Cybex Cloud Q car seat is one of the most expensive car seats on the market, along with Nuna Exec. Unlike the latter, Cloud Q can only accommodate an infant so not surprisingly parents are wondering why is this car seat so expensive and whether it’s worth the price.
Is Cybex Cloud Q Worth It?
Let me start by telling you that I’m absolutely glad that I bought Cybex Cloud Q car seat and in my situation (will evolve on this subject in the post), it worked fantastic for us. However, I don’t think it would have worked great for the first child as our circumstances and necessities were different back then.
Realistically speaking, it depends entirely on your need and lifestyle. It could be the best car seat you can buy, but it could also be a completely unnecessary purchase, but if you know that you will be driving around with a baby quite often then it might be the best solution as it’s the only car seat that can lie flat.
Why should babies lie flat in a car seat?
Babies aren’t supposed to sit in their car seats for long periods of time. That’s because when they are crunched up their breathing can be compromised. Lying flat promotes lung development and also assists your baby’s breathing.
Most people in the US stuff newborns in car seats on top of the stroller and take them out, but newborns also cannot be in a car seat for more than 2 hours in a 24-hour period. People tend to ignore those guidelines when in Europe it’s common knowledge to use the baby bassinet for the stroller and leave the car seat in the car.
So when you stop driving, the advice is always to take your baby out of their car seat, not move the car seat to the top of the stroller while you go for lunch, shopping, or taking older siblings to a playground.
Cybex Cloud Q car seat is the only car seat providing a healthy ergonomic position as it has a reclining function outside of the car. It’s the only car seat that can make a travel system good for a newborn baby.
You can take it out of the vehicle, pop it on a stroller and recline with one click – making it safe to use for the baby and without having to wake them up to move to the bassinet.
Pros & Minor Cons of Cybex Cloud Q Infant Car Seat
First things first: Cybex Cloud Q vs Cybex Cloud Z.
Cloud Q is the original model and now it’s been revamped with minor changes but made lighter to a Cybex Cloud Z model. However, at the moment Cloud Z is only available to the European market.
Safety Rating
It can often be difficult to tell if a safety feature truly increases the safety of a seat, especially considering the fact that car seat are getting approval based on tests with very low driving speed, there are certain things that can be tested such as head or side protection.
Cybex Cloud Q car seat is one of the safest car seats on the market if you really dig into the nitty gritty details regarding the head and chest protection (not my imagination as I obviously don’t make any tests, it’s based on actual tests conducted by car seat professionals).
The base also has a leg resting on the floorboard of the car and helps reduce the amount of movement the car seat goes through during an accident.
There are also side protectors and while it’s easy and is a positive feature, you have to pull the side impact out each time before you set off. The telescopic Linear Side-impact Protection (L.S.P. System) absorbs the force of a side-impact collision in combination with the energy-absorbing shell
This seat and base have a six-year expiration. The expiration of the seat is clearly marked on the underside of the seat.
The Cloud Q car seat is also equipped with a SensorSafe system in the chest clip of the harness to alert when unsafe situations arise such as overcooling or overheating (in events such as forgetting the baby in the car but even on a very hot day). The alerts are provided through the caregiver’s smartphone to ensure the safety for children in a range of unsafe situations.
Personally, I wasn’t able to fully experience its functionality as it wasn’t compatible fully with our Tesla but I do think it’s an amazing feature to have.
Features
First of all, if you get it in a “designer design” this car seat is a head-turner. I swear, every time we walked with the baby or had a car seat people were admiring the car seat, commenting on how pretty it is, asking about it. It is absolutely stunning looking, especially when you extend the canopy fully.
Speaking of the canopy, it’s huge and if you get the extra shade (it’s sold as an accessory) you can keep your baby completely covered from head to toe. I was sitting with mine by the pool and no sun ever got him thanks to this.
The car seat has a lot of cushioning, holding the baby safe and sound, unlike some other car seats I’ve tried – for example, Doona which offered no side or head protection whatsoever.
It contains a removable seat insert for smaller babies, which also offers more space and comfort for bigger children once removed. I used the infant insert with my son for the first few weeks, as he was only 19 inches when he was born.
The padding holds the baby’s head in place so it doesn’t flop forward or to the sides, which is especially important with smaller babies. The straps are easy to use and also padded, and the seat’s adjustable harness grows with your little one.
I will say that I never actually removed the cover to clean it out, so I cannot speak for how easy it is to remove. I used a damp cloth and air-dried the material.
How Long Does Cloud Q Car Seat Last?
- Weight range: 4-35 lbs
- Height range: up to 30″ and the top of the child’s head is 1 inch from the top of the headrest when extended all the way
Similar to other infant car seat, Cloud Q is only meant for the first few months of infancy. The time is approximate as it depends on how big or small your baby is and there’s no way to predict it, even with siblings.
Infant car seats are to be used only in a rearward-facing position until the infant’s shoulders reach the shoulder height marker. If your baby is in the 50th percentile that’s about 11 months, but if you have tall babies like me 7-8 months is the maximum comfort (not just Cloud Q, any infant car seat we used).
Can Baby Sleep in Cybex Cloud Q?
