9 Best Car Travel Seats Reviewed

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Babies are known to always have special needs. They need special attention, special care and of course, special products. Some years ago, I noticed my baby sister would not eat what we ate because she was still a baby. She would wear special kind of clothes and even drink special kind of water. At a point, I almost felt jealous. Just kidding!

It is a known fact that that babies have these special privileges because of their fragile nature. For example, a baby would be unable to cope with the highway traffic when in transit if no special treatment is given to it. All cars are designed for adults. Hence, it is almost impossible for a baby to sit comfortably on a car seat.  Imagine the horrible sight of your 6 months old baby seated beside you in the passenger side of your car while you drive. Yeah, do not forget to include in your imagination that the baby has the seatbelt on.  After all, safety first.  The sight is horrible not only because it’s inappropriate to put your baby on the front seat of your car but also because the seat of your car is inappropriate for the baby. The oversized seatbelt will do next to nothing when it comes to holding your baby in place. Step on your breaks suddenly and watch your baby fly out of the car through the windscreen. I’m sorry I had to paint a graphic picture. It is just in a bid to drive home the point.

Two things have been established so far and they are:

1) Babies should not be placed in the front seat of a car.

2) Car seats are inappropriate and unsuitable for babies.

The points then beg the question ‘If I have to leave home with my baby in my car, how is that going to be possible? Well, most problems these days already have suitable solutions. There are already car seats specifically designed for babies. Some car manufacturers, these days, already made provisions for these seats. For other cars, the owners will have to buy and fix.  Babies are required to have the baby seats. There is another type called the Booster seat.  Boosters are for much older children until they are big enough to use the car seat appropriately. In simple terms, baby car seats are safety seats that helps protect children from injuries during car collisions. This is obviously quite important for reasons that have been explained earlier in this article.

Baby car seats are required legally in most western countries and failure to adhere is punishable by law. In countries where it is not legally required, it is strongly advised. After all, it is all for the safety of your child.

Features of the Car Seat

If you are looking to buy a baby car seat soon, ensure that you check and tick the following features.

1. The baby car seat should have an easily adjustable harness.  It should be adjustable because if too tight, it makes the baby comfortable and if too loose, it does next to nothing.  Therefore, you should be able to adjust it as you want.

2. The baby car seat should have a design that works with your vehicle. When you get one that’s compatible with your vehicle, you have no problem with installation and the comfort of your baby is guaranteed.

3. The baby car seat should have a comfortable cushion feel.  While most people place extra clothes and blankets on the seat, it is highly discouraged. Therefore, why not prevent it by making sure that the car seat you get is comfortable as it is.

4. The baby car seat should be easily installable. Unless your baby will be riding in just one vehicle or you buy a car seat for every car your baby will be riding in, you’d be moving it a lot. Therefore, you need to get one that’s easy and quick to install to save yourself some stress.

5. The baby car seat should have a high weight limit. It is advised that the car seat be used in the rear facing position for as long as possible. Definitely, one with a high weight limit should be the obvious choice.

6. The baby car seat should have a very comfortable head support.  This will help to support the child’s head and neck when they are asleep.

As you can see, all the features listed above are aimed at ensuring your child’s safety and comfort. These are essential features that you should look out for when choosing a good baby car seat.

What is a Travel Car Seat?

Baby car seats are quite heavy and the stress of moving then about can be exhausting. Families often need to travel from one place to the other with their babies. Hence, there is need for car seats on the airplane. These kind of car seats are called travel car seat. Families that are often on the go are concerned about the best car seats to use on an airplane. This article is aimed at helping them make easy but smart choices by providing them with features of good travel car seats and also tell them about the best car seats they can get around.

Generally, travel car seats are just lighter car seats (for ease of movement) that are modified to suit both the airplane and the car. This Implies that if you are travelling, you get to use them on the plane and also, they’d be useful when you get to your destination if you intend to get car rides there which is most likely.

