How to Choose the Best Car Seats for Your Child

It's easy to become overwhelmed when you are shopping for car safety seats. The safest car seats are ones that fit your child and vehicle, and can be used correctly 100 % of the time.

Car seats that are difficult for children or parents to set up or use can be a serious issue. The best car seats are those that have high scores for user-friendliness as well as impressive crash test results, and are light.

Safety

Safety features are the primary aspect to think about when buying a car. It doesn't matter if you choose a booster, convertible or infant seat. They must all conform to federal safety standards and they should have a proven track record in third-party crash testing. It should also fit well in your vehicle and be easy to use.

A good quality seat should have a harness adjustment that is simple to use, as well as the option of connecting via LATCH or seatbelt. Flexible or rigid lower anchor connectors, which have alligator-like clips that hook directly to the car seat base or to the seat belt guides of the vehicle, are preferable to flexible straps that move or loosen. The best seats come with a clear, intuitive color-change indicator that indicates when the seat is connected correctly and ensure a tight fit.

In addition to these features, best car seats for infants seats include the top tether, which reduces head injury risk in crashes by restraining the front of the child's head. The harness guides are integrated into the seats to assist parents thread the seatbelt or tether correctly.

The most important car seat features are those that ensure that the seat is properly installed and used in a safe and efficient manner all the time. Tragically, many children's deaths result from children are improperly restrained or in the wrong type of seat. Consult a child passenger security technician (CPST) located near you, to ensure that the car seat's installation and positioning is right.

A quality seat could save your child's life if they are involved in an accident. It's worth spending more to get one that's made with a strong frame, high-quality materials, and intelligent features that make daily use easier. Find seats that are compliant with the R129 safety standards which are more stringent than the older ones that most seats follow.

It's also important to remember that a car is only secure and safe as the adult who is driving it. Children should be properly restrained by rear-facing car seats beginning at birth and continuing until they reach the height required to wear a harness. This usually happens between the ages of four and five.

Comfort

A car seat that is comfortable can help your child get to sleep or stay asleep longer and can be the difference between getting an extended road trip completed in one go and having an exhausted, cranky kid who fights naptime. Choose the right seat that will accommodate your child's growing stature, provides plenty of neck and head support and is well-fitted to prevent movement in the car.

The best infant car seat newborn car seat has various features that make your child feel secure and comfortable, including soft materials, cushioned armrests and plush cushions. Some have cup holders, adjustable headrests, and sun shades. Some offer various recline positions. Some have adjustable the lumbar and thigh to improve posture. Other models have massage options activated by pressing a button when the child is sitting in the seat.

If your child is no longer able to fit in an infant car seat it is possible to upgrade to a convertible toddler car seat. These seats are designed for children weighing up to 40 pounds. They can be used rear-facing or facing forward. Some convertible toddler car seats can be used as boosters up to 120lbs. This helps save money and decreases the number of car seats you will require over time.

The most rated toddler car seats for comfort include the Evenflo Chase, which offers excellent crash test results and is easy to install with either LATCH or a vehicle seat belt. Its slim shell makes it easier to fit newborns and larger babies. It also has two different crotch buckle positions, which allows for better positioning of the shoulder straps. It is also lightweight and slim, making it easier to move around.

The Nuna PIPA urbn is also a ideal choice for a comfy toddler car seat. Babylist gear editor Jennifer LaBracio says the seat is luxuriously comfortable with plenty of padding and easy-to-read indicators to install. It's also compact and can be installed without or with the base, making it a good option for parents who regularly move their car seats between vehicles.

Easy of Use

Many parents use their car seats frequently and are looking for an simple to use and fits in their vehicle. They also want it to work with other baby equipment. Car seats for infants are lighter due to having less weight restrictions, and a shorter lifespan than convertible car seat. The most effective infant car seats are equipped with features that make it simpler to install and use. These include the recline foot, which is spring-loaded, bubble indicators at the base for positioning it properly in your vehicle, and installation guides clearly labeled with clear instructions. These car seats have also been designed with clear, durable materials that are machine washable, and also provide a comfortable cushion for your child.

The Clek Liing is the highest-rated infant seat that we reviewed in 2018. It provides impressive crash test results and analysis scores, as in addition to a great load leg that can help you position the seat in your car with ease and precision. The car seat is one of the most simple to install using either LATCH or the rigid latch connectors, with color change indication of the connection on the latches and a harness that does not require rethreading that snaps easily and securely.

Chicco KeyFit 35 is another top choice. It has impressive crash test results as well as a loading leg to help you install the car seat. It's also a favorite among parents and experts, including CPST instructor Kecia Healy. She says the seat is designed to provide comfort with a spring-loaded recline foot and a bubble indicator on the base to assist you in position it correctly and tighten it with ease. This seat is affordable, GREENGUARD certified and built to last. It features an aluminum frame and a ventilated, high-density foam.

The all-in-one Nuna Exec is a favorite of LaBracio and Saxton as well as Saxton, both calling it an "solid" seat that is worth the price tag for its luxurious feel luxurious materials and simple installation. It comes with a 50-pound rear-facing weight limit and expandable legroom panel, in addition to strong all-steel frame and anti-rebound bar. This infant car seats that swivel car seat also can be converted to a forward-facing booster for kids that weigh up to 120 pounds and is small enough to fit three across in a variety of mid-sized vehicles.

Design

A car seat is an investment in the safety of your child So you need to know it will fit well and be user-friendly. Your final choice could be influenced by the location and how you'll install the seat, as well as how often you intend to switch between vehicles. It is impossible to predict what could happen in the event of a crash. However the design of your seat will help to minimize the damage and make it easier to get your child into and out of their car seat.

The LATCH connectors on a seat are a major factor. Connectors with rigid construction are bonded directly to the seat by alligator clips. They are more difficult to remove during an accident. Flexible connectors have straps that can be adjusted by hand or with some kind of mechanism. Most seats feature an indicator for level to tell the correct installation. This is usually a plastic made line that is molded on the shell side or a sticker glued to the side of the seat that, when stood up against the ground, shows that the car seat is within the correct angle.

Another important factor is the degree to which a chair can accommodate newborns and infants. This is based on the width and height of the shell, the headrest, and the ease at which the harness can be buckled or unbuckled. Some seats come with a positioning insert to help smaller bodies fit in the seat and the harness. These inserts can be removed as your child grows.

The third factor to consider is the ease of adjusting the height of the belt. The best car Seat seats allow you to move the belt of your harness without having to remove your baby and require just pushing the button or pulling tabs or shifting levers. Additionally, the most simple seats to utilize are those that adjust the shoulder strap position without having to rethread the belt.

If you are interested in an all-in-one seat, ensure it satisfies the minimum federal safety standards and has performed well in third-party crashes tests. We prefer seats that also go above and beyond with features like an anti-rebound bar, a layer of energy-absorbing foam built into the shell or the ability to use the seat from birth (with an insert) until your child is 50 pounds in rear-facing mode.