Hi, I’m looking for a recommendation on the safest convertible car seat. Not an all-in-one, just a convertible. I am getting so overwhelmed by the options, it seems like every site I found is sponsored, so I don’t trust that.

I found the Chicco NextFit Zip as highest rated on a couple sites - but it’s discontinued!

My only concern is safety rating, with easy to clean being relevant but not super necessary (we have a handheld spray vacuum cleaner). Budget is up to $400-ish. We have mid size SUV and this is the only car seat in it, so size isn’t an issue.

Hello Reddit! I was trying to research the safest car seats (preferably convertible.) since I want to purchase one this weekend for my 10 month old baby. I tried a couple of websites that advertised that they had actually crash tested their car seats, and noticed that there were different results across the board. Is there an institution or websites (Studies too!) I should trust more than others? Is there a reason why it’s not the same car seat that should be ranking the safest on all sites? I don’t know if I can ask about anecdotal advice here, but I was wondering how you all went about making your choices. Thank you! :)

Hey all, soon-to-be first time dad here - trying to wrap my head around the wonderful world of baby products, in particular, the best convertible car seat (0-4 years) to buy that can be used both rear and forward facing. Have searched past threads on this, but wanted to get more recent opinions.

Essentially, most stores and online reviews seem to point to the most expensive models from the big brands Maxi Cosi and Britax as the most advanced and "best" options, however these do not necessarily have the highest CREP protection ratings, i.e.:

Maxi Cosi Vita Pro (~$579) - 4.5 star protection, 2.2 stars ease-of-use

Britax Safe N Sound B First+ (~$699+) - 2.9 star protection, 4.8 star ease-of-use

Both of these seem to offer less protection than the leading Mother's Choice Accord AP (~$299), which has 4.9 stars for protection, and 2.3 stars for ease-of-use.

Source: https://www.childcarseats.com.au/find-and-compare-child-car-seats#/results/1,2,3/0,1/-/- (under Rear Facing 0 - 2.5 years + Forward Facing 6months - 4 years)

What do the more expensive seats have over the cheaper, and apparently safer, Mother's Choice Accord AP? Is it just the convenience (in the case of the Britax, and others)?

Interested in the opinions of others who looked at these ratings and decided on a convertible baby seat. Was there something else you considered that swayed you toward a particular model? Our car has ISOFix points, so can use either ISOFix or seatbelt, and I am wondering why I wouldn't just buy the safest seat (assuming it isn't too much of a hassle to use). Interested in feedback from anyone who has used the Mother's Choice Accord AP (or decided against it).

Thanks in advance!