There are many moments in our baby’s lives that turn into major milestone purchasing decisions. First the infant carseat, then the stroller, the breast pump…and many pounds and months later – the convertible car seat. Hours and hours spent researching, talking to friends and saving your hard earned cash for your precious little ones. Sound familiar? When Ellie turned 6 months, I started thinking about which convertible car seat would be best for us. After moving through the 3 phases of my purchase decision: research, talking to friends and saving my dough I decided that the clek foonf would be perfect. After a month using the carseat, I thought my review would help others in the ‘research phase’ of deciding which convertible car seat is best for your family.
My Criteria For a Carseat
SAFETY: I think everyone’s criteria varies slightly when deciding which carseat is best for you but I think we’re all in agreement when it comes to safety. We want to protect our little one in the safest way possible and a safe carseat is essential.
EASE OF USE: I hate complicated baby products. Ask my girlfriend, I had a breakdown in our local baby store the other day when I was testing out how easy (or NOT EASY) it was to fold and unfold different strollers. I wanted to make sure my carseat was easy to install and simple to change as Ellie grows.
STYLE: You guys know I love a sleek, sexy design. Not something I would normally associate with a carseat but…style is important to me.
PRICE: Value for money is always an important factor when making these milestone decisions.
CANADIAN OWNED/MANUFACTURED: I love supporting Canadian businesses, so if I can find a product that is not only owned by Canadians but is also manufactured in Canada – bonus!
Clek Foonf Specs
Coined by Clek as “the mother of all carseats” the foonf is a serious machine.
forward-facing rigid-UAS installation
anti-rebound bar
secure Rear-Facing Installation
revolutionary forward-facing safety
engineered with steel and magnesuim sub-structure
dual lasers of energy-absorbing foam
crypton fabric allows permanent protection against stains, moisture and bacteria smooth recline
adjustable structural headrest
2-year extended warranty
at 16.9 inches wide, it can be installed 3-across in most vehicles
Rear Facing: Height: 25–43 in, Weight: 14–40 lb, Minimum Age – Able to sit upright alone. When used with infant-thingy (sold separately), you can accommodate a child that’s 5 lb and 19 in.
Forward Facing: Height: 30–49 in, Weight: 20–65 lb, Minimum Age: 2+ years recommended (1 year minimum)
Review of Clek Foonf
Truth be told, I’ve had my eye on the Clek Foonf since I was five months pregnant. Wandering aimlessly up and down the baby show I was lured in by a Clek salesperson. Little did she know, she had me at ‘and any liquid just repells off the fabric’ (ok I’m a bit of clean freak but major bonus right?).
After a month of using the Foonf, let’s see how my review compares to my carseat ‘must haves’ list.
SAFETY: As you can see from the features above (more info on the Clek website), there are some incredibly strong safety elements of this carseat. As Canada has the strictest guidelines when it comes to carseat safety, I love that Clek is one of the only companies to release their crash test results.
EASE OF USE: This carseat is super easy to install rear-facing. If you have a love-hate relationship with instruction manuals (like I do), there are many YouTube installation videos that can help guide you through the entire process. While, you do have to remove the seat pad to change the harness height, I love how easy it is to adjust the straps when your baby is in the seat itself. I do find the carseat a little tall so initially I had trouble with my blindspot but after some practice I got used to it.
STYLE: I think this is one of the nicest looking carseats out there. The striking design really feels timeless and has a real Scandinavian feel to it. Often we sacrifice comfort for style, but in this case you don’t have to. Comfort is a priority in all Clek carseats and Ellie just loves how comfy her Foonf is.
PRICE: At $599 CA, the Foonf is not the cheapest on the market, but given that it’s supposed to last until your child is 65lbs, that’s usually around 6 or 7 years old which means you’re paying approximately $100/year for your carseat (not to mention that Clek stands by their products so much that they say you can use the carseat again for child no 2…and 3.).
CANADIAN OWNED AND MANUFACTURED: Not only are Clek carseats manufactured in Canada, Clek is the only North American car seat company with a car seat recycling program!
The verdict is in and I love my Clek Foonf and would definitely recommend it.
All the best and make sure your little one is safe!
