Many organizations recommend that a child only travel in the front seat of a vehicle from the age of 13. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend that all children under the age of 13 sit in the rear seats of vehicles.

Vehicle manufacturers and safety advocates agree, the safest place for children under the age of 13 is in the back seat. Remember most children do not fit properly in the vehicle’s seat belt until they are 4’9″ this may not be until the child is 12 years old.

The rear middle seat is the safest seat in a car Though, according to the Times, as belts that tighten automatically with crash detection sensors appear in rear seats, the back seat will again be considered safest overall.

Current California Law: ​Children under the age of 8 must be secured in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat. Children who are 8 years of age OR have reached 4’9” in height may be secured by a booster seat, but at a minimum must be secured by a safety belt.

Best infant car seats

• Uppababy Mesa Infant Car Seat. $300.
• Nuna Pipa Rx Infant Car Seat and Base. $350.
• Chicco Keyfit 35 Infant Car Seat. $187.
• Evenflo LiteMax DLX Infant Car Seat. $158.
• Maxi-Cosi Coral XP Infant Car Seat. $400.
• Clek Liing Infant Car Seat.
• Britax Marathon ClickTight Convertible Car Seat.
• Graco Extend2Fit Convertible Car Seat.

The 5 Best Car Seats

• Britax Boulevard ClickTight Anti-Rebound Bar Convertible Car Seat – Best All-Around Car Seat.
• Graco 4Ever DLX 4-in-1 Infant to Toddler Car Seat – Best Car Seat for Growth With Your Child.
• Chicco NextFit Convertible Car Seat – Best Convertible Car Seat.

There’s no evidence that more expensive seats protect children any better during a crash, but there’s plenty of evidence that a properly installed seat will protect your child. In fact, the risk of serious injury for a child involved in a crash drops to 1% if the car seat is properly installed!

In overall terms you will find that Britax seats are more expensive than Graco and provide better features relating to safety and comfort.

They’re expensive because they’re safe. Britax don’t build car seats and strollers to win consumer tests, they build car seats and strollers to be the safest they can be in real-world situations. Many competitors produce products that meet the standards required of them by law, Britax goes far beyond that.

According to various NHTSA ratings and reviews, Britax appears to have higher overall ease of use than Chicco car seats. These ratings include how easy it is for parents to comprehend and follow the instruction manuals and how easy they can get their children out of the car seats.

If you’re looking for a compact convertible car seat, Clek’s Fllo wins hands down, at less than 17″, followed by the Britax Marathon ClickTight at 18.5″ . If your vehicle is small in general, go for the Clek Fllo.

Graco 4Ever 4-in-1 Convertible Car Seat If you’re looking for a convertible car seat that will last you many years, this car seat from Graco — a 2020 What to Expect winner — may be your best bet. As the name implies, this car seat is designed to give you years of use — maybe even up to your child’s 10th birthday!

You can take your child home legally in any seat in which they properly fit and is properly installed. The hospital cannot legally hold your child.

When a child has outgrown their rear facing convertible (not infant!) seat and is at least 2 years old, move to a forward facing seat with a 5 point harness. CSFTL advocates that children ride rear facing until closer to their 4th birthdays.

Move your child to a convertible car seat once your little one has exceeded the highest height or weight for his or her infant car seat, which is set by the manufacturer. This is usually reached somewhere between 9 and 18 months.

As they do, parents using an infant seat generally switch to a larger, convertible seat anywhere between 9 months and 2 years, depending on their child’s size (bigger kids will likely move on faster), though they can opt to do so sooner if the seat is rated safe for their child’s height and weight.

When choosing convertible car seat for your child, you’ll want to look for features that make sense for you, your family, and your lifestyle. Consider factors such as: your vehicle size. if you have other children in car seats and need to fit three across.

eight to 10 years

What car seat should a 1 year old be in? A 1 year old should be rear-facing, usually in a convertible car seat. Some will still fit in their infant car seats but be sure to check your child’s stats against all of the seat’s fit requirements.

Best Overall: Graco 4ever All-in-One Convertible Car Seat With the aptly named Graco 4Ever, you’ll only need to buy one car seat for your child—which is why it’s the best convertible car seat on the market.

While convertible will save you money in the long run, some parents agree that the ability to move a sleeping baby in an infant car seat — even if the baby fits the seat for only a year — is priceless.

These days it can be a convertible carseat or a combination carseat. An all-in-one carseat is one that “does it all.” This convertible carseat will go from infant to booster: rear-facing, forward-facing, and high-back booster. A 3-in-1 carseat does the same: rear-facing, forward-facing, and high-back booster.

With the Jive Convertible Car Seat, you have one less decision to make because you get two seats in one. It keeps your child safe, from 5-65 pounds. Your baby can ride comfortably rear facing up to 40 pounds. The Jive 2-in-1 car seat is perfect for your growing family, too.

Young children under age 5 or 6 are safer in a 5-point harness car seat. Don’t rush to “graduate” your child to a booster seat.

2 years

The current recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics is to keep children rear-facing until they reach the maximum height or weight for their convertible seat. Some state laws and some convertible car seats say that kids can ride forward facing if they are at least one year old.

Place the car seat in the backseat. The safest spot for your baby is always in the backseat — preferably in the middle spot, away from passenger-side air bags. If your car doesn’t fit a car seat securely there, place the seat on either side of the backseat (or, if you drive an SUV, in the second row).