The features to look out for when looking for good travel car seats are quite similar to the ones you look out for when seeking to get good baby car seats. The things to keep in mind when getting a travel car seat include:

1. The ease of installation: The travel car seat must be relatively easy to install. It is supposed to be mobile.  Therefore, one should not have difficulties in detaching and installing it. So, if you are looking to get a good travel car seat, make it a priority to ensure that it is very easy to install.

2. The weight of the seat: It is highly essential to note that the travel car seats are supposed to be light weight because of their mobility. You would not want to carry a heavy car seat about in the airport. For ease of movement, get a relatively lightweight travel car seat.

3. How many comfort features your child needs: The comfort features on each seat differs from one another. You are required to understand and itemize the needs of your child before deciding on which car seat to get. However, it should be noted the higher the comfort features, the higher the price and vice versa.

4. Whether or not the seat is convertible: in order to be cost effective, it is advised that the car seat be convertible. This implies that it should be usable both on the airplane and in the car. Convertible travel car seats are usually quite more expensive than the others but I believe they worth it if they are to be used on daily basis.

5. The comfortability of the seat: Of course you don’t want discomfort for your baby.  It is therefore advised that you get a travel car seat with comfortable seat. Like I explained earlier, it is not advisable to put blankets on the seat although it is a common practice.

6. Adequate head support: You should also ensure that the head support is comfortable to enable your child proper head and neck balance while he sleeps.

The above-listed are essentials. There are other features that might be included tied to individual needs. These include:

1. Price: The cost of the seats differs from one another. You are advised to cut your coat according to your size. There are the extremely expensive ones and also the relatively affordable ones. Hence, consider your needs and also your pocket without sacrificing the major bone of contentions

2. Style: Sense of style differs from person to person. If you are one that cares extremely much about aesthetics, there are car seats for you. If you are that do not really care also, there are seats for you. Basically, car seats are made just to suit your needs and wants.

3. Compactness: Do you want your seat big or compact? That’s left to you to decide.  Whether big or compact, it has no direct relationship with safety or comfort. It’s basically a function of individual wants and area of use.

Do I Need a Travel Car Seat?

It is quite simple and easy to answer this question.  Just answer the following questions:

1. Do you have a baby?

2. Do you travel a lot?

3. Would you rather carry your baby on your laps all through your travel?

4. Would you be riding in car after you get off the plane?

If the answer to the 1st, 2nd and 4th questions are yes and the answer to the 3rd question is no, then think no further.  You definitely need to get a Travel car seat. Actually, you could rent one if you do not really care much about your baby owning one.  You just have to rent one every time you have to travel. Not a smart idea if you ask me.

Best Travel Car Seats

There have been questions asked over time about which car seats are the best. I have a list of 9 travel car seats that I would recommend if you’d be getting one soon.

There are a lot of good travel car seats but we would be sticking with just 9. I would be discussing their features, prices, advantages and disadvantages with you. Hopefully, by the end of this article, I would have assisted you in making a good choice.

The best 9 travel car seats are as follows:

1. Evenflo Tribute LX Convertible Car Seat

Features

This is quite popular, lightweight and very affordable. It is compact but does its job effectively. It’s not exactly a luxury travel car seat but it does the essentials at a reasonably affordable price.

PROS:

  • highly affordable
  • compact yet comfortable
  • reported to be unstable when used in rear-facing position

  • Product
  • Features
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Evenflo Tribute LX Convertible Car Seat, Saturn

Last update was on: 2024-03-27 12:11 pm

2. Cosco Apt 50 Convertible Car Seat

Features

If you often travel with short car rides, you should grab this. It is also quite compact, comfortable and affordable.

PROS:

  • light weight
  • very affordable
  • easy to install
  • quite compact and comfortable

CONS:

  • has no head support
  • slightly larger than most travel car seats

  • Product
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Cosco Apt 50 Convertible Car Seat (Black Arrows)

Last update was on: 2024-03-27 12:11 pm

3. Evenflo Sonus Convertible Car Seat, Charcoal Sky

Features

Small, light and convenient, this is a winning car seat. Nothing too fancy but it does its job as it should be done.

