I became a fan of Smart Bottoms all-in-ones last fall when I purchased three diapers during a seconds sale. Since then, I have amassed quite the sizable stash of Smart Ones, and I was super excited when I was chosen as a Smart Bottoms Diaper Ambassador. As part of my ambassadorship, I received a Smart Bottoms Seat Saver, which came in handy when my daughter finally agreed to potty train a few months ago.
Price
The Smart Bottoms Seat Saver currently retails for $18, which is priced comparably to other similar waterproof car seat pads. I consider the Seat Saver reasonably priced for a product that protects an expensive car seat from diaper leaks and potty training accidents.
Prints
I received the Zebra print Seat Saver from Smart Bottoms, which is a white pad with a black and white zebra print trim. I am a huge fan of animal prints, so I absolutely love the Zebra. I also appreciate that the print is gender neutral, so I can use my Seat Saver for my daughter now and my son later without any arguments. Smart Bottoms also offers five other trim prints in boy, girl, and neutral designs.
Design
The Smart Bottoms Seat Saver features a waterproof backing and absorbent core to protect car seats, strollers, bouncy seats, and more from leaks and spills. The front consists of 70% bamboo viscose and 30% organic cotton with a 100% poly face, the back of 100% waterproof PUL, and the trim of 100% cotton. The unique contoured shape means that the Seat Saver does not interfere with most infant and toddler car seat straps or belts. The Seat Saver measures approximately 13 inches by 13 inches at the longest height and width.
Laundering
Smart Bottoms recommends machine washing and drying the Seat Saver on warm and advises against using bleach and fabric softener. I personally wash mine with my cloth diapers using a warm water wash cycle with detergent and OxiClean followed by two cold rinses. I then allow the Smart Bottoms Seat Saver to air dry on a drying rack, usually in front of a fan. As my readers know, I am super lazy in the laundry room, but the Seat Saver fits right into my regular laundry routine, so I consider laundering this waterproof pad extremely easy.
Performance
My daughter finally agreed to attempt potty training at three years and three months old. When she first started training, she had quite a few accidents just like any other young child making the switch from diapers to big kid undies. I was thus super excited to try the Smart Bottoms Seat Saver on her high chair and in her car seat.
After washing and drying the Seat Saver, I decided to test the absorbency. I was able to pour a little less than an entire cup of water onto the absorbent surface. My daughter usually produces less than a cup, so I was confident that the seat cover would offer more than adequate protection against leaks and accidents. Although my daughter has not yet produced a flood, the Smart Bottoms Seat Saver has effectively protected her car seat from small leaks.
In addition to the superior wetness protection offered by the Smart Bottoms Seat Saver, I also really like the shape and size of the absorbent pad. The contouring fits perfectly into my daughter’s convertible car seat without interfering with the five-point harness system. The Seat Saver also remains in place fairly well despite a super wiggly preschooler.
Safety Update
After a number of readers asked about the safety of the Seat Saver in car seats, I contacted Smart Bottoms and received the following information:
“[W]e have not had the seat saver ‘crash tested’, we have however had it tested and approved by countless certified carseat safety technicians. There are 2 main safety concerns that parents should have when adding any after market product to their carseat. 1) Does it interfere with the belts, buckles, or latches? and 2) Is it thick enough that it could compress during a crash and cause additional space to present itself between the baby and the harness? We designed our Seat Saver so that it does not interfere with the belts and buckles of most, if not all, infant and convertible car seats. We also clearly state on the packaging to not use our product if it does happen to interfere with the belts or buckles of the particular car seat it is being used in. We went to great lengths to test it in all of the major brands, however there may still be some that it has not been tested in. The thickness of the Seat Saver is also not a concern for compression. It is no thicker than if you were to add an additional insert to you baby’s cloth diaper, or put a burp cloth under them. The total thickness is less than an 1/8″ and is not capable of being compressed to even a 1/16″.”
Final Verdict
If you are shopping for a waterproof seat pad, I highly recommend the Smart Bottoms Seat Saver. At $18 each, the Seat Saver is comparably priced to other similar products but comes in half a dozen trim prints for boys, girls, or either. I am most impressed by the contoured shape of the pad, which fits into a standard car seat without interfering with straps or buckles, and the absorbency, which soaks up almost an entire cup of liquid. I am a fan of Smart Bottoms diapers and now a fan of the Smart Bottoms Seat Saver!
For more information or to make a purchase, check out the Smart Bottoms Seat Saver at Kelly’s Closet or Amazon.
Image Credits
Zebra Smart Bottoms Seat Saver in Package © 2015 Heather Johnson
Front of Zebra Smart Bottoms Seat Saver © 2015 Heather Johnson
Back of Zebra Smart Bottoms Seat Saver © 2015 Heather Johnson
Zebra Smart Bottoms Seat Saver on High Chair © 2015 Heather Johnson
Using the Zebra Smart Bottoms Seat Saver on a High Chair © 2015 Heather Johnson
Zebra Smart Bottoms Seat Saver in Car Seat 1 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Zebra Smart Bottoms Seat Saver in Car Seat 2 © 2015 Heather Johnson
Using the Zebra Smart Bottoms Seat Saver in a Car Seat 1 © 2015 Heather Johnson
