A convertible car seat helps your baby safely make the transition from rear-facing to forward-facing, because it can be secured in either position. It’s also designed to grow with your older baby into toddlerhood and sometimes even through big kid life if it converts into a booster seat. The very best convertible car seats offer user-friendly features, easy installation and comfortable seating for kids as they grow. After conducting thorough research, interviewing two child passenger safety technicians (CPSTs) and personally using a variety of seats, I’ve named the Nuna Ra the best convertible car seat. It’s easier to install correctly the first time and has ample padding, plus a host of user-friendly features.
The best convertible car seat is easy to install and comfortable for rear- and forward-facing kids. ILLUSTRATION: FORBES / PHOTO: RETAILERS
“One of the biggest benefits is that convertible seats allow you to keep your child rear-facing longer, which is the safest position in a crash,” says Gia Ramsey, CPST and injury prevention and education outreach coordinator at Maimonides Medical Center. Each seat on our list offers extended the time a child can sit rear-facing by offering higher weight and height limits, and each has its own safety and convenience features, with some seats offering washable fabrics, cupholders and no-rethread harnesses. Here, shop our top picks for the best convertible car seats.
Our Top RecommendationsBest Convertible Car Seat Overall: Nuna Ra Convertible Car SeatBest Value Convertible Car Seat: Graco Extend2Fit 3-In-1 Convertible Car SeatEasiest To Install Convertible Car Seat: Britax Poplar Convertible Car SeatBest Rotating Convertible Car Seat: Cybex Callisto G 360 Rotating All-in-One Convertible Car SeatBest All-In-One Car Seat: Nuna Exec All-In-One Car SeatBest Convertible Car Seat For Small Cars: Clek Foonf Convertible Car SeatBest Convertible Car Seat For Tall Babies: Chicco OneFit Max ClearTex All-In-One Car SeatBest Convertible Car Seat OverallComfortable Seating With Easy Install And Premium Features And FabricsNordstromNuna Ra Convertible Car SeatSeat weight: 27.9 pounds | Child height max: 49 inches (rear and forward-facing) | Child weight minimum: 5 pounds | Child weight max: 50 pounds (rear-facing); 65 pounds (forward-facing) | Seat width: 19 inches
If you’re looking for a luxurious seat with plush padding, no fire-retardant chemicals and machine washable fabrics, the Nuna Ra is an excellent choice. It’s a popular option for parents of newborns, because it’s safe for babies as small as 5 pounds, and it comes with comfortable infant head and body inserts. It’s also Greenguard Gold certified, meaning it has low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and can help contribute to healthy air. As babies grow into toddlers, the seat offers extended calf support to keep them comfortable. Once your toddler is ready to move out of the car seat and onto a booster, you’ll need to purchase a booster seat as this is not an all-in-one option.
Some of the safety features include an all-steel frame and reinforced belt path, energy absorbing foam and side impact protection pods. It also has features that help make installation easier including true tension doors, colored belt path indicators and recline angle guides. Comfort and convenience features include moisture-wicking fabric, ventilation panels, cupholders and a no-rethread harness. This is a great seat for babies and toddlers who tend to get hot in the car. “A no-rethread harness ses time when adjusting for growth,” says Ramsey. According to Nuna, the seat fits three-across in many vehicles, but it’s not the most narrow seat on our list at 19-inches across. If you’re looking for something more narrow, check out the Clek Foonf.
Best Value Convertible Car SeatAffordability And LongevityMOST POPULARAmazonGraco Extend2Fit 3-In-1 Convertible Car SeatSeat weight: 20.6 pounds | Child height max: 49 inches (rear- and forward-facing); 57 inches (high-back booster) | Child weight minimum: 4 pounds | Child weight max: 50 pounds (rear-facing); 65 pounds (forward-facing); 100 pounds (high-back booster) | Seat width: 19 inches
As a value pick, the Graco Extend2Fit Convertible Baby Car Seat offers a variety of convenient features, and it converts from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing seat to a high-back booster, giving the seat a lot of longevity. This means it could be six years or more until you need to buy a new seat—or it could be your very last car seat purchase. With 5 inches of extra leg room via a leg extension panel, this seat is really designed to help kids be comfortable for longer while sitting in the rear-facing position. Because it has a minimum weight of 4 pounds, it’s also a good pick for very small babies who need something safe to ride home from the hospital in.
