Eventually, it’s time to retire the Doona. If your baby is ready for a toddler or convertible car seat, this is what you need to know.
Hooray! Your baby outgrew the infant car seat, and it’s time to transition to a convertible seat! But where to start? The top 3 criteria you want to look out for are safety, comfort, and ease of use. The lineup of car seats below are the most popular.
Best Value
Maxi Cosi Romi Convertible Car Seat $129.99
You can view and purchase here.
rear-facing 5 – 40lbs
forward-facing 22 – 40lbs
This lightweight, simplified seat is FAA-approved, and quick and simple to install using either latch connectors or seat belt. The latch connectors also double as a carry strap. The PureCosi fabric has no added flame retardants and is machine-washable. This seat has reinforced side impact protection ensuring added safety.
Pros:
- easy to clean
- comfortable
- sleek
- lightweigh
- affordable
- travel friendly
Cons:
- rethread harness
- does not recline
- lower weight capacity
Best for Fitting in Car (Most Narrow!)
Diono Radian 3R Convertible Car Seat $199.99
You can view and purchase here.
rear-facing 5 – 50lbs
forward-facing 40 – 120lbs (in high back booster mode)
This stylish and snug seat is made to be super narrow, allowing you to fit 3 across! Diono seats are made with overprotective super strong materials and are easy to install in your car. The Radian 3R can be used from newborn stage (rear facing) through toddlerhood in high back booster mode. The fabric is removable and machine washable.
Pros:
- very narrow
- fits 3 across in most cars
- sleek
- grows with baby from newborn through booster mode
Cons:
- rethread harness
- not very roomy
Most Long-Lasting (Won’t Outgrow)
Maxi Cosi Pria All-in-one Car Seat $269.99
You can view and purchase here.
rear-facing 4 – 40lbs
forward-facing – 65lbs
Booster Mode – 100lbs
This versatile seat is exactly as it sounds – it’s good from birth all the way through age ten! (Which is great, if your 10-year-old will agree to sit in a booster!) The Pria All-in-One features side impact protection, a quick fix shoulder harness which easily raises the harness and headrest height as your child gets bigger. As with all Maxi Cosi seats, the premium fabric is removable and washable.
Pros:
- comfortable and padded
- roomy
- 2 cupholders
- easy to clean
- no rethread harness
- sleekgrows with baby from newborn through age 10
Cons:
- bulky and takes up a lot of space in car
Most Luxurious and Cozy (10 Position Recline!)
Nuna REVV Rotating Car Seat $650.00
You can view and purchase here.
rear-facing 5 – 40lbs
forward-facing 25 – 40lbs
Nuna recently launched this super cool, revolutionary (and pricey) car seat. The REVV can be simply installed and rotated 360 degrees for easy in & outs with baby. Other features include side impact protection, steel strength technology, and a whopping 10-position recline.
Pros:
- swivels 360° for easy in & outs
- sleek
- premium fabrics and padding for extra comfort
Cons:
- low maximum weight limit
- small interior is not so roomy
- high price point
Safest
Clek Foonf Convertible Car Seat $550.00 – $580.00
You can view and purchase here.
rear-facing 14 – 50lbs
forward-facing 22 – 65lbs
The Clek Foonf is one of the most narrow and safe convertible seats around. It has a patented safety system called REACT (Rigid Latch Energy Absorbing Crumple technology) in case of collision. This heavy-duty seat is proudly made in Canada, and is built like a tank with a steel and magnesium sub-structure (it’s 36 lbs!). The fabric is chemical-free and is available in various color options.
Pros:
- super safe
- made of steel
- flame-retardant free (free of chemicals)
- sleek and narrowno rethread harness
- long usage before expiration date
Cons:
- not easy to clean
- not padded
- so not super comfortable
We love our dionos!
We can fit 2 dionos and a doona in our 2016 Corolla!
Super surprised that not one Britax made your list. We are quite safety conscious and have owned several models. They rank quite high on safety, are fairly affordable (definitely much cheaper than the over $500!!! models on this list) and very easy to use. I believe many or most of the Britax seats have straps that do not need to be rethreaded. As far as general websites, Britax car seats are typically recommended highly.
I agree. I own a britax and Nuna love them both. Britax is super easy to install due to the click tight feature. A car seat is safe as long as you install it right. Britax makes it super easy to do it right.
I was just going say the same! We’ve bought about 10 car seats over the years, and Britax are by far our favourites. Especially the Click tight ones- installs correctly faster and easier than any other.
Love the Cosco scenera!! Most affordable by far!!
Why aren’t any car seats by graco or evenflo on this list? Please try to post more affordable / realistic options.
Agree. I have a Graco, I forgot which model maybe slimfit. and am very happy.
People who are going to buy the Clek Foonf or Nina REVV don’t need to see a post here telling them that they’re good ones. They knew about them before and they’re getting it regardless.
agree this is feeding into the negative culture of everything needing to be the fanciest option out there
What’s with the designer recommendations? This is very out of touch with the reality most of your audience is facing. Inflation has increased our expenses without increasing our wages. I’m happy for whoever wrote this article that they have the money to be spending on these things but most of us don’t so please check your privilege and include normal options too.
These are car seats, not designer clothes. Many people are happy to spend more on a higher-end car seat if it means it’s more comfortable and easier to install correctly (this is assuming they are all just as safe, since they’re all certified).