Cybex Aton Infant Car Seat

A lot of thought has gone into the topic of how to travel as lightly as possible. One school of thought suggests packing the bare minimum, and buying the rest as you go; one blogger advises travelers to set aside a fund for that exactly that purpose. Another website focuses on obsessively refined checklists and strategies to make one's travel bags lighter: "You needn't drill holes in the handle of your toothbrush, or cut the tags from your teabags, but you certainly wouldn't be the first to do so." A third approach is to get specialized high-tech ultra-lightweight items designed for travelers: one world traveler we found waxed poetic about his 3-ounce jacket (!), and a towel that absorbs 7 times its weight in water.

With a new baby, it might be a while before you head out abroad, but you still want to travel light in your own neighborhood, and the Cybex Aton Infant Car Seat is light, light, light! The 8.8 pound car seat cleverly cuts out weight by including the release mechanism in the base, rather than the seat itself.

But despite its weight, the Aton has an unusually broad weight range: it can be used from 4 pounds (especially useful if you have a preemie) up to 32 pounds, or 30 inches. Two different inserts accommodate tiny babies: the Newborn Inlay positions the tiniest babies properly for the harness, and the Infant Inlay positions babies properly and provides stability for the baby's head and upper torso.

Part of traveling light is also traveling free of worry, and the Cybex Aton Infant Car Seat is designed for safety and peace of mind. It has excellent Side Impact Protection (SIP), an energy absorbing shell, thick EPS foam, a padded cover, and a steel chassis for additional protection from crash forces. The five-point harness is easy to adjust, and the seat release is two-step, so you don't have to worry about an accidental release.

Installing this seat is a breeze, either with vehicle belts or a LATCH system. The LATCH connectors are set low, and can be tucked away inside the base when you're not using them. Photos right on the base show you how to install it, and a special Belt Tensioning Plate helps you get the seat installed tightly. A four position reclining foot includes a level indicator so you can get precisely the right angle for the seat and for your baby's weight.

Finally, this seat has plenty of sleek Euro style, and comes in a range of cool colors. A coordinating canopy can be pulled out for use when it's sunny or rainy, or can retract back into the seat.

The Cybex Aton Infant Car Seat clearly takes the high-tech, carefully engineered strategy for cutting down weight – but it doesn't spare an ounce of quality. And it will keep babies safe in style whether you're traveling to Canada or just to Grandma's house. Bon voyage!