PROS:

  • lightweight (13 pounds)
  • affordable price
  • can be installed easily
  • small and compact

CONS:

  • not very comfortable because of its small size
  • the rear facing installation quite tricky

  • Product
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Evenflo Sonus Convertible Car Seat, Charcoal Sky

Last update was on: 2024-03-27 12:11 pm

4. Graco SnugRide SnugLock 35 LX Featuring TrueShield Technology

Features

Very useful when used with a compatible stroller. This travel car seat is quite affordable, comfortable, safe and versatile.

PROS:

  • compatible with all graco click connect strollers
  • very lightweight (7 pounds without the base, 11 pounds with it)
  • very comfortable
  • quite easy to use

CONS:

  • very bulky
  • lacks a stylistic design
  • can only be used for infants

  • Product
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Graco SnugRide SnugLock 35 LX Featuring TrueShield Technology

& Free shipping
Last update was on: 2024-03-27 12:11 pm
$160.99 $229.99

5. Cosco Scenera NEXT Car Seat OTTO

Features

If you already have a regular everyday car seat, this is for one. It is nothing special but it does what it is asked to do. Compact, lightweight, affordable and safe.

PROS:

  • the most lightweight car seat at 7 pounds
  • affordable price
  • compact size
  • there is a minimalistic approach to its design

CONS:

  • not very safe
  • it will be really uncomfortable for big babies

  • Product
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Cosco Scenera NEXT Car Seat OTTO

Usually ships in 2-3 business days
Last update was on: 2024-03-27 12:11 pm

6. Graco Contender 65

Features

It is a very good quality travel car seat. Very versatile if you already have a compatible stroller.  Quite expensive and heavy. In all, it is one of the big-men travel car seats

PROS:

  • very safe and comfortable
  • aesthetically, it’s one of the bests
  • affordable price
  • compatible with all GRACO CLICK CONNECT strollers

CONS:

  • quite heavy at about 15 pounds
  • secure installation is quite difficult
  • it’s not compact

  • Product
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Contender 65 Piedmont Fashion

Last update was on: 2024-03-27 12:11 pm

7. Diono Radian 3RXT All-in-One Convertible Car Seat

Features

It is foldable but it is really heavy because of the steel frame.  However, it is safer because of the stability the steel frame gives it.  A beautiful option for very long car rides.

PROS:

  • It has a steel frame structure and energy absorbent features for added safety
  • It is good for smaller cars and airplanes because it has a narrow frame
  • folds easily for storage
CONS:
  • very heavy
  • very expensive

  • Product
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Diono Radian 3RXT All-in-One Convertible Car Seat - Extended Rear-Facing 5-45 Pounds,...

Last update was on: 2024-03-27 12:11 pm

8. Britax Boulevard G4.1 Convertible Car Seat, Domino

Features

It is a quality product. The Britax Boulevard G4.1 is quite expensive but comfortable, stylistic, and compact.  It is very safe and up there in the rank of the big-men travel car seats

PROS:

  • a quality product, no doubt!
  • very safe and comfortable
CONS:
  • quite heavy at about 17 pounds
  • very expensive
  • there are complaints of difficulties in strapping babies in

  • Product
  • Features
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Britax Boulevard G4.1 Convertible Car Seat, Domino

Last update was on: 2024-03-27 12:11 pm

9. Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat (Seaport)

Features

Its size is decent. The price is good.  The quality is good.  It is quite heavy but very useful.  A very beautiful option.

PROS:

  • easy to install
  • comfortable
  • lightweight
  • affordable price
  • Stylistically, it is up there
CONS:
  • Headrest could do with more padding
  • It is bulky and heavy
  • It’s rear facing installation is reported to be tricky

  • Product
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Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat (Seaport)

Last update was on: 2024-03-27 12:11 pm

In conclusion, you need not be told that the baby car seat is designed for comfort and safety. Babies love to be comfortable otherwise, they start crying. Hence, in a bid to ensure their safety, comfort shouldn’t be compromised. So, I think you should be all smiles because the safety and comfort of your baby is the priority, not only to you but also to the baby car seat designers.

Merlin