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How to Choose the Best Car Seats for Your Child It's easy to be overwhelmed when looking for car safety seats. The safest car seat is one that is a good fit for your child and your vehicle and is safe to use 100% of the time. Car seats that are difficult to use or install can make life for parents and kids more difficult. The most effective car seats have excellent scores for user-friendliness as well as impressive crash test results, and are light. Safety Safety features are the most important factor to consider when buying an automobile. If you decide to purchase an infant, convertible, or booster seat, it must meet the safety standards of the federal government and have a solid track record of third-party crash testing. It should also fit well in your vehicle and be easy to use. A high-quality car seat should include a harness that is easy to use for adjustment, as well as LATCH or seat belt connections. Flexible or rigid lower connectors with an alligator-like clipping that connects directly to the vehicle seat belt guides or the car seat base are preferable to flexible straps. The most effective seats have a color-changing indicator that is easy to read and lets you know whether the seat is properly connected. In addition to these features, best seats include top tethers that reduce head injury risk in crashes by restraining the front of the child's head. They also have built-in harness guides that aid parents in securing the seat belt or tether. The most important aspects of a car seat are the ones that ensure that the seat is installed and used correctly all the time. Unfortunately, a lot of children's deaths result from children are restrained incorrectly or in the wrong type of seat. It's important to consult a child passenger safety technician (CPST) near you to make sure the installation and placement of your car seat are right. A quality seat could save your child's life if they are involved in an accident. It's worth the extra cost to get one that's constructed and built with a sturdy frame, top-quality materials and intelligent features that make daily use a breeze. Look for seats that comply with the R129 safety standards, which are more rigorous than the older ones that most seats adhere to. Lastly, it's important to recognize that car seats are only as secure as the adult who is using it. Children should be properly restrained in rear-facing car seats from the time they are born until they reach a height that allows them to be seated forward in a harness, which is usually around the age of four or five. Comfort A comfortable car seat can help your child get to sleep or remain asleep for longer and can be the difference between an extended road trip completed in one go and having a cranky, exhausted child who screams at naptime. Find a seat that can accommodate your child's growing size, provides plenty of neck and head support and is well-fitted to prevent movement in the car. The best infant car seat offers a variety features that will make your child feel secure and comfortable, including soft materials including plush cushions, plush cushions and padded armrests. Some come with reclining positions and adjustable headrests as well as cup holders and a sun shade. Some models have adjustable the lumbar and thigh to improve posture. Other models have massage options activated by pressing a button when the child is in the seat. When your child outgrows an infant car seat, you can move on to a convertible toddler car seat. These seats are designed for children up to 40 pounds. They can be used either front-facing or facing forward. Some convertible toddler car seats can also be used as boosters for children up to 120 pounds, which will save you money and decreases the number of car seat purchases you'll need to make over time. The top toddler car seats for comfort include the Evenflo Chase, which offers excellent crash test results and is easy to put on using LATCH or a car seat belt. Its slim shell makes it easy to fit larger babies. It also comes with two different crotch buckle positions which allow for better positioning of shoulder straps. It is also lightweight and slim, making it easier to move around. The Nuna PIPA Urbn is a great option for a comfy car seat for toddlers. Babylist's gear editor Jennifer LaBracio says the seat is luxuriously comfortable with plenty of padding and easy-to-read indicator for installation. It's also lightweight and can be installed with or without the base, making it an ideal choice for parents who often move their car seat between vehicles. User-Friendliness Many parents use their car seats frequently and want seats that are easy to use and fits in their vehicle. They also want it to be compatible with other baby equipment. Car seats for infants are lighter due to having less weight restrictions, and a shorter lifespan than convertible car seats. The most effective infant car seats are equipped with features that make it easier to install and use. These include the recline foot, which is spring-loaded, bubble indicators at the base for positioning it correctly in your vehicle, and installation guides clearly labeled with clear instructions. Car seats are constructed of robust materials that are machine-washable and easy-to-see. They also have soft padding for your child. The most highly rated infant car seat we tested this year is the Clek Liing, which comes with impressive crash test sensor results and analysis scores, as well as an impressive load leg that helps you install the car seat into your vehicle with ease and precision. The car seat is simple to install using either rigid latch connectors or the LATCH. The latches change color to signal the connection, and the harness snaps into place quickly and securely. Chicco KeyFit 35 is another top choice. It offers impressive crash test results as well as a loading leg to assist you in installing the car seat. It's also a favorite for parents and experts including CPST instructor Kecia Healy, who claims the seat is designed for comfort with a spring-loaded recline foot and a bubble indicator on the base to help you place it in the right position and tighten it up easily. This seat is also affordable, GREENGUARD-certified and built to last with a steel frame and high-density foam, as well as a vented seat back that circulates air to keep your child cool. The all-in-one Nuna Exec is a favorite of LaBracio and Saxton, with both women saying it's an “solid” seat that is worth the price due to its premium feel, luxurious materials and easy installation. Push Chairs & Prams has a rear-facing weight restriction of 50 pounds, an expandable legroom panel as well as strong steel frame that has an anti-rebound bar. This infant car seat can also serve as a booster for children weighing up to 120 pounds. It is small enough to fit into most mid-sized cars. Design A car seat is an investment in your child's safety Therefore, you must be sure that it will fit and be user-friendly. The location and the method you install the seat, and how often you switch between different car types will affect your final choice. It is impossible to know what could happen in an accident. However, the design of your seat could help to minimize damage and make it easy to get your child in and out of their car seat. The LATCH connectors on a seat are a key factor. Connectors that are rigid have clips resembling alligators which attach directly to the seat and are more difficult to break in a crash. Flexible connectors feature a strap which can be tightened and loosened via a manual mechanism or a device. A majority of seats come with an indicator for level to tell the correct installation. This is usually a plastic formed line on the shell's side or a sticker glued to the side of the seat that, when raised against the ground, shows the car seat is in the correct angle range. Another important factor is the way a seat fits newborns and young infants. This includes the size of the head rest and shell, and the ability to buckle and unbuckle the harness. Certain seats have an insert for positioning that helps smaller bodies to fit into the seat and the harness. These inserts can be removed as your child grows. The third crucial aspect is how easy it is to adjust the height of the harness. The most effective seats allow you to move the harness without having to remove your child and require only pressing one button, pulling a tab or turning a lever. In addition, the easiest seats to use are those that can adjust the shoulder strap's position without having to rethread the belt. If you are interested in an all in one seat, ensure it meets the minimum federal safety requirements and has performed well in third-party crashes tests. We prefer seats that also exceed expectations with features like an anti-rebound bar and the use of a foam that absorbs energy that is molded into the shell or the ability to use the seat from birth (with an insert) until your child reaches 50 pounds in rear-facing mode.