- Convertible car seat
- Rear-facing 5-40 pounds (preferably until age 2)
- Forward-facing 22-70 pounds
- $189.99
The Safety 1st Advance 70 Air convertible car seat offers advanced side-impact protection using the company's G-Cell HX and Air Protect technologies. G-Cell HX is specialized rebounding foam with hexagonal shapes that lines the entire car seat shell. Safety 1st developed G-Cell HX with Bald Spot Sports, a company that uses solid G-Cell foam in customized cockpits for Indianapolis 500 professional racecar drivers.
"G-Cell HX absorbs energy as it makes contact with the occupant to mitigate crash forces much like a bumper does on cars," says David Amirault, director of product marketing, design and brand management for Dorel Juvenile Group (DJG), the Safety 1st manufacturer, in Columbus, Indiana. Air Protect is impact foam in the seat's headrest with an air chamber that dissipates the energy of a crash away from a child, Amirault says.
DJG has tested the Advance 70 Air with its own side-impact sled tests. "We've seen sizable improvement in the dissipated energy," Amirault says. DJG is also working with Kettering University in Flint, Michigan, to develop a side-impact test that it hopes NHTSA will adopt as a safety standard for all car seats sold in the U.S.
In addition to the Safety 1st Advanced 70 convertible car seat, DJG plans to use G-Cell HX and Air Protect in more of its car seats down the road. To spot these seats in stores, look for a tag with a big orange plus, which indicates the car seat features both Air Protect and G-Cell HX.
