When planning our Caribbean vacation, we knew we would need to be travelling with car seats. We have 5 kids, 3 of which are still in infant/toddler seats. We planned on renting cars and travelling by taxi, and anytime you are in an unfamiliar car, whether it be taxis or rentals, you need to consider space. Not only do we have 5 kids, we also have STUFF and I mean STUFF! I had heard of the Foonf by Clek carseat for it’s safety, unique design and compact nature of the seat and have had the opportunity to share my thoughts with you!
For the purpose of this post, I decided to highlight my TOP TEN features of the Foonf carseat.
Foonf By Clek: Is It Really That Great?
Number Ten: The colours. I chose to get tank, and I think for my next seat (that’s right, I am heading out tomorrow to buy a second Foonf seat), I will choose choose bluemoon. I desperately want the snowberry, but with 4 boys and a girl, I think it makes more sense to be a little more neutral. The colours are modern and bold. There is truly a colour for every personality.
Number Nine: The feel of the fabric. I often find carseat fabric to be a fabric that I would not want to sit on myself. Think about it, 1 hour drive, with only a cotton onesie, in the heat of summer. I picture sweat. The fabric used by clek is similar to cotton terry and is very breathable and soft.
Number Eight: The comfort. This seat comfortably fits each of my children, who range from 10 months to almost 4 years old. From 18lbs, up to 39lbs. There is an easily adjustable headrest that I can move to safely support each child. I have had each child sleep comfortably in the seat and have used it rear facing for each child and forward facing for my middle two. No matter which way I install it, they fight over who sits in ‘the comfy seat’. There you have it, it is ‘kid approved’ aka, fight worthy.
Number Seven: The ability to fit a large range of sizes. I have 5 kids, my oldest is 8 and three of them can fit in this seat. It is made for children with a weight of 14-65lbs. That is nice versatility. Keep in mind that this seat should not be used until the baby is able to sit unassisted, which is usually around 6 months. Technically, my 8 year old could still fit in this seat based on weight. For height, the maximum recommended height is 49″ or until the top of the head is 1″ below the top of the adjustable headrest. There is no reason to buy another carseat after Clek.
Number Six: It is approved for flight. Although I did not choose to bring the seat on the airplane for this trip, I know many parents do. Having this option is important for many parents. This also shows you the narrowness of the seat, because after 5 flights in the last 2 weeks, I can attest to the fact that airplane seats are NARROW!
Number Five: The smooth recline option. Clek uses an ‘easy to engage’ slide to recline option. Simply squeeze and move the seat from upright to reclined. Because it is so smooth, the baby can stay asleep. Trust me, I have done it.
Number Four: The stain resistance. Clek uses Greenguard Crypton® Super Fabrics that protects against stains. This is music to my ears. I have 4 boys, my life is dirty (and noisy). Travelling by plane, with this brand new seat, I was initially terrified about it getting dirty as soon as I got it. Once I learned about this technology, I could rest easier. And honestly, the seat came back spotless, my checked luggage looks like it has been dragged across the tarmac.
Number Three: The dimensions. Not only was I concerned about size for this trip, I was also hoping to be able to get 3 carseats across the back of my minivan when my little lady grows out of her infant seat. At only 43cm wide it is over 4cm narrower than my current seat, and this adds up when you are talking about 3 seats.
Number Two: The Added Safety. This is a huge one for any parent. Foonf has added safety measures for rear facing (which I promote until age two and beyond). It has an anti-rebound bar that must be added when it is rear facing and it was designed to comfortably and safely be used, rear facing, until the child’s 4th birthday (40lbs). This is a very high rear-facing weight. It is reinforced by steal and magnesium and is incredibly sturdy. The headrest is connected to the seat with steel rods and has energy absorbing material in order to maximize head protection in the event of a crash. Watch this video to see how it performs in a side impact collision. *please note there are currently no regulated side impact testing
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I was given this carseat to review at not cost. All thoughts are my own.
Great review! What a beautiful car seat!
Ok! You’ve convinced me! Is this like the coolest carseat ever? I guess I’ll be in the market for a new one in the future lol.
IT IS the best one ever! You NEED one!
Very very very tempted!! We will likely need to venture out to buy new convertibles before my son is out of them, really like the sounds of this one!
You will not be disappointed. It is a little heavy, and not cheap, but otherwise I cannot say anything bad about it.
You are totally right about everything! I love my foonf 🙂 and I have the flamingo
Caelin, you are KILLING me! I wanted pink so bad, but with two boys and 1 girl that might all use it, I just couldnt do it!
we are headed to look at these tomorrow. i’ve loved everything i’ve heard and then i got to see them in person at mommy con. i’m quite sure we’ll leave with at least one – my husband wants 6… 3 for each car hahaha i’ll have to hold him back!
Do it!!!
This looks like an amazing car seat for us to have on hand for our out-of-town visiting grandchildren! What caught my eye was the ability to fit a huge range of sizes, comfortable material and ease of installation. So where would someone go to get one?
You can buy direct from Clekinc.ca or clekinc.com, or on amazon: http://amzn.to/1ldZ04z
As a nurse I am always being called on by friends and family for advice, and this happens despite most of my experience being with adults. Having had car seats for my grandkids, I wish I had seen these when I needed them. And I would definitely have had one of the cranberry!
And to think that my brother (likely about the age of your children) was brought home in a cardboard box! Thank goodness we have come a long way and children are surviving because of it.
Great blog Catherine. It would be a great gift for the grand kids. How much does it cost?
They are around $450! So not cheap, but worth it.
Wow! They look awesome!!! Do they make Boosters? Great article Catherine… love your top 10 🙂
They do make really nice boosters as well. Thanks for the comment.
Great review! It so happens we recently bought this chair in Ink Blue, (had to go neutral as well, just in case ;). After extensive research it seemed like the “no compromise” car seat, and after reading your review I’m further convinced we made the right decision. I will have to check to see if I can recline her’s further because I’m finding her head flops forward a bit when she inevitably dozes off! She’s rear facing of course (7.5 months). One of the biggest advantages from her perspective is being able to see out the window because of the height of the chair. Suddenly she’s interested and entertained by everything outside whereas before she could only see the boring interior of our car from her infant seat. It makes driving “fun” for everyone.
What Great Features Sharp Looking Too!
Love our Clek ! was so easy to install and change settings. Bonus we finally have a seat that fits great in my husbands Fiat!
love and loved the fabric.
they are definitely a good car seat and yes price is a bit high, but as you said worth it and i love the colors they come in, i think if the price wasn’t so high i probably would look into this to use when we go on the road .. thanks for share