We worry parents will put off adjusting the harness with the rethread style when needed because it requires an empty seat and more effort. Since injuries can occur when a harness isn’t adjusted to fit correctly, we prefer non-rethread assemblies. The Baby Jogger City Turn and the Graco SlimFit 3-in-1 are the easiest options to adjust in the group. The Clek Fllo, Clek Foonf, Diono Radian 3RXT Safe+, and the Evenflo Tribute 5 all require rethreading of the straps. This design, in our minds, is acceptable for an inexpensive option like the Tribute 5 but is less palatable on seats like the Cleks that have a higher premium price. The Evenflo Tribute 5 is one of the least expensive seats in this review.
Also, it’s narrow and easy to keep clean, and it comes with the added safety feature of an anti-rebound bar. We also recommend the Britax Boulevard ClickTight for those whose top priority is ease of installation. We’ve added the Clek Foonf as an also-great pick for families that are happy to pay more for a beautiful but super-heavy (and ultra-sturdy) seat.
Yes, car seats are allowed in flights as check-in or carry-on baggage. However, it can be carried into the aircraft only when it is compact enough to fit into the overhead bin or under the seats in the airplane (4). We test and rate 100+ car graco turbobooster seats so that we can make clear recommendations—and you can easily find the right fit. Graco makes a number of additional all-in-one seats, including the Graco SlimFit 3-in-1, the Graco SlimFit3 LX 3-in-1, and the Graco Milestone 3-in-1.
Once your child outgrows the forward-facing car seat with a harness, it’s time to travel in a booster seat, but still in the back seat. Many parents prefer an infant-only rear-facing car seat for the first few months of their child’s life. An infant car seat can be taken out of the car with the baby still in it, while a convertible car seat is designed to remain in the car.
The original writer of this guide was Rebecca Gale, a Washington, DC–based reporter whose articles on policy and parenting have appeared in outlets including The New York Times, Slate, and The Washington Post. As part of the research and testing process, Rebecca became certified as a CPST herself; she’s also the author of Wirecutter’s guide to the best booster car seats and a mom of three. We consulted multiple Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs) and car seat safety advocates, such as Alisa Baer (CPST), a pediatrician and co-founder of The Car Seat Lady website. If you use this seat from birth, there is a chance that it will expire before your child fits into the adult seat belt without a booster since it only lasts 10 years. Most of the time, the seat is a few months old already when you buy it.
If you are looking for a car seat that is compatible with a travel system or need it to be taken in and out of the vehicle often, this isn’t a convenient option. Weighing 8.95kg, it is much heavier than the infant-only carriers, and you can’t use it to carry your child around. Some parent might miss the sense of safety that Isofix connection offers, but if you make sure you follow the installation guides to the letter, then seatbelt installation is just as safe.
For proper product usage, please refer to the safety instructions included on the packaging, product labels and manuals. A safe car seat is one of the most important purchases a parent will make—and use—from infancy through early childhood. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top graco car seat testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). From a value standpoint, it can be hard to justify spending over $500 on a car seat when there are great alternatives that cost about half as much—including our top pick, the Graco Extend2Fit Convertible.
A kid can no longer sit rear-facing when their head is less than an inch from the top of the seat’s shell height. At just 6.8 pounds, the inexpensive Cosco Scenera Next weighs far less than most other convertible car seats. (One 2018 tester described the lightweight seat as feeling “like a kid’s toy.”) That makes it a good choice for travel—it’s the convertible pick in our guide to the best travel car seats. It’s doable, but even professionals we consulted noted that this seat is harder than others to install well. And unlike our main picks, which have a forward-facing weight limit of 65 pounds, the Scenera Next’s weight limit is 40 pounds in both forward- and rear-facing mode, which means you can’t use it for nearly as long. Unlike the Extend2Fit Convertible, the Extend2Fit 3-in-1 converts to a high-back booster seat.