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.

Safest Used Cars Deals for $10K or Less, & Best New Car Safety Picks Under $25K for Teen Drivers and Families

Many families put a high priority on safety for their kids.  Unfortunately, for various valid reasons, most are not able to go out and buy a brand new car with the latest safety features.  Perhaps others are buying a car for a teen or college student and want something safe, but are concerned they might wreck a new car.  Earlier this year, the IIHS evaluated hundreds of cars to produce an updated list of recommended models for teens.  A similar list was created by Consumer Reports.

NHTSA: Teen Driving

I have somewhat different criteria for my teen drivers, with the most emphasis on actual crash test results and crash avoidance safety features.  For example, while I also exclude the smallest sub-compact and “micro” vehicles, I have no issue with my teen driving a compact sedan, but only if it has very good crash test results.  Compact sedans are less expensive to buy and maintain, plus they are generally easier to maneuver and park, especially for an inexperienced driver.

Unfortunately, the IIHS excludes compact sedans from their list, even top performing models with many safety features and good all-around crash test scores, including their own small overlap test.  In fact, some models they have recommended in the past do marginally or poorly in this newer crash test.  Like Consumer Reports, many of their recommendations are well over $10,000 even with very high mileage.  Speaking of Consumer Reports, they omit many very safe choices if the vehicle didn’t do well in their proprietary reliability rankings.

For this list, the requirements are very objective and focus only on safety with a price threshold.

Safe Used Vehicle Requirements:

1. 5-star NHTSA overall rating
2. IIHS Top Safety Pick
3. Around $10,000 or less to buy
4. Good visibility and handling
5. No sports cars, minicars, sub-compacts or any model under 2,700 lbs
6. No “2-star” or “1-star” ratings in any individual NHTSA crash test or rollover rating
7. No “Marginal” or “Poor” IIHS crash test results in ANY crash test, including the newer small overlap tests

Safest Used Vehicle Preferences:

• IIHS Top Safety Pick+
• No 3-star NHTSA ratings in any test
• Midsize or larger, 3,200 lbs. or more
• Stability Control and Side Curtain Airbags standard
• 2011 or newer.  In 2011, the NHTSA began crash testing with its improved crash test system that doesn’t compare to models before 2011

Safe Vehicle Wish List:

WAYB Pico Folding Travel Carseat Review

Anyone who has ever flown with kids knows the struggle. You have to carry your suitcases, the kids’ carry ons, car seats, whatever random snacks you acquired while trying to keep the kids from ruining everyone’s airport experience, and then you somehow have to get your kids onto the plane, without any free hands to physically wrangle them. Then the car seat needs a seatbelt extender or the buckle is right in the small of the kid’s back and the end result is just that everyone is miserable.

Or you don’t bring a seat and you rent one at your destination and it’s a) not the right seat, b) it’s disgusting, c) you don’t know its history or whether it’s safe, but mostly likely d) all of these horror-scapes above.

Or maybe you’re traveling in a different city and you need to take an Uber or Lyft or a cab with kids. You can pay extra in some cities for a ride share with seats installed, but it’s more expensive and harder to come by and you weren’t the one installing those seats, so it’s still a risk. You can legally choose not to use a carseat in some places but then you have to restrain your kids in a moving car and unfortunately all the crash probabilities and risks don’t go away on vacation. In short, traveling with kids is a mess.

Have I convinced you never to travel? Just hold on for a moment, because the solution to this stress may have just landed on the car seat market.

Several months ago, a new company made waves when they announced a travel car seat. WAYB (pronounced way-bee) claimed to have the solution with a new seat, the WAYB Pico. I was one of many parents and CPS technicians who was very intrigued and as time as passed, I’ve kept my eyes and ears open for more news. A few months ago, I finally got to see it live and in person. My first impression was how small it was, because it is really, seriously small. And yet somehow, abundant enough to live up to its limits. Before I spoil the whole review, let’s dive into the details.

Pico Highlights

• Forward facing only
• For children 1 and older (WAYB recommends you wait until age 2), 22-50 pounds, 30-45 inches, and shoulders below the top of the seat back
• Whole seat weighs 8 (!) pounds and folds very compactly
• One shoulder harness position, one crotch buckle position
• Body is made of aerospace-grade aluminum
• Seat is made with ASTROKNIT™ mesh, which takes the place of foams
• Pico is eco-friendly, with the majority of the seat being recyclable
• 4 fashion options
• MSRP $320, with a fabulous travel bag for $50

Specifications

• Width of seat: 14.75 inches at the widest point (middle of the torso)
• Height of seat with headrest in lowest position: 22.75 inches
• Height of seat headrest fully extended: 27.75 inches
• Depth of seat: 15.25 inches
• Harness (torso) height: 16.5 inches
• Weight of seat: 8 pound

Official Website:  WAYB.com

Fit to Child

The first time I saw the Pico, I was skeptical. It is SO small. I worried that it wouldn’t fit longer torsoed kids or would be outgrown too quickly, especially with a 45” height limit. And part of that was just seeing it in a room without a kid to compare it to, but rest easy, my eyes deceived me.

