New baby on the way? Congrats! You're in for quite a ride. Researching car seats is often one of the first things expectant parents do, since they won't be allowed to give their new babies their first rides without a car seat. There are lots of infant car seats for sale out there, and they all meet minimum government safety standards. Which one's really best, and how much do you have to spend to get it?
First, you don't have to get an infant seat. Unless your baby is really tiny, you can get by with a rear-facing convertible seat. Many parents prefer an infant, or "bucket" seat because they can transport the baby, sleeping or awake, without removing him from the seat--and as all new parents know, when the baby's asleep, you'll do just about anything to keep him that way.
You'll use an infant car seat for anywhere from a few months to a year. Most seats are outgrown when the baby is 22 to 30 pounds and up to 32 inches long or so. Growth charts put the average baby hitting those marks at about a year. In my experience, once a baby is able to sit up, she will want to sit up, which is pretty hard to do in a bucket seat. Sitting up usually occurs long before a baby outgrows an infant seat.
Look for:
- 5-Point Harness
- Front harness adjuster
- EPS foam
- Extra bases available for your other car(s)
- Compatible with your stroller
Reviewing the Seats
To begin my research for this guide, I studied data and ratings at these sites: ConsumerReports.org, ConsumerSearch.com, CarSeatData.org, Car-Safety.org, American Academy of Pediatrics 2009 Car Seat Safety Guide, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Ease of Use Ratings. Using that data, I narrowed the field to these four top-rated seats:
Graco SnugRide (7.5 lbs.*) ($80-$150, depending on model)
Graco SnugRide 32 (9.5 lbs) ($140-$150) 
*seat weight without base
Then I asked car seat techs and aficionados to rate the seats above and offer recommendations. Here's a condensed version of what they told me:
- Car seat tech Amanda says, "My top two picks are the Chicco Keyfit (especially the 30) and the Graco SnugRide 32. They both have all the features that make a seat easy to use and install. The Keyfit is definitely my favorite infant seat right now."
- Car seat tech Wendy says, "I highly recommend both the Chicco KeyFit and Graco SnugRide 32."
- Car seat enthusiast Karen says, "The SnugRide 32 is absolutely my first choice... I used that with my son and I liked the harness, ease of installation and weight/height limits."
- Car seat enthusiast Gretchen says, "I would recommend either the KeyFit or the SnugRide 32, as they both have built in lock offs for easy installation. They also both have higher weight limits."
- Graco SnugRide: Doesn't fit tiny babies very well. Easily outgrown. Amazon's best-selling seat. Lightest seat at 7.5 lbs. Many variations and price points. Can be cheapest seat, depending on model.
- BabyTrend Flex Loc: Narrow. Good if you have two or more car seats in your back seat.
- Graco SnugRide 32: Easy to install. Good up to 32 lbs, 32 inches (great for tall kids). Recommended by Consumer Reports and Car Seat Data.org. Can install without base. Favorite of our techs and enthusiasts. Handle can be left up (good for small cars). Drawback: heavy at 9.5 lbs. sans baby.
- Chicco Key Fit 30: Fits newborns well. Good up to 30 lbs. Easy to install. Favorite of our techs and enthusiasts. Recommended by Consumer Reports. Can install without base. Handle can be left up (good for small cars).
Related:
Baby Cheapskate Convertible Car Seat Guide
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51 comments:
I selected 9mths-one year but we used it for 17 months with my son and are currently using it with my 10 month old. I have talked to 3 carseats, 2 different states and they both say in a crash a newborn/small infant is better protected in an infant car seat. That being said my now 3 year old son is in a convertable car seat and he is still rear facing.
oops and it should we have talked to 3 carseat techs, no I don't sit and talk to my car seats!
