The Safety 1st Advance SE 65 Air + convertible car seat is a recent addition to the Safety 1st roster of child restraints. We were excited to take it and its multiple recline positions, a no re-thread harness and generous weight and height allowances out for a spin!
Safety 1st Advance SE 65 Air + features
CSFTL Quick Stats
- Rear facing weight range: 5-40 lbs.
- Rear facing height range: 19-40″
- Forward facing weight range: 22-65 lbs.
- Forward facing height range: 29-49″
- Shell height: 28″
- Lowest harness position: 7.5″
- Highest harness position: 17″
- Expiration: 8 years
- Lower anchor weight limit: 43 lbs.
Features
- 3 crotch buckle positions
- No re-thread harness
- 4 recline positions
- Integrated cup holder
- Air Protect + GCell HX foam
Rear Facing
Safety 1st Advance SE 65 Air + rear facing
The Advance Air installs very simply rear facing using either lower anchors or the seat belt. The rear facing belt path and instructions are color coded in green, which corresponds to the rear facing section of the manual as well. The belt path sits nice and high on the seat, making it friendly for most seat belt installations.
Safety 1st Advance SE 65 Air + lower anchor installation
The single lower anchor connector strap comes stored in a little plastic pouch hidden in the forward facing belt path, and must be opened up and threaded through the belt path prior to installation.
The Advance Air has four recline positions that can be adjusted by pulling the red lever on the bottom back portion of the seat. For rear facing, the seat can be in any of these positions as long as the seat is properly reclined according to the lines on the side of the seat. There are two lines, for children 5-22 lbs, the more reclined of the two lines must be level with the ground. For children 22-40 lbs that can sit unassisted, the seat may be reclined to anywhere between the two lines, as long as it is not more upright than the most upright line. It took a little bit of playing with the recline settings to find the perfect one, but the multiple settings offer a lot of flexibility to find the right fit for your vehicle and comfort level for your child.
Safety 1st Advance SE 65 Air + recline mechanism and guides
The major drawback, however, is that this seat is simply enormous. Adjusted to the most reclined setting as required for a child under 22 lbs, the seat takes up a substantial amount of space front to back. In my 1998 Honda CRV, there would’ve been absolutely no way to drive with the Advance Air positioned behind the driver at this setting.
Safety 1st Advance SE 65 Air +- 7 lbs., 17 inches
When it came time to try the fit with a child, first, I tried our Huggable Images newborn doll in the Advance Air. Weighing in at 7 lbs, she’s the size of an average newborn. Using the included infant insert gave a great fit, with the straps falling right at the shoulders and the harness passing the pinch test. If your vehicle has enough space to accommodate the large size of the seat at the newborn recline setting, it would work very nicely from birth.
Safety 1st Advance SE 65 Air +- 14 months, 22 lbs., 30 inches
Next, I used the seat with my 14 month old. She is 22 lbs and 30″ and able to use the more upright recline settings. The seat fit her very nicely as well, I removed the infant insert (which can be used or removed at any time provided the child fits correctly) and moved the crotch buckle out to the second position for a more comfortable fit. Crotch buckle positions 1 and 2 can be used for rear facing.
Safety 1st Advance SE 65 Air +- 5.5 years, 41 lbs., 43 inches
Finally, I tried my 5.5 year old in the seat to see how a child at the upper end of the weight and height limits fit in the seat. He did not ride in this seat, as he exceeds both the weight and height limits at 41 lbs and 43″ tall, he just tested it out in the driveway for me. We know that kids are safest rear facing as long as possible, ideally until 3-4 years old, so I was pleased to note the ample leg room the seat provided him. It is unfortunate that the standing height limit for the rear facing mode is 40″, as the 28″ tall shell could easily accommodate a much taller child.
Forward Facing
Safety 1st Advance SE 65 Air +
Once your child has outgrown the rear facing weight or height limits of the Advance Air and is a minimum of two years old, the seat can be used forward facing up to 65 lbs and 49″. The forward facing installation was as easy as the rear facing installation. The belt path is easily accessible and did not pose any installation challenges. The Advance Air can be installed with lower anchors up until the child weighs 40 lbs; after that the seat belt must be used. Safety 1st recommends using the tether at all times when the seat is forward facing. The Advance Air must be in the most upright recline position when forward facing.
