Best Car Seats for 1 Year Old Infants: Slim, Extended Rear-facing

1 year old littles should ride in a rear facing car seat. The experts from AAP and NHTSA DO recommend parents to put their small toddlers in rear facing as long as possible until they get too big for their car seat, whatever the weight or height limits come first.

It’s better not to move your 1 year old to a forward facing car seat too soon, even if they have reached the minimum weight limit of 22 pounds or height limit of 26 inches at this age. The child rides safer in rear facing than forward facing, especially for small babies less than one year old.

Theoretically, if your 10-month old is big enough to meet the minimum requirements like 22 pounds weight or 26 inches height, it’s okay to put them in a forward facing car seat. However, small babies younger than 2 years old are safer riding in the rear facing. Car seat experts also suggest parents place small toddlers in a rear facing car seat before they grow too big for their car seats and are ready to turn to forward facing.

Some US states even required that 2 years old littles should sit in a rear facing car seat.

Infant car seats can last long to ride your baby from birth to 2 year old if they don’t outgrow the car seat’s weight or height limits – we’ll talk about this in the next question.

However, if they’re big babies and kids, you may find it’s much easier for them to exceed the height or weight limit of their infant car seats. At this time, you may need a convertible car seat to ride your littles in rear facing for a longer time, like the Graco Extend2Fit, Diono Radian 3R, or the Chicco NextFit Zip Max. All three car seats are able to ride a toddler up to 50 pounds in rear facing mode.

Generally, infant car seats come with a weight limit of 35 pounds and can be used to ride your babies from birth to 2 years old. That’s from the weight limit of the infant car seats. However, toddlers break through the height limit most times.

You may be curious that there is no height limit in the car seat specifications. The manufacturers don’t indicate this data in the product description but will give you a reminder in the user manual – your baby’s head should be at least 1-inch below the handle of the infant car seats.

If you’re using a convertible car seat or all-in-one car seat in rear facing mode, the height limit is that your baby’s head should be at least 1-inch below the adjusted handle of the headrest.

It’s time to switch to forward facing when your child exceeds their rear facing car seats. But remember, your littles are safer riding in rear facing, so keep them in a rear facing car seat as long as possible. If they outgrow their infant car seats, a few convertible car seats allow for longer use in rear facing, like the Graco Extend2Fit, Diono Radian 3R, and the Chicco Zip Max.

Some US states require the parents to accommodate 2 year old toddlers in rear facing. For the best safety, you can switch to forward facing after your little one’s second birthday.

That depends on your needs! For me, I think the Doona and Maxi Pria might be the most comfortable car seats.

The Doona is a combination of a car seat and stroller and allows your toddler to ride and sleep in the car seat without disturbing in and out of the car. You don’t need to unbuckle and move it from the car seat base to a stroller, reducing the chance to wake up your baby.

The Maxi Pria 3-in-1 car seat is made of premium fabric and looks high-end. The removable head support and body insert, along with two thick layers of the headrest, provide the safest protection and most comfort to growing with your little.

You’ll need a convertible or all-in-one car seat after an infant. The 4-in-1 or all-in-one or some 3-in-1 will also play a role as a convertible car seat, but they will last for a longer time to be used as a booster for big kids. They are a great money saver but lack the potential to do well as a convertible car seat.

which is best, convertible or all-in-one? That depends on your needs. If you’re on a tight budget – believe me, kids always need more money than you think, you may think it’s the best option to buy a good all-in-one car seat. But if you want to put your littles in a car seat that is related to their current stage of weight and height and age, a convertible car seat is also a great option. And they can be used as long as your littles ones get 7 or 8 years old.

That depends on the needs of parents and toddlers. For us, the Graco Extend2Fit is the best option. It also earns a lot of praise from parents. You may look for another option to best fit your littles. There are some basic rules you can follow:

1. Safety. Even all the car seats should pass through a frontal crash test under the US FMVSS 213 before going to the market, some manufacturers may have their car seats to exceed more tests. The Graco Extend2Fit is an example that features the company’s unique ProtectPlus Engineered and goes through the crash tests from frontal, side, rear & rollover.
2. Long-lasting. This means not only that the car seat itself has a long lifespan, but also the car seat is designed to grow with your child. Toddlers grow fast, if you want to place them in the rear facing for longer, it’s better to buy a car seat with a greater weight limit. The Graco Extend2Fit, Diono Radian 3R, and Chicco NextFit Zip Max come with a 50-lb weight limit rear-facing, fitting growing toddlers well to their 2 years or even 3 or 4 years.
3. Comfort. Your child would prefer a comfortable ride in their car seat. So additional inserts and well-made breathable fabric will add points to a car seat’s overall score.

Easy installation. Installing effortlessly is a very appealing point for the parents. Nowadays, most car seats allow for installation with LATCH and seat belt. If the manufacturers can provide an easy-to-read user manual and extra instructions, their can seats win with no doubt.

Theoretically, your littles can sit in a front-facing car seat as long as they’re ready and big enough to exceed the minimum weight and height limit. But it’s NOT recommended to place a 9 month old baby in a front facing car seat.

Children ride safer in rear facing. Remember this elemental rule will reduce your guess and save your time to ask this kind of question. The AAP and NHTSA suggest accommodating the littles in rear facing as long as possible. Some states in the US require that children under 2 years old should stay in a rear facing car seat. Check the local laws before riding your littles in the vehicle.

It’s better NOT. Just read our reply to the last question and you’ll find that 1 year old is safer facing the rear in a car seat. Of course, you should install the car seat correctly following its user manual. That’s the basic rule to ensure your 1 year old littles are safe in their car seats.

Generally, the 12 month old littles will stay in a rear facing car seat, no matter the types of car seat – infant or convertible or all-in-one, as long as they don’t outgrow the weight or height limits of the car seat used in rear facing mode.

No. All the booster seats have a minimum 40 pounds weight limit, 1 year old littles generally can’t reach this level at this age. And they are safer to ride in the rear facing, especially if they’re small babies. Big kids can sit in a convertible seat, but still not a booster anyway.

Yes. They’re not able to use the seat belt as adults on a plane, and a car seat is necessary to protect them like in the vehicle.

Averagely, littles weigh about 20 pounds at their 1 year old, based on the data from WHO Growth Chart for boys and girls of birth to 24 months.