The top-rated car seat for your child is the one that fits them today

The infant seat we would hand a first-time parent: a 4 lb minimum, a bubble level and a belt-tensioning system that makes a correct install hard to get wrong.

Best convertible

Graco Extend2Fit

Rear-faces to 50 lb and adds up to 5 in of legroom with an extension panel, which is the cheapest route to the thing the AAP actually asks for.

Best booster

Graco TurboBooster 2.0

The default booster: highback to start, backless later, open belt guides that position the belt where it needs to be, and a price that makes a second one for the other car easy.

Best all-in-one

Graco 4Ever DLX 4-in-1

Four stages and ten years of use from 4 lb to 120 lb, at a price that makes buying three separate seats hard to justify.

Best for small cars

Diono Radian 3R

The Radian shape at the lowest price in the family: still 17 in wide, still to 120 lb, with fewer comfort extras.

Best rotating seat

Evenflo Revolve360 Extend

The only rotating seat here that rear-faces to 50 lb, so you do not have to trade extended rear-facing for a seat that swivels.

Best for 1-year-olds

Graco Extend2Fit

Rear-faces to 50 lb and adds up to 5 in of legroom with an extension panel, which is the cheapest route to the thing the AAP actually asks for.

Best for 5-year-olds

Chicco MyFit ClearTex

A forward-facing harness that becomes a booster, for the child who is heavy enough for a booster but not yet mature enough to sit in one properly.

Best for ages 2-4

Graco Extend2Fit

Rear-faces to 50 lb and adds up to 5 in of legroom with an extension panel, which is the cheapest route to the thing the AAP actually asks for.

Best for newborns

UPPAbaby Vista V3

One frame that carries one, two or three children, which is why it costs what it costs and why it is often still cheaper than buying twice.

Best double

Baby Jogger City Mini GT2 Double

50 lb per seat, all-wheel suspension and a one-step fold at 29.25 in wide — the side-by-side double that actually fits through a doorway.

Best jogging stroller

BOB Gear Revolution Flex 3.0

A 75 lb capacity, 16 in rear wheels and a handlebar that adjusts from 34.5 to 48 in — the jogging stroller that fits both parents and keeps working on trails.

Folds to 20.5 by 17.3 by 7.1 in and weighs 13.6 lb — the stroller that goes in the overhead bin instead of the hold.

Best umbrella stroller

Summer by Ingenuity 3Dlite

An aluminum frame at 13 lb with a four-position recline and a 50 lb limit, for a fraction of what the premium light strollers cost.

Best for toddlers

UPPAbaby Cruz V3

The Vista's ride and build without the expansion hardware — the right UPPAbaby if you are confident about one child.

Best for tall parents

UPPAbaby Vista V3

One frame that carries one, two or three children, which is why it costs what it costs and why it is often still cheaper than buying twice.

Best overall stroller

UPPAbaby Vista V3

One frame that carries one, two or three children, which is why it costs what it costs and why it is often still cheaper than buying twice.

Best fold

Bugaboo Butterfly 2 Plus

IATA-compatible at 17.6 by 9.6 by 21.8 in folded, with a one-second fold you can do at a gate with a queue behind you.

Best budget light stroller

Summer by Ingenuity 3Dlite

An aluminum frame at 13 lb with a four-position recline and a 50 lb limit, for a fraction of what the premium light strollers cost.

Best travel system

Chicco Bravo Trio with KeyFit 30

A KeyFit 30 and a stroller that folds itself standing up, in the one box — the travel system we would buy without much deliberation.

Lightest system

Doona+ Car Seat & Stroller

An infant seat whose wheels fold out of its own base, which is either the best purchase of your first year or an expensive mistake depending entirely on how you travel.

Best for twins

Evenflo Pivot Xpand Modular

Takes two infant car seats and reconfigures 23 ways at 55 lb per seat — the mainstream-priced answer for twins.

The only system here with a genuine lie-flat carriage mode, which is what lets a newborn nap in the stroller instead of in the car seat.

About 7 lb, cheap, and it rear-faces — which is why it is the seat most families actually take on a plane.

Best travel booster

BubbleBum inflatable booster

A 1.2 lb booster that deflates into a bag, which is the difference between a rental car being safe and being a compromise.

Folds to 20.5 by 17.3 by 7.1 in and weighs 13.6 lb — the stroller that goes in the overhead bin instead of the hold.

Best mirror

Diono Easy View Plus

A crash-tested shatterproof mirror that straps to the head restraint — the version of this accessory we would fit, because the frame is the only spec that matters.

Best organizer

Skip Hop Grab & Go Ultra Stroller Organizer

Six pockets and three insulated interior compartments that hold a real bottle — the organizer that actually replaces a changing bag on short trips.

Best protector

Munchkin Brica Elite Seat Guardian

A crash-tested seat protector with grip traction — the only kind of protector worth putting under a car seat, and only if your manual allows one.

Best shower gift

Chicco Bravo Trio with KeyFit 30

A KeyFit 30 and a stroller that folds itself standing up, in the one box — the travel system we would buy without much deliberation.

Most-used gift

Skip Hop Grab & Go Ultra Stroller Organizer

Six pockets and three insulated interior compartments that hold a real bottle — the organizer that actually replaces a changing bag on short trips.

Best overall combo

Chicco Bravo Trio with KeyFit 30

A KeyFit 30 and a stroller that folds itself standing up, in the one box — the travel system we would buy without much deliberation.

Best park-day stroller

UPPAbaby Minu V3

16.7 lb with a 20 lb basket and a fold UPPAbaby publishes as IATA compatible — a compact everyday stroller that travels properly.

About 7 lb, cheap, and it rear-faces — which is why it is the seat most families actually take on a plane.

Best for two different ages

Baby Trend Sit N' Stand Double 2.0

Four riding positions and the lowest price of any double here — basic, heavy, and genuinely useful when the budget is the constraint.

Best stroller for an older child

UPPAbaby Vista V3

One frame that carries one, two or three children, which is why it costs what it costs and why it is often still cheaper than buying twice.

The infant seat with the most structural hardware in the category — steel load leg, anti-rebound panel and rigid LATCH — and the lightest carrier of the seats we looked at.

Best budget seat

Graco Extend2Fit

Rear-faces to 50 lb and adds up to 5 in of legroom with an extension panel, which is the cheapest route to the thing the AAP actually asks for.

Best city stroller

UPPAbaby Minu V3

16.7 lb with a 20 lb basket and a fold UPPAbaby publishes as IATA compatible — a compact everyday stroller that travels properly.