Convertible Car Seat Ratings: Expert and User Reviews Ratings

Our AssessmentWith an emphasis on value, safety and durability, this book provides useful shopping tips and recommendations on dozens of baby products. While car seats aren't independently crash tested, the authors perform some hands-on testing, and parent, manufacturer and retailer interviews are also conducted. Write-ups are very thorough, including data regarding manufacturers' recall history. Updates to the book are posted online.

Our AssessmentThe NHTSA tests child car seats for ease of use. Experts test 40 seats both front- and rear-facing and rate the seats' labels, instructions, installation features and how easy it is to secure the child, culminating in an overall ease-of-use rating from 1 to 5 stars. Only The First Years True Fit gets a 5-star overall rating for both forward- and rear-facing installations. This is helpful information, but not as comprehensive as ConsumerReports.org's crash testing and not as insightful as reportage in "Baby Bargains."

Our AssessmentCarSeatBlog.com bills itself as "the alternative media outlet for all things child passenger safety." Led by three primary editors with a handful of regular contributors, CarseatBlog.com writers describe themselves as "moms and dads with over 3 decades of combined experience with young children and safety seats." Reviews here are among the most detailed we've seen -- and also perhaps the most opinionated. In several posts, the bloggers take ConsumerReports.org's car seat ratings to task for their lack of detail and transparency. It's worth noting that unlike ConsumerReports.org, CarseatBlog.com doesn't actually crash-test its seats. The writers also admit that they don't publish negative reviews.

Our AssessmentHeather Corley, About.com's guide to baby products, names eight convertible car seats that she says stand out "based on my experiences as a child passenger safety technician, as well as the experiences of other techs." Corley doesn't say which experts she consulted, however. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)

Our AssessmentFounder Robert Glazer markets BobbysBest.com as a review site with a personal touch. Although we don't see any testing details, he says all are "based on real-life experiences." It is worth noting that Britax USA furnished Glazer with the Britax Boulevard 70 for the review.

Our AssessmentThis roundup includes infant seats, convertible car seats and booster seats. The very brief reviews list some safety features and weight ratings.

Our AssessmentViewpoints.com has a growing number of baby gear user reviews, and there's good coverage of some of the top convertible car seats. Britax seats do well here. The Marathon leads with a near-perfect score in more than 782 entries; the Britax Roundabout rates almost as highly with 277 reviews.

Our AssessmentAbout.com's Readers' Choice awardees were nominated by readers and then voted on by readers between Feb. 22 and March 21, 2012. The category was open to any currently available convertible car seat. Winners were announced on March 30.

Our AssessmentLike Babies "R" Us, Target is a popular destination for purchasing baby products. Their web site provides a clear indication of what seats are the most popular and an easy to sort means of discovering the top rated seats. One hundred and seventeen seats are offered, but there isn't a large number of user reviews here, and the ones that are here are mostly positive.

Our AssessmentBaby Center is an interactive parenting network that provides expecting, new, and current parents with access to up to date useful information. Created by the editors, the Baby Center "How to Buy a Convertible Car Seat" article provides basic information about the seats, what to look for when buying them and what they're going to cost.

Our AssessmentThis article highlights the risk of toxic chemicals used in the manufacture of car seats and the potential health risks these pose for infants and young children.

Our AssessmentThe NHTSA (National Highway and Transportation Safety Association) provides car safety tips as well as information about installing and buying car seats.

Our AssessmentThis website provides an informational breakdown that covers types of car seats, size/age guidelines, installation guidelines and tips and recalls. Recommendations are based on AAP with reference links to NHTSA, SeatCheck and National Child Passenger Safety Certified Technicians.

Our AssessmentDiapers.com is an online store that allows owners to write reviews of products they purchase. Diapers.com doesn't allow you to sort products by average consumer rating, but sorting by bestselling reveals a predominance of Britax convertible car seats, all of which garner ratings from 4 to 5 out of 5. The RXT and Diono seats also receive 4 to 5 out of 5 ratings.