Shopping Archive

CarseatBlog Helps You Find the Safest and Best Car Seats for 2019

Once or twice a year we make incremental updates to our Recommended Carseats award list. A couple of aging products are usually removed, and some new ones added. There are jump links and an improved pull-down menu for easier access to each section of the list. The intent of this list is not to exclude the many fine carseats that didn’t make our cut, but instead to help consumers narrow down their choices to models we personally recommend. These are likely to work well with the widest range of children and vehicles. In order to have a reasonable list that doesn’t include dozens of products in each category, we make tough choices to include fewer products in each category that we feel are the best places to start your search.

We also have a shortlist of Editors’ Picks, an award for our favorite models. This more exclusive list narrows down our larger number of Recommended Carseats to our top choices. For most categories, we also select our top picks by budget category, limiting the selections to just one or two seats in each price range. If you are in a hurry or are feeling overwhelmed by too many options, this is the place to start! While premium carseats usually offer more features and tend to be easier to use, our midrange and budget picks are also very safe choices that we would use without hesitation for our own children.

If your favorite carseat didn’t make our list, please don’t worry! We’re not saying these are the best choices for every parent or caregiver in every situation. Our lists are simply a good starting point for consumers who are shopping for a carseat or booster. And since there are no guarantees, we always recommend purchasing from a retailer with a no-questions-asked free return policy of at least 30 days, or an online retailer like Amazon that offers free shipping and free returns on most carseats they sell directly. If a seat doesn’t work out for whatever reason, you don’t want to pay a restocking fee or $50 to ship it back!

We acknowledge that many certified child passenger safety technicians have had it ingrained upon them that they are supposed to act completely neutral toward child restraints. All current seats pass the same FMVSS 213 testing standards, they are all safe when used correctly, etc., etc. In the course to become certified, most techs were told never to tell a parent that one child seat or brand is better than any other. Instead, technicians are encouraged to tell parents that the best seat is the one that fits their child, installs well in their vehicle and is easy for them to use correctly. We agree.

However, the reality is that once you’ve installed even a dozen different seats, you quickly learn that there are real differences. Some child restraints do tend to install better in general, while some really are easier to use in general. Features like lockoffs for seatbelt installations and premium push-on lower LATCH connectors do make a difference in the vast majority of installations, but that doesn’t mean that every seat that lacks those features is not worthy of your consideration.

With all that said, please take our recommendations with a grain of salt. They are merely opinions, after all, and our criteria may vary from yours. Despite our best efforts, we recognize that no list of this type can be completely objective. And while our team of child passenger safety experts thoughtfully considered the pros and cons of each seat and combined that with our considerable hands-on experience with each product – there’s no crash testing involved. Some seats were omitted only because we opted to include a similar model from the same manufacturer. For others, we simply didn’t have enough experience with the product yet to form an opinion. There are a number of great products that we have reviewed, that missed the cut for our awards but are still worthy of consideration. Conversely, we recognize that some models we recommend won’t work well for everyone.

We hope you will use and share our recommendations as useful shopping advice in your search for the best carseat or booster for your needs!

DEALS TRACKER: We find the lowest prices for August 2019 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 really good 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 first. This is the resource other deal pages use to find deals!

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.

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!

• Nuna Pipa Infant Seat for $279.95
• Chicco Keyfit 30 Infant Seat from $199
• Chicco NextFit Zip Convertible from $299
• Graco 4Ever DLX All-in-One from $269.99
• Graco Extend2Fit from $159.99
• Britax Boulevard ClickTight Convertible from $299.99
• Graco Nautilus SnugLock LX from $199.99

 

  

Infant (Rear-Facing Only) Car Seat Deals:

☆ Indicates a CarseatBlog Recommended Carseat 

Britax B-Safe Ultra in most fashions for $219.99 8% Off

Chicco KeyFit 30 in “Papyrus” for $159.99 ☆

Chicco Keyfit 30 Zip in “Eclipse” for $179.99 ☆ No Free Returns

Chicco Fit2 Infant & Toddler for $279.99 ☆

Evenflo LiteMax DLX (with load leg) in “Meteorite” for $139.98 ☆

Graco SnugRide SnugLock LX with 1-hand adjust in “Pierce” for $122.40 ☆ 28% Off

Graco SnugRide SnugLock LX with 1-hand adjust in “Tansy” for $153.00 ☆ 10% Off

Graco SnugRide SnugLock 35 Elite in “Oakley” for $149.99 ☆ 32% Off  BACKORDER

Graco SnugRide SnugLock 30 in “Gotham” for $110.99 

Graco SnugRide SnugLock 30 in “Tasha” for $100.80 28% Off

Graco SnugRide Click Connect LX *Extra Base* (with lockoff) for $19.99 67% Off!

