Ah, Thanksgiving! We’re full of turkey and we’ve driven home safely, but whether you’ve already done your Black Friday shopping or decided you’re still on the lookout for deals, the good news is that there are a number of quality car seat deals still available for Cyber Monday on Amazon. Here are the latest prices on some of the best car seats currently available, along with my reviews of these seats to help you with choosing between them.
If you’re like most people, you’ve got a lot of things on your plate as the holidays approach, and you might not have much time to find the best deals for everything. That’s where The Car Crash Detective comes in!
I searched through Amazon to find the best values for infant seats, convertible seats, combination seats, and booster seats, and included my personal thoughts on which of the seats are must-haves if you’re in the market in their respective categories. Have fun shopping and remember to rear-face until 4 if possible, forward-face until 8 if possible, and booster until your child passes the 5 step test.
In a hurry? You can read all of my reviews of recommended car seats here.
Top 3 Convertible Seats that Rear-Face to 50 pounds
The Clek Foonf – Review Here, Buy Here.
The Diono Rainier – Review Here, Buy Here.
The Clek Fllo – Review Here, Buy Here.
These are the best convertible car seats available in the United States right now when it comes to extended rear-facing. They allow you to rear-face until 50 pounds, which is as good as it gets today in the US. Of the three seats, the Rainier is the best deal, but the Fllo is my personal favorite. You can’t lose with any of these seats, however, so rest assured that your child will be well protected regardless of which you choose.
Top 4 Convertible Seats that Rear-Face to 40 pounds
The Britax Advocate ClickTight – Review Here, Buy Here.
The Britax Boulevard ClickTight – Review Here, Buy Here.
The Britax Marathon ClickTight – Review Here, Buy Here.
The Chicco NextFit – Review Here, Buy Here.
The 40 pound convertible seat market is packed, but these seats stand out time and time again. They all have astronomically high seat backs, which means that your children are all but guaranteed to reach the 40 pound weight limit before they need to be forward-faced. Of the seats, the Advocate offers the best side impact protection, while I think the Boulevard or NextFit are the best value.
Top 2 Convertible Seats on a Budget (i.e., under $200)
The Graco Head Wise 70 – Review Here, Buy Here.
The Graco Size4Me 65 – Review Here, Buy Here.
When it comes to absolute value for rear-facing, you can’t get any better than the Graco clones, including the Head Wise 70 and the Size4Me 65. In fact, these are my two favorite convertibles, bar none, under $200. I have both seats installed in family vehicles right now, and between the two, the main differences are that the Head Wise 70 has more side impact protection and head support, while the Size4Me feels a bit bony in comparison due to the thinner fabrics used. As a result, I’d choose the Head Wise over the Size4Me if you can afford it. If you can’t or don’t want the extra padding, however, the Size4Me is 95% of the seat for a bit less in price.
Top 3 Infant Seats that Rear-Face to 35 pounds
The UPPAbaby MESA – Review Here, Buy Here.
The Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35 – Review Here, Buy Here.
The Cybex Aton 2 – Review Here, Buy Here.
When it comes to infant seats, I’m looking for ease of installation and ease of use, and these three seats are the best in the market when it comes to both of those factors, as well as when it comes to stroller compatibility in the case of the UPPAbaby MESA. Of the three seats, my favorite is the MESA, but all three are solid choices and are among the best in the market in rear-facing weight limits for infant seats.
Top Infant Seat on a Budget (i.e., under $200)
The Chicco KeyFit 30 – Review Here, Buy Here.
The KeyFit 30 is the number one selling infant seat in the United States for a reason: it’s an excellent value and makes the achievement of a safe installation a snap. I also love the fact that it has a great amount of compatibility with a range of Chicco strollers, including with the Bravo stroller.
Top 3 Combination Seats that Forward-Face to 70+ pounds
The Britax Frontier 90 – Review Here, Buy Here.
The Britax Pinnacle 90 – Review Here, Buy Here.
The Britax Pioneer 70 – Review Here, Buy Here.
The Britax combination seats are not only the best combination seats on the market, they’re also among the best booster seats you can buy at any price, especially in the case of the Pinnacle and Frontier 90. For me, the Frontier 90 is the best deal, as it offers the high seat height and weight limits of the Pinnacle without the additional price.
Top 3 Booster Seats with More than 20″ of Shoulder Height
The Clek Oobr – Review Here, Buy Here.
The Maxi-Cosi RodiFix – Review Here, Buy Here.
The Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro – Review Here, Buy Here.
Although the Frontier 90 and Pinnacle 90 are my favorite boosters, if you’re not able to pick either of them up or are on a shorter budget, then your best best will involve the Oobr, RodiFix, and CruisterFix pro. Of these, the Oobr is my favorite; it has a long history of quality and is a solid choice for belt positioning and keeping kids safe until they’re old enough to use the adult seat belt.
If you find the information on car safety, recommended car seats, and car seat reviews on this car seat blog helpful, you can shop through this Amazon link for any purchases, car seat-related or not. Canadians can shop through this link for Canadian purchases.