Best Baby Car Seats in India

In this review article, I will be listing and comparing the Best Baby Car Seats in India. The article will also cover the essential points that you should consider before buying this product online. Products from major brands such as R for Rabbit, LuvLap, Chicco, Graco, Evenflo, Trumom, Britax & Mee Mee included.

 

Make sