It takes a lot to wow us when it comes to car seats these days; there are just so many similarities among them, it’s rare when one stands out from the crowd. But if I were shopping for a new infant car seat right now — and (cough) money was no object — then the Cybex Cloud Q car seat from the stroller company we’ve come to love is the one I’d be all over.
This infant seat has some remarkable safety features I haven’t seen anywhere else, but I think what will impress parents most is the fact that, outside the car, it converts from a car seat to a carry cot with a reclining position for on-the-go napping.
Related: Tokidoki and Clek collaborate for some out-of-this-world car seats
While my firstborn was a champ at falling asleep in the car, it was impossible to keep him asleep when I moved him from the car to his crib. Like so many parents, I just put his car seat right into the crib, although I know it’s not ideal. In fact, I’ve seen articles that bring up potential issues of babies napping in car seats — at least for “routine sleep” — so if that’s a concern, it’s awesome that the Cloud Q is working to solve this daily parental dilemma with a single lever.
You just remove the seat from its base, and squeeze a small handle at the back of the headrest while giving a gentle push down on the seat itself (it takes some practice). The car seat shifts into a lay-flat reclining position, with tons of room for babies to stretch their legs. So now they can comfortably continue that nap (outside the car, of course) that started right when you pulled in the driveway.
(Every time, never fails.)
You can also push the Cloud Q car seat on a Cybex stroller while it’s in the reclining position with the help of an optional adapter, making it a complete travel system.
And ooh, such pretty colors! But there’s a lot more to the seat that makes it a great safety choice.
The Cloud Q has side-impact protection, which has been updated with even more safety technology. The (very heavy) steel car seat base has a new feature called a “load leg” that extends down and balances on the floor of the car, to minimize movement as much as possible, and give it the ability to absorb more force in case of impact. And then there’s a tension cover that locks belts or latches in place for an appropriately tight fit.
Basically, with this system, you know that base isn’t going anywhere.
Hey, the Cloud Q (along with four other Cybex infant seat models: The Aton, Aton2 and AtonQ) is even recommended by The Car Seat Lady and we value that a lot.
Now for the cost.
(Are you sitting down?)
You’re going to pay $450 for the car seat and base, more for the adapter and other accessories, let alone the stroller. But if you’re going to splurge on any one baby item, we always say skip the fancy crib and instead look at the best car seat you can afford. Whether this or any other excellent infant seat.
After all, if all our experiences are any indication, your baby is likely to spend more time in that car seat than the crib. Another reason we’re glad there’s now one they can safely nap in, too.
You can order a Cybex Cloud Q car seat and base from their website or from indie baby stores near you or online, like Magic Beans. Thank you, Cybex, for sending CMP one for review consideration.
