Infant carriers make it easy for new parents to transport their baby around, but many models are heavy and awkward. The Cybex Aton 2 Infant Car Seat is one of the lightest infant carriers on the market. It weighs just under 9 lbs, and it can hold babies from 4 lbs up to 35 lbs.
The Cybex Aton 2 with SensorSafe is not only lightweight, but it also fits in compact cars due to its slim size. The dimensions of the car seat are 18” x 17” x 26.2”, so it’s a bit narrower than some of the other popular infant car seat models. This can make a big difference in a small car.
The Cybex Aton 2 with SensorSafe also holds babies and toddlers from 4 lbs up to 35 lbs; whereas, some infant car seats only go up to 30 lbs. This allows you to keep your toddler in this seat longer, approximately up to 18 months of age.
Here are some of the key features of the Cybex Aton 2:
- Integrated foldaway canopy
- Linear Side-Impact Protection
- SensorSafe chest clip and app integration
- One of the lightest infant carriers at just under 9 lbs
- Holds babies and toddlers from 4 lbs up to 35 lbs
- Three-position handle
- The adjustable load leg keeps your child in the safest position for maximum crash protection
- A removable newborn inlay keeps a smaller baby in the safest position
- An infant insert keeps smaller babies in the best position for harness placement
- Available in four different color combinations, including Moon Dust (gray), Limestone (light brown), Coffee Bean (dark brown), Hot & Spicy (red), and Black Beauty (black)
How safe is the Cybex Aton 2 SensorSafe Infant Car Seat?
The Cybex Aton 2 is one of the few car seats available in the US that have the Load Leg system. This is a safety feature that’s more commonly used in Europe. It’s designed to absorb and distribute energy from a crash to the vehicle’s floor, which reduces the impact on your child’s head and neck. It also keeps your child in the ideal position by preventing the seat from rotating forward in a crash.
The car seat also has the Linear Side-Impact Protection System (L.S.P.). In case of a side-impact crash, the shell of the car seat is designed to take the brunt of the forces. That way, the shell of the car seat absorbs the energy from the crash instead of your child.
The Cybex Aton 2 also has a flexible energy-absorbing shell, thick EPS foam, and extra-thick padded covers. All of these features are designed to absorb or redistribute energy from a crash away from your child and help keep them safe.
SensorSafe integrates leading safety technology with a chest clip that can monitor when your child unbuckles, if they are too warm, or if they have not moved for an extended period of time. The real time text alerts to your phone gives parents additional peace of mind that their child is safe and being monitored. SensorSafe is built directly into the chest clip and parents just need to download the app to get started.
How comfortable is this car seat?
Sometimes seats with a heavy focus on safety end up sacrificing quite a bit of comfort. That is not the case with the Aton 2 as it delivers best in class safety features without sacrificing comfort. The car seat material is soft and cozy so kids will like it but parents might find it annoying when cleaning up spills. The car seat also includes a newborn inlay and an infant insert to help kids find a safe, comfortable fit.
Parents find the car seat easy to operate and comfortable because it is well designed and lightweight. Thoughtful features like placing the seat release mechanism in the base result in a streamlined seat that is easy to carry and move in and out of cars.
What are the child size limits of the Cybex Aton 2 SensorSafe Infant Car Seat?
The Cybex Aton 2 Infant Car Seat manual recommends only using the seat in the rear-facing position until your child outgrows the seat.
| Rear-Facing Harness | ||
|---|---|---|
| Weight range | 4 – 35 pounds | 1.8 – 15.8 kg |
| Height range | Max of 30 inches | 43 – 81 cm |
Note: The top of the child’s head must be a minimum of 1” below the top of the car seat.
The Cybex Aton 2 also includes a Newborn Inlay and an Infant Insert. The Newborn Inlay is a specially-designed piece of foam that you place at the bottom of the carrier beneath the seat cover. It helps to properly position newborns in their first few months. The manual recommends using the inlay until your baby is 11 lbs, which is around 3 months old.
The Infant Insert provides more stability for your infant’s head and torso, and it also gives a better harness fit for smaller babies. The manual recommends using the Infant Insert until your baby is 22 lbs, or until your infant needs more room. If the insert is pushing your baby’s head forward, then you can remove it.
How big is the Cybex Aton 2 Infant Car Seat?
| Car Seat | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| weight | height | length | width | |
| Dimensions | 9 lbs | 15.25 in | 25 in | 17.25 in |
The Cybex Aton 2 is a very compact car seat that will fit easily in cars with limited legroom and back seat space. The width of this car seat is a bit narrower than some other infant carriers on the market. Also, the Cybex Aton 2 is not as long as other infant car seats and this gives people riding in the front seats more legroom.
What do parents think about the Cybex Aton 2 with SensorSafe?
Parents appreciate that this seat is so lightweight. It makes it much less awkward to carry your baby in the infant seat than other carriers on the market. They also like how compact and slim the seat is because it allows them to fit the car seat in back seats with limited room.
One of the most frequent complaints parents have with this car seat is that the seat belt is difficult to tighten. This is especially true when the car seat is in its base. To make sure the belt is properly tightened, you may have to remove the seat from the base to get enough leverage to pull the strap.
Parents also complained about the car seat’s integrated canopy being too small. Some parents complain that it is too flimsy and worry it won’t properly shade the baby or protect her from the elements. No rain canopy is perfect. This sun canopy is a bit non traditional, and that could be more the source of these complaints.
How easy is it to install and use the Cybex Aton 2 Infant Car Seat?
The Cybex Aton 2 can be used with or without a base. If it’s installed without its base, it’s easy to thread a lap belt across the car seat. There are blue guides on either side of the car seat that hold the lap belt in place, and you simply click the belt into your vehicle’s buckle. The shoulder belt threads behind the car seat and is held in place by another guide.
Installing the car seat with its base is slightly more complicated. This is mostly due to the Load Leg that must be installed, the leveling foot that must be engaged, and the belt positioning plate that must be opened. The base does have LATCH anchors which makes installation faster.
The Cybex Aton 2 website has an installation video that can help you understand the manual’s directions when installing this car seat. We recommend watching the video, especially if you’re unfamiliar with a Load Leg.
BestCarSeatHub’s Final Verdict
- Rear-facing up to 35 lbs means you can keep your child rear-facing longer
- SensorSafe cell phone app technology
- Lightweight at just under 9 lbs
- Holds very small babies at 4 lbs
- Includes foam and padding to help your newborn and infant fit more comfortably
- Has the Linear Side-Impact Protection system
- Includes an adjustable Load Leg
- Can be installed with or without the base
- Canopy on the carrier doesn’t provide enough coverage
- The seat belt is difficult to tighten
- Expensive
Final Thoughts
Overall, we found the Cybex Aton 2 SensorSafe to be a great compact and lightweight choice for an infant carrier. However, it’s only a little bit smaller than other compact infant carrier car seats out there. It also is a lot more expensive.
This seat does have some solid safety features, though, including the Load Leg and the L.P.S. system. Be sure to watch the installation video if you plan on using the base and aren’t familiar with the Load Leg. The SensorSafe features is revolutionary and gives parents an additional layer of protection.
The seat is designed and engineered in Germany, so it is not surprising to find it combines high-quality with best in class safety features. Parents may wish that the price was not so premium, but those looking for a safe and attractive car seat make a good choice with the Cybex Aton 2.
