Updated October, 2021
Every baby needs a car seat. They will be in a car seat from birth even past their first year in life into older years. So you want to be sure that the car seat you get fits them well, fits you well, and lasts with them. This is my guide to car seats based on my experiences. These are the best car seats of 2021 that I’ve seen so far.
Choosing a car seat can be a stressful endeavor. The number one priority is that it keeps your baby safe. Of course, there are other considerations as well, such as do you want an infant seat, should it click into a stroller, or should you get a seat that can grow with your child.
Infant Seat
I put a lot of thought into if I wanted an infant car seat or not. I thought it was a bit frivolous, since it was only used when they were small. I balanced the cost against convenience, and in the end, we decided to get an infant car seat. I was glad we got the infant car seat. When Sprinkle was born, they were only 2 pounds, 12 ounces. So when they came out of the hospital they were either 4 or 5 pounds. That tiny of a baby would not have fit into a convertible seat. Plus, before babies get head control, the infant car seat is easier because you can get all the angles right before you place them in. The infant car seat lasts a pretty long time too. Both my kids stayed in theirs well over a year. I don’t love actually carrying the care seat around, but it’s a nice starter seat.
I personally really liked the Graco Snug Ride Click Connect. It wasn’t too heavy to start, which was pretty important to me. Beyond that, it came well rated and had a lot of options such as strollers and bases. It was also great because you could buy more than one base which meant we could buy one car seat and switch it back and forth between our two cars because we had two bases. It is also pretty easy to install in a vehicle without the base, making it great to leave with Grandma or Auntie and they can still transport kids safely without a lot of extra work.
Convertible Seat
Inevitably, your child will grow out of their infant car seat if you decide to go that route. Once you have to permanently install a car seat, I really encourage investing in a convertible seat. It converts all the way to a booster seat, which your child will need as well.
We bought a convertible seat and transitioned to it after the infant seat, but if money is tight and purchasing a car seat for each stage of your child’s life is not an option (or your preference) then I definitely suggest a convertible one.
This is not the type of seat that is easily moved back and forth between vehicles though, so if you have more than one vehicle that you regularly use, you might want to seriously consider investing in more than one seat.
The Graco All-in-1 Milestone car seat grows with your child and is easy to install. It lasts something like ten years and goes from infant all the way through booster seat. I love how it looks and my kids seem pretty happy in it as well.
Stroller Connection
There is a new wave of options for strollers taking over. One of the nicest things, specifically for when your baby is still an infant, is the new stroller for the car seat. You snug your little one into their car seat then clip the car seat onto the stroller. The stroller piece is inexpensive and small so it doesn’t take up too much room.
Again, I’m a sucker for Graco and recommend the Graco Snugrider Elite Stroller.This stroller is compatible with the above recommended Graco Infant car seat and weighs in at a little under 14 pounds. Like I said, weight of all my baby stuff was important to me.
Travel System
If you know from the start that you want both a stroller and a car seat, you can now buy “Travel Systems” which is just the marketing team’s way of selling you both your stroller and car seat at the same time. You generally get the two items at a slightly discounted price for buying them together.
Graco Comfy Cruiser
The Graco Comfy Cruiser Click Connect Travel System is just one of many examples. The savings is the main reason to go this route in my opinion, although your stroller and car seat also match if that is a thing that you care about.