Graco SnugRide SnugLock *Extra Base* (with lockoff) for $31.50 47% Off

UPPAbaby Mesa in “Denny” for $239.99 ☆ 20% Off  No Free Returns

 

 

Convertible & All-in-One Deals:

☆ Indicates a CarseatBlog Recommended Carseat

Britax Advocate ClickTight in “Mosaic” for $349.99 ☆ 

Britax Boulevard ClickTight with ARB in “Circa” for $279.99 ☆

Britax Marathon ClickTight with ARB in “Verve” for $279.99 ☆10% Off  BACKORDER

Britax Allegiance in “Azul” for $159.99 

Britax ClickTight Anti-Rebound Bar Accessory for $34.99

Clek Fllo 2018 in “Noire” for $299.99 ☆ 6% Off

Cosco Scenera NEXT DLX from $40.10 ☆ 

Diono Angle Adjuster for $9.99

Diono Radian 3RX in “Light Grey” for $196.05 20% Off Plus $3.94 Coupon

Diono Radian 3RXT in “Black” for $294.08 Plus $5.91 Coupon

Evenflo EveryStage DLX All-in-One in all fashions for $199.99 ☆ 13% Off

Evenflo Stratos 65 in “Augustus Tweed,” “Maxton Tweed,” and “Silver Ice” for $99.99 ☆

Evenflo SureRide DLX in “Carson” for $99.99

Evenflo Tribute in “Neptune” for $49.99 

Graco 4Ever in “Matrix” and “Studio” for $269.99 ☆ 10% Off

Graco 4Ever DLX in all fashions for $269.99 ☆ 10% Off

Graco Extend2Fit in “Gotham” for $159.99 ☆ 20% Off 

Graco Extend2Fit 3-in-1 in “Garner” for $249.99

Graco Contender 65 in “Black Carbon” for $99.99 ☆ 30% Off

Graco Contender 65 in “Carly,” “Corey,” or “Glacier” for $119.99 ☆ 30% Off

Graco Grows4Me in “Vega” for $224.99 10% Off

Graco HeadWise 65 in “Register” for $275.49 10% Off

Graco Sequence Platinum for $169.99 15% Off

Graco SlimFit 3-in-1 in “Darcie” for $179.99 ☆ 22% Off

Maxi-Cosi Pria 85 in “Loyal Grey” for $242.99 ☆ 10% Off

Peg Perego Primo Viaggio Convertible in “Atmosphere” for $279.98 20% Off

Safety 1st Guide 65 in “Chambers” and “Chateau” for $89.99 10% Off

 

 

Combination Seat Deals:

(Forward-Facing with Harness + Booster) 

☆ Indicates a CarseatBlog Recommended Carseat

Britax Frontier ClickTight in “Cowmooflage” for $251.99 ☆ 10% Off

Britax Pinnacle ClickTight in “Mosaic” and “Venti” for $299.99 

Chicco MyFit in “Fathom” for $179.99 ☆

Chicco MyFit LE (with SuperCinch LATCH) in “Anthem” for $225.00 ☆

Evenflo Maestro Sport in “Granite” and “Crestone Peaks” for $69.99 ☆ 13% Off

Graco Atlas in “Glacier” for $99.99 23% Off

Graco Atlas in “Nyssa” for $102.94 21% Off 

Graco Nautilus SnugLock LX in “Zale” for $181.23 ☆ 18% Off 

Graco Tranzitions in “Proof” for $79.99 20% Off

Graco Tranzitions in “Kyte” for $89.99 10% Off

 

 

Booster Deals:

☆ Indicates a CarseatBlog Recommended Carseat

Chicco KidFit in all fashions from $89.99

Clek Oobr in “Drift” (with Rigid LATCH) for $196.05 ☆ 20% Off Plus $3.94 Coupon  BACKORDER

Graco Affix (with LATCH) in “Atomic” and “Pierce” from $52.99 ☆ 34% Off

Graco Turbo GO in “Kirby” and “Sapphire” for $17.99 10% Off

Graco TurboBooster Grow with Me (with LATCH) Highback in “West Point” for $89.99 ☆ 31% Off  BACKORDER

