Baby shopping might seem boundless. You could search all day for the right stroller , playpen , crib , and diaper bag . But, there’s nothing more important than your baby’s safety, which is why the best car seats are among the most scrutinized pieces of baby equipment.
As a new mom and an aunt of two, I and Victoria Giardina , commerce writer and content strategist, wanted to put a few of the top brands to the test; the Nuna , Britax , Graco , and Peg Perego — to be exact. Because your baby can sit in one of these grow-up-with-you seaters for up to five years (yes, it truly grows up with your baby!), we turned to a certified baby safety expert, perused and pored over a litany of consumer-written reviews, and tested four popular models on babies of all ages; a newborn, a one-year-old, and a two-year-old. Investing in and using a convertible car seat from birth, “can be perfectly safe and save parents money,” Holly Choi , baby and toddler safety expert, certified Red Cross first aid instructor, child-passenger safety technician-instructor (CPST-I) and co-owner of Safe Beginnings First Aid , told the New York Post.
“Using a convertible car seat from birth, one that rear faces and then forward faces when the child is older, versus a rear-facing-only seat (also known as ‘bucket’ seats) has become more common over the last few years.” Additionally, Choi explained everything on convertible car seats — from what to look for to when to seat your baby front-facing o.