Safety 1st Advance SE 65 Air +- 5.5 years, 41 lbs., 43 inches
5.5 year old Sam used the Advance Air forward facing, and the first thing I noticed was the plentiful leg support. He is 43″ tall and carries most of his height in his legs, and the deep seat pan supported his legs beautifully. The depth of the seat offers another advantage; maximizing the child’s torso growing room. The top harness position measures 17″, but for us it fits much more like an 18″ position on other seats due to the shape.
The only complaint Sam had about the seat was the lack of harness strap covers. Each time he rode in the seat, he complained that they were digging into his neck uncomfortably. His younger sister had some irritation on her neck from the same issue. I spoke with Safety 1st and unfortunately at this time there are no approved harness strap covers that can be used with the Advance Air. CSFTL recommends pulling up the child’s shirt around the straps to prevent this issue.
Safety 1st Advance SE 65 Air +
The only complaint from my side of the car seat came in tightening the harness. The first 12″ of the harness straps have this rubbery material on the back, which makes it extremely difficult to pull the harness tight. Rear facing, I circumvented the issue by reaching around to the back of the seat to pull the straps through the back of the shell, and then pulling the strap on the front of the seat. Forward facing, however, it was a major problem to try to get the straps tight.
I spoke to Safety 1st about this challenge I experienced, and then let me know that the Advance Air seats made after June 2014 will no longer have this material on the harness, and hopefully should be much easier to tighten.
Safety 1st Advance SE 65 Air + GCell HX Foam
One great feature that is new to the Advance SE 65 Air + is the combination of the Air Protect technology in the headrest and GCell HX foam that lines the entire torso and hip areas of the seat, providing additional side impact protection for the child.
Overall, I loved the ease of installation, as well as comfortable growing room for both big and small children. The downsides to this seat are the sheer size of it; especially if your child is under 22 lbs. After that point, the size is much more tolerable but it would still likely not be a contender for a tight 3-across situation or a tiny coupe. The lack of strap covers and difficulty tightening were a bit of a bugger, but the versatility and ease of installation still won me over.
Important Information: Where to Find
Advance SE 65 Air + manual storage
The manual stores in a handy little pocket under the cushion behind the child’s left ear. The location is clearly marked by a sewn-on tab on the seat cover.
Advance SE 65 Air FAA Certification
If you take the Advance SE Air + on an airplane, you may be asked to show the seat’s FAA Certification. This is the red lettering and the picture of the airplane on the label at the base of the seat. You’ll find this on the child’s left side. This sticker is completely obscured when the seat is installed rear facing.
Because this sticker is on the seat’s base, moving the base between positions causes the seat to rub against this label. I suspect that this label will eventually come off due to this location.
Advance SE 65 Air + expiration date
Advance SE 65 Air + date of manufacture label
The Date of Manufacture (DOM) sticker is located on the base of the seat, on the child’s left side. This sticker is completely obscured when the seat is installed rear facing.
Because this sticker is on the seat’s base, moving the base between positions causes the seat to rub against this label. I suspect that this label will eventually come off due to this location.
Advance SE 65 Air + locking clip storage
Though this seat doesn’t come with a locking clip, there’s a storage spot for it on the base of the seat. If your car requires one, just call Safety 1st to order one for use with this seat.
UPDATE: Check out the Advance SE’s new cousin, the Advance EX 65 Air +, which features a 50 pound rear facing weight limit!
The best part? Safety 1st is giving away one Advance SE 65 Air + convertible seat to one reader, enter using the Rafflecopter widget below! Contest is open to US Residents only, ages 18 & up.
Giveaway is now closed, congrats to the winner: Lauren K!
Safety 1st provided the Advance SE 65 Air + convertible car seat for this review, but CSFTL was not otherwise compensated and opinions, as always, are all our own.
Originally written by Emma Douglas. Edits maintained by CSFTL.
