It’s amazing how fast kids go through gear. Emerson is almost a year and we’re already upgrading to a convertible car seat. Our infant car seat was 30/30. While she’s not 30 pounds, she’s pushing 30 inches. For the most part we were happy with our Graco SnugRide® Click Connect™ 30 Infant Car Seat, but we’re open to exploring different brands for the next car seat. Safety is top priority, but I also want something that will hold up over time.
Let me tell you there are a lot of options out there. After researching for weeks I finally made a decision! Before I reveal which car seat we purchased let’s meet the top contenders.
There are 100s of car seats to choose from, but only a few are top contenders [IMO]. I’ve narrowed it down to a few worth looking at. Once you get to this point it all comes down to personal preference, the baby, style, price and car fit. If purchasing online I suggest Amazon or Diapers.com because of the awesome free shipping and return policies. For a limited time, save 15% on select Baby Products sold and shipped by Amazon with code 15OFFBABY!
The below car seats include the following key features:
+ 5-point harness (two shoulder straps, two waist straps, and one strap between the legs that meet in the middle)
+ side-impact protection (extra foam or air pads at the side of baby’s head)
+ compatibility with the LATCH system (a way to fasten the base tightly without using seatbelts)
CHICCO
Chicco NextFit [$299] – Available in grey, pink/black and burgundy/black.
Chicco NextFit CX [$329] – Available in grey.
Chicco NextFit [$349] – Available in four colors including black, blue and pink.
BRITAX
Britax Marathon G4.1 [$289/ currently $199] – Available in six colors/prints including black, kiwi and pink giraffe.
Britax USA Marathon ClickTight [$329/ currently $264] – Available in five colors including red, grey and purple.
MAXI-COSI
Maxi Cosi Pria 70 [$274] – Available in 15 colors black, grey, tan red, pink and various prints.
Maxi-Cosi Pria 85 [$299] – Available in nine colors including black, navy, grey, pink and teal.
GRACO
Graco Size4Me 65 [$179/ currently $169] – Available in six colors/prints including black, green and tan.
Graco 4ever All-in-One [$299] – Available in black, red, pink, and black/white stripped. Includes booster seat option. You’ll never have to buy another car seat. Best bang for your buck.
OTHER
Diono Radian RXT [$289] – Available in six colors including black, red, tan, grey and purple.
Please note, there are a number of very safe optionss under $200, but I was in the market for something above just a basic car seat. [i.e., built-in cup holders, plush fabric, etc.]
We ended up purchasing the Maxi-Cosi Pria 85 in Loyal Grey! We’ve only had it for a few days, but we love it. It came down to the Graco 4ever All-in-One Car Seat and Maxi-Cosi Pria 85. Each car seat had it’s pros and cons, but we loved the Maxi-Cosi Pria 85 features a little more.
Do you have kids? What convertible car seat did you purchase?
great post! we'll need to buy a new carseat in a month or two so this is really helpful. xo jillian – cornflake dreams
I looked at them for weeks! By the time I pulled the trigger my husband was just happy she had a new car seat on the way. HA. There are way too many options!
Seriously convertible car seats are the way to go. I didn't have one with my first but it was a must-have for my second. It makes life easier!
It's only been a few days, but we're so happy. I kind of wish we had picked a higher end infant car seat too… it's hard when you use it for less than a year!
I remember when we had to go convertible seat shopping, there was so much to choose from and was overwhelming. I wish I had this post to read when I had my baby. It would have been very helpful.
You picked out some great seats! The Graco Nautilus is NOT a convertible car seat, but a combination car seat. It does not rearface.
Hi Jenn, Thanks for pointing that out. I actually meant to link to another Graco car seat I was looking at. It's now fixed so there isn't any confusion moving forward. 😉
I love Britax because of their reliability, testing at high speeds and low recall rate. But your post is helpful for new parents especially and I'm sure they're all very good! 🙂
I always go with Graco because it's been a brand I know and trust. This is super helpful though!:)