RELATED: 9 Best Car Seat and Stroller Combos. This option has a polished look with a rubbery grip handle and a headrest with a non-rethread harness adjustment. Using a child safety seat (car seat) is the best protection you can give your child when traveling by car. Unlike other car seats, booster seats help by ensuring that the seatbelt is positioned correctly on your kid to provide safety without injuring them. Even if you've used car seats in the past, when you get a new one, learning to install and use it correctly by reading the manual is important. The Boulevard ClickTight Anti-Rebound Bar car seat is available direct from Britax and at Bed Bath & Beyond. THE GHI TESTING IS SCIENTIFIC, AND ITS ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ALWAYS CONSIDER CONSUMERS BEST INTERESTS. Best budget-friendly booster seat: Cosco Topside Booster. Our wellness advice is expert-vetted. This new booster car seat, a 2023 Family Travel Awards winner, does not look babyish, so your older child who still needs a booster in order to have the seat belt hit at the right height likely won't object to sitting in this. Specifications. They're more expensive, but most parents believe they're worth it. This stunner of a car seat by Maxi-Cosi is a favorite of the Best Products team. The Nuna Pipa is another popular premium infant car seat. Many convertible seats have multiple configurations for your growing child. Their lab takes up an entire floor of the Hearst Tower in Manhattan. It transitions from extended rear-facing (for a baby up to 40 pounds, which takes you well past the second birthday) to forward-facing and then to a booster. Best 2-in-1 booster seat: Chicco KidFit 2-in-1 Belt-Positioning Booster. Best Stroller Car Seat Combo 2023 - UsParenting.com In the past six years, we've tested 25 car seats. Best for Hot Babies: Baby Jogger City Turn Rotating Convertible Car Seat. Leaving the seat too loose. With so many brands and models on the market, consumers can have a hard time deciding which one to purchase. It's time for a booster. The machine-washable seat pad makes it easier to clean, and the cupholder is great. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Little pegs on the side of the seat can hold the harness out of your way as you get your child situated, which is a nice touch. It might initially look large for a young baby and it can't come out of the car and snap into a stroller which is our favorite feature of an infant car seat but the major benefit of this car seat is that your child can stay in the safest rear-facing position all the way up to 50 pounds. It also comes with two cup holders and machine-washable seat pads that can be removed in minutes without uninstalling the seat. Best car seats: Safe car seats for babies and infants You input your child's date of birth, height and weight and it will produce a list of appropriate car seats, along with their agency's ease-of-use ratings. To ensure proper seatbelt placement and optimal security, make sure your child fits within those ranges. Slimmest Rotating Seat: Evenflo Revolve360 Slim 2-in-1 Rotational Car Seat. It was time for a refresh for this essential piece of lifesaving safety equipment. Weight and height limits: Make sure you get a seat that fits your childs weight and height. 4 in 1 car seat recommendations?! An infant car seat is rear-facing only and is suitable for your baby until they reach the height or weight limit of the seat. Good Housekeeping testers and editors road-tested a dozen booster car seats to evaluate safety, ease of use, and proper fit. 2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Extra care is required when cleaning the buckle, harness system, and plastic frame. The team's findings about the Britax: "The higher height and weight limits allowed kids to stay rear-facing longer, which the American Pediatric Association advises for increased safety." Height/weight limit: 4 to 32 pounds and up to 32 inches. Seat Dimensions: 25 x 17.25 x 15.25 inches. Good Housekeeping's Little Lab and Engineering departments evaluated the safety, ease of use, and company customer service of car seats. The back can also be removed completely, to accommodate bigger kids. It also comes with two cupholders and machine-washable seat pads.". This can be super-embarrassing for a tween nipping at the heels of adolescence, which is why stealthy low-profile booster seats like theGraco RightGuide exist. Harness height: In rear-facing installation, the . GHI experts found this seat to be lightweight, easy to install and remove, and, at its low price point, a great value. Booster seats help keep kids safe by readjusting their seatbelt placement to the proper spot rather than across their bellies and necks, which could cause harm in an accident. We just didn't feel comfortable picking the "best" child car booster seats and sharing uninformed opinions with our readers. They also liked that it received n extremely high safety rating from .css-xtkis1{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#1C5f8B;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;font-weight:bold;}.css-xtkis1:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}IIHS. The seat is the heaviest on our list, however it has 15 recline positions and many testers report keeping their child in the One4Life rear-facing through age 3. The downside is you can't click a convertible car seat out of your car and carry it there's not a base or a carry handle. The Mesa has received numerous updates over the years, but the biggest change arrives in early 2022 with the Mesa V2. Car and Driver has paraphrased their findings to reflect our purposes here. So how do you know where to start? We are being licensed for up to age 8 so we really need to have something for birth to 8. Hey! "I was able to keep my son rear-facing a long time in this because he was so comfortable," says our Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Director Rachel Rothman. Add in its easy-to-understand leveling guide (an indicator changes from red to green when it's flat) and the fact that it's very