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7 picks · The one category not to cheap out on.
This is the category where the safety stakes are real and the advice is simple. Buy the car seat new, never second-hand, because you cannot see a used seat’s crash history or expiry date, and both matter. Check the seat is certified for the country you are in: a seat sold in the US is not automatically legal in Canada, and vice versa. When you move to a convertible seat, choose one with a high rear-facing weight limit; extended rear-facing is the single biggest safety difference available to you, and cheaper seats often force an early turn. For strollers, buy for how you actually live: city walkers need a lot of stroller, drivers need much less.
★ Top pickA bucket seat that clicks into and out of a base.
The hospital will not let you leave without one. Buy new, never used; you cannot see crash history or know the expiry date on a second-hand seat.
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The seat that replaces the infant bucket around a year.
Choose one with a high rear-facing weight limit. Extended rear-facing is the single biggest safety difference you can buy, and cheap seats often force you to turn early.
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✦ Worth the splurgeA full-size stroller your infant seat clicks into.
Check the adapter for your car seat before buying either. If you are in a city and walk everywhere, this is the most-used item you will own; if you drive everywhere, buy less stroller.
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✧ UnderratedFolds to carry-on size.
Fits in an aeroplane overhead bin, so it never gets gate-checked and broken. If you fly at all, it eventually becomes the only stroller you use.
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Lets you see a rear-facing baby in the rear-view mirror.
Cheap, and it stops you pulling over to check if they’re asleep or in trouble.
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Static-cling mesh for the rear windows.
Low afternoon sun straight into a rear-facing baby ends the drive. The cling ones beat the suction-cup ones.
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★ Top pickA backpack, not a shoulder bag.
Backpack, because you’ll be carrying a baby with the other arm. The features that matter: insulated bottle pockets and an included change mat.
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No. A used seat may have been in a collision with no visible damage, seats have expiry dates (typically six to ten years from manufacture), and safety standards change. This is the one baby item that should always be bought new.
Keep rear-facing as long as the seat allows. Most guidance is a minimum of two years, and longer is safer. Rear-facing spreads crash forces across the whole back and neck. Choose a convertible seat with a high rear-facing weight limit so you are not forced to turn early.
A travel system usually solves it: the infant car seat clicks into the stroller frame so a sleeping baby is not woken moving between the two. Check the adapter exists for your specific seat and frame before buying either.
Buy for how much you walk. If a stroller is your daily transport, the suspension, one-handed fold and turning circle are worth money. If you drive everywhere and the stroller only crosses car parks, a mid-range one is plenty, and a compact travel stroller may serve you better.