We used a Graco Safeseat with my daughter until she was 13 months. I liked that the Safeseat would last her longer weight wise. Also, while she did get to a weight where we no longer carried her around in it, I loved that I could still pull it out and leave it at daycare for the days my husband had to pick her up. So much easier than having two seats. Now she's in a Britax Marathon in my car and a Nautilus in my husband's car. The Safeseat is moving on to my daughter due in a few weeks and hopefully will last her around a year as well!
The Snug Ride is NOT meant to be used to snap into high chairs or shopping cars.
We don't use the infant seat long, so I don't recommend spending more for the Safe Seat - the Snug Ride was just fine for us. DD hated her infant seat and would scream in it. Then we switched to a Convertible just around six months - the Marathon, she loved it (I think she had reflux). She continued to RF until she hit about 31.5 pounds at 2.5 (the Marathon is an '07 and only goes to 33 pounds), since it was a naked weight we decided that she probably would weigh more than 33 with clothes/shoes/etc. She still rear faces in the 35 pound Marathon that was manufactured in '08. :)
Something that wasn't considered is if you have a small sedan. Our 4door Saturn did not fit the safeseat as it is actually pretty long/big seat if you include the base. The snugride fit much better without the front passenger having to push their seat a good ways forward (we had to do this with the other seats EVEN IF the carseat was in the center position). I did not try the other two seats in my car so I have no comment on them but I just wanted to mention that is a pretty important factor all parents should consider. There is a carseat ratings site out there that indicates how well seats fit in different cars but I'm not sure where it is. I just remember seeing it.
I can't vote since it was different for all my kids. ;)
My oldest was in an Evenflo bucket and I used it until 4 months when she got too heavy for it.
My second was in a Snugride which I used until 5 months when she too got too heavy for it.
My son was in a Safe Seat. I used it until he was a year when he went forward facing (yes, rear facing is safer but he was NOT a happy rider that way and it was costing my sanity!) and he still had months of use left in it. When he got too heavy to carry in it (about 5 months) we just left it in the car and took him in and out of it. Like the previous poster we liked that we could easily move it from car to car. :)
The SnugRide model that comes with infant padding actually handles small babies very well. We brought our preemie home at 5 lb 4 oz and he fit in the seat perfectly without any additional padding. He passed his NICU carseat test the first time.
I never did understand why people wanted bases for their other cars since you CAN put the carseat in without the base and it is just as safe. For the most part, it seems that there is a "family" car and then the other car so if the kids only occassionally ride in the other car, then just strap the carseat in for those few occassions.
anon #5:
I think the site you mean is CarSeatData.org
http://tinyurl.com/y6rr7x
I voted 9-12 but we left my son in his rear-facing bucket for about 14 months, until he was 20 lbs. Or maybe 22. I can't remember the NC rules anymore. And it hasn't even been that long.
anon - strapping the car seat in and out of cars got REALLY old after about 2 days. So we went with the base system. Totally worth the money. Especially consdidering how cheap you can get them. an even bigger benefit is begin able to take a sleeping baby IN THE SEAT into and out of your house. you can't do that with a baseless seat - you need one that also functions as a carrier. again - totally worth it.
angie - one thing you didn't mention in looking for a car seat is the FAA sticker on the side. that means it's approved for in-flight use, and it probably also means it's narrow enough to actually fit into the seat. (some of the nice big barcalounger-type toddler seats would be WAY too wide for a plane.)
My daughter is 13 months old, and still in her keyfit, but she's a tiny little thing. Still hasn't hit 16 lbs. :)
We used the Britax infant seat because it is one of the ONLY seats approved for babies 4-22 lbs. Both of our children were preemies and this was a great seat for such tiny babies (my kids came home from the hospital weighing 5 lbs and 4 lbs 6 oz) The head support rocked! We would buy it again in a second. (Plus, we love the Britax preview stroller it snaps into)
Also, as a parent of the dreaded "colicky" baby, the Graco seats will snap from the base into a swing which means you can unload the groceries and never wake your kid. Definitely an underrated plus!
Great write up!
