Car Seats

Whether you’re a first-time parent-to-be researching the best infant car seat to add to your baby registry or a seasoned mom shopping for the safest booster seat for your second grader, the world of car seats can feel overwhelming—and for good reason. There are a lot of technical terms to learn and digest. Knowing which seat to use when is confusing. And wading through the many car seats on the market to figure out which one is right for you can feel pretty daunting. There are three main types of car seats: infant car seats; convertible car seats (including rotating and all-in-one seats); and booster seats. Your child’s age, weight and height all factor in when determining which car seat you should choose. Here are top car seat picks from CPSTs.

The safest car seat is the one that fits your child correctly (is the right size for your child’s age, weight and height), fits your vehicle and can be installed correctly by you every time. Look for car seats with features such as a five-point harness, side-impact protection, energy-absorbing foam, LATCH system, higher rear-facing weight limit and easy-to-adjust straps for optimal safety.

Infant car seats, also sometimes called bucket seats, are made specifically for infants and younger babies. Infant car seats can be used from birth until your baby reaches the seat’s height or weight maximum. For most seats, these top limits are around 30-35 inches for height or 30-35 pounds for weight—whichever your child hits first. Even though some of the top-rated infant car seats can have higher limits, babies still tend to outgrow them usually around one year of age. Infant seats are always rear-facing and click in and out of a base that stays installed in your car.

Yes, our rotating car seat buying guide takes into account independent safety ratings, each seat’s individual safety features and the NHTSA’s Ease-of-Use Ratings. We also chose seats that prioritized extended rear-facing, the safest way for babies and young children to ride.

A car seat is one of the most important pieces of baby gear you’ll own, but keeping the rules and guidelines around convertible car seat safety straight can be daunting. One of the biggest questions new parents wonder about is when to switch from an infant car seat to a convertible car seat. Convertible car seats can be used with children of various ages and sizes. Convertible car seats start in the rear-facing position and switch to forward-facing once your child has outgrown the seat’s rear-facing height or weight limits. Convertible car seats don’t have bases like infant seats; instead, they use your vehicle’s seat belt or LATCH system for installation. (LATCH stands for Lower Anchor and Tethers for Children and is a system of built-in straps and hooks on a car seat and anchor hardware in your vehicle. LATCH makes car seat installation simpler and safer.) Convertible seats are generally large and heavy and aren’t designed to be moved regularly between vehicles. Note: There are also all-in-one car seats, which can be used from birth until they’re ready for a booster seat, no switching required. You can see some of the differences (and similarities) between convertibles and all-in-ones in our round up of all the best car seats.

Buying an infant car seat and stroller set as one purchase typically saves you $60 to $100. The trick is to make sure you love both the stroller and the car seat that come together. Travel systems range from a few hundred dollars to well over a thousand. We factored in cost while selecting top travel systems.

Wondering if the car seat you picked out is a good fit for your favorite stroller? This infant car seat and stroller compatibility list can help.

Many travel systems on the market offer a great stroller but a not-so-great car seat—and vice versa. We chose car seat stroller systems with the best of the best in both categories for this travel system guide.