One thing my husband and I knew for certain when shopping around for baby items was that we would not skimp on a quality car seat, or anything else that could potentially jeopardize our daughter’s safety.  When I did my research on car seats, I basically narrowed it down to my top 3 infant car seats and top 3 convertible car seats.


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Top 3 Infant Car seats:

1.  Grace Snugride 35 ($135) –  Holds babies up to 35 pounds and 32″ tall.  This was one of the the cheaper car seats and had the highest weight limit.  Carseat weighs 10 lbs.  This is the car seat we ended up going with because we trusted the Graco brand, and it had the Snap ‘n go stroller frame that matched perfectly with it.  It doesn’t have as much padding as some other brands like the Peg Perego, but we were happy with our choice.  We used this with the Snap ‘n go stroller frame for the first six months of Baby HH’s life.  However, Baby HH grew out of this carseat quicker than we would’ve liked.  They say that babies outgrow car seats by height much faster than they do by weight, which was the case for us.  There was no way Baby HH would’ve ever hit the 35 pound car seat limit, so in retrospect, I wouldn’t have factored in the weight limits when choosing a car seat.  I also went with this car seat because it was Amazon’s #1 Bestseller for infant car seats at the time my daughter was born.

2.  Britax B-Safe ($133) – Holds babies up to 30 pounds and 32″ tall.  Carseat weighs 10 lbs.  I looked into a Britax infant car seat because I knew how popular their convertible car seats were.  Plus, this is compatible with all Britax strollers.  Had I known at the time that I was going to end up with a Britax stroller (I have the Britax B-Agile stroller), this might’ve been my car seat of choice.  One thing to note – because this car seat isn’t as mainstream as Graco, Chicco, or Peg Perego, it’s harder to find strollers that have adaptors made for this specific brand unless you plan to go with a Britax stroller.

3.  Chicco Keyfit 30 ($180) – Holds babies up to 30 pounds and 32″ tall.  Carseat weighs 9 lbs.  A close friend of mine had this seat and some of her complaints were that it’s really heavy, and the material is so thick that it makes her baby sweaty all the time.  Also, the canopy is small.  However, this is one of the highest rated car seats by Consumer Reports, and it seems to be the easiest to install out of all the car seats out there.  Several factors swayed me against this seat, such as the heaviness of the seat, the price, and that there were few stroller adaptors out there that matched this car seat.  It all sounded somewhat inconvenient to me, so I passed on this one.

Top 3 Convertible Car seats:

I was completely sold on Britax car seats, so when it came down to the final decision, it really rested on the minor details.  I researched other brands like Sunshine Kids and Evenflo, but in the end, my heart belonged to Britax.

4.  Britax Roundabout 55 ($153) – Fits children rear facing from 5 to 40 pounds and forward-facing from 20 to 55 pounds.  This is the car seat we chose because I have a small sedan and needed a car seat that would comfortably fit in my backseat.  This fit the bill!  If I had a bigger car or minivan, I would’ve gone with the Britax Marathon for its higher weight limit.  But I think by the time my daughter hits 55 pounds, it will be about time to transition her to a booster seat anyway.  This car seat is so comfortable and easy to clean.  It is beautifully made with high ratings and my girl loves it.  My biggest complaint about this car seat is that the straps have velcro on them to attach to the sides of the seat so it doesn’t get tangled when you’re trying to put your kid in… however, the velcro doesn’t even match up so it’s a useless feature! I’ve read this complaint about all these Britax models though, so it is something Britax needs to fix.

5.  Britax Marathon 70 ($218) – Fits children rear facing from 5 to 40 pounds and forward facing from 20 to 70 pounds.  This seemed like the perfect convertible car seat.  I read pages upon pages of reviews and they were all glowing!  My biggest concern was that it wouldn’t fit in my car, so I ended up not getting it, but it really seemed like the perfect marriage between the roundabout and boulevard.  It had more protection and padding than the roundabout, but it wasn’t overwhelming like the boulevard.  It’s one of the highest rated and safest car seats in the market today and the weight limit will allow you to keep this car seat for years to come!

6.  Britax Boulevard 70 ($240) –  Fits children rear facing from 5 to 40 pounds and forward facing from 20 to 70 pounds.  The biggest different between the boulevard and marathon is that the boulevard has even MORE padding with the addition of side-impact protection “wings.”  That is also one of the biggest complaints about this seat – that it is confining and their children hate the wings because it obstructs their view when looking out the window.  However, the wings are also supposed to add another layer of protection for your children while in the car.  This is the priciest of the three Britax convertibles.  I don’t know if it’s worth an extra $22 for one additional feature.

In the end, I was satisfied with my purchases because my girl quickly adapted to both the Graco Snugride and Britax Roundabout car seats that I chose.  It was a difficult decision because there were so many factors to think about, but overall I was very happy with my choices.

What car seat do you own, and would you recommend it to others?

Mrs. High Heels’ Visual Gear Guides part 4 of 12

1. My Ultimate Baby Registry by Mrs. High Heels
2. Toddler Pooltime Essentials by Mrs. High Heels
3. My Biggest Registry Regrets by Mrs. High Heels
4. Car Seat Comparison Guide by Mrs. High Heels
5. Stroller Comparison Guide by Mrs. High Heels
6. Baby Carrier Comparison Guide by Mrs. High Heels
7. Prenatal Fitness Guide by Mrs. High Heels
8. Sick Toddler Essentials by Mrs. High Heels
9. Mrs. High Heels' Skincare Essentials by Mrs. High Heels
10. Mrs. High Heels' Hospital Bag by Mrs. High Heels
11. Mrs. High Heels' Diaper Bag for Two by Mrs. High Heels
12. Nursing Pillow Showdown: Boppy vs. My Brest Friend by Mrs. High Heels