Clek Foonf Car Seat Review

The best car seat is the one that fits your child, vehicle, budget, and lifestyle and has the features important to you. The safest car seat is the one you can install correctly and use properly on every ride! Let us know in the comment section what questions you have about this review of the Clek Foonf convertible car seat.

Clek Foonf Car Seat Review (USA/Canada)

The Clek Foonf, introduced in 2012, has become a trusted choice for parents in the US and Canada. It’s one of the narrowest car seats on the market today and it stands out as the only harnessed seat in both countries that features rigid lower anchors for forward-facing installation. This unique characteristic is an energy management feature that reduces the crash forces that go to the child. It also boasts advanced safety features for rear-facing mode, such as an anti-rebound bar that minimizes seat movement during crashes. With its longevity in the market and commitment to safety, the Clek Foonf continues to be a go-to car seat for parents seeking reliability, versatility, and the capability to accommodate multiple car seats side by side.

Type

A convertible car seat that can be used rear-facing and forward-facing

When

From birth (with infant-thingy insert) or after you’ve used an infant seat for a few months

Age

Our recommendation: Newborn (with infant-thingy insert) until the seat is outgrown (average 5/6 years old)


What you need to know before you go.

Clek Foonf Car Seat

Rear-Facing Seat Stats

  • height limit: 25-43″ as is, from 19″ with infant-thingy
  • weight limit: 14-50 pounds (US), 14-40 pounds (CAN); from 5 pounds with infant-thingy
  • head height rules: at least 1″ below the top of the headrest

Forward-Facing Seat Stats

  • height limit: 49″
  • weight limit: 65 pounds
  • head height rules: ears must be below the top of the headrest

Other Seat Stats

  • width of seat: 17”
  • weight of seat: 36 pounds
  • crash replacement policy: Always replace after any crash
  • expiration limits: 9 years
  • harness: rethread
  • lock-off: yes
  • Canada: only one rear-facing recline

✅ Seat is good for you if:

✅ You need to fit 3 car seats in one row of a vehicle.
Clek Foonf Car Seat Review

At just 17″ wide, the Clek Foonf is one of the narrowest convertible seats available. The seat belt lock-offs make it easy to get a snug installation as well, which is really helpful in a tight 3 across situation. Check out all our recommended seats for three across situations here.

✅ You have non-removable headrests.

Non-removable headrests can sometimes be problematic once you are ready for a forward-facing seat. But rest assured; we have yet to find vehicle headrests that the Clek Foonf does not work with.

✅ You want to skip an infant seat.

We’ve found this seat fits newborns pretty well! You do have to buy an additional piece called Infant-Thingy in order to fit a newborn. The Infant-Thingy insert is specifically engineered to ensure a proper and safe fit for newborns and smaller infants using the Clek Foonf or Clek Fllo convertible car seats. It consists of a removable body support cushion and a head support cushion, both strategically designed to provide extra padding and maintain a snug and secure fit for your little one.

✅ You seek flame-retardent-free options.

Clek has 2 flame-retardant-free fabric options: Mammoth and Railroad. The flame-retardant-free fabric options from Clek are made without the use of added flame-retardant chemicals. Instead, Clek utilizes innovative engineering and fabric technologies to meet the required safety standards without compromising on safety or performance.

🚩 Use Caution If:

🚩 You have a child who vomits frequently.

This seat is hand wash only and is more difficult to clean. But Clek has a YouTube channel with cleaning tips that are very helpful.

🚩 You are using this in the middle seat.

It sits up high in the vehicle and can obscure your view out of the back window.

⭐️ Stand Out Features:

⭐ Seat belt lock-offs
Clek Foonf Car Seat Review

This seat has lock-offs for both rear and forward-facing modes. This helps to get a tight seat belt installation.

⭐ anti-rebound bar

The anti-rebound bar (ARB) is required in rear-facing mode. The anti-rebound bar is an added safety feature for rear-facing that can reduce the secondary movement of the car seat, called rebound, during a crash. When a collision occurs, the car seat will move forward, towards the front of the vehicle, and rotate downward. And as we all know from high school physics, every action has an equal and opposite reaction — so after that initial movement, the car seat will rebound, or “bounce back” towards the backrest of the vehicle seat. The ARB minimizes this bounce-back effect, helping limit the car seat movement and your child inside it! ARBs may also limit the side-to-side rotation of the car seat in a side-impact collision. Overall, it’s a great feature on a rear-facing car seat!

