Featured Archive

January 2020 Carseat, Stroller and Baby Gear Deals, Sales & Coupon Codes

Posted by CarseatBlog On January 2, 2020 In Amazon, Featured, Shopping

DEALS TRACKER: We find the best deals for January 2020 on car seats, strollers & baby gear. Bookmark this deals page and check back frequently for the latest bargains and promo code offers, so you find them here first before they sell out!

We’re the baby gear deal experts, so we know where the best deals are on the stuff consumers actually want to buy. We scour Amazon and other retailers to find the best bargains. We don’t just rely on automated tools and other deals pages, so we find the best deals for you, our valued readers, first. This is the resource other deal pages use to find deals so please feel free to share* our links!

Have you considered an Amazon baby registry? What do you get when you register? A free gift box valued at $35, a 90-day return policy for most items purchased from your registry, group gifting so multiple people can contribute to gifts, and more. Check it out!

What you need to know about Amazon pricing: it’s FICKLE. When a product’s price is reduced we rarely know how long it will remain at that price. Sometimes it’s a few days, sometimes it’s a few hours. The best advice we can offer you is to ACT QUICKLY if you see a great deal on something you really need or just seriously want. Just adding something to your cart does not guarantee you that item at that price – you must complete the checkout process to seal the deal. Most items on our list offer FREE SHIPPING & FREE RETURNS to Prime members but always double-check this before you put the item in your cart and checkout. Not a Prime member*? There’s a 30-day FREE trial. It’s a no-brainer! Try it out and score some great deals. You can always cancel before the 30 days is up if you’re not sold on the many benefits of an Amazon Prime membership.

Looking for more info on a certain carseat or booster? Check out our REVIEWS page. We have in-depth reviews of over 100 carseats and boosters. Prefer to shop at other stores? If you received great advice from us or discovered a good deal here and share it with friends, please mention us and share* our links to Amazon, Albee Baby, Target.com, Walmart.com, Kohl’s, and BuyBuyBaby. Thank you!

This post and others at CarseatBlog contain affiliate links. Please read About CarseatBlog for our affiliate policy and see our Marketing Disclosure.

Select Editors’ Picks:

These carseats are among our Editor’s Picks and are reader favorites, too!

Infant (Rear-Facing Only) Car Seat Deals:

☆ Indicates a CarseatBlog Recommended Carseat

Britax B-Safe 35 in “Slate Strie” for $162.58 ☆ 18% Off

Chicco KeyFit 30 Magic (with cold-weather boot) in “Isle” for $179.99 ☆ 26% Off

Evenflo LiteMax DLX (with Load Leg) in “Meteorite” and “Mallard” for $130.14 24% Off

Graco SnugRide SnugLock 30 in “Tasha” for $120.99 ☆ 14% Off

Graco SnugRide SnugLock 35 Elite in “Oakley” for $148.02 ☆ 33% Off

Graco SnugRide SnugLock 35 Platinum XT in “Bryant” for $199.99 ☆ 20% Off

Graco SnugRide SnugLock *Extra Base* for $27.19 (55% Off)

~~Graco SnugRide SnugLock DLX *Extra Base* for $47.99~~ DEAL ENDED

UnbuckleMe – Easy Buckle Release Tool for Parents & Grandparents $14.99

Convertible & All-in-One Deals:

Carseat Comparisons: Measurements and Features Data

Posted by SafeDad On September 19, 2015 In Featured, Resources

Compare Child Restraint Safety Features and Carseat Dimensions

It’s been a very long time in the works, but we’re finally able to make public our database to compare carseat measurements and features, just in time to finish CPS Week, 2015. The comparison tool uses measurements we take when we review products. For products we haven’t measured ourselves, we use data contributed by Car-Seat.Org members.

Since measurements can vary from one person to another and even one day to the next, we caution that your own measurements may vary. Plus, manufacturers update carseats from time to time, so there is absolutely no guarantee that these measurements are accurate or will reflect your own product. This information is provided simply for rough comparisons among models. To compare up to four carseats within a category, simply use the “Compare Carseats” pull-down menu option at the top of this page, click the links on the sidebar or click the “Go to” jump menu on mobile devices or click one of the category links below:

Compare Rear-Facing Carseats

Compare Convertible Carseats

Compare Combination Carseats

Compare All-In-One Carseats

Compare High-Back Boosters

Compare Backless Boosters

Compare Carseats (Main Page)

More information, along with individual Carseat Data Capsules can still be found at Car-Seat.Org.

Among other measurements, we have compiled highest and lowest harness slot heights, crotch buckle depths, seating width and depth, and product weight as well as child age, weight and height ranges. Where possible, we have also included valuable features like seatbelt lockoffs and product information such as lifespan.

