Best Car Seats for Babies & Toddlers - Car Seat Safety Toddlers

When using an infant or convertible seat:

• Use your baby’s car seat rear-facing and semi-reclined no more than 45 degrees, so the baby’s head stays in contact with the seat and the baby’s airway stays open. Read the car seat instructions.

• Make sure the buckled harness straps that keep your baby properly positioned and secured in the car seat fit snuggly. Loose harness straps don’t provide maximum protection. Be sure the harness is tight, so you cannot pinch extra webbing at the shoulder.

• Position the shoulder straps through the slots at or below your rear-facing baby’s shoulders.

• Adjust the chest clip to armpit level.

• Use either the car’s seat belt or LATCH system to lock the car seat into the car. Do not use both systems at the same time.

• Your car seat should not move more than one inch side to side or front to back. Grab the car seat at the safety belt path or LATCH path to test it.

• All car seats have an expiration date. Generally, it is six years, but contact the manufacturer of the seat to find out what the expiration date is for your specific seat.

• Never buy a used car seat if you do not know its full history and never use a car seat that has been in a crash.

• Do not use any products in the car seat that did not come from the manufacturer. Car seat fabrics meet strict fire safety codes. Add-on toys can injure your child in a crash.

• Find where the frontal airbags are in your vehicle by checking the owner’s manual. Never put a rear-facing car seat in front of an active airbag. Children are always safest in a back seat.

• Have your car seat checked by a currently certified child passenger safety technician to make sure it is properly installed.

• Never leave children alone in a car. 

Best Car Seats for Babies & Toddlers

01++ Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat, Matrix

02++ Evenflo Symphony 65 E3 All in One Car Seat, Cicero

03++ Maxi-Cosi Pria 70 Convertible Car Seat, Total Black

04++ Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat, Valerie

05++ Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat - Gavit

06++ Recaro Young Sport Child Car Seat - Midnight Desert

07++ Maxi-Cosi Pria 70 Convertible Car Seat, Intense Red

08++ Graco SnugRide 35 LX

09++ Cybex Aton Car Seat in Eclipse

10++ Graco SmartSeat All-in-One Car Seat, Rosin

11++ Britax Regent Youth Car Seat, Onyx

12++ Water Wrap Baby Carrier ( White )

13++ Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro Car Seat, Rumba

14++ Britax Regent Youth Car Seat, Sahara

15++ Kids Embrace Dora the Explorer Toddler/Booster Car Seat

16++ Snugride 30 - Flare

17++ Recaro Young Sport Child Car Seat, Shiny Charcoal

18++ Kids Embrace Spongebob Square Pants Toddler/Booster Seat

19++ Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro Car Seat, Phantom

20++ Evenflo Symphony 65 with Surelatch All In One Seat, North Bay

21++ Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat - Beckett

22++ Recaro Young Sport Child Car Seat - Ebony

23++ Britax Regent Youth Car Seat, Huntington

24++ Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat Pink Daisy

25++ Graco Toddler SafeSeat Step2 Reclining Car Seat in Ionic

26++ Twingo Group 123 Car Seat (1-12 Years) - Luxury Black Faux Leather

27++ Twingo Group 123 Car Seat (1-12 Years) - Luxury Beige Faux Leather

28++ Britax Regent Youth Car Seat, Madison

29++ Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro Car Seat, Lavendar

30++ Symphony 65 E3 Trutether Convertible Car Seat Milo

Expert Review:

**** I really like this car seat!
Pros: 3 in 1; Cup Holders; easy to buckle
I purchased the Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 carseat for my (small) 3 year old a few month ago. We are really happy with it and plan to buy another one when our youngest gets a little older. The seat is really easy to use and I like the seatbelt buckle more than other carseats we've owned. It is easy to adjust the straps as well. My son seems to be very comfortable in the seat. He's fallen asleep several times. I did notice that his head seems to drop down when he falls asleep more than it did in his last car seat....but it clearly doesn't bother him and its not so bad that I feel worried for his safety. I am glad that we ended up choosing this seat. Plus, we shouldn't have to buy another seat for him since it will convert to a booster when he is big enough.