Yes, convertable seats say good from birth BUT when riding rear facing the straps MUST be at or below the shoulders. I have had 3 LARGE children and none of them fit in their convertable seats until 4 months. Until then the lowest harness slot was still WAY to high. The 1st 2 had Britax Marathons and Costco Sceneras for their spare seats and #3 had a Decathlon and Scenera.
I will always use a bucket seat at first.
To Anonymous - it is very difficult to PROPERLY install an infant seat without the base, especially if there's a baby in it. It's not something I'm willing to do with my son, because the chance of hurting him is too great.
My son is currently in a SafeSeat and he's 7 months old. I occasionally put him in a Marathon, which he fits just fine in (he's 18 pounds) but he'll stay in the infant seat until the weather's consistently nice. Yes, it's heavy but that's what the stroller frame is for. And putting an infant seat on the top of a shopping cart is very dangerous. The possibility of it tipping over and injuring your baby is very real. I also wouldn't put the seat in the wooden high chairs, but some restaurants do have a sling that's specifically made for this purpose.
I really love my Chicco Keyfit. For me, it also had the most desirable color/design. The weight limit on mine is 22 pounds, which is just right b/c my 8 month old is 20.5 pounds and seems ready for something that sits more upright. In addition, I can't imagine any parent who would want to haul a baby at 30 pounds (+the weight of the carseat itself)!
I have the flex loc..
all 3 of mine were different lengths of time
#1 3 months in the carrier
#2 11 months and we moved her to a britax, she's 19m and still rear facing peanut :)
#3 5 months and counting..
Forgot to mention the joy of stroller frames! I LOVED my stroller frame with my Safeseat. I know they make them with a sit and stand option, but my daughter is too young for that which means when #2 is born I'll have to use a heavy graco double stroller. Bummer. At least I can still use my frame when just the baby and I are out.
We are still using the Chicco KeyFit (not the 30) for my 22 month old daughter! She just hit 30" and is not quite yet 20 lbs. We have installed a rear facing convertible in our main vehicle, as we were getting tired of lugging her around... plus people were looking at us weird - she can walk and jump and run and talk but is still in the infant carrier? Yep! We love the Chicco!
I don't know why the Snugride wouldn't be good for tiny babies- it was fine for my twins. (~5 pounds when they came home.) We loved the Snugride all around. We used it untill they were a year old, but they could have fit in it longer.
We have the Chicco KeyFit travel system that I purchased for our first son, however, a warning - it does NOT fit any tandem double strollers. Chicco only makes the side by side double strollers, and I'm fairly certain that they don't fit there either. I LOVE the Chicco system, the stroller is amazing with it's adjustable handle, but I was very sad when I went to research compatible double strollers and found out there was NOTHING out there. So we are still trying to decide what to buy for this summer's outdoor adventures with a 2 1/2 year old and a 5 month old. It wasn't an economical choice, for sure.
In response to Erin's comment:
"one thing you didn't mention in looking for a car seat is the FAA sticker on the side. that means it's approved for in-flight use, and it probably also means it's narrow enough to actually fit into the seat. (some of the nice big barcalounger-type toddler seats would be WAY too wide for a plane.)"
My husband's family lives in Italy, so we knew we would always travel on planes with our babies. Before either child was born, I asked questions particularly about car seats on plans. A salesperson at BRU told me that I would need to purchase one of the "mega"/"barcalounger" type seats because those were the ones that were approved by the FAA. I later found out that wasn't true, and that most seats contained the sticker that Erin alludes to in her comment. HOWEVER, that being said, that does NOT mean that they will fit on the plane. We traveled this past Christmas with our 26-month-old and a relatively cheap, convertible car seat that proudly displayed the FAA approval; but we were not able to use it on the plane because it did not fit in the seat.
If anyone finds a good listing of seats that do fit, please let me know so I can post a link. Not coming up with any good lists or message board threads so far...