CarseatBlog is not responsible for inaccurate information, omissions or other errors. Some products have incomplete data and we apologize for any missing information. We will slowly confirm or replace submitted information with our own measurements, but for many products we rely upon contributors to supply these measurements. We would like to give a big Thank You to MomToEliEm and everyone from Car-Seat.org who contributed to this project over the years. It originally was going to be hosted at the now defunct Carseatmoms.com website, but technical hurdles made it too difficult. The best intentions to create a new website just to host the comparison tool also ran into some challenges, but now it has found a home at CarseatBlog and better late than never! We hope you find it useful when shopping for carseats or giving advice to friends and family.

This is still a work in progress. We will be adding new products, filling in missing data and making other improvements regularly, so please check back again when comparing carseats. We do welcome suggestions for products, comparison categories and general feedback about the appearance and usability of our data. Please keep in mind that it is a commercial software product so we are limited in how it looks and feels. Feel free to leave us a comment by replying to this blog!

Baby, It’s Cold Outside! Winter Coat Suggestions for Kids in Carseats

Posted by Jennie On November 6, 2013 In Featured, Safety, Shopping

Updated: October 2019

Pumpkin Spice lattes, falling leaves, Christmas decorations showing up on store shelves even though it isn’t even Halloween… it can only mean one thing: It’s getting cold, and your kids are going to need winter clothes.

Michelin-man-style snowsuits might be fine for sledding, but in the car, they can be dangerous. Too much bulk means that the harness won’t tighten properly against the child. In a crash, that extra bulk will compress, leaving a too-loose harness, and leaving the child inadequately protected.

So what can you do?

One option is to have your child take her coat off before she gets in the car. Then after she’s buckled, she can slip her arms into the backward coat.

But what if your kids don’t want to take off their jackets? No problem–just look for something car-seat-friendly*.

What constitutes a good coat for the car seat?

Anything that doesn’t add a lot of extra compressible bulk to the child will do. That might be a sweater, fleece jacket, or a packable down jacket.

To see if your child’s outerwear is ok for the car, take the Slack Challenge:

Put the jacket/coat on your child, put him in his seat, and tighten the harness.
WITHOUT LOOSENING THE HARNESS, unbuckle your child and take him out.
Take off the jacket, then put him back in the seat and re-buckle.

If there’s only a little bit of extra slack in the harness (or none at all), the jacket is good! If there’s a significant amount of slack, consider another option.

Those two jackets look pretty similar, but you can see how different they really are. In the first photo, my daughter is wearing a Snozu jacket. Without the jacket, the harness had no slack. (In fact, before I took the picture my daughter had been in the seat with no jacket. I didn’t need to loosen the harness at all to buckle her with the jacket on.) The second coat is another story. It’s your typical winter coat, and honestly, it didn’t seem that bulky to me…until I took it off and re-buckled. Wow! There was a lot of slack in that harness!

If you’re looking for a car-seat-friendly winter coat that is safe for the car and warm enough for the playground, here are some good options to try:

My daughter has worn a Snozu jacket, pictured above. This particular jacket squished down into almost nothing, so it was perfect for the car. Costco often sells these brand of jackets so if you are a Costco member, check your local stores. Amazon has a decent selection of Snozu jackets at the moment. Some of these jackets have a thin layer of fleece inside but still work well in the carseat. These jackets aren’t expensive either, which is a definite bonus! Just keep in mind that jacket styles can change from year to year. You should do the Slack Challenge with each new coat to ensure that it’s not introducing a dangerous amount of slack in your child’s car seat harness.

Parents at car-seat.org rave about the Patagonia Nano Puff and Puff-Ball Jackets.

Many have also said good things about the North Face Moondoggy.

Columbia makes a Powder Lite Puffer jacket that is packable down.

L.L. Bean has PrimaLoft Packaway jackets that are very squishable.

These lightweight ThermoPlume Jackets from Lands’ End also look like they would work well.

Another option is the Buckle Me Baby Coat which we have reviewed. It’s a great alternative to a traditional jacket and allows you to close and zip the jacket over the secured harness. Not only is it warm, it’s also an extra obstacle for those little Houdinis who like to play with their chest clip!

A poncho is an affordable, non-traditional option that can work well for some families. We recently reviewed the Birdy Boutique poncho and found it to be cuddly, warm and easy to use.

Besides working well in car seats, most of these options will also pack easily in a backpack or diaper bag when you don’t need them. Safe AND convenient!

What great car seat coats have you found?

*Obviously we can only give general guidance and can’t verify every style of every product mentioned here is compatible in every situation. Checking your owner’s manual and checking your harness system yourself like we describe is the best way to be sure!