*Disclosure:  I received a complimentary product for the purpose of this post.  All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and only influenced by my experience with the product and company.*  

When my daughter was born almost 4 years ago, I was lucky enough to receive a car seat stroller travel system from my sister as a gift.  I was very happy with it and so grateful to her for giving it to us.  I used it happily for the few months my daughter used it.  Then, I became a bit more knowledgeable about car seats and what was available.  When my son was born, I realized just how difficult it was to adjust the harness straps on my infant seat, and that there were easier options.  I toughed it out and just went through the trouble of getting him securely fastened each time we left the house.  With baby #3 on the way, I knew all along that I desperately wanted a new infant seat.  I wanted one that was adjustable without any hassle.  That I could quickly and easily get baby in there securely every time with no worries.  I also knew that I wanted a seat with side impact head protection like the kids’ convertible seats.  I started doing my research and came upon the Combi Shuttle and realized that it fit the bill and was what I was looking for.  Before I share my Combi Shuttle car seat review, I want to share with you some important information – what to do with expired car seats.

Babies ‘R’ Us Great Trade In Event.  When these events happen, you can bring in your used baby gear for savings on your new purchases.

 

Baby Earth Renew.  You pay to ship your used carseat, and they properly disassemble it and recycle all usable parts.

 

Recycling Center.  You can check with your local recycling center to see if your seat can be recycled.

 

Throw it away the right way.  Using scissors, cut off the fabric, foam padding, and the harness straps.  Remove as much metal as possible, some of this is difficult.  Remove the car seat cover and padding.  Discard the pieces that cannot be recycled, and recycle the ones that can.  Using a permanent marker, mark the plastic as either expired or unsafe.

Now, onto the part I know you are waiting for – the Combi Shuttle Car Seat review.  In short, I am in love.  I actually had a friend who had just been talking about buying an infant seat for her new baby.  I called her right away and said she had to see this one before she made her decision, knowing full well that she would want to buy this seat instead.  It is that great.

The Base

I will start with the base because you will probably be installing it in the car right away.  I absolutely love that everything you could need to know to install the base is clearly marked in both english and spanish, making it easy and fast to install the Combi Shuttle car seat.

The base can be installed using seat belts or the premium, push button LATCH connectors.  When using the seat belts, the LATCH connecters can be securely tucked into the LATCH Storage compartment.  When using the seatbelt, there is a spot located on both sides of the base to hook your seat belt through to hold it in place {lock offs}.  I really like that the belt paths are wide enough for my hands to fit through without a struggle, making it fast and easy to install.  Whether using the LATCH or the seat belt, there is a clearly marked path with a belt guide that keeps it in place.

There is a recline adjuster with 4 different height adjustments for proper seat angle and positioning.  To adjust, simply pull the orange adjustment levers located on both sides of the base.  I found that I had to slightly lift up before pressing down to lower it.  To ensure the proper angle, there is a level located on both sides of the base with two markings, 22 and 35.  To use with an infant weighing 22 pounds or less, center the bubble on the 22.  For infants between 20-35 pounds, center the bubble on the 35.

In the front of the base under the picture markings for where to center the bubble, is a storage compartment.  You could store a pacifier or other relatively small items, possibly even an extra outfit for a newborn.

With the contoured, non-stick base, you will get a secure installation with no need to readjust.

The Combi Shuttle Car Seat

When I first began researching infant seats for this baby, I knew there were a few things that I absolutely wouldn’t settle on.  One was the side impact protection.  Our other seats have them, and I can’t imagine not having one for a teeny, brand new little baby.  With the Combi Tru-Safe®, you get 360 degrees of protection in the event of front, rear or side-impact collisions.  The seat is designed to fit babies up to 35 pounds and 33 inches.

The side impact protect {SIP} is the head restraint with the deep side walls and a layer of energy-absorbing foam to distribute crash energy away from your infant’s head, neck and spine.  To protect baby even more, the anti-rebound bar stabilizes the seat by minimizing rotational forces in the event of front or rear collisions.  I really love these two features.  Minimizing the amount of movement from baby in a crash goes a long way to minimizing injury to such a precious little being.

Not only are those safety features potential lifesavers, but Combi didn’t stop there.  With an adjustable head restraint allowing for fast and easy positioning of the shoulder harness that ensures a snug, secure and correct fit every time, you cannot go wrong.

This seat has only 2 shoulder harness levels that you would ever have to rethread.

Each level can be adjusted to 7 different heights, making this seat easily adjust to 14 different shoulder heights for baby.

 In order to use the carseat in the top two positions, you need to remove the canopy, which is plenty easy to do.  The instructions say to use a screwdriver, but I found it easier for me to do without one.  In order to re-thread the harness straps you need to have the seat in the top position.

Adjusting the shoulder harness height is easily done.  Simply turn the red knob on back and adjust it up or down to the height you need.

Not only that, but you can also re-loop the shoulder harness to a shorter setting.  And speaking of that, I love that instead of sliding both pieces onto the metal harness plate in the same spot, they are both on a separate piece.   I’ve found that when both harness straps go on in the same place, you can get uneven straps when tightening, but Combi has made sure that never happens.

To finish off with securing baby, the one pull harness adjuster makes getting a safe, secure fit easy peasy every time.

The seat can also be installed without the use of the base in infants weighing less than 22 pounds.  With a simple unsnap of the fabric, you will see the spot to slide the seat belt through.

The ergonomic carry handle has comfort grips which also prevent your hand from slipping as you grab the carseat.

I’m a big fan of the pad under the crotch strap.  As much as I’d like to give myself mom of the year award, it has happened where one of the kids has been pinched when getting buckled.  There are also shoulder pads that come with the seat and are made for use on this seat.  The seat comes with the newborn insert cushion but is easily removed as baby grows.

As I was showing it off to my friend that day, she asked how easy it was to clean.  I didn’t actually know, it had only been here a day and I hadn’t tried to remove the pads yet.  Turns out it is extremely easy to take the pads off and wash.  While you do have to rethread it to remove the straps, it only takes a second.  The cover and harness pads are all machine washable.

On the back of the carseat, you will find a pocket for storing the user manual, as well as the locking clip.  You will also notice a red bar.  This is how you remove the carseat from the base.  Simply pull up with one hand and it will release the locks holding the seat in place.  This is also how you release it from the compatible strollers.

On the side of the seat is a label where you write your infants information.  This way if there is ever an emergency, they will know at least something about your baby if you are unable to speak.

The Combi Shuttle is designed to be used with the handle up during travel.  When taking baby out of the seat at home, putting the handle down is as easy as pressing the gray buttons located on both sides and then sliding the handle back.

I love the Combi Shuttle and cannot wait for this little person so that we can use it.  I love knowing that baby will be in a seat that I trust to be safe, with every safety measure taken.

Buy it now:  The Combi Shuttle infant seat is available in 4 different colors; black, red, royal blue, and teal.

Social Hour:  You can also find Combi on Facebook and Twitter.

What features do you look for when purchasing a new carseat?