Graco TurboBooster TakeAlong Backless in “Sonic” for $36.27 ☆ 26% Off Plus $0.73 Coupon

Graco TurboBooster TakeAlong Highback in “Krista” and “Sylvan” from $78.41 20% Off Plus $1.58 Coupon

Evenflo Big Kid AMP in select fashions from $32.99 18% Off

Evenflo Spectrum in various fashions from $54.99 ☆ 

 

   

Travel System Deals:

(Infant Carseat + Stroller)

Britax Pathway Travel System with B-Safe 35 Infant Carseat in all fashions for $399.99 

Britax Dual Comfort Travel System for $399.99 

Chicco Viaro Travel System with KeyFit 30 Infant Car Seat in “Techna” for $319.98 20% Off

Evenflo Pivot Modular Travel System with SafeMax Infant Carseat in “Casual Gray” for $245.26 

Graco Fastaction Fold Jogger with SnugRide 35 Travel System in “Coconut” $249.99 17% Off

Nuna 2019 MIXX Stroller & PIPA Lite LX Travel System in “Bleu” for $849.90 15% Off

Nuna 2019 MIXX Stroller & PIPA Lite LX Travel System in “Verona Caviar” for $849.90 15% Off

 

 

Stroller Deals:

Single strollers

Baby Jogger City Tour in “Garnet” and “Juniper” for $139.99 30% Off

Baby Jogger 2016 City Mini 3W in “Gray” for $181.99 30% Off  No Free Returns

Baby Jogger City Mini GT in “Crimson” and “Evergreen/Gray” for $251.99 30% Off  No Free Returns

Baby Jogger 2018 City Select in “Red” or “Teal” for $370.99  

BabyTrend Snap-N-Go EX for $60.31

BOB Revolution Flex 2.0 Jogger in “Black” for $311.99 31% Off

BOB Revolution Flex 2.0 Jogger in “Meadow” for $311.99 31% Off

BOB Revolution Flex 2.0 Jogger in “Lunar” for $327.99 20% Off

Evenflo Pivot Xpand modular stroller for $237.99

gb Pockit Air All Terrain Stroller in “Velvet Black” and “Night Blue” for $159.95

Graco Fastaction Fold Jogger in “Gotham” $179.99

Graco Fastaction Fold Jogger in “Pierce” $179.99

Graco Snugrider Elite Stroller Frame $74.99 25% Off 

Nuna MIXX2 Three Mode Stroller with All Terrain Tires in “Indigo” for $449.95 25% Off

Nuna MIXX2 Stroller & Bassinet Set in “Caviar” for $599.95 20% Off

Thule Sleek City Stroller in all fashions for $799.95

Double Strollers  

* accepts one infant carseat; ** accepts two infant carseats; @ requires adapter sold separately

Babby Jogger City Select Lux with Second Seat in Slate for $829.99 ** 

BOB Handlebar Console for Duallie Jogging Strollers for $18.61 38% Off

BOB Revolution Flex Duallie Jogging Stroller in “Canyon” for  $479.99 25% Off

Graco Modes Duo Stroller in “Balancing Act” for $234.20  ** 32% Off Plus $4.80 Coupon

Graco Modes Duo Stroller in “Basin” for $167.99 ** 52% Off  BACKORDER

Graco Roomfor2 Stand and Ride Stroller in “Gotham” for $143.96 * 

Graco Ready2Grow Click Connect LX Stroller in “Glacier” for $179.95 ** 18% Off 

Graco Ready2grow Click Connect LX Stroller in “Gotham” for $197.09 ** 10% Off

 

   

 

Other Baby Gear Deals:

ALL CHICCO Baby Deals Discount at Checkout

ALL GRACO Baby Deals Discount at Checkout 

ANMEATE Digital 2.4Ghz Wireless Video Monitor with Temperature Monitor for $74.99

Brica Smart Move Car Seat Travel Cart for $66.87 21% Off Plus $1.55 Coupon

Britax Carseat Travel Cart for $70.03 12% Off

Go-Go BABYZ Travelmate Cart for $68.89 23% Off

Graco Blossom Highchair in “Sapphire” for $113.74 40% Off

Graco Pack ‘n Play Playard with full-size bassinet in Pasadena for $59.99 

Graco Quick Connect Portable Napper in “Asher” for $151.99 20% Off

Graco Sense2Soothe Swing with Cry Detection Technology in “Sailor” for $199.99 20% Off

