Car seat buying guide

Most state laws require babies to ride facing rearward in vehicles until they're at least 1 year of age. But we think it's safer to keep them in rear-facing seats until they're 2 years old or when they reach the height and weight limits of the seat. The American Academy of Pediatrics agrees.

There are infant car seats that face the rear and convertible car seats that can be used rear-facing and switched to face forward when your child is ready. But again, we recommend starting with an infant seat. Besides being safer, they're more convenient to use.

In addition to infant car seats and convertible seats, there are harnessed toddler booster seats, belt-positioning booster seats, built-in seats, and seats for children with special needs. From birth until your child reaches about 4 feet 9 inches, he will go through several car seats before being ready to use just your vehicle's safety belts. Your child's weight, height, and age are the most important criteria when choosing a car seat and deciding when to switch. For a detailed snapshot of the car-seat phases your child will go through, take a look at our car seat timeline.

Discount stores such as Kmart, Target, and Wal-Mart, and baby superstores such as Babies "R" Us, Buy Buy Baby, and Baby Depot have a large selection of car seats. Department stores are also a good source for child seats. You'll generally have to go to a specialty boutique to find higher-end models such as Orbit, or you can make purchases online, although we recommend doing that only after you've had a chance to evaluate some models in person. Wherever you shop, make sure the child seat you're considering is compatible with your car. If the store won't let you test one, at least make sure you can return it if it doesn't work out--or go to another store.

Safety is the most important reason to start your newborn in a dedicated rear-facing infant seat. These seats also offer the convenience of a detachable carrier that clicks into a base. You leave the base in the car, making it easy to pick up the baby in the seat and go. (See our infant car seat video.)

Rear-facing seats are a must for babies until their first birthday and until they weigh at least 20 pounds (at an absolute minimum). But we recommend using a rear-facing seat until your child is 2 years old or at the upper weight or height limits for the seat. (Learn why facing rear longer is better.) The American Academy of Pediatrics agrees with this advice. The group recently revised its recommendations, saying children should ride in seats facing rearward until they're 2 years old or reach the maximum height and weight for the seat. While some preemies might require special seats, there are infant seats for babies weighing as little as 4 pounds. Many infant seats have maximum weight capacities of 22 pounds, but some have weight limits up to 30 or 35 pounds. See our infant car seat Ratings, available to subscribers, for a range of tested models.

Infant seats come with a built-in five-point harness that secures the baby. They can only be used rear-facaing, and should be installed at an angle that provides optimum protection without interfering with baby's breathing. (Infants have little to no head control, and their airway can be cut off if their head slumps forward. The baby's seat should be reclined at an angle typically between 30 and 45 degrees.

Most infant seats come with a base that's installed in the car. You can then remove the seat using the built-in handle, or snap it into a compatible stroller or universal frame. You can buy an extra base for most models--useful when one caregiver drops baby off and another picks him up in a different car. The Maxi-Cosi Mico Infant Car Seat ($180), for example, comes with a base; you can buy a second base for $60. Most infant seats also allow you to install the seat/carrier in a vehicle without a base, but a secure installation could be more difficult without a base, and some seats have lower maximum weight limits when installed as a carrier only.

Many car-seat manufacturers offer a "travel system" including an infant car seat, a base, and a stroller or frame that you snap the infant carrier into. Many stand-alone strollers can accommodate infant car seats from various manufacturers (see stroller types). The upside of a travel system is that they're a good value. But it's worth noting that these systems can be bulky. If you have to negotiate subway stairs, or your trunk is small, a separate car seat and seat-carrier frame or compact stroller might be a better choice.

These offer forward- and rear-facing orientation options and a built-in five-point harness to secure your child. Some seats can hold a child rear-facing from infancy until she weighs about 45 pounds, such as the Evenflo Momentum 65 Deluxe (about $180), one of our top-rated models. We recommend that children remain rear-facing, the safest orientation, until they're at least 2 years old. Many convertible seats that face forward can accommodate toddlers up to 40 pounds, but companies are making more and more models for children who weigh as much as 80 pounds. Some "all-in-one" versions can even be converted into booster seats.

