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Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 13 years old. Having a certified car seat that is installed and used correctly can save your child’s life. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends keeping children in some type of car seat until they are at least 8 years old or big enough to fit into a seat belt properly.
There are different types of baby car seats to choose from. You’ll start your newborn in a rear-facing infant car seat and keep them rear-facing anywhere from 1 to 3 years, when they transition into forward-facing seats. Between 4 and 7 years, depending on the size of your child, you’ll then transition them into a booster seat before graduating them to using the seat belt alone.
We asked Holly Choi, a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician – Instructor (CPST-I) what makes the best car seats. “The best car seat is one that fits your vehicle, fits your child, fits your budget, and you will use correctly 100% of the time,” she told Mom.com.
When buying a car seat, stay away from used seats because you don’t know their crash history, which can cause a seat’s integrity to weaken, making it unsafe. Mom of four and pediatrician, Kristin Saxena recommended to Mom.com readers to register all car seats so that “you will be notified of any recalls from the manufacturer.” This is great advice because recalls can and do happen and the manufacturer will either send a replacement part or arrange for a new seat.
Our guide looks at car seats that meet all the safety regulations required by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, don’t take a lot to install, and are easy to use on a daily basis. Here’s our list of best car seats for 2021.
How to choose a car seat for your littlest one: Best infant seats
All infant car seats are rear-facing for safety reasons. Your child’s developing body is safer in a crash when they are rear-facing. Here are our picks for the best rear-facing infant car seats:
- Chicco KeyFit Infant Car Seat: When I was a CPST volunteering at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the Chicco KeyFit was the car seat given to families who couldn’t afford a car seat. We loved this seat for how easy it is to install and its practical universal fit for most vehicles. The Chicco KeyFit remains a good choice for any family. It’s also reasonably priced at $160. It is designed for kids from 4 to 22 pounds and up to 30 inches in height.
- Doona Car Seat & Stroller: This is a true travel system for parents being a safe, rear-facing infant car seat first and foremost and converting in seconds into a stroller with no additional accessories needed. It’s a perfect seat for families on the go who want to keep your baby comfortably in the car seat resting. The Doona accommodates children 4 to 35 pounds and up to 32 inches in height and retails for $499.
- Nuna Pipa: The Nuna Pipa brings style to safety with high-end flame resistant fabrics. This seat can be purchased with the Nuna premium strollers for convenience. Seats are Greenguard Gold Certified. The Nuna will hold children from 4 to 32 pounds and up to 32 inches in height and can be purchased for $320.
When to switch car seats: Best convertible
Height and weight restrictions on infant car seats means that your baby can only stay in the seat for so long. When they outgrow the seat, you can still keep them rear-facing before turning them forward-facing with a convertible car seat. Here are our picks for the best convertible car seats:
- Diono Radian 3 RXT Convertible Car Seat: As your kid gets bigger, so it seems the car seat does as well. While this is natural, it can make fitting several seats in a car difficult. The Diono is designed to sit three across in most mid-sized vehicles. It suits kids from 5 to 50 pounds when rear-facing and 22 to 65 when front-facing. This seat also converts into a booster holding kids up to 120 pounds. The Diono retails for $330.
- Graco 4Ever DLX 4-in-1 Convertible Car Seat: Graco is known for reasonably priced baby gear that is safe and effective. As a rear-facing convertible car seat, this seat will still protect newborns as little as 4 pounds going up to 40. Once they move to forward-facing, the seat accommodates weights up to 65 pounds with the booster mode working for kids up to 100 pounds. The Simply Safe Adjust harness system makes it easy to change the height of the harness as your child grows without making threading mistakes. This car seat retails for between $269 and $279.
- Maxi-Cosi Pria All-in-One Convertible Car Seat: Most convertible car seats feel like big kid seats more than infant car seats. Not the Maxi-Cosi Pria. This car seat boasts a plush design that hugs your child. As your child grows, remove the inserts to fit their needs. Prices start at $290 for the Pria and will have your child riding in comfort from day one.
Other car seat types as your child grows
As your family’s needs change, you may look into other types of car seats to fit your car and growing family. While most convertible car seats are designed to take your child to the point of sitting in the seat without an aid, you may want to look at other styles. Here are our picks for other types of car seats:
- Britax Grow with You ClickTight Harness-2-Booster Car Seat: This seat is designed for toddlers to big kids and will allow them to use the high-back booster with the harness until they only need the booster part. It will hold weights up to 120 pounds and retails for $300. The ClickTight installation system makes installing the Britax simple without a lot of chances for user error.
- Chicco GoFit Backless Booster Car Seat: A backless booster for only $40 that positions your child properly to have the seatbelt cross his front in the right position. It has two cup holders and arm rests so your child can travel in comfort.
