Buying guide for best convertible car seats
A convertible car seat is a great way to accommodate for growing children without purchasing a new seat at each new stage of life. Because they can be set to rear- or forward-facing, they can safely seat infants to older toddlers. You should carefully consider the design and safety features of convertible car seats before purchasing.
The size and weight of convertible car seats may vary, as will the ease of buckling and unbuckling the harness. You should carefully check the safety ratings not only of the seat itself but also of its individual parts. States may have different laws regarding convertible car seats, so you should make sure you are following regulations before you purchase a seat.
If installed properly and used with a child within the weight limit, a convertible car seat can offer comfort and security to your child. Convertible car seats can be somewhat expensive, so it’s important to find a model that best suits you and your child.
An infant car seat includes a detachable carrier and a base that buckles into your vehicle. These models can accommodate babies up to 30 pounds.
A convertible car seat can face either the front or the back, providing a seamless transition for children as they grow. New parents set it up in a rear-facing position initially and a forward-facing position later on.
A 3-in-1 car seat has no rear-facing option. These seats are built to fit small toddlers while using a seat insert, large toddlers without an insert, and preschoolers in a backless configuration. Some will even accommodate young schoolchildren.
In this shopping guide, we will focus on convertible car seats, the best of which have passed all federally mandated safety tests and provide passengers with a secure and convenient mode of travel.
We tested convertible car seats at our BestReviews headquarters in order to get a hands-on feel for how these devices work. Through our testing sessions, conversations with experts, and additional product research, we comprised a shortlist of the five best convertible car seats on the market today.
You can read about these seats in our product list, above.
Rest assured that we do not accept free product samples from manufacturers. Rather, we use our own funds to purchase the same “off-the-shelf” products that you do. And when we wrap up testing, we donate these products to charities and other non-profit organizations that can use them.
Please read on to learn more about our top convertible car seat recommendations.
Our top consideration when we research convertible car seats is safety. We look for models that not only meet safety regulations but exceed them.
During our research, we pay attention to the convertible car seat’s harness to evaluate its reliability, including how easy it is to buckle and unbuckle.
To help parents find the best value for their budget, we research a range of car seats at different price points. Convertible car seats can cost less than $100 or more than $800.
Installing a car seat can be a source of frustration, but it’s something that must be done correctly every time. When researching convertible car seats, we want to know how easy each model is to install.
We look at convertible car seats that can be used facing forward or backward. Some of the products we research can even be used as backless booster seats (if appropriate for the child’s age).
Some car seats come with lots of bells and whistles. In our search for the best convertible car seats, we find out which ones offer extra features, such as a cupholder or reclinability.
When researching convertible car seats, we find out how heavy each one is, as weight can affect portability.
We understand that kids can be messy, so we find out how easy (or difficult) it is to clean each convertible car seat on our research list. Wipe-clean fabric is often our top choice.
A convertible car seat will hopefully be a one-time purchase. As such, we look for car seats designed to work for multiple years of a child’s life.
We look favorably at convertible car seats made of impact-absorbing materials and padding that make the seat both safe and comfortable.
Safety
First and foremost, all convertible car seats in our product list have passed or exceeded the minimal safety standards mandated by the federal government. That said, different manufacturers go to different lengths when it comes to the quality and degree of their safety features.
Safety recommendations
All car seat models, convertible and otherwise, are subject to state laws regarding their safe use. Before car seat installation, parents and other caregivers must understand the regulations that apply to their state. What follows is by no means a comprehensive list, but it’s a great place to start. After all, nothing is more important than the health and safety of your precious cargo.
- Car seat safety advocates advise parents to keep their convertible car seat in a rear-facing position until the child is two years old — or at least until they have clearly outgrown the height and weight ratings for the seat. But this wasn’t always the case. For years, parents routinely changed the seat from rear-facing to front-facing when the child turned one. Newer studies suggest that rear-facing orientation is much safer through the age of two.
Parents should never skip the booster seat stage after convertible car seat graduation. Most states allow parents to switch from a front-facing convertible car seat to a belted booster seat after the child has outgrown the convertible seat harness or has reached age four. This booster seat phase is very important in terms of safety and seat design. It should never be skipped in favor of a regular seatbelt.
Police can and will enforce car seat laws as a secondary offense. Harried parents and other caregivers may decide that a quick trip to the grocery store or local park doesn't require bundling the child in a rear-facing car seat and harness. But in the eyes of the law, there are very few excuses for putting a child at such risk. Drivers pulled over for minor traffic infractions can also be ticketed for violating child seat laws if the officer notices an improperly restrained child.
Ease of use
How easy a car seat is to install, remove, and navigate inside a vehicle are all important considerations when deciding on a purchase. Other important factors include harness reliability, the weight/bulk of the seat, and how much space the seat takes up in various car models.
Installation tips
Installing a car seat in a tight-fitting backseat can be tricky. The instruction manual supposedly helps, but many parents discover there’s still a lot of gray area when it comes to actual installation.
Because convertible car seats require a bit of “elbow grease” to install and remove, we advise that if you plan to alternate driving obligations with someone, you might consider buying more than one convertible seat. This would cost you a bit more upfront, but the time and frustration you save would likely be worth it.
Here are some tips to help your installation process run smoothly —
Push the front seat forward as much as possible to make room for the car seat. Front seat adults may be a little inconvenienced, but proper installation is much easier when you have lots of maneuvering room.