**** Love the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 so much I bought 2.
Pros: 5 point harness to 65 pounds; Safety; Comfortable; Cup holder and toy storage; easy to install; Affordable; Booster seat to 100 pounds and 57; Relatively inexpensive; grows with child; Converts to Booster; 65 lbs in the harness; Seat seems very comfy; 3 in 1 car seat system; can adjust level; Durable; Versatile; Comfortable cushions and straps; keeps tall kids harnessed; Easy to tighten and loosen straps
Cons: heavy, bulky; doesn't recline quite far enough; Buckle gets stuck sometimes
When my daughter outgrew her forward facing car seat at about 3 1/2, I knew she wasn't ready for a regular booster seat. I began the search for something that would allow her to stay in a harness until a higher weight. After many trips to the store and even buying one and returning it, I found the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1. I love the simplicity of it. It was relatively easy to assemble and it's easy to install. It is a little heavier than I expected, but I acutally like because when you decide to use it as a belt positioning booster, it doesn't move much or tip over when your child gets in and out, like some of the other boosters. I liked it so much for my daughter, I bought one for my son, even though he was still within the weight limits of his forward facing car seat. I couldn't stand the twisted straps on his old seat.

**** Best car seat for us
Pros: 5 point harness to 65 pounds; Safety; Comfortable; Cup holder and toy storage; A brand I trust; excellent crash test rating; 65 lb 5 point harness; Safe for kids; 3 in 1 car seat system; 5 point harness goes to 65lbs; great colors; large weight limit
Cons: Takes up a lot of room; Forward Facing Only; Misleading, not really for child under 2; isn't rear-facing; pricy; very heavy; Weight
You can not put a price on the value of a child and their safety. We narrowed our search down to two seats for our 4 yr old that had high safety and parent reviews. Though our 4 yr old could be legally seated in a booster we chose to have a five point restraint seat for her safety, so she could sleep on long trips, and so that she could not be tempted to unbuckle herself to get a dropped toy.
The cons were that the bottom strap/ buckle sits very close to her and is harder to buckle. The seat is very large and bulky and very difficult to install. We had to purchase another seat for the other car.

**** very happy with this carseat
Pros: 5 point harness to 65 pounds; Safety; comfortable; Cup holder and toy storage; Easy to install; Affordable
Cons: I cant think of any!!
After lots and lots of research I was torn on this and another car seat. The other was a bit more expensive than I wanted to spend and when I found this Graco on sale that is when I made up my mind. I am glad I did cause we love it. My daughter always falls asleep in the car and doesnt slouch forward like other reviews say. I also have a small backseat and dont find this too bulky at all. My daughter loves the compartments in armrests, she keeps snack in there and easy to reach :). It took her a while to be able to reach the cupholder but really before she could reach it I dont think she understood thats where cup goes. I love it and would buy again!

**** awesome booster seat
very nice booster seat. much more cushiony than prior models.

**** Easy to install-Great seat
My son loves his Sponge Bob seat. Prior to owning this seat I had to struggle with my son to get him in a car seat. Now he gladly rides with his Sponge Bob seat.
My son is just shy of his 3rd birthday and weighs, 29lbs.

**** Loving my Maxi-Cosi
Pros: Fits great; Son loves the cup holder; Sturdy
This car seat is great for my 1 1/2 yr old and my 4 yr old niece. I wish I would of had it from the time my son was born. I feel he's very well protected w/all the padding. It fits great in my GMC Accadia. Sturdy well made product that I will be sure to tell my friends about.

**** Great carseat - better than Britax

*This is our main carseat after replacing the Graco Snugride that we used from newborn - 10 months.
*Very sturdy, high quality materials
*Easy to install and adjust
*Great fit for my 11 month old, looks comfortable
*Not sure if it would work for smaller infants

**** This is an exceptionally safe carseat
Pros: Exceptionally safe; Reasonable to install; Comfortable for child
Cons: Don't need cup holder
This is a wonderful carseat, worth the investment. It's very well padded, especially on the side of the head -- I really like this feature, I haven't seen another carseat that protects our 1-year old's head so well. It's a very large seat, although since the base is recessed a bit we were still able to fit our sons' booster seats on each side, even in our narrow Forrester.
Installation was not a problem.