Graco Slim Snacker High Chair for $44.99 25% Off

Graco Simple Sway Baby Swing in “Abbington” for $85.10 15% Off

Halo Basinettes from $169.99

Nanit Plus Smart Baby Monitor for $298.82

Owlet Smart Sock 2 Baby Monitor for $299.00 

Owlet Smart Sock + Cam for $399.00 

SNOO Smart Sleeper for $906.50

Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair in Walnut/Hazy Tweed for $259.00

UnbuckleMe for $14.99

 

This list will be updated any time we see a great deal or promotion code below recent average prices, so you don’t have to wade through dozens of normally priced models to find the bargains. You can help us (and your fellow shoppers) by leaving us a comment if you find a deal on a carseat, booster, or popular stroller that isn’t posted yet. We recommend that you bookmark this post, as we will update it regularly! We work hard to make sure you get the best deal! If we see a bargain price on a popular model from our Recommended Carseats List, we’ll update as soon as possible!

More deals will be posted as they become available. Find a deal that isn’t listed here? Leave us a comment and let us know what you found! If you found a great deal here and share it with friends and social media, please be courteous and mention us and please consider using and sharing our links to Amazon, Albee Baby, Diapers.com, Target.com, Walmart.com, Kohl’s, and BuyBuyBaby.

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

Last updated 08/10/2019

*If you monitor our page and share, please consider mentioning us. We spend a lot of time searching out deals and compiling the best ones. We’re happy if you spread the word, but please be courteous and use our links and credit our website when you do. Thank you! 

We at CarseatBlog want to make sure you spend your time and money wisely during the precious Amazon Prime Day hours on July 15 and 16. Our experience has taught us that the big deals go within minutes—you must make up your mind quickly and be ready to click that Buy Now button immediately when you see the offer. Because of Amazon’s generous return policy and friendly customer service, if you see a lower deal later on, you can take advantage of it. As the saying goes: better safe than sorry!

If you don’t already have a Prime membership, you can try one out for free for 30 days. I don’t think I have to tell you how amazing it is to have items appear at your doorstep in 2-3 days (sometimes overnight!), well before you can make it out to Target or Wal-Mart to get those same items. Plus you get access to Prime Video, Prime Music, and more.

Rear-Facing Only Infant Seats

 

Are you a new parent or shopping for one? There will definitely be some deals in the rear-facing only section. Have you considered an Amazon baby registry? What do you get when you create a registry? 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!

Convertible Carseats

 

Are you looking for a convertible carseat to move your child from a rear-facing only infant seat to the next step up? Convertibles rear-face to 40 lbs. or 50 lbs. then can be turned forward-facing to about 65 lbs. (there are some that go to 40 lbs.). Some of these seats are categorized as all-in-ones or 3- or 4-in-ones because they also convert to belt-positioning booster seats as kids grow bigger.

See our   favorites.

Extended Rear-Facing Carseats

 

Looking for a carseat for a child that will let them rear-face for the longest time? These carseats are taller and have higher weight limits so they can accommodate bigger kiddos.

2019 Best Convertible Carseats for Extended Rear-Facing

Combination Carseats

 

Combination carseats are forward-facing only carseats for preschoolers that have harnesses and can convert to belt-positioning boosters when the kiddos are older and bigger. Are you looking to compare features? We have a comparison feature to help you:

https://carseatblog.com/compare/combination-carseats/

Belt-Positioning Booster Seats

 

There will undoubtedly be deals on booster seats on Prime Day. Highback boosters provide carseat-like support for kids transitioning from harnessed seats to belt-positioning boosters; their head wings also provide great sleeping support. Backless boosters lift a child to position the lap belt low over the hips. All boosters should be evaluated for seat belt fit on a child since every booster fits every child differently.

2019 IIHS Booster Seat Ratings

 

CarseatBlog is an Amazon Affiliate, which means we earn a small commission based on what you buy from Amazon (at no cost to you!). These earnings allow us to travel to conferences and trade shows to stay on top of the latest carseat information so you stay on top of the latest information.