Allowable height ranges for the convertible seats we've tested run from a minimum of 19 inches to a maximum of 53 inches. And weight ranges were as little as 5 pounds to as much as 80 pounds.

If you're worried about your child's comfort when sitting rear-facing longer, see our Q&A about kids' comfort when rear-facing.

You can learn about the key findings from our tests of convertible car seats, the best way to install them, and much more, here.

These seats are designed to be used only in the forward-facing position. They come with a built-in five-point harness to keep your active toddler securely buckled in, and can be converted into a booster seat when your child out grows the harness. Once your child reaches the maximum weight and height limit of the harness, you can remove it and use the seat as a booster seat to raise your toddler to the right height to use your car's safety belt.

It's easy to confuse a harnessed toddler booster car seat with a high-back booster (covered below under "Boosters"). The difference is simple though: High-back boosters don't have harnesses and should be used only with the vehicle's safety belt.

Weight minimums for models with harnesses can be as low as 20 pounds and as high as 90 pounds. The Graco Nautilus 3-in-1, for example, has a weight range of 20 to 65 pounds.

But regardless of manufacturer's stated weight minimums, we don't recommend placing a child as small as 20 pounds in any forward-facing seat. And while some children younger than 3 years might be heavy enough to meet the lower-end of the weight range of a belt-positioning booster, they're better protected in a harnessed seat. Just as research has found that it's best to keep children in rear-facing seats, it also shows that they're safer with a 5-point harness than with a vehicle's 3-point safety belt when forward facing. Five-point-harnesses are inherently safer than car seats--that's why race-car drivers wear them. So even if your child has reached the weight and height minimums for a belt-positioning booster don't switch him until he outgrows the height and weight maximums for his harnessed seat.

Once your child reaches the harness's limit for either height or weight, remove the harness and use the seat as a belt-positioning booster. You should use the booster until your child can safely ride in the vehicle with safety belts alone, which is usually when a child is between 8 and 12 years old, weighs around 80 pounds, and is at least 57 inches tall, the height at which a car's safety belts are likely to fit properly without a booster seat. You can read more about our toddler booster car seat recommendations and see photos of proper belt usage here.

There are some things to keep in mind when you use a toddler booster seat for a larger child. See The challenges of testing and using higher weight-limit toddler booster seats.

Belt-positioning boosters (often referred to simply as "booster seats") don't have a built-in harness. They're designed to be used only with the vehicle's safety belts to better position the belt across a child's body. Unlike infant and convertible seats, most boosters require no installation, though some newer models can be secured with LATCH to prevent the seat from becoming a projectile in a crash. With a booster, the vehicle's seat belt is holding your child in place, not a harness. A backless booster is simply a cushion, essentially a "telephone book" that raises the child so the seat belt will fit better. High-back models include some side bolsters and a slot or guide to better position the shoulder belt across the child's chest and shoulder.

A good booster seat puts the shoulder portion of the safety belt mid-shoulder, across the stronger, bony structure of a child's chest and collarbone and the lap portion of the safety belt across the upper thighs and hips, not the abdomen. And a proper fit allows the child's back to rest against the vehicle's seat back (or the booster seat back if there is one), while his knees comfortably bend over the edge of the seat. You should also check to see if the belt stays in place when the child moves around.

Studies have found that children 4 to 8 who use a belt-positioning booster seat are 45 percent less likely to sustain injuries than children of similar ages who use the vehicle safety belt alone. Some high-back boosters can be changed into backless models, although we found that dedicated high-back models provided the best overall fit. The First Years Compass Ultra B540 is a high-back booster that provided a good belt fit in our test vehicles and has a reasonable price of $85.

A few vehicles offer integrated forward-facing booster seats for toddlers that are built into the vehicle. Be sure to consult the vehicle owner's manual for the weight and height limits.

There are a variety of seats offered for kids with special physical, emotional, or behavioral needs. You can read more about that here.

