Top 8 Convertible Car Seats

The Britax Boulevard car seat rear-faces from 5-35 lbs. and forward-faces to 65 lbs., so your baby gets plenty of use from this car seat. The Boulevard has height-adjustable side impact protection, something lacking in other convertible car seats, and the infant pad provides a better fit for small babies over other car seats. The built-in lockoffs make seat belt installs easy, and the push-button LATCH connectors are also far easier to use than others. You can adjust the harness height without re-threading the straps, too. The top tether can be used both rear- and forward-facing. The rear-facing tether adds a big safety advantage.

This new convertible car seat from The First Years has a lot of the features I like to see in car seats but comes in under $200. The True Fit rear-faces to 35 lbs., and the removable headrest makes rear-facing installations easier in smaller vehicles. The forward-facing limit is 65 lbs. and when you add the headrest again, the shell is tall to give a longer useful life. You can adjust harness height without rethreading any straps. Built-in lockoffs help with tricky seat belt installs. I also like that the True Fit has infant padding to keep infants from sliding around in a car seat that is also designed to fit much larger children.

The Britax Marathon is one of the most popular car seats on the market, thanks to the tall shell and ease of use. Your baby can use this car seat rear-facing 5-35 lbs. and forward-facing to 65 lbs. Generally it is outgrown by height before the weight limit is reached, but most kids can use it through age 5 or even 6. The built-in lockoffs and easy-to-use LATCH belts make for quick and easy installations in many types of vehicles. One of the best features of the Marathon is Britax's thicker, wider straps that don't twist very easily. The top tether can also be used rear- and forward-facing on the Marathon, a feature not found on many car seats, which adds a big safety advantage for rear-facing kids.

The Radian car seat has a good 65 lb. weight limit and the ability to be tethered rear- and forward-facing. The narrow base makes it easier to fit several car seats in your vehicle, but the Radian car seat still has plenty of comfort for your baby thanks to a roomy seat space and forward-facing recline option. This car seat folds for travel outside the car, and can even fit in an airline overhead bin. Rear-faces 5-40 lbs.(models made in or after Sept. 2008, prior to that the rear-facing limit was 35 lbs.), forward-faces to 65 lbs. The Radian 65 has a unique forward-facing recline option that adds comfort for older kids on long trips. Radian car seats can be hard to find in retail stores, but can easily be purchased online.

The My Ride 65 car seat was the first in the U.S. to feature a 40 lb. rear-facing weight limit. The forward-facing limit is 65 lbs. The infant padding is great for helping smaller babies fit into a seat that is also made to accommodate a larger toddler. I like the separate, color-coded LATCH straps for rear-facing and forward-facing installations, so there's no confusion as to which to use. Best of all, this is a sturdy car seat with plenty of EPS foam for impact protection, a reasonably tall shell, and high harness slots for about $150, which puts some of these excellent features in reach for many more families.

The Decathlon is a scaled-up version of the popular Marathon car seat. Additions include a toddler head pillow, infant pad, 3 lower-buckle positions and a push-button harness adjuster vs. the Marathon's metal flap adjuster. If you plan to use this car seat from your baby's birth, skipping the infant seat, the Decathlon is a better choice, due to the infant pillow and positioning system, which provides a better fit for tiny babies. Rear-faces 5-35 lbs., forward-faces to 65 lbs. The Decathlon also has a forward-facing recline option for comfort on long trips.

The Evenflo Triumph Advance has some of the same nice features, like EPS foam, of more expensive car seats, but at a budget-friendly price. The Advance version of this car seat is newer, and has a rear-facing limit of 35 lbs., and a forward-facing limit of 50 lbs. The shell of this car seat is taller than some other convertible seats, which should mean that most kids will get a few months extra use out of it. Evenflo has made the harness height adjustments much easier with this model, too. For budget-conscious families, this is a great car seat that allows extended rear-facing and harnessing for about $130. The straps are more likely to twist on this seat than on pricier car seats, so you will need to smooth them each time.

One of the most economical car seats available, the Cosco Scenera doesn't offer bells and whistles, but it will keep baby safe in the car without blowing a strict budget. The five-point harness model offers simple harness adjustments and a removable seat cover for easy cleaning. I love that this seat has a 35 lb. rear-facing weight limit, which is higher than some others under $100. As on many inexpensive car seats, the harness straps may twist a lot, and should be smoothed with each use to keep baby safe. The LATCH connectors are very basic and not always easy to use, but this is to be expected on a car seat that costs less than $50. Note: Cosco sells an overhead shield Scenera - I recommend only the 5-point harness car seats.