Topping the Combo Seat Ratings from Consumer Reports are Graco Nautilus SnugLock, Evenflo Maestro Sport, Chicco MyFit LE and Cosco Highback Booster

Five years ago, Consumer Reports implemented a new, more rigorous crash test for carseats and started releasing their ratings to subscribers. CR’s goal in creating the new test wasn’t to recreate the wheel. We know every carseat on the market here in the U.S. must be able to pass a basic frontal crash test (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 213), therefore we consider all carseats on the market to be “safe” because they can all pass this baseline test. However, we also know that all carseats are NOT created equal and it would be naive to assume that they all provide exactly the same levels of protection.

Consumer Reports set out to find which seats provide additional margins of safety, above and beyond FMVSS 213, and so they developed their crash test to be more rigorous than the federal standards. Their crash test ratings scale will indicate a “BASIC,” “BETTER,” or “BEST” rating to indicate how well the child restraint performed as compared with the rest of the seats in that “peer group” category. One main focus of this new crash test is head protection, since head injuries are very common in crashes, even among properly restrained children.

The seats tested in this round are considered “combination” seats (a.k.a, harness booster, harness-2-booster or toddler/booster seats). Combination seats are forward-facing only seats that have a 5-point harness but can also be used as a booster once your child outgrows the harness. Combination seats are “Stage 3” seats, most appropriate for preschool and school-age children who have outgrown their rear-facing convertible seats.

 

We were already aware that there were issues with certain combination seats that they tested in this round. The Britax Frontier ClickTight Harness-2-Booster, Britax Pioneer Harness-2-Booster, Cosco Finale DX, and Harmony Defender 360 all experienced some sort of structural damage during this very challenging crash test. Please see our previous article on the subject for more detailed information on what went wrong during testing of these seats. Now that we have the full ratings, we know that the Graco Atlas was also downgraded to a BASIC Rating after experiencing some structural damage during this test.

All of Consumer Reports’ crash testing is performed at an independent, outside testing facility. The test utilizes a contemporary vehicle seat (2010 Ford Flex 2nd row seat) with a floor below it, unlike the government test which has a 70’s era back seat bench with no floor. There’s a “blocker plate” (pictured right) installed in front of the test seat to simulate the front seat in a vehicle. The blocker plate is intended to recreate the interaction that happens in real life crashes when the child (or a rear-facing carseat) interacts with the back of the front seat. In addition, the speed of this test is set at 35 mph (instead of 30 mph which is standard in FMVSS testing). Those who follow vehicle ratings will recognize the 35 mph speed as the same speed used to crash new vehicles in the NCAP program. CR’s new crash test applies 36% more energy to carseats than their old test protocol and a more severe test results in a greater distinction among carseat performance.

In this round, Consumer Reports crash tested 23 combination seat models with various dummy sizes, using LATCH or a 3-point lap/shoulder seatbelt as required depending on the weight of the dummy being used. Several combination models that received a “BEST” rating for crash protection are also some of our favorite budget-friendly seats, the Evenflo Maestro Sport and Evenflo Evolve/Transitions/SafeMax.

 

In addition to the Crash Protection Rating, Consumer Reports gives each model an overall numeric score. This score is based on the Crash Protection Rating plus other factors, such as ease-of-use and fit-to-vehicle in various modes.

The new Graco Nautilus SnugLock LX was the top overall performer in terms of their overall score. Here at CarseatBlog, we agree with this assessment. The new Nautilus SnugLock LX is an awesome combination seat with excellent features and it deserves its place at the top of the ratings even though it received a BETTER crash protection score (not a BEST rating as we would have preferred to see). Still, a BETTER rating for crash protection in this very demanding test is perfectly acceptable in our opinion.  The SnugLock LX has also been one of CarseatBlog’s Recommended Carseats and an Editors’ Pick.

On a separate note, we feel the need to caution our readers that the combination seat with the second-highest overall rating is a seat that we would never recommend under normal circumstances. Although we’re happy to see any seat perform well, the Cosco Highback Booster Car Seat is not a bargain for most families despite the low price tag. The Cosco Highback Booster seat is only rated up to 40 pounds with the 5-point harness and most toddlers outgrow it even before they reach that weight because the top harness slot height is so low. If you need to replace it after a year because your preschooler outgrew it, then it wasn’t really a bargain – know what I mean? If you’re on a limited budget and looking at combination seats for kids who are at least 2 years old, you’d be much better served by the similarly rated Evenflo Maestro Sport which is a lot taller and rated to 50 lbs. with the harness.

Subscribers to Consumer Reports can see the complete ratings for all car seats HERE.