Since Sept. 1, 2002, all child car seats with a built-in harness­--and nearly all passenger vehicles sold in the U.S.--have included equipment designed to make child-seat installation simpler. That system, called LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children), consists of elements that connect the car seat to metal anchors in a vehicle. (If you have an older car, you can still use the vehicle safety belts to install a LATCH-equipped child seat.)

The LATCH system isn't perfect but it can make installation easier than using the vehicle safety belts. Some anchors are hard to reach; you might have to dig around between the seat cushions to find them. Make sure to review the owner's manual for your car since it will help you find the anchors and should also have information about using them with car seats and info on weight limits. Most vehicles have LATCH anchors only on the outboard positions of the rear seat rather than in the center, which is considered the safest place to put a car seat. Despite its flaws, LATCH installation eliminates some of the incompatibility that might exist when you install a child seat using only the car's safety belts.

What works: "Hook"-style LATCH connectors. These connectors, which come attached to your car seat, might require a twist to remove them from the anchors, and the anchors might not be accessible enough to do that easily.

What's better: "Push-on" style LATCH connectors. These are easier to use than hook-style LATCH connectors, especially in cars where the LATCH anchors are recessed or otherwise hard to reach. Push-on style connectors are often much easier to detach than the hooks as well, since they don't require a twist.

Don't forget the top tether. In addition to the lower LATCH anchors in the back seat, nearly all vehicles for model year 2001 and later have a place to attach a top tether. All forward-facing harnessed seats include a tether that consists of a strap in the back with a hook on the end, which you can attach to the top tether anchor. Top tethers significantly reduce a child's potential for head and other injuries, but research has found many parents don't use them. Read more about this important safety feature here.

Most infant, convertible, and toddler seats have a built-in adjustable five-point harness system, with two straps over the shoulders, two for the thighs, and a crotch strap. A five-point harness system is more secure than a three-point system, with two shoulder straps that come together at a buckle in the shell or a crotch strap. The extra straps will spread the impact of a crash more evenly across a child's body. The thigh and crotch straps also help prevent "submarining," or sliding out of the harness in a crash.

What works: Harness slots. These let you adjust the height of the harness by rethreading the harness through different slots in the fabric and seat shell. Seats with harness slots are a bit more cumbersome to adjust than those that adjust via an external knob or slide. The more slots there are, the better the seat can accommodate a child's growth and children of different sizes. If you're shopping for a seat with a greater range of weight capacity, look for the most slots in the seat.

What's better: External harness adjustment. This feature allows you to adjust the harness height without having to remove the seat from the car or remove and rethread the harness straps through slots in the seat's shell. The best versions have a knob or slide that moves the harness up or down easily with continuous, rather than pre-set, positions.

Some rear-facing seats have multiple base positions, which can help you attain the correct recline angle on different vehicle seats. The Chicco KeyFit 30, for example, has five base positions and retails for $180. Multiple adjustments can offer better potential for the seat to be adjusted for vehicle seats with different cushion angles to allow smaller babies to be correctly reclined without the need for added tools such as a rolled towel or pool noodle. The angle can be adjusted to a more upright position as you child grows.

What works: A single "foot." This allows you to recline a rear-facing seat base to a single angle and is most often used on inexpensive or base models of rear-facing-only seats as well as on convertibles seats to change the seat between forward- and rear-facing orientations.

What's better: Multiple recline adjustments. They not only help you to get the correct angle with a rear-facing seat even on different vehicle seat cushions but can be used to make children more comfortable when facing forward. Some convertible and forward-facing models that claim to have forward-facing recline adjustment might not adjust much or might have restrictions on using the adjustment.

These indicators will tell you whether or not you have a rear-facing seat sufficiently reclined (usually between 30 and 45 degrees) to allow your child's airway to be open and keep her head from falling forward while she's sleeping, which could an injury in a crash.

The best versions are easy to read and appear on both sides of the seat, so they're visible when installed on either side of the car's back seat). With any recline indicator, it's important that the car be parked on level ground.

What works: A line or other reference on the seat that is positioned parallel (or otherwise level to the ground) to indicate the correct recline position, an estimation that might not be that precise.

