Something neat about this part of the year is that Amazon likes to discount car seats as we get closer to the Thanksgiving holiday and Black Friday. This is a good time to pick up a car seat or two that you might have been considering, especially if you know you’ll need one in the next several months or would like to gift one (or several) to family members.

That said, if you’re interested in buying a car seat this holiday season, you’ll want to make sure you’re getting a quality seat, and not just any you find on sale. Fortunately, running a car seat blog means I’m always up for talking about my most recommended car seats. Here are some of my favorite convertibles, infant, and booster seats of the moment, along with my reviews and personal thoughts on the merit of each seat. Good luck shopping and safe travels as we approach the winter months.

In a hurry? You can read all of my reviews of recommended car seats here.

Convertible Seats

The Graco Size4Me 65 – Review Here, Buy Here.
The Graco Head Wise 70 – Review Here, Buy Here.
The Maxi-Cosi Pria 85 – Review Here, Buy Here.

Graco has been making quality convertible seats for years, but they really struck gold with their Size4Me 65 clones. I’ve already described the Size4Me family as my favorite convertible car seat under $200, and that’s absolutely still the case. The Head Wise 70 is worth the price difference, especially when it’s so small during Black Friday time, as it adds a good amount of side impact protection that also has the benefit of making the seat more comfortable. I’m also a fan of the Pria 85, although it’s not as good of a deal as the Gracos, which are phenomenally priced right now. If you buy nothing else today, buy those. You’ll thank me later when the prices shoot up again.

The Britax Advocate ClickTight – Review Here, Buy Here.
The Britax Marathon ClickTight – Review Here, Buy Here.
The Britax Boulevard ClickTight – Review Here, Buy Here.

I’ve got to admit it. I’m a fan of the new Britax ClickTight line. They make it easy to get safe and secure seat belt installations and come with some of the best levels of side impact protection currently available. They all rear-face until 40 pounds and are three of the best seats on the market right now when it comes to ease of installation and usability. Personally, I find the Boulevard to be the sweet spot in value of the three, but you really can’t go wrong with any of them.

Infant Seats

When it comes to infant seats, I’m pretty picky, but Chicco, UPPAbaby, and Peg Perego have earned my trust by putting out consistently good infant seats for years on end, and the KeyFit 30, MESA, and 4-35 are no exception. When you buy an infant seat, you’re looking for one that’s easy to install and easy to remove, as the number one goal when living with a young infant is to keep him or her sleeping as long as possible. I’ve lived through it, and a good infant seat makes those first few sleepless months just a little bit easier to get through.

Booster / Combination Seats