Use your full body weight to ensure a tight fit. Don’t just use your hands and arms to press the seat into position. Use a knee or your stomach to bear down on the seat before cinching up the first strap. If two people are available, put one on seat-pressing duty and the other on cinching-and-latching duty.
Use a swaying/rocking motion to wedge the car seat between the upper and lower cushions. Simply pushing the back of the car seat into this gap will not secure it. Rock the seat back and forth as you bear down on it. Some people find it useful to position themselves directly in front of the seat for this task, using their belly as leverage.
Get help if you need it. There’s no shame in asking for professional help installing a car seat. In fact, it’s quite common for parents to seek help, and it’s easy to find a technician who will help you. The searchable technician database at SafeCar.gov is a great place to start.
For your safety
If the child is two years old and has not reached maximum height for the seat, many experts advise parents to continue using the chair in a rear-facing position for as long as needed.
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Features
All seats on our shortlist provide a supportive transition from rear-facing to front-facing mode as the child grows. The amount of body weight a car seat accommodates in both modes is an important consideration, as is the seat's ability to recline, its portability, and its cup holder system.
Car seat expiration dates
All car seats should bear a printed expiration date for the owner’s reference. In many cases, this expiration date will be around six years from the date it left the factory.
Avoid buying a used car seat which has no visible expiration date or an expired one. Because most children are ready to switch to a booster by age four, this expiration date shouldn’t be problematic for new car seats. But it does encourage parents to upgrade to a new model for a second child.
You may be wondering why a perfectly adequate seat that you paid good money for would expire. Here are the primary reasons:
Car seat materials wear down over time. The plastic and metal parts of a 10-year-old car seat aren’t as sturdy and safe as the plastic and metal parts of a brand new car seat. And since a quality car seat could potentially save your child’s life, it’s important to have the best.
Car seats are designed with “best practices” in mind, but these standards evolve over time. What was considered safe in 2000 is not necessarily what’s considered safe today. To ensure the best for your precious cargo, it’s wise to stay on top of the best technology.
Did you know?
Rescue workers prefer to extract children from independent car seats rather than integrated car seats. That’s because the rigid outer shell of an independent car seat can serve as a temporary backboard after an accident.
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Price
Convertible car seats range in price from under $100 to over $800. Seats at the higher end tend to offer a glossier look with more bells and whistles, while seats at the lower end tend to zero in on basic functionality and safety without the extra frills.
Pros and cons of convertible car seats
As mentioned above, a convertible car seat is just one of several options you have as a parent.
You could purchase a rear-facing infant car seat for your child and later, when they are about two years old, switch to a front-facing seat.
But some people like convertible car seats because they follow the child from babyhood to about age four.
Here are some pros and cons to consider before investing in a convertible car seat —
- Pro: Convertible car seats provide several years of service, from infancy to about four years old. Children often outgrow a rear-facing infant car seat within six months to a year. Therefore, you might wish to buy a convertible seat for the same reason some parents buy larger clothing sizes: the child will eventually grow into it.
- Pro: Convertible car seats will always have the advantage of being convertible. The best infant car seat on the market still cannot become a front-facing car seat at any time. A convertible car seat, on the other hand, can start out as a rear-facing model and then provide at least one or two more years of service before becoming obsolete.
- Con: Many hospitals will not allow parents to take their infant home in anything other than an approved rear-facing infant car seat. While some convertible car seats can be modified to accommodate an infant, many are designed for older babies and toddlers.
- Con: Many stroller companies make it easy to attach an infant car seat to an existing model. But convertible car seats can be difficult, if not impossible, to unlatch from the rear seat and install on a standard stroller.
FAQ
Q. I recently moved to a new state. How can I find out the laws and regulations concerning child car seats?
A. Almost all laws concerning child car seat usage are written at the state level, so you would most likely find the information you seek by searching the official state website and using the keywords “car seat laws” or “child car seats”.
Q. I bought a used convertible car seat at a thrift store. The expiration date is still good, and it looks undamaged. How can I tell if it has been recalled?
A. One expert strongly discourages the purchase of a used car seat unless the buyer is fully aware of its history and previous ownership. “There are many items that you can and should buy pre-owned, but a car seat is not one of them. Without the instructions, you might install the seat improperly.”
Furthermore, he says, “There’s no way for the company to notify you of a recall.” That’s because many companies only issue recall information directly to registered owners. Some product safety organizations may have a master list of recalled products, but it is often up to the buyer to arrange for a repair or replacement. Without proof of an original purchase, you’d likely be better off disposing of the recalled model and buying a safer seat.
Q. Why should my child face backwards while riding in a car? I would like to see his face once in awhile.
A. Rear-facing car seats are designed to protect the fragile skeletal and muscular structure of their occupants. When an infant or toddler faces forward during a crash, the head snaps forward, causing softer neck and spinal bones to separate. This is an injury worse than whiplash. A rear-facing car seat is designed to cushion the head and prevent those whiplash-like injuries. Parents may want to have face-to-face time with their children, but safety should be a larger concern when transporting a fragile young passenger in a vehicle.
Q. We’re considering purchasing a new van with an integrated child seat. Is this kind of pre-installed car seat safe for a newborn?
A. In terms of meeting safety standards for a child car seat, most integrated car seats pass the test. They are just as safe for older toddlers as a separate car seat. However, they are not designed for infants and young toddlers who need to be in a rear-facing car seat until at least the age of two.