What's better: A ball or bubble-type indicator. This option gives you an easier-to-read indication that the seat is correctly reclined. The best versions appear on both sides of the seat and include different ranges depending on the child's weight.

Today's car seats cater to every taste: Do you want a seat with a design that looks like it was inspired by modern art, or covered in pink butterflies? Seeking something less splashy like a "Lapis" blue, or a simple black with piping? You can find it out there. Babies are messy, so washable fabric is a plus, if not a must. Some upholstery requires hand washing and line drying. And removing upholstery requires extensive dismantling of the seat's components, so check the instructions before you start taking things apart. Leather may look good, but it can become hot in the sun and cold in winter.

Use them only if they're made for your specific seat by the same maker, and have been tested with the seat in government crash tests. As a general rule, only accessories that come with a seat are approved to be used with that seat. Add-on seat covers to keep small bodies warm (also known as "boots"), thicker padding, and adjustable head-support cushions are available for some seats. Add-ons can make the seat more comfortable, especially if they accommodate children of a significant range of ages or sizes.

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.

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.

A relatively new name in child restraints, Clek currently offers a range of booster seats with premium materials, some with LATCH attachments, and unique names such as Oobr and Olli. Some seats even carry designer patterns such as those from Paul Frank.

Combi offers a variety of child products, including child seats, strollers, and bouncers, that are most often found in boutique-type retail stores.

A European based company, Cybex is new to the child restraint market in the U.S. Cybex offers a full line of innovative child travel products and carriers in Europe, and is known for its innovative designs and fabrics. Cybex seats are distributed in the U.S. by Regal Lager, based in Georgia.

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.

A popular manufacturer of baby care and juvenile products. Evenflo products are available at popular large retail outlets such as Walmart.

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.

A relatively new name among child car seat manufacturers, the Harmony Juvenile Group currently makes a group of backless and highback booster seats, including those under the Secure Juvenile Group name. Harmony markets its products as being "bigger than most, providing more room for your child to grow."

Orbit Baby is a relatively new name in child restraints and travel products based near San Francisco, and known for its high-end products. Orbit Baby products are often differentiated by their versatility and features that allow movement and easy integration between its child seat bases and other products using its unique hub system. Orbit Baby products often appear in testimonials by celebrities and are marketed to them as well, with available features such as a sun-shade cover for its seats called a "paparazzi cover."

An Italian manufacturer of many child products, including child seats. Like Britax’s, Peg Perego's products are often considered high-end and are available mostly in boutique-type retail outlets.

A German company more commonly associated with automobile seats than child seats, Recaro’s reputation is well known in original equipment automobile and motorsport seat technology but extends to a full line of child restraints and aircraft seats as well. Recaro offers a range of child restraints from convertibles to boosters in the U.S.

Sunshine Kids Juvenile Group is known for its line of steel-reinforced child restraints with innovative features intended to address common issues related to child safety. Sunshine Kids child car seats were some of the first to incorporate higher harness weight capacities for larger kids.

The First Years brand offers a number of child seat, travel, feeding, and care products. The First Years care products reside along with a number of other recognizable toy names such as the Thomas & Friends Wooden Railroad, Lamaze, and Chuggington offered under the Learning Curve Brand child products portfolio.

You may think you would never accidently leave your baby in the car--but it does happen to loving parents, sometimes with tragic results. Simple steps can make sure this never happens to you.

You can take your infant car seat out of its base and carry it into the house or snap it onto a stroller, all without waking your snoozing baby. It's a nice feature--but avoid "parking" your little one in his seat for too long.

Here's why it's safest to keep your child in a rear-facing seat.

Pregnant? Here are some tips for protecting you and your unborn child when you buckle up. For more information, check out this brochure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

What is LATCH? You can read more about LATCH in Features

What is a top tether?

What are the common mistakes parents make when installing child car seats?

B is for "buckle," but what's a "belt path"? This guide will help you get to know your car seat.

How do I make car-seat adjustments as my kid grows?

How can I evaluate if the booster I have is a good match for my child?

