Clek continues to innovate and combine style with safety, usability, and functionality, and all of those features are seen meshing beautifully in the Clek Liing.
Liing is a rear-facing only (RFO) seat and rounds out Clek’s lineup of seats that now cover all ages and stages. It comes in a few different fashions and fabrics, and is available wherever Clek seats are sold. Liing retails for $479-$579 depending on fabric.
If you are unsure of what type of seat you might want to start with for your newborn, have a read of this article first. It will help to break down the pros and cons of a rear-facing only seat like the Liing, or going straight to convertible such as Clek’s Foonf or Fllo with Infant Thingy and more..
NEW! Coming soon is the Clek Liingo, a carrier-only version of the Clek Liing that has UAS on the carrier…and no base! This is a super option for those of you without cars, or who rarely use a car, but want the flexibility of a quick and easy installation in taxis, while traveling, or using car shares. Read more about Liingo specifically here. Please note though that the Liingo isn’t out yet, and this review addressed the Liing (with base). We’ll update when we know more!
Clek Liing Highlights:
- Brilliant mechanism for recline adjustment after the base is installed
- Beautiful fabric and finishing
- Highly functional newborn support system to ensure comfortable, easy-to-use fit on even the smallest babies
- Easy to install and highly compatible in a wide range of vehicles
Game-Changer Alert!
Liing is smooth, and easy to use with slick design and style, but the biggest highlight of this seat is an industry-first feature that solves one of the biggest challenges parents have when they install their seat – which simultaneously makes baby safer and parents happier! What is this mysterious innovation? The ability to adjust the recline after the base is installed instead of setting it as you install, which can sometimes be trial and error or difficult to achieve. This is a game-changer, and we can not emphasize enough how great this feature is. We have a video so you can see it in action, read on! If you can’t wait, you can watch it here.
Liing is made to fit children:
- 32” (81.3 cm) tall or less
- 4-35 lbs (1.8 – 15.9 kg)
- Whose head is even with the top of the carrier seat back (when load leg is in use) or who have at least 1″ (2.5 cm) between the top of their head and the top of the carrier seat back
Seat specs:
- Lowest harness height (with newborn support system padding in place): 4.5”
- Highest harness height (without infant support system): 9.75”
- Maximum seated height (bum to top of head): 17”-18″ depending on if load leg is stored or in use, see here for more info –> but children will settle into a seat differently, so this is an approximate measurement that might not be terribly useful between children or between seats.
- Width at widest point: 13.2” (base) and 16.9” (with carrier on base)
- Size of base/footprint on vehicle seat: 22.6” x 13.2”
- Crotch buckle positions: 1, but position relative to child is managed with a newborn support system, so measurements aren’t informative regarding fit
- See some great overall seat measurements here (scroll down for a diagram)
- Fabric options include jersey knit, premium C-Zero plus, and merino wool. The seat shown in this review is shown in ‘Mammoth’ merino wool, and it is divine.
- Substantial canopy that pivots smoothly has good coverage, complete with a zippered expansion panel and a sleek, magnetic rear-view window.
- Load leg required (read more about this later on) after the child weighs 22 lbs (10 kg) but is highly recommended at all times.
Gallery & Features
Will Liing fit in your car?
Almost certainly yes. It’s narrow, it’s compact front to back, and it’s easily installed with either rigid UAS or seat belt (not both at the same time).
Those of you with under-floor storage – such as the Stow & Go seats – will need to read your manual carefully to see if you may use a load leg in those seating positions. Mostly the answer will be no, which is a shame, because it will limit the use of Liing to a max weight of 22 lbs (10 kg), at which point the load leg is required.
Liing is so easy to install, and works so nicely with either the UAS or seat belt installation — or even baseless! — that it’s not necessary to provide a huge range of fit photos. For one of my photo sessions I needed to quickly change vehicles to better accommodate the light at the time, and baby’s rapidly deteriorating mood, and uninstalled and reinstalled in less than a minute. Clek anticipated many installation challenges and overcame them with design features. It couldn’t be simpler.
Installation Gallery and Features
Clek Liing installs easily and quickly in one of three ways. Note that we have shown the load leg in use in all photos but it is possible to install the base without it, but limits the use of the seat to a child weight of 22 lbs (10 kg).
- With the base using rigid UAS;
- With the base using the seat belt;
- Baseless using the seat belt.
Base with rigid UAS plus load leg:
All of the photos here show the base in use with the load leg. If your vehicle permits it, use it. It’s an added safety feature that you should make every effort to take advantage of with this seat. Please note that this isn’t an installation guide; Clek has wonderful support resources on their site, including video manuals, FAQs, and ways of getting one-on-one product support if you have questions.
Base with seat belt plus load leg:
We show the base installed here with a lap/shoulder seat belt. It is also possible to install it with a lap-only belt but as that type of belt is increasingly rare we have not photographed it for this review.