I put all 3 of my kids, ages 7, 4 and 1 into this seat and somehow they all fit. It might be magic because it’s seriously the smallest seat I’ve ever seen.

I’m going to start with the littlest, who is 22 months, 25 pounds and 33 inches. I was easily able to adjust the seat to hold him totally securely, despite being on the smaller end of the limits of the seat. Now, the tricky part is that he can’t legally ride in this seat in California, despite being within the stated limits of the seat, because he’s not yet 2 years old. If you choose to use this seat for travel, you’ll need to research the rear facing laws at your destination, because you may not be able to use this seat for your younger toddlers everywhere.

My middle kid is 4.5 years old, 41.5 inches and 32 pounds. He also has the longest torso of any child I have ever met. And even with that, he still has a solid 2-3 inches of torso growth left in the Pico. I was absolutely shocked. He fit well and said the seat was so comfortable that he wanted to keep it in the car. That’s a ringing endorsement if there ever was one.

My oldest kid is 7 years old, 47.5 inches and 49 pounds. He has outgrown this seat per the stated limits and I would not use it for him and am not recommending you do so either, just to be clear. I just put him in it because I wanted to get a sense of whether the harness would truly accommodate a 45” inch child and I feel pretty confident in saying that it really will. The shape of the seat definitely gives more room than the written measurements would suggest. My oldest had outgrown it by a sneeze, even though he was almost 3 inches taller than the limit.

The adjustment process is a little tricky at first because the harness adjusters aren’t what you’re used to. There’s one on each hip strap and they resemble a lower anchor adjustment mechanism. You have to tighten each side independent of the other, which is a little tricky at first, but it gets easier with practice and it’s not hard to do. There’s no moving the shoulder straps or the crotch buckle because there’s only one slot, which is kind of great, actually. I do think that chest clip is oddly hard to place on some kids because the straps go so high that your perspective is skewed. So if you decide to get the Pico, stand back and look at the child, not the seat as a whole, to make sure things are in the right spot.

Fit to Vehicle

The Honda Insight: King of Small Car Safety and Hybrid Fuel Economy too?

Quite simply, the 2019 Honda Insight is an amazing value for safety.  Starting at a street price of around $22K ($23,725 MSRP in LX trim), Consumer Reports said that the all-new Insight is their fuel-economy champ for vehicles that don’t have a plug.  We find it equally impressive that the Insight earns a Top Safety Pick “Plus” award from the IIHS AND a 5-star overall rating from the NHTSA.  More impressive is that it gets the top results of Good/Superior in ALL nine IIHS crash test and safety ratings and a 5-star result in ALL eight NHTSA safety evaluations as well.  That accomplishment is matched by only a handful of vehicles at any price.  Most impressive is that ALL these top ratings apply to ALL Insights in ALL trim levels.  That’s a rarity among vehicles, I believe the only one for 2019 at the time of this publication including luxury models!  That’s mainly because many other models with top crash test results only earn an IIHS award on top trim levels that have the best headlight system and/or a tech options package with automatic emergency braking.

For kids, the Insight is still a small vehicle and like all compact SUVs and sedans, it’s relatively narrow and that compromises what you can put in the narrow middle seat.  While the outboard rear seats are fairly friendly to car seats in general, there will be challenges if you need to put two carseats next to each other or three-across.  The only unusual issue is the presence of fixed rear head restraints.  These protrude forward enough that they could be problematic for some taller forward-facing carseats and high back boosters, so you do need to check your carseat owner’s manual if the head restraint pushes your carseat forward or prevents the carseat from being adjusted high enough.  Some models I installed like the Graco Nautilus SnugLock and Britax Frontier did not have this issue.  The Frontier, however, can be difficult to adjust to the tallest height setting due to the roof.  Also, with the raised seat hump and slightly lower head restraint, taller passengers may not get adequate protection from whiplash in the center seat.  Headroom is already limited, so taller people may not be comfortable in the middle anyway.  On the other hand, Insight has a few inches more rear legroom than its competitors, handy not only for adults but also for rear-facing carseats.

Graco Nautilus SnugLock LX