lightweight, and our parent testers were quite happy with this pick. Testers loved the hidden storage compartment and easy-to-install cupholder. GHI appreciated that the headrest and harness can be adjusted together at the same time. Baby The Best Infant Car Seats By Christina Szalinski Updated January 20, 2023 Photo: Michael Hession FYI We've completed new testing of the Chicco Fit2, Chicco KeyFit 35, Clek Liingo, and. Our children are now 17 and 20 so I haven't bought a carseat in 20 yrs basically. Cass Herring, a CPST instructor and program manager for Safe Kids Worldwide, has seen all kinds of mistakes when it comes to installing car seats. Compact SUV Crossover Best Family Cars for Car Seats By Alisa Baer, Contributing Editor 03/23/2020 6:48pm Look for tether anchors in all seating positions Seat belts shouldn't overlap adjacent. One of those products is the Grow and Go All-in-One car seat. Design: Many seats come in a range of colors and patterns to choose from, as well as accessories like cup holders and snack trays that allow them to keep their items close. Search & Compare Car Seats. The Institute also considered ease of installation, angle and harness adjustments, cleaning ease, dimensions, and fit to find the best booster seats. Our experts love that it installs easily with LATCH and is highly adjustable with a 10-position headrest, six-position recline, and a no-rethread harness. By California law: Children under 2 years old must use a car seat that faces toward the back of the car until they weigh 40 pounds or more, or they are at least 40 inches tall. Best Overall: Maxi Cosi Emme 360 All-In-One Rotating Convertible Car Seat. Good Housekeeping has been testing and evaluating products for the home and parents for more than a century, and their testing and evaluation processes are the industry standard. If you take one thing away from this best car seats article, let it be this: Choose a car seat that fits your specific needs and budget. Plus, it comes in a range of fabric and color options. To find the best car seats on the market, the choice for Hearst Autos was relatively simple. That's why Good Housekeeping went through the rigorous process of comparing dozens of car seats category-wide again, even though its previous test was just a few years ago. 3 Best Value Car Seat Maxi-Cosi Pria All-in-One $216 at Amazon 4 Best Car Seat for Small Cars Graco SlimFit3 LX $280 at Amazon 5 Best Premium Infant Car Seat UPPAbaby Mesa Max. Car-seats specs should be noted on the packaging. Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a government program that provides formula, food, and other nutrition help (counseling, for example) to young families. A mom of two teens and two cats, her previous work can be seen in American Baby and Parents. Make sure you're familiar with the four types of car seats and NHTSA's recommendations for . First, install it rear-facing for your infant. The carrier also clicks from the car-seat base directly into a range of compatible strollers, making the entire transportation process a breeze. 4 in 1 car seat recommendations?! : Fosterparents - Reddit Over time, the materials get worn down, so all seats are stamped with an expiration date. Learn more about our product testing here. 3 in 1 car seat Side impact protection Quickfit harness Machine washable and dryer safe seat pad 3 recline positions Evenflo Gold Revolve360 $399.99 On Amazon Child Fit : Weight 4.0 - 120.0. A sister brand to Graco, Century offers easy-to-use products made from sustainable materials at an affordable price. Increasingly, many convertible car seats have the option to convert further into booster seats, meaning you could get a full 10 years of use out of one of these. Jon Langston is an avid motorcyclist and gear collector whose work has appeared in Mens Journal, Cycle World, The Drive, Rider, Iron & Air, Motorcyclist, and more. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. We suggest snapping the seat into a stroller if you plan to transport it long distances. "This gives the families more longevity in the seat as far as height and weight limits.". If you're fine with an infant car seat that can't be pulled out of your car and carried around, then using this from birth will save you money in the long run. "When shopping for a car seat, all occupants that ride in the vehicle should be considered. This includes features such as automatic braking, lane-change assist, and. So what's the best car seat for your child? Best Infant Car Seats of 2023 - Best Car Seats for Newborns Weight: 5.7 pounds (without canopy or insert) Dimensions: 27.25 x 17.5 x 23 inches. We need to have carseats for our homestudy. The blue bar indicates that they recommend a forward-facing car seat with a built-in safety harness, which often means purchasing a convertible car seat. Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories? With a combined 206 years of automotive publishing experience, Hearst AutosCar and Driver, Road & Track, and Autoweekknows cars better than just about anyone. "At the Good Housekeeping Institute, engineers and analysts assess car seats for how easy it is to properly install a car seat in a variety of vehicles, as well as how simple it is to secure a child," Rothman said. The 4Ever DLX comes un multiple colors and shades and is widely available. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links. She's reported on the car-seat market for more than 20 years. 2023 Hearst Autos, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Chicco KidFit often ranks high on the best booster car seat for a 4 year old list and it definitely deserves it. Booster car seats: These literally boost a big kid up so that the adult seat belt will hit across the center of the child's shoulder and chest correctly. THE BEST CAR SEAT FOR YOU ISnt necessarily the most expensive; its the one that works best for your car and your family. "Another one is incorrect use or poor fit of the harness -- it shouldn't be too loose, twisted, too high or too low.". Just fill out your child's age, height and weight above, and you'll be provided car seat types that fit your child. It transitions from rear-facing car seat to complete stroller in seconds. There are traditionally three different types of adjustment for shoulder straps: (1) basic changing slots, 2) headrest and shoulder-strap adjust, and (3) independent variable shoulder and headrest adjustment. Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Director, Tested: The Best Child Car Seats for 2023, as Chosen by Experts, LATCH Keys: How IIHS Rates Child-Seat Hardware, Deal Alert: Child Car Seats on Sale Now at Amazon, Best Car Phone Holders, Tested - Car and Driver, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Getting a secure fit of the car seat was the most difficult aspect of the test; many seats required lots of strength to be secured according to the instruction manuals. With ceilings of 120 pounds and 63 inches tall, both noticeably higher than the upper limits of most booster car seats, this is the best booster seat for bigger kids who are in the final stages of requiring one. Always check the store's return policy on car seats because some seats will fit better in certain cars than others and every car seat will fit every vehicle differently. Find Great Deals on Car Gear, Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners for 2023, Best Cordless Impact Wrenches for 2023, Tested, Truck Tonneau Covers for Every Need and Budget. It's available directly from Chicco and at major retailers like Walmart and Target. New on this Mesa Max version is an anti-rebound panel and a load leg built into the base, both of which help stabilize the seat and distribute crash forces in the event of an accident. But the swivel feature does not work in for the forward-facing setup, and this does not become a booster seat. Car-seat technology, materials, and requirements are constantly changing. Did you know? Designed for increase safety, a five-point harness uses five separate straps to secure your child in both forward and rear-facing seats. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Your little big kids will ride safely in these high back, backless and combination booster seats. Another new category that has emerged in the car seat market: convertible car seats that rotate, so you can strap your baby in with them facing the car door, then spin your baby back into a rear-facing position. Booster seats come in various styles, colors, and sizes so you can easily find one that fits your lifestyle and vehicle. While a convertible car seat will last a few years, an all-in-one might be the only child car seat you'll ever need. Reviews ethics statement. Or do we (2) lean on the 120-plus years of product knowledge and testing expertise of our colleagues at Good Housekeeping? "We look at the ease of releasing and carrying the seat and more. "A few commonly seen errors are incorrect use of the seat belt or lower anchor connectors and not using the tether anchor connector for forward-facing car seats," she says. The premium design and quality fabric of the UPPAbaby Mesa make it a standout rear-facing seat for infants up to 35 pounds. Whenever your child hits either the height or the weight limit (usually after the second birthday), you have to stop using your infant car seat and move to a convertible car seat. It's also available at stores like Buy Buy Baby. Of course, the most important thing of all is that the car seat actually fits well in your car and that it's installed properly. This roundup of the best booster seats for your car is based on lab-tested picks, category expertise, and real-life consumer feedback. Similar to Britax's ClickTight system, the Rava has a True Tension Door that makes installation with the vehicle seat belt much easier (though only in forward-facing position). Make sure that the car seat isn't up against the front seat when installed; you won't be able to take it out otherwise. As the name suggests, this is part of a new class of convertible car seats designed for up to 10 years of use. During her 15 years at Good Housekeeping, Rachel has had the opportunity to evaluate thousands of products, including toys and cars for GHs annual awards programs and countless innovative breakthroughs in consumer tech and home improvement. While it may seem like purchasing a convertible car seat would be the most efficient, there are a few distinct advantages to using an infant car seat instead. In addition to being easy on the eyes, the Rava features a number of handy features. The Mesa Max also features Greenguard-certified fabric. For the best booster, the Institute found that the high-backed Diono Monterey XT "achieves a more custom fit than other options. Car seat shopping for your newborn, toddler, young child or beyond can be a daunting task. Graco Tranzitions 3-in-1 Car Seat at Amazon Jump to Review Best for Tall Kids and Slim Fit in a Car: Chicco MyFit Harness + Booster Car Seat at Amazon Jump to Review Best High Back Booster: Maxi-Cosi Rodifix Booster Car Seat at Amazon But the Maxi-Cosi Coral XP one-ups the competition with the ability to separate a third way for an even lighter wearable carrier. Height and weight limits vary by brand and model, but usually, the weight limit maxes out at 30 or 35 pounds. The Monterey XT comes in four shades and is available at Nordstrom, Target, and Buy Buy Baby. Find Great Deals on Car Gear, Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners for 2023, Best Cordless Impact Wrenches for 2023, Tested, Truck Tonneau Covers for Every Need and Budget. The Doona Car Seat & Stroller has a clever design. How to Properly Install an Infant Car Seat, fewer than half of all car seats in the US are installed correctly, Best Place to Buy Replacement Prescription Lenses, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Look for the FMVSS 213 (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) designation on your car seat. To make sure your car seat is installed properly, thoroughly read the instruction manual. Infant car seats have the advantage of being able to be removed from their base and transferred to a stroller.