Baseless with seat belt:
Liing is easy to install without the base for times when you are traveling, hopping in a friend’s car, or need maximum portability with your car seat. Note that the style of installation shown here is known as “Euro routing” where the shoulder portion of the seat belt wraps around the rear edge of the car seat. The carrier is clearly labeled with blue routing tabs on the sides and at the rear of the seat.
See Liing in action here in a video tour that shows various methods and features:
Will Liing fit your baby?
The design of Liing is ideal for the smallest babies, and together with the broad range and easy adjustability of the recline, chances are excellent you and your baby will be happy with the fit right from the start — even with a preemie. Thank you to the baby models, and the parents who shared their lovely children and their comments for this review.
Like most seats in the RFO category, the 35 lbs (15.9 kg) weight maximum is an overestimate for most kids, but the height limit (32” / 81.3 cm) and shell depth is right on par with other RFOs we know and love. The seated height limit — corresponding to the shell depth — together with the shape of your baby will influence how long the seat will last for, but many kids will get more than a year out of it. Big babies will get less, and small ones will fit for longer, but that is true of all car seats at all stages! Once your baby outgrows Liing you will have a good idea of your child’s build and growth pattern and can keep that in mind going forward. You can check out size-for-age growth charts here if you are interested.
What do CPSTs think of Liing?
I have been working with seats — writing about them, testing them, teaching parents about them — for almost ten years now. My own children are now well out of harnessed seats, which makes it harder to field test seats for babies and young children. I’ve been fortunate to have a helpful and giving community and means I get to meet new babies when I need models!
In all my years of doing this I have seen manufacturers come out with a lot of great things, and I know a parent-friendly feature when I see one! This CPST loves so much about the Liing. It has everything I’ve come to expect from Clek.
I love it when manufacturers design in a solution to a problem that parents don’t know they have. In this case, that is the post-install recline adjustment. It is BRILLIANT. I can’t emphasize that enough. One of the top reasons caregivers reach out for help with their baby’s seat is they are struggling to understand or to solve the recline issue, and a properly reclined infant is so very important to protect the airway. Recline adjustment after installation takes the guesswork out of it.
I am also a fan of the load leg, which joins a small but growing collection of rear-facing only seats on the Canadian market to include this feature frequently seen in Europe. See the load leg in action here: https://youtu.be/TlReOm8gsYI
It is really important to note that a seat without a load leg in use is absolutely still safe when used correctly. So is the Liing and you’ll see the two installations side by side in that video (two Liings: one with the load leg, and one without). It is always preferable for the car seat to do the work of absorbing the energy of a crash, and that is something the load leg does. It is worth mentioning again that some vehicles forbid the use of a load leg, and that is because the floor design isn’t intended to handle the force of the leg pushing down on it in a crash. If you have under-floor storage or a hollow space where the load leg will rest it’s extra important to consult your vehicle manual for any prohibitions. If you are able to use it though – make every effort to do so.
What do caregivers think of Liing?
When I test-fit the children shown in this review into Liing I also asked the caregivers what they thought of the seat. Conveniently they were all using different brands of seats from each other, and so I collected a number of great comments from real parents. These included:
Liking the feel and shape of the handle and how the carrier fit against the body when carrying (taller parents noticed more comfort in particular)- All loved the fabric and finish. Unless you have a wool allergy I don’t think the merino cover could possibly disappoint.
- The ease with which the handle pivots past the canopy was remarkable and everyone noticed this.
- Some parents found it lighter than their current carrier, and others found it heavier. Without the infant support padding the Liing weighs in at 9 lbs. This is pretty average. Once you add a baby to that and start schlepping it all around you don’t really notice a small difference in carrier weight. Your arms will get pretty buff regardless.
- Parents commented that their babies seemed comfortable and well-supported in the seat, and they liked the infant support system padding and adjustability.
- Parents commented that they loved the canopy: how smoothly it moved, and how well it covered the seat and their child, that it expanded with a tidy zipper, and the rear viewing window was smooth and provided nice airflow and visibility.
- The weight of the base was a bit of a surprise to most, but once installed — which again, is super easy to do — weight isn’t an issue.
Will Liing fit your stroller?
Probably yes, as Liing is compatible with Maxi-Cosi adapters. See Clek’s complete list of stroller compatibility here.
What do YOU think of Liing?
Do you like it or do you love it?
Truly though, it’s a thing of beauty. Are you excited? Tell us about it! And enter for a chance to win one of your own, with thanks from Clek. Clek also provided the seat used in this review, but opinions are our own.
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- Click on the giveaway graphic below to enter your details on the giveaway widget tool that we are using to collect responses and randomly choose a winner.
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About the author of this review:
Jen Shapka is a CPST and Instructor-Trainer in Winnipeg, and misses working with parents, families, and technicians-in-training. She is hunkering down with her family and waiting for Covid Times to be over with already. It does not help that it’s practically still winter. These days, she can usually be found sewing surgical-style caps for healthcare workers, limiting how many sweet treats her kids want to bake in one day, and racking up the kilometres running around her neighbourhood. Jen can be reached at greybird.cpst@gmail.com.