Car Seats Buying Guide
Car seats should be at the top of a new parent's to-buy list. You'll need one to take your baby home from the hospital and
for every car trip with your child thereafter. Every state requires that kids up to 4 years old ride in a car seat, and most
require a booster seat for older children. Make sure your child is buckled up even for short rides.
- Getting started
- Types
- Features
- Brands
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Brands
You can compare car seats by brand. If you don’t see a model in our Ratings (available to subscribers), these profiles can help you learn about a manufacturer and what it offers (listed below in alphabetical order).
Britax
A British company that now manufactures seats in the U.S. as well. Britax seats are often considered a high-end product and incorporate many safety and ease-of-use features but often also have a higher price.
Chicco
An Italian company that is one of the newest manufacturers to enter the child-seat market in the U.S., Chicco currently offers only an infant child seat for the U.S. market. It performed at the top of our infant seat ratings for 2007. Its KeyFit seat incorporates many features that make it easier to use and install but it has been updated to a higher weight capacity and is now the KeyFit 30.Combi
Combi offers a variety of child products, including child seats, strollers, and bouncers, that are most often found in boutique-type retail stores.Dorel
The Dorel Juvenile Group manufactures and distributes seats under the Cosco, Eddie Bauer, Maxi-Cosi, Quinny, and Safety 1st names in the U.S. Safety 1st is known not just for child restraints but for many child-care and home-safety products. Cosco and Eddie Bauer are popular child-restraint and child-care product brands. Maxi-Cosi and Quinny are European-styled child seats and products.Evenflo
A popular manufacturer of baby care and juvenile products. Evenflo products are available at popular large retail outlets such as Wal-Mart.Graco
One of the world’s best-know names in child-care products. Graco originated popular products such as the Swyngomatic baby swing sold in the 1950s and later Pack n’ Play portable play yards. Graco has the largest share of the child-seat market in the U.S.Peg Perego
An Italian manufacturer of many child products, including child seats. Like Britax’s, Peg Perego products are often considered high-end and are available mostly in boutique-type retail outlets.-
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