Great, basic car seat for everyday and travel.
February 29, 2020
Although I received the Snugride 35 Lite LX Infant Car Seat for free through the Stellar Product Testing Panel, everything stated in this review is my own opinion.
Overall, this is a great, safe (albeit basic) car seat. It's great for everyday use, the manual is easy to read, and I can even see myself traveling with it, too, because it really is light weight and pretty easy to install with the adjustable base.
The fabric is good and cool. It's wintertime at the time of this review; however, I'm from an area with very mild winters and we have already seen some warmer days in the low 70s. The car seat has not made my baby sweaty and I can't see it making my baby sweaty as the temperatures continue to rise (this is huge for me because summer temps here are in the 90-100s degrees Fahrenheit!). The fabric is a little rough, but it wipes up and cleans easily.
The fabric on the infant insert is different than the rest of the car seat and is actually softer and squishier. The infant insert would be great for tiny newborns! However, the insert is outgrown at 12lbs. My baby was born at 8lbs, so, at 2months old, my baby has just barely outgrown the infant insert. This isn't a big deal but might be if you have bigger newborns and want to get some use out of the infant insert.
The infant insert has some great features that keeps it in place so that it won't shift under your baby or between buckling your baby in and out. The insert for the head has a strap that goes through the holes for the car seat straps. It then Velcro's in place so that it doesn't shift around.
This car seat does NOT have a no-rethread harness. This means that as baby grows, you have to manually adjust the straps to the correct height. This isn't too difficult, but you do have to remember to make some extra adjustments to the straps in the back once baby outgrows the first two height levels (there are four total). I, personally, am okay with this feature because it helps me ensure a better fit when my baby is small, but if you think it'll hinder you in getting baby properly secured, you might want to find a car seat with a no-rethread harness system.
Tightening the harness straps on this car seat are easy and I'm confident I have a tight and secure fit each time. The chest clip is sturdy and does not stick. It also has an easy-to-read reminder on chest clip to remind caregivers the proper positioning for the chest clip. We have grandparents babysit all the time and I always appreciate these gentle reminders for those that don't use car seats on a daily basis.
The base this car seat comes with is so nice! I love the adjustable feature. It has four levels and these really help; I haven't had to use a towel to install the carseat! This base will definitely come in handy when traveling and using different cars. I've been that person searching for a towel at the airport because the car seat needed one in that particular car. In some cases, a rolled towel may still be necessary but the adjustable base makes it a lot less likely I think.
My biggest nuance with this car seat is the canopy. It's loud. It needs two hands to move. It's difficult to position. It resists movement. And, most importantly, it will not come in front of baby. So, if the sun is shining directly into baby's eyes, the canopy will do absolutely nothing to block the sun. The canopy will only block sunlight if the sun is shining in from behind baby. This just defeats the purpose of a canopy to me.
Finally, is this car seat actually light weight? Yes! This feature is so nice, too! I have a toddler so baby usually needs to stay in the car seat while I help my toddler in and out of her own carseat. I usually get baby out of the car first and hold baby in the car seat while unbuckling my toddler. A light weight infant seat makes this juggling so much easier so that I can keep both of my little ones safe around cars!
In Summary:
1. Manual is easy to read.
2. Fabric is cool, easy to clean, although a little rough.
3. Infant insert is soft and squishy, but outgrown at 12 pounds.
4. This is NOT a no-retread car seat. You will have to rethread the harness straps manually.
5. Harness straps move smoothly as does chest buckle.
6. The adjustable base makes installs easier. It'll be a great base to use while traveling. However, the latch it comes with is basic and a little tricky to use.
7. The canopy on this car seat is loud and doesn't really do it's job of blocking the sun from baby's eyes. Hate the canopy.
8. The car seat is light weight! Love it!
9. Overall: good, basic seat.
This product review was collected by the manufacturer.