Features that help improve the safety and ease of installation of the seat include a steel-reinforced frame, a level indicator and an InRight LATCH system that’s designed to help you install the seat correctly and quickly. The seat also has a no-rethread harness so you can make sure you always he the right fit for your child. Convenience features include cupholders and machine washable seat pads.
Easiest To Install Convertible Car SeatInstall The Seat Quickly In 3 StepsAmazonBritax Poplar Convertible Car SeatSeat weight: 27.2 pounds | Child height max: 49 inches (rear- and forward-facing) | Child weight minimum: 5 pounds | Child weight max: 50 pounds (rear-facing); 65 pounds (forward-facing) | Seat width: 17 inches
Britax seats are easier to install correctly once you’ve used the brand’s ClickTight installation system once or twice—and the true hallmark of a good seat is one that can be installed correctly every single time. There are three steps to install the seat—open the seat to reveal the belt path, thread and secure the seat belt, and then push the seat to close it. I’ve found it takes me significantly less time to do than many of the other car seats I’ve tested. My 3-year-old twins he been taking turns using this car seat for over a year. It’s sturdy, comfortable and easy to clean. It doesn’t he any flame-retardant chemicals, and the padding is rather plush.
At 17 inches, it’s a very narrow seat, and I’m able to install three seats across with this as one of the seats. Even though it’s a slim seat, my higher-percentile kids are comfortable in it. The seat has two cupholders, a no-rethread harness and fabric that can go in the washer and dryer. CPST Jamie Grayson recommends washable fabric as an extra feature that’s nice to he in car seats. Safety features include a patented Safecell crumple zone, which keeps energy away from your child in the event of a crash and a carbon-steel frame designed to help keep the seat sturdy and stable. This convertible seat does not convert to a booster, so you’ll he to purchase a booster once your child reaches 65 pounds or 49 inches, whichever comes first.
Best Rotating Convertible Car SeatUse Rear- Or Forward-Facing Without Uninstalling The SeatPottery Barn KidsCybex Callisto G 360 Rotating All-in-One Convertible Car SeatSeat weight: 35 pounds | Child height max: 1 inch below headrest (rear-facing), 49.2 inches (forward-facing), 57 inches (booster) | Child weight minimum: 4 pounds | Child weight max: 40 pounds (rear-facing), 65 pounds (forward-facing), 120 pounds (booster) | Seat width: 19.5 inches
A rotating car seat adds to the convenience of a convertible seat by making it easier to get your child in and out of the seat and the car. The Cybex Callisto G 360 Rotating All-In-One Convertible Car Seat is our top pick for the best rotating car seat overall, and it rotates all the way around, which means you don’t he to un-install and re-install it to use it as a rear- or forward-facing seat. It’s an all-in-one seat that converts to a booster, meaning you could be using this seat for upwards of seven years. The seat comes with cupholders and a machine-washable cover. It’s also Greenguard Gold certified and comes with a number of additional safety features like an anti-rebound base, a SafeLock system that makes it easy to get the correct installation and SensorSafe technology. This alerts you if your child has been in their seat too long, their chest clip comes undone, they’re too hot or cold or if they’re left unattended in the vehicle.
It’s a heier seat at 35 pounds, but you won’t he to pick the seat up often since you don’t he to uninstall it to change the way it faces. “If you are somebody who has mobility concerns or back issues or arthritis, a rotating seat would come in very very handy,” says Grayson. It’s worth noting that this seat has a lower rear-facing max weight than many of the other seats on our list, so you might want to go with a different option if extended rear-facing is important to you.
Best All-In-One Car SeatRobust With Soft And Comfortable FabricNordstromNuna Exec All-In-One Car Seat