Why We Chose Clek Car Seats

child passenger safety Clek extended rear facing foonf and fllo tokidoki carseat



I had a couple of customers recently ask me, "so... why do you love THIS brand of car seat so much?" and I figured that (aside from inviting everyone to come try out our personal Foonfs) a blog post would be the best format for answering this question. 

Quality!

Our kids- lets be real, ALL kids- are really really hard on things. When it comes to baby gear, higher quality means less wear and tear on materials, less replacing, and better usability too. If you don't read any further just know that this seat is pricey but it is SO worth it. The plastic parts feel like better quality. The fabrics feel better. Plus, they are manufactured in North America... and are the only carseat on the market that is! 



Highest rear-facing limits on the market!

You hear a lot about extended rear facing. What that means is keeping babies and toddlers rear facing in the car for "longer than the minimum requirement". In most states, the law says 2 years minimum rear facing. In some states it is one year, in some states it is up to parents altogether. BUT if your toddler is tall or chunky, they can outgrow the rear facing limits of their seat, requiring you to switch them to forward facing. Clek seats are designed to fit kids longer- up to 43 inches tall and 50 lbs for rear facing, and up to 49 inches tall and 65 lbs for forward facing!

Rear facing is known to be much safer than forward facing because of the physics of car crashes. (I even joke with my teenager that she'd still be rear facing if I could manage it. She says "NO", hahaha)

Rigid LATCH is everything!!!! 

Rigid LATCH is for forward facing only, but it makes install a breeze and results in a safer installation. It is like two little hard sticks with "mouths" on the ends that clip onto the latch hooks inside of your passenger seats. With regular LATCH, there is a 

Steel honeycomb inner structure!

This one is a big deal. It makes the seats really heavy but this is part of what makes them perform so much better in crash tests than other brands. The steel honeycomb absorbs the shock of an impact, so your baby's body doesn't. Other seats are made of predominantly plastic and more plastic, which passes the shock of impact along to the baby. 

They are the only car seats made in North America!

It's kind of a fun fact that no other car seat brand manufactures close to home... We don't ONLY purchase things made here, but it makes you wonder- why are other seats made in China? Because it's cheaper. Why are Clek seats made in Canada? To support their local workers, to provide increased visibility in production, and to ensure the highest quality. 

Safer fabrics next to baby's face!

Their Crypton Super Fabrics are amazing and have Greenguard certification for being anti-microbial and water repellent. Which means they stand up to the grossness kids put carseats through. Carseat fabrics are also required to be flame retardant and the cheaper brands use cheaper and more chemical heavy flame retardants. Clek seat fabrics are free of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, so your baby isn't breathing in anything toxic in their carseat. 

Narrowest outside dimensions!

A common concern for parents of more two little ones is how to fit all of the car seats into the vehicle. Not many brands can boast fitting three across in one row, but Clek can. Their "best in class" narrow outside dimensions of just under 17 inches at the widest point are a really nice thing. 

 

If you have any questions about our experience using these seats, please contact us to chat some more! 


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  • Matthew Becker on

    My family purchased the Clek Liing for my daughter based on the made in Canada claim as well. When I received the car seat I too noticed that all of the fabric is MADE IN CHINA. We purchased the Wool model, but nowhere on the carseat does it indicate which type of fabric is being used. The sticker on the bottom with the model only lists LG19U1. There is no additional part number, sku or tags to indicate which fabric was actually used.

    The cover is also NOT 100% merino wool. It is a wool blend and there is zero indication of how much actual wool is in the blend. If could be 5% for all we know. Clek is NOT forthcoming or upfront about the amount of wool on their blend. My guess is that it is quite low or they would be touting it in advertising.

    It is so very disappointing to have hoped for a more natural product to them be misled with yet another made in China carseat.

    The most important part of the carseat is that which your child sits in, on and is surrounded by. That Clek chose to have these made in China and then advertise as made in Canada is really unforgivable.

    My trail socks from Costco list the actual materials used in their construction, the source of the wool (Australia) and where the socks were made (USA). It is not too much to ask to be upfront with items for our children.

    China isn’t the only place that can make fabric for Clek. Woolrich, darn tuff and others have factories in the USA that make custom fabrics and do sewing. Jack Masters In Leicestershire, England has a factory that does everything from spinning yarn all the way to custom fabric weaving and final product assembly. Wool can be from Leicestershire grown sheep as well.

    Clek is misleading their customers. It is possible to do it correct and be upfront with your customers. I am not happy with the misleading advertising Clek is using to sell their products.

    Britax is at least upfront with their flame retardant fabrics and where they are made. It’s time we stop giving Clek kudos that they don’t really deserve.

  • Jaymie Dau on

    Hi! Thank you for the information.
    I found that Maxi Cosi seats are also made in the USA. Please verify & update your article.
    Thank you, REGAN FORER, for your efforts & for caring enough to update us all. <3
    Jaymie Dau

  • wwmqbnsnfu on

    Muchas gracias. ?Como puedo iniciar sesion?

  • Erica on

    From a chat with Clek this am – Oct 5 2020 about the Clek Liing Infant Carset

    The Crypton fabrics are GREENGUARD Gold certified, and free of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants. They provide protection against water-based stains, moisture and odour-causing bacteria.
    -Pitch Black and Thunder are Crypton C Zero+ fabrics

    The wool models -Mammoth/ Winter Mammoth (charcoal grey) and Twilight/Full Moon (navy blue)- are made with 100% Australian Merino wool that is OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certified. They are made from ethically sourced, non-mulesed wool that is naturally hypoallergenic, breathable, odour resistant, and temperature regulating. The wool models are the ONLY fabric cover option that are free of any added known flame retardants.

  • Mia on

    Part of the production is also done in Mexico which is very misleading considering they state they are made in Canada.



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