Century is a brand that’s been around for decades. The first Century was the first one to release baby carriers, boosters and infant car seat base. But just last year, they have relaunched and reinvented their brand to launch a safe, affordable and sustainable line of car seats. Today, we will be reviewing the Century Carry On 35 LX which has thicker paddings, a better canopy and a handle that you can you even with the canopy open.
How We Picked and Tested Century Carry On 35 LX
Looking for the best car seat can be overwhelming specially for new parents. You need to consider the size, weight, maintenance, and ease of installation among other things. We Tested Century Carry On 35 LX Lightweight on our sedan, so you won’t have to. Below is how it went.
Ease of installation
Installing the base of this car seat is pretty hard but moving it from one side to another is even harder. Once the base is installed it’s like there is no moving it to any other place. It does not have a level indicator, instead it has a line which you need to level to get the correct angle, unlike our Chicco KeyFit 35 that has a bubble level indicator for error free leveling. A small detail that can be overlooked but is necessary for some.
With the base installed, putting the car seat itself is easy, and it feels secure. Using the car seat without the base is pretty basic, and you can use it with the car’s seat belt just like any other car seats.
Size & Weight of Century Carry On 35 LX
Century Carry On 35 LX is compact and perfect for compact cars. You can fit 2 of these in your back seat without moving the front seats.
This must be the lightest car seat we’ve ever tested! It weighs around 7 lbs and with the base it’s just 11 lbs, so carrying it around, even with your baby’s added weight is no problem. You can take this one around and use public transportation in breeze!
Maintenance
The seat has a removable and machine washable cover. Just keep in mind to use mild soap, put it on delicate cycle and air dry after.
Cover Material
Since Century has rebranded, they are now producing sustainable car seats. This cover for this car seat in particular is made from recycled soda bottles! But don’t worry, it’s still soft and plush.
The manufacturer never mentioned that the cover is removable and machine washable, but it is removable however cleaning it is another thing. Stains are hard to remove and will require much effort before getting completely removed.
Fit
Both version for Century Carry On 35 fits newborns well. They come with infant inserts that you can use until your baby is old enough, it offers great support and comfort for your newborns as well.
Canopy
The canopy for both version of Century Carry On 35 is different. For 35 base model, the canopy is stitched directly into the handle. The good thing about this is that it looks good, sleek and keeps the canopy from moving. The bad thing is that there is a small opening which allows the sun’s ray to seep right through, this can also limit how you handle the car seat with the canopy open since it’s stitched to the handle.
For 35 LX, the canopy is not attached into the handle and can be extended past the handle, this affects the canopy when you move the handle, but for this model, you can choose to operate them separately.
Compatibility
Century car seats are only compatible with Century strollers, they have a travel system that you can buy with the car seat. We tried it on our Cybex Stroller, and unfortunately it didn’t fit like the other car seats we tried.
Century Carry On 35 LX Lightweight Infant Car Seat
Century Carry On 35 LX is affordable, sustainable and has the standard safety features parents are looking for. But in my honest opinion, this car seat is only good for travelling, using public transportation and if you are looking for a compact car seat that can fit in a small car. The effort you need to install the base, and how it lacks an identifier for leveling makes tons of room for error which makes us unsettled. If you want something more secure check out Chicco KeyFit 30 and Chicco KeyFit 35.