The SafeSeat/Snugride32 is 30lbs and 32" NOT 32lbs and 32"
I voted "never used one" as we brought our preemie triplets home in Sunshine Kids Radian 65's (Convertible seats). In order to even leave the NICU the boys had to pass a one hour long test in the car seats, which they passed with flying colors. Spending the $200 on each seat was the best money we could have spent I think as the seats will carry the boys well until the time they're ready for just a booster.
They're currently 16 months old, weight 25 pounds each and are still rear-facing.
wow, anon -
thanks for sharing. I didn't realize that.
angie -
we have flown with our son in his infant base/carrier system (evenflo - journey or eurotrek, I can't remember which one, but the base width is the same), and it fit just fine, though we needed to put the carrier handle back to lower the plane chair's armrest.
we have also flown with his toddler seat, also evenflo (express, vision, or chase - my intructions have all three listed and I don't have the box anymore) - which we intentionally chose for its narrow frame (the seat itself is plenty wide for our son).
I guess it would make sense that different airlines have different seat sizes as well. not sure where to find a comprehensive list.
We flew with our Radian's this summer and it was a breeze! Not only does the seat fit easily in a plane seat (the Radian is the narrowest seat on the market), but the seat folds in half which is great for toting it through the airport.
Anon 24:
Graco's website says Snugride 32 is "up to 32 lbs. and up to 32"."
Well then, the safeseat1 and the snugride32 are different. I always thought they were the same- just updated the name. The SS1 is definitely 30lbs &32". Sorry bout that!
No prob. anon 29. It is confusing. Someone can clarify if I'm wrong, but I believe the SafeSeat became SafeSeat Step 1 and then had its limits upped again when it became SnugRide32.
Readers?
And let me add that at Graco's site you can buy the Snug Ride SafeSeat Step 1 (though only called "SafeSeat"), and the SnugRide 32.
I've seen prices on the "Step 1" the indicates to me that it's on closeout.
Yes, you can still purchase them. Even though they may be on closeout.. there is still a difference in the two. If you have here that they are the same.. a reader may purchase the SS1 thinking it goes up to 32lbs when it really doesn't. Just saying I think you should clarify for safety reasons.
Great idea!
I was at Target today and saw 3 Chicco Key Fit 30's on the clearance rack! If you are in the market, be sure to check!
I absolutely HATE the Baby Trends seat! It's hard to put the straps on (they twist and are hard to lengthen/shorten... especially needed when adjusting for a coat of and on through the winter season here in the south) and has almost no padding. Plus, while this may be true for all of these seats, my baby has already out grown it at 8 months... The only thing it had going for it was that it fit in our tiny car, but now we need a convertable seat to get us through the last 4 months before we can turn the seat to forward facing.
Anonymous 35,
I'd highly recommend you look at the Radians for your convertable. We can fit all three of ours in the back seat of our Dodge Neon (a small car!). They fit both RF and FF.
We loved our Baby Trend, we don't have issues with a coat, because we adhere to the rule not to put bulky clothes on the baby in a car seat. That's what car seat covers are for.
When my oldest was born there were no such things as infant car seats (yes, I'm old). The fact that I can put my little peanut in his infant car seat inside and just snap them into the car is wonderful, especially in the winter.
helen - thanks for the tip on the radian. it looks like it measures about the same as the narrow evenflo we have, but the radian gets much better user reviews, and looks like it comes with better (removeable) padding to fit baby as he grows. I bookmarked the info on it. :)
I CANNOT believe you have 3 car seats in the backseat! Too funny! someday you should do a car seat review here and upload a picture of that. something you don't see every day!
Our 4 door Saturn fit the SAfeseat perfectly. I loved it! (1999 Saturn SW2)
We had a Graco Snugride with my daughter (she's 4 1/2 now) and we loved it. It was easy to install, comfortable and safe.
We used it until she was 14 months old, because she was so little. She was only 18 pounds at a year old.
I have never heard of a Snugride 32 and I thought I was up on car seats!
