My Top Picks for Infant and Convertible Car Seats

With all this talk surrounding the newest AAP guidelines, I decided to break it down based on our experiences. Not every car seat is the same; some are lighter than others, some are very cumbersome, some do not fit next to other car seats, some accommodate taller children, some accommodate a larger weight capacity and some come with true side impact protection… among other things.
There are also other aspects of a car seat that you may or may not think of before choosing the car seat that you like. For instance, will the infant car seat fit in your car? When we were shopping around for a new car (shortly before my 3rd son was born), I brought along our infant car seat to every test drive. It fit in about half the cars we tested. As a soon-to-be family of 5, we weren’t exactly testing small cars.
Same goes for your convertible car seat; you will eventually graduate your infant to a rear-facing convertible car seat once your child exceeds the height or weight limit or when the infant seat is too heavy for you to carry. For me, my first son was out of his infant seat at 6 months old, second was 11 months and my third was 8 months. My second son was the only one who stayed in his infant seat until he reached one of the limits; he was too tall at 11 months. The other two were just too heavy for me to carry while in the infant seat.
In the past 8.5 years, we’ve had our fair share of car seats. We have tried a different infant seat for each child, supplied car seats and booster seats for Grandma’s car and purchased extra seats for our second vehicle. Below are seats that we have used or seriously considered while researching car seats.

Here are my top picks (in order) for Infant Car Seats and Convertible Car Seats. 

Infant Car Seats

1. Chicco Keyfit 30
I had this seat with my second son. This is the easiest infant car seat I have ever installed! The seat itself is easy to carry and even though it’s not the lightest infant car seat, it never felt too heavy (which has a lot to do with the ergonomic carry bar). This infant seat is one of the narrowest and is great for smaller cars or cars with small backseats (it installed and fit in my husband’s sports car with no problems). The full body newborn/infant support cushion can be used together or in pieces- once my son was too big for the bottom support pad, I was still able to keep the head support pad in place. The base has a built-in level on each side, which shows you if the base is properly angled when installed. The LATCH strap system has a center pull strap to tighten both LATCH clips at the same time. The Keyfit is lined with EPS energy absorbing foam for extra crash protection. This seat is one of the most recommended for smaller babies starting at 4 pounds. (No wonder my second son fit so nicely and stayed in this seat so long; he was my lightest baby).

2. Britax Chaperone 
This is the seat I wish I had chosen for my third son. I ended up with a different seat (the Maxi Cosi Mico) because is adapted to the stroller we had at that time. I’m a huge fan of Britax seats in general and looking back, I should have chosen this seat. The true side impact protection, anti-rebound bar, no-rethread straps and 30 pound weight/32″ height limits are what make this seat amazing. This car seat is known to be on the bigger side- the seat and the base are quite large. One of the reasons we were considering this seat is because we purchased a larger vehicle before our third son was born, and we knew space would not be an issue. But I have heard that this seat does not fit in all backseats. I have had the chance to install the Britax Chaperone in a car before and the installation is very easy to do.

3. Graco Snugride 35
I had this seat for my first son and another one (as a second seat) with my third son. I made the switch, to the Graco Snugride, after using the Maxi Cosi Mico for the few months. It is a bit bulky but the Snugride 35 fits babies up to 32″ and 35 pounds so I guess it would have to be. The newest models come with a full body support (instead of the cheapy head support that our seat came with), is side-impact crash tested, and the base has a center dial for a tighter installation. I haven’t tried the new base style but that was the biggest complaint I had about the Graco Snugride; the base was very hard to install tightly and properly. Another good thing about the Graco Snugride, it is one of the most compatible infant car seats with different strollers.

Convertible Car Seats

1. Britax Marathon 70
Our first convertible car seat was a Britax (Roundabout) and since then, we continue to buy Britax. My third son has been riding in his new Britax Marathon 70 for a little over a month now and I’m in love. Like past Britax models, the Marathon 70 has a tangle-free harness and the Harness Ultra Guard System (HUGS), which provides additional resistance to forward movement. The Marathon 70 is considered one of the Next Generation car seat for Britax with the newest safety features- Safecell technology, integrated steel bars, energy-absorbing EPP foam, energy-absorbing Versa-Tether, buckle positioning, and a quick adjust harness. The harness is easy to adjust while the seat is properly installed. The other big improvement is the seat cover; it is now easy to remove and can be removed, for cleaning, without having to uninstall the seat. I love how Britax continues to make their seats user-friendly without compromising safety. How genius is it to be able to clean the seat cover and adjust the harness without having to uninstall the entire seat? Each time you uninstall, it leaves room for error when re-installing the seat. I love how Britax is evolving, changing and improving their car seats. Learn more about fit and compare seats on Britax’s site HERE.

2. Sunshine Kids Radian XTSL
We purchased this seat when we had a smaller car and needed the ability to fit three car seats across in the backseat. If you have a smaller car (or backseat), or need to fit three car seats across, definitely look into the Radian. I prefer the XTSL model because of the height-adjustable/aluminum-reinforced head support, steel alloy frame, and ESP foam, which provides complete side impact protection. The XTSL also has superLATCH that allows the use of the LATCH system up to 80 pounds (some car seats require you stop using the LATCH after a certain weight of the child and install the car seat with the seat belt). All Radian car seats are lower profile; this allows your child to easily climb in and out of the seat but it also means that my preschooler has a hard time looking out the window while in my car (we use this seat in my husband’s car and he’s able to look out the window just fine, in that car). I also like this seat because it looks less like a “car seat” for older children. My oldest son sat in a Radian until he was almost 7-years-old. The fact that it looks more like a booster seat kept him happily in a 5-point harness longer which is the safest option. This is a great seat for a child that may be tall and heavy enough to transition to a high-back booster seat but may not always sit still (meaning the seat belt is not providing adequate enough protection). The one complaint I have about the Radian is it’s heavy! But, I guess that’s what you get for all that steel protection in the seat.

3. The First Years True Fit
This convertible car seat has been given 5 stars by the NHTSA for ease of use. While we haven’t personally used this cars seat, it is becoming increasingly popular due to its safety features and easy installation and instructions. The True Fit accommodates children 5-65 pounds and 50″ tall and has an easy removable headrest for the rear-facing position with a smaller child. The headrest can be re-installed for extended rear-facing use (up to 35 pounds) or when the seat is turned to the forward-facing position. All the belt paths are color-coded to help ensure the seat is properly installed. The harness is a no-rethread harness and can be adjusted without having to uninstall the seat. The seat also has instructions for harness placement/heights, based on whether your child is rear or forward-facing, printed directly on the side of the seat. (That is one of the biggest mistakes I commonly see- improper placement of shoulder strap heights). Like the Britax, the seat can be removed, for easy cleaning, without having to uninstall the seat.

Tip- You can start off with a rear-facing convertible car seat and forgo the infant car seat all together; just make sure the seat is a Convertible Car Seat that accommodates a newborn (5 pounds and up). 

Remember, you can do everything to protect your children while in the car (e.g. following AAP guidelines, etc. ) but none of it will matter if you are not using your car seat correctly or if it is not installed properly. Check your car seat for weight limits, height limits, placement of harness straps and installation requirements to ensure the safest ride for your child. 

Click HERE for my top picks for Combination Booster Seats and Booster Seats.