⭐ Q-tether
Clek Foonf Car Seat Review

Clek’s q-tether serves the same purpose as a load leg, which is to minimize the movement and rotation of the car seat during a collision. By doing so, it helps reduce the amount of crash forces that the child is exposed to. *This is a separate purchase. You can find it for sale on Clek’s website.*

load leg vs. No load leg

⭐ rigid lower anchors for Forward-Facing

What sets the Clek Foonf apart is its exclusive feature of rigid lower anchors, a characteristic that no other harnessed seat in the US or Canada possesses. These rigid lower anchors are designed to enhance energy management and reduce the impact forces transmitted to the child during forward-facing installation, ensuring optimal safety.

▶️ YouTube Videos:

▶️ How to Install Clek Foonf Rear-Facing

▶️ How to Install Clek Foonf Forward-Facing

⚠️ Quirks to be Aware Of:

⚠️ Washing the Cover

All of the fabric options are hand wash only. But as mentioned above, Clek has a YouTube channel with cleaning tips that are very helpful.

⚠️ Weight of the car seat

The Clek Foonf is relatively heavy compared to other car seat options, weighing 36 pounds. This weight may pose a challenge if you frequently need to transfer the car seat between vehicles or travel with it. Consider your specific needs and lifestyle to determine if the weight of the Clek Foonf is manageable for you.


✈️ Airplane Use

The Clek Foonf is an FAA-approved car seat. It’s one of the heaviest seats on the market, but you certainly can travel with it. Just get a travel cart to maneuver through the airport! If you want to install the seat rear-facing on the plane, the anti-rebound bar is required! You may find it best to use the seat forward-facing on the plane, while storing the anti-rebound bar and recline wedge in your luggage. For help with all things airplane travel and car seats, check out our Wheels Up Course and private Facebook group.

SITS Bottom Line

Over the years, the Clek Foonf has earned a reputation as a reliable, versatile, and safety-conscious car seat option. Its longevity in the market is a testament to its exceptional quality and the satisfaction of countless caregivers who have chosen it for their children. As car seat technology continues to evolve, the Clek Foonf remains a steadfast choice for those who prioritize safety, versatility, and the ability to accommodate multiple car seats. With its rigid lower anchors, three-across compatibility, and advanced safety features, the Clek Foonf continues to be a preferred option for discerning parents who seek the best for their little ones.

Similar Seats:

  • Clek Fllo (US)* – no rigid lower anchors, sits a bit lower
  • Clek Foonf* (Canada) – 40 pounds/43″ limits
  • Clek Fllo* (Canada) – 50 pounds/43″ rear-facing limits, no rigid lower anchors

*A SITS recommended seat. Recommended seats are in our Buying Kits because they have ranked high on our vehicle, child, ease of use, and features scale.

Compare Car Seats

Looking to compare car seats and narrow down the best car seat for your family? The Convertible Car Seat Buying Kit walks you through our 7Cs of selection, then on to an interactive quiz, and finally, a recommended car seat list is generated just for you! If you are overwhelmed and sick of spending hours researching and reading car seat reviews like this one, the Buying Kit will guide you to Safe in the Seat’s recommended car seats for you in under 30 minutes!

Check out this Amazon Live for more infant seats we recommend and the standout features we love.

We check every day for our recommended car seats on sale, and we have all the deals here for you. Shopping in Canada? Find today’s seat sales in Canada here.

What About Seats We Don’t Recommend?

Just like anyone, we have preferences! This goes for car seats, too. If we don’t recommend a car seat, it’s not because it’s unsafe for your little one. All car seats are safe if they’re installed and used properly, are not expired or damaged, and when they’re made and sold by a reputable manufacturer and/or retailer. Click here for our full list of car seats that we do not recommend.

A note about crash-tests

How does the Clek Foonf perform in crash tests? 

Well, that’s a great question. The Clek Foonf meets the rigorous crash test standards mandated for all car seats sold in the United States and Canada. While Clek provides crash test data on their website, it is not possible to directly compare its performance with other car seats, as official crash test data from other manufacturers or government agencies like NHTSA is not publicly available.

There are a few third-party websites that claim to offer objective crash test data that compares car seats. But we at Safe in the Seat ignore that data for a few big reasons. First of all, third-party car seat crash tests don’t actually give us meaningful data! Car seat manufacturers crash-test their products hundreds, even upwards of a thousand times. They crash test the finished product in every single installation configuration using every applicable-sized crash test dummy, not to mention a whole lot of testing at each stage of the development process too. So one or two crash tests completed by another organization just can’t give the same level of information! One or two crash tests aren’t going to represent the overall average performance of any car seat across its lifespan.

Affiliate links are included above. Safe in the Seat earns a small commission when you purchase through these links at no cost to you. We so appreciate your support.

Skip to content