Anyway, I have a Safeseat and love it! My daughter is almost 10 months old and has 13 lbs and 4" before she outgrows it.
I had the Graco SafeSeat for my son and he used it until he was 17 months old (for in my husbands car), we started using the Britax Decathlon in my car when he was about 9 months. I have to admit that the seat is very heavy especially with a 15+ pound baby. But when we got it, I was sold by the fact that we could use it for up to 30 pounds & 32 inches.
Graco for some reason decided to replace the Safeseat with the Snugride 32 (to capitalize on the Snugride name. -- Kind of like the Keyfit has two different versions). This is a change that happened very recently. When they did it, they also upped the limits on the Safeseat/Snugride 32 seat to 32 pounds instead of 30 pounds. However, they did not change the height. Since most seats are outgrown by height before they are outgrown by weight, this difference is not going to affect many people.
The Snugride 32 can be used with the old Safeseat bases -- but only until the kid is 30 pounds. The Safeseat is being discontinued so this period when both seats are out there and confusing people should be short.
We used our Safeseat until our baby was 13 months old (about 23 pounds). And we never had problems taking him out of the car in the infant seat (and I'm a weakling). Most of the time he went right into the Graco Snugrider stroller. But sometimes we had to take him upstairs to our second floor apartment and we still managed.
You will still be picking up your child when he is 40 pounds (30 + 9.5 pounds) so why would picking up a 30 pound child in a 9.5 pound infant seat be so impossible?
Thanks for the info, MBR.
I think the difference between picking up a 40 lb. child and a 30 lb. child in a 9.5 lb. infant seat is that you can hold the child close to your body where you're strongest vs. holding the seat by the handle on one side of your body.
I HOPE I'll be able to pick up my son when he weighs 40 lbs. ;)
I agree Angie and I used the SafeSeat! I didn't find the weight of the seat to be too much of an issue but it was awkward to carry, as most infant seats are for the reason you stated.
I still carry my 40 pound daughter and it feels very different from when I carried my 26 pound son in the 9.5 pound SafeSeat. ;)
Also, I have had three Radian 65's across in a Town & Country and Odyssey. They're great seats though I personally find them to be a bit of a pain to install without LATCH.
We had the FlexLoc Infant seat and two Radian 65's three across a SAAB 9-3 hatch. The FlexLoc is the ONLY infant seat that would work in those narrow confines.
If you have to fit three across definitely buy the Radian, and for an infant seat go with the FlexLoc. Worth every penny, and cheaper than a new car.
My oldest outgrew his 2001-model Snugride at 4 months. By the time our fourth child came along almost five years later, I bought a Safeseat and she fit into it for 17 months. For us, the convenience was in the fact that it got us through two Minnesota winters and we could buckle and cover her in the house and then only have three other kids to buckle outside in the car.
The weight of the seat wasn't as awkward to me as the length. I was always hitting the doorframes with it.
Can you please tell me where to find deals on the Graco Snug Ride car seat? Much more expensive than 3 yrs. ago when my son was born! Thanks
I'm a flight attendant. The seats with the red FAA approval have nothing to do with fitting on the plane. You cannot use a booster von a flight either.
Thanks, sara. Do you know of any lists of seats that will fit?
We have the BabyTrend FlexLoc for our 4 month-old 10.5 lb baby girl (hubs chose it for the triangle handle) and it's working out just fine so far - Emma is a tiny little thing, but she's long though - so I'm not sure that she'll be able to use it up until the 20lb mark... we might be going for that convertible car seat soon (at which time I'll be checking here religiously for coupons and deals on the convertible car seats!!) Thanks BC!!
PS - the only thing I ever have an issue with regarding the infant seat is that sometimes the handle sticks - and I've heard/read it's not just ours... also - while we drove with the handle up for the first 3 months before I went to a carseat safety inspection thing, it's crash test rated with the handle down - which if the car is short - sometimes hits the back of the front seat - or the edges of both front seats when the carseat is in the middle of the back seat... FYI!!
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