Yes! It’s obviously not approved for overnight sleeping, but it’s perfectly fine for extended periods of time. The child can lie comfortably and in an ergonomically correct position. The angle can be adjusted easily with one hand without having to take the child out of the carrier,
Thanks to the flat lying angle, the infant car seat transforms into a practical and clever carry cot for the first months. The sleeping baby can rest with optimal protection and in an ergonomically correct position.
Weight & Size
The US market is seriously lacking lightweight infant car seats that are widely available on the European market. I will say it honestly that Cloud Q is heavier than some other car seats due to its functionality – it’s 13 lbs.
If you intend to use a stroller with your car seat, then the weight is not as big of a deal for you. However, if you will be using the carrier portion of the car seat to transport the baby by itself often (not just in and out of the car), then you’ll want to look for a lighter option.
Installation, Compatibility & Usage
The LATCH system with the base is incredibly easy to install and next to impossible to screw up. The seat leaves the base easily once the correct buttons are pressed.
Cybex Cloud Q car seat is also FAA approved (obviously, without the base). The FAA approval label is found in two places: on the label on the side of the carrier and on the label on the underside of the carrier. The red sentence is clear and easy to read.
I have actually used it on the plane once (and it was the one and only time I’ve ever brought and will bring a car seat on board for multiple reasons), but if you wish to take it you can.
The Cybex Cloud Q is a travel system compatible with many different models – such as the Cybex Priam, Bugaboo strollers, Nuna strollers, UPPAbaby, Maxi Cosi and Baby Jogger.
The main reason we got this car seat with our second baby was the fact that it was easy to use on a tandem stroller Gazelle S. If we used the bassinet, just like we used with the first child, the bassinet would have to be on the bottom part of the stroller and this set up wouldn’t have worked for us.
Can Cybex Cloud Q be used without base?
The Cybex’s base installs painlessly with LATCH, and can also be installed without the base and by seatbelt if your regular mode of transport is by taxi or Uber.
When it comes to installation without the base, The Cloud Q uses the European-style belt path that guides the upper portion of the vehicle belt around the back of the carrier, and the lower lap portion goes across the foot of the carrier.
I used my Cloud Q without the base for the first month as we lived in Mexico and it was never an issue.
Hi! How heavy is the cloud Q seat? I see 13.9 lbs on the website, I’m wondering if that includes the base or not.
It doesn’t include the base. The base of any car seat weighs a TON, but the good news is that you will never carry it anywhere 🙂
Hey wondering if you have info on what the fabrics are treated with?
Honestly, the brand says they use the absolute minimal on the cover – which means there’s some in it, unfortunately, but well below other car seats. The only Cybex car seat completely free of flame retardant is Cybex Sirona.
Is the Cloud Z (i -Size) compatible with the YOYO frame?
Yes, it is. They just don’t recommend it because if your child is heavy, together with the car seat it might exceed the stroller’s weight.
So happy I found your website. Your reviews gave the final push to choose the cloud z2 as our car seat. But now we need to decide on a stroller and it’s accessories. I read on other blog posts of yours that you used the car seat instead of a bassinet because it can lie flat. For how long would you say you’d be able to walk and baby be comfortable in the summer (20-30°C)? We have limited storage space, that’s why we’d rather not buy a bassinet unless the extra space and ventilation is necessary.
We actually lived in Mexico with the baby so it was pretty much 25-30 degrees all the time. I’d say he was comfortable for most of the day with the shade – not sure how long but we were spending hours outside chasing after a busy toddler, so definitely 6 hours a day with breaks at least.
I appreciate your detailed reviews. I read in another review of the Cybex Cloud Q that when the seat is fully reclined, it creates a gap in the crotch strap that could allow the baby to wiggle their legs out, slip down, and potentially be strangled by the chest clip. Did you notice large gaps in the straps when the seat was reclined? (We would never leave our baby unattended in the seat, but it still seems like a major design flaw.)
We’re really only interested in this car seat because we want our baby to be able to lie flat (facing us) in the top position of a tandem stroller while our toddler faces forward in the bottom position. Do you know of any other way to accomplish this?
I think I know which review you’re talking about because I read it too and my honest response is that I don’t see a situation in which this could happen. First of all, simply when you recline the seat it means the baby is out of the car and in these situations we always undid the straps vs losening them for recline. There are no straps in baby bassinets for strollers so it felt natural and less chance to wake up a baby. We hid the chest strap underneath the sides so there was no hazard. The seat is pretty cushioned and tight so personally I feel like the baby really wouldn’t be able to wiggle their legs out and slip down… I know mine wouldn’t and he was strong and rolling by 3 months.
Other option to acomplish this set up would a different stroller with a bassinet. I obviously advise against Mockingbird stroller, but safe options would be Silvercross stroller (but I’m yet to hear about anyone who loves it), Contours Elite V2 stroller with Pramette, or Babyzen Yoyo connect with oen seat & one bassinet.
What car seat do you recommend getting after baby out grows this one? Do you recommend any of the ones that you can turn to make getting baby in and out easier?
If you have a tiny car or a trunk then definitely yes to rotating car seats. Evenflo Revolve is easier to operate than Cybex one.
Personally we had so many due to moving and location changing… but both kids liked Graco ones the most because of cup holders.