Some parents of older children just let their kids use the car's regular safety belts. What's wrong with that?

You need a properly fitting car seat to travel safely with your kids. It's also the law. Check the regulations in your state--or a state you might travel to.

Consumer Reports Kids and cars guide is packed with info on the topic, from traveling with youngsters to teaching teenagers to be safe drivers.

Here are some tips on making a "kid-friendly" choice that will make the ride more enjoyable for the whole family.

Besides the kids, there's all the cargo that comes with family life. Here's advice from our auto experts on choosing a family car.

Here's some food for thought about the safety of putting your kids in the third-row seat of an SUV.

Ford has an inflatable seat belt you can read more about. (Some child-seat manufacturers prohibit the use of the inflatable belts with their child seats, and others are considering doing so--though Consumer Reports encourages them to conduct their own tests and installations with the inflatable seat belt.)

Kids can be distracting when you are driving, and some might even try to unbuckle their belts, even if you have them in a five-point harness. Here are some tips for traveling with little ones.

Can children undo their seat belts?

How can I maintain safety on the road when driving with children?

Here's why you shouldn't let your children eat while you're driving.

Car seats pose challenges when driving with multiple kids. Here are some tips on what to do.

If you have an older car, you might have power window switches that can be lethal to young children.

Time for a new car seat? Here's how to dispose of the old one.

You've got the seat. Now what?

This Consumer Reports video shows how to install an infant car seat.

Make sure the seat you buy fits your car.

Want to get your seat checked by an expert? Here are some resources: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cps/cpsfitting/index.cfm, http://seatcheck.org/index.html.

With up to 80 percent of infant car seats being improperly installed or used, it makes sense to get help from an expert.

Check out our tips for safely installing a convertible car seat.

Here's what you need to know about the higher weight limits for some toddler booster seats.

A rear-facing car seat is a must from birth until your baby is 1 and at least 20 pounds. It also offers the convenience of a detachable carrier for moving baby in and out of the car. But more recent research shows that children are safer rear-facing until they reach two years of age or have exceeded a car seat's height and weight limits. The American Academy of Pediatrics agrees and recommends children stay rear facing until the age of 2. Maximum weight limits for some infant seats are still 22 pounds, but more and more accommodate children weighing between 30 and 35 lbs. as the "rear-facing longer" message takes hold. Weight limits are listed on the seat itself as well as in the instruction manual. If your baby reaches the seat's height or weight limits but is still less than two years old you'll need to switch to a convertible car seat in order to keep them rear facing at least until they reach the age of two or until they reach the limit of the convertible seat. Kids can sit forward-facing in either a convertible seat or a toddler-booster / combination seat. (Learn more about infant car seats.)

Use a rear-facing version or orientation until your baby is at least 2 years old, assuming he's still within the weight and height limits of the seat. Convertible seats can be used in the rear-facing position up to between 30 and 45 pounds depending on the model. Research has found that babies are safest seated that way, so it's best to keep yours in that position as long as you can. Then you can turn the seat around and use it facing forward until your toddler reaches the height and weight limits for that orientation. Most forward-facing models have weight limits up to 40 pounds, though many convertible models have weight limits between 65 and 80 pounds. (Learn more about convertible car seats.)

They're designed to be used only in the forward-facing position and come with a built-in, five-point harness to keep your active toddler securely buckled in. Once she reaches the maximum weight and height limit for the harness, you can remove it and use the seat with the car's safety belt. (Learn more about harnessed toddler booster/combination seats.)

When your child reaches the weight and height limits of the harness system of either a convertible or toddler-booster seat, it's time for a belt-positioning booster seat. It will raise him in the vehicle's seat enough to allow a safety belt to cross his sternum and collarbone (not his neck) and his upper thigh area and hips (not his abdomen). (Learn more about booster seats.)

Your car's safety belts: Your child is ready to use your car's safety belts alone when he's at least 57 inches tall and between 8 and 12 years old, and can ride comfortably seated with the belt positioned correctly around his hips and shoulders. But even with a safety belt, all children under age 13 should ride in the back seat.