell height are reasonably high. I didn’t try 3-across carseats, but it worked fine in the back seat of a 2010 Prius along with a backless booster for my three kids (right).
Rear-facing, it’s nice for older kids. It fits them well, has generous dimensions and a high 40 pound rear-facing weight limit. This is a huge benefit of this seat, at least in theory. You can see a video in my first look blog of my son, who fits rear-facing at 4 years and 40 pounds.
The harness height adjustment is nice and can be used without un-installing the seat or removing any straps. It can be tricky to adjust sometimes, especially into the top setting. Make sure you hear it solidly click into place!
The harness straps can and do twist at the buckle. Fortunately, they won’t twist at the chest clip so you won’t end up with a rope in a week or two. It does require some twiddling to untwist them every once in a while.
The multiple crotch strap settings are nice, but even the farthest setting is still tight on older boys. Only the first and second crotch strap slots may be used rear-facing. Any of the three may be used front-facing. On the plus side, the inner setting is reasonable for babies.
The bottom of the seat is probably less friendly than average to vehicle seats, given the edges and protrusions. You may wish to protect your vehicle seats, but be sure to read Heathers advice first!
The manuals and labels are significantly improved from Cosco/Safety 1st seats of yesteryear. Kudos to Dorel for making these improvements!
For newborns and small babies, it’s not as nice as some other convertibles. It can be tough to get the required 45 degree recline in some vehicles due to the shape of the shell and the design of the base. Rear-facing installs with LATCH are also tricky due to the angle you have to pull the strap tight. This is made worse because an adjuster is present on only one side. Seatbelt installations may be a little better in some cases and I would think most experienced technicians could resolve any issues for parents who have difficulty.
As you may be able to see in the photo below, the harness doesn’t adjust low enough for small infants, but should fit fine on older babies. The manual specifically warns not to use this child restraint if the harness slot is above the child’s shoulders rear-facing, when the headrest is in the lowest position. It can be a little difficult to tighten the harness when rear-facing, too. Finally, as you can see from my infant size doll, smaller babies won’t get the benefit of the Air Protect wings, even in the lowest setting that is about 10″ to the strap slot. Granted, if their shoulders are under the level of the slots in the lowest setting as is the case in the photo below, they should not be using this restraint.
Overall, I think the Safety 1st Complete Air it is a very nice child safety seat. I would only caution that it is not ideal as a primary restraint for a newborn or smaller baby because of the reasons I mention above. For older babies, especially those who have outgrown an infant seat, it should be a fine choice, though it might take a little more effort to install it rear-facing in some vehicles. The big safety benefit is for those older babies and toddlers, because it’s potentially a great seat for extended rear-facing and also very nice for bigger kids to use when front-facing. Beyond that, my only qualm is the high price tag, $249.99 at TRU/BRU.
Reader Comments
Comparisons will be drawn to similar models. Though it doesn’t work as well rear-facing as the Graco MyRide 65 in terms of installation, recline, adjustments and fit to smaller babies, the Complete air takes up a lot less leg room when front-facing and is generally a nicer seat for older kids. It has a better cover and also the unique Air Protect feature. It’s also quite a bit more expensive than the Graco.
In comparison to the Britax Advocate, the Complete Air has a more generous 40 pound rear-facing weight limit. The height limits are also technically much better, though the artificially low 40″ standing height limit for rear-facing partially negates its greatest safety benefit. The Complete Air is less expensive and also narrower, so it will fit better with passengers and carseats next to it. My right brain thinks the Air Protect cushion right next to the head looks like a benefit. On the other hand, my engineering left-brain rules in favor of the external cushions on the Advocate. I have no data to say which is safer, but I would think that the physics favors having big cushions on the outside, provided that you keep a good layer of EPS and comfort foam inside. The Advocate also has a nicer harness system and may be easier to install easier rear-facing in some vehicles.
Just got this carseat and am considering returning it because it is so difficult to recline; it seems you have to actually undo it to recline it. When we actually did recline this, it didn’t look that stable. There was a great deal of space between the carseat and the seat it was attached to. Please let me know if I’ve missed something obvious to remedy this.
This review popped up on my Facebook this morning from Safety 1st. Awesome.
Mimsy, like various other convertibles, the recline cannot be adjusted once installed. In this case, the foot is really just an adjustment you switch when going from rear to front facing. Which way are you using it? If rear facing, you can see this photo from my first look blog http://carseatblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/completeair3.jpg . I did not use any noodles or towels, so the recline angle is too upright for an infant, but fine for an older child.
From the perspective of a kid who now buckles herself every single time in the car (she turned 5 in March of 2009), I like the looks of the seat and the long range of use for kids, but what turns me off is twisty straps.
My daughter rides in the Nautilus and the straps NEVER twist. Now, granted, they sometimes will flip over when she’s putting them over her shoulders, but that is the kind of thing that is gonna happen with any seat, and it’s something she can feel, see, and fixes immediately before buckling.
The regent was more prone to twisting than the Nautilus (I had it for my boys, who have since outgrown it) and even they didn’t twist at the buckle.
If they are going to use the kind of straps that do this easily, they need to think ahead to kids who buckle themselves and come up with a better buckle, similar to graco’s buckle that is used on the ss1, cozy cline, and nautilus. The way the buckles are designed, with the flat plastic at the top prevents the straps even THINKING of twisting in the buckle.
Extended harnessing really sells a lot more easily when a parent still gets the convenience of having their child buckle themselves.
The twisting is about the same as I experience in my Britax Frontier. The Britax convertibles all have had straps and hardware that don’t twist for a decade, so there are certainly ways to accomplish this.
Hi Darren; thank you for all the great reviews and advice. I am torn and overwhelmed with so much information that I no longer know what I should get. It seems to me that even though the air protect has the advantages of the 40lbs rear-facing you would still opt for the advocate and its external cushions. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
I have 2 questions if you don’t mind. 1)how would u compare the advocate and air protects material in regards to it being breathable? I ask because my current infant seat isnt and my child seats terribly when he’s in there longer than 45 minutes. My second question is; although the 40lbs rf is an advantage, is the child comfortable at that age? I’m not sure that your son Jonathan looked so comfy (at least his legs).
I tried it out and actually had no issues with a rear-facing LATCH install. I did what I typically do, though– pulled the adjuster into the belt path, up from behind the cover, and pulled it in toward the center of the seat. Two hard tugs got it rock-solid in a minute or so.
Nadia, I really have no basis to compare them in terms of safety. I’m not currently using either model, but I would have no issues having my son ride in either one. I think they are both very reasonable, with their own pros and cons specific to each child, parent and vehicle. I do not have the seats on hand to compare fabrics and I know sometimes different fabric styles vary. I can’t really answer your last question, either
Comfort really varies from child to child and will depend a lot upon your vehicle seats, too. I think all three of your questions are great, but all are the things that are really tough to answer for another person!
How about the seat depth? It looks like, from the first pic, that the seat is not that deep and might not be that good for leggier kids. My just-turned-3-year-old’s legs already bend at the edge of the seat in the Nautilus and has more room in the Frontier (our main seat). Would you say the seat depth may be an issue for a leggier kid?
Actually, I found the seat depth was better than a lot of seats for older/leggier kids.
Thank you very much! I think I have made a decision to go for the air protect. After all my kid is only 11 months and it seems at this age he would benefit more from that one. I will let you know if I find something wrong. Hopefully i won’t have nay issues installing.
By the way, in your previous review you said you would try to do installation by belt and I don’t think I read anything about it. How was this intallation? that’s the one thing that scares me, that i won’t be able to install it properly. Greetings and thanks once again!!
Provided you can get an adequate recline angle, seat belt installations seemed about average. Of course, the average carseat doesn’t always install easily! If you have any issues, a local technician should be able to help. Also, please stay tuned for a second opinion; we will have a guest review on the Complete Air in the near future.
Thanks for your info here! My husband really wants this seat for our one-year-old son. I am leaning toward the Britax Marathon (has EPS foam throughout and crash tested at much higher speeds, I’ve heard). Anyone know what this Air Protect was tested at? I called the company and they could not tell me! They said they did not have that info on hand, if you can believe that. (I was told by someone at Babies R Us that USA only tests it’s car seats at 35 mph).
Thanks for the info!
Manufacturers do in-house testing at a variety of speeds over what is required in federal standards. Unfortunately, there really isn’t a comprehensive program that allows you to compare crash safety of different models in the USA.
If you are undecided, try visiting a Babies R Us store and see if they will let you try them both in your car before you buy!
Maybe a silly question – but are the kids able to see out the side windows with this car seat? Clearly, safety is first priority, then kid comfort. My daughter loves looking out the side windows (we have a Highlander and an Audi A6), and it seems this might not be possible with this seat due to the protect wings? I test drove at BabiesRUs and couldn’t quite tell.
There’s a bit less visibility, but it’s not really an issue when front facing. Perhaps somewhat more of an issue when rear-facing.
Your reviews are very thorough and informative. For parents like myself who are new and completely overwhelmed with choices…thank you. I am looking at the Complete Air based on your review. However, my son is very large. At his 4 month appointment he was almost 18 pounds and over 28″ long. He also has very chunky legs. It seems that most seats are not compatible with larger children and this one has many attributes that would make it more practical for a big baby. I was wondering if you had any reccomendations besides this model. The side impact and rear facing for as long as possible are very important to me. We’ve also been looking at the Britax Blvd and the Graco My Ride 65, but I am just so confused. Thank you!!
Called to speak with a Dorel Rep. None of them have even heard about the new Air LX that you mention potentially coming out later this year. Do you have any more info on that? Trying to figure out if it’s worth it to wait for the “new and improved” version. Thanks!
Nothing more than the photos and video we have of it in our ABC Kids posts! It should be out within a few months.