What to Look For in a Convertible Car Seat

Though sometimes cumbersome, these safety seats are designed to do it all.

Evan McCausland | 

Jul 20, 2023 | 3 min read

Shutterstock

Parents looking for a child safety seat that can protect a little one in vehicles through the early years of childhood might want to consider a convertible design.

What Is a Convertible Car Seat?

As the name suggests, this kind of car seat is reconfigurable to meet the needs of your child from infancy through toddlerhood and sometimes beyond. It features a five-point harness and can face forward or backward as needed. According to the American Association of Pediatrics, children should ride in a rear-facing seat for as long as possible. Once they reach the seat's maximum height or weight limit for that orientation, they can switch the convertible seat to a forward-facer and continue to use it until the child hits another size milestone.

Some convertible seats — often advertised as three-in-one or all-in-one designs — also include a booster-seat configuration for when your child reaches elementary school age. Such a seat raises the child to the proper height so they can use the vehicle's seat belt safely.

What to Know Before Buying a Convertible Car Seat

First of all, only buy new car seats. A child seat doesn't offer the same level of protection if it's been in an accident, and you will never know the history of a secondhand seat. Moreover, car seats expire. If you plan on making the most of a convertible seat, search for one with a long lifespan.

The model's dimensions are important. Convertible seats tend to be bulkier than age-specific designs — especially when used in the rear-facing configuration — and may take up more space than you expected. If you're planning to use the car seat on a bench seat rather than a captain's chair, a slender model leaves more space for other passengers, but those often come at a premium. For example, Graco's TriRide and 2.5-inch-narrower SlimFit3 LX models offer many of the same features, but the SlimFit3 costs considerably more.

If you'd like to keep your child in the rear-facing position for as long as possible, look for a model with higher weight and height limits. Graco's Extend2Fit seat, for example, will support a child in that orientation until they weigh more than 50 pounds.

There are extra considerations when using a convertible seat for a newborn. For maximum cushioning and protection, you can install as many of the included head and body pads as will fit around your tiny tot. These inserts can be removed as the child grows.

Car Seat Features to Consider

When securing a child seat in a vehicle with a seat belt, the placement of the belt must be adjusted as the child grows. Some low-cost models require you to rethread the belt through different areas of the seat. Some designs offer easier adjustment, with one quick pull of a handle.

Alternatively, you can use the LATCH system — short for lower anchors and tethers for children — to attach a child seat to a car, but weight limits vary among models. The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration sets a weight limit for LATCH attachments at 65 pounds, including the weight of the car seat.

For parents' convenience, some manufacturers such as Cybex and Evenflo also offer rotatable seats to make docking and undocking easier.

Evan McCausland

Car, truck, train, or bus—if a vehicle has wheels, chances are Evan McCausland is interested in it. More importantly, he’s interested in helping others learn more about cars and trucks, especially when it comes time to make a decision on their next vehicle purchase. For nearly two decades, he’s been fortunate to have the opportunity to do just that, writing for major automotive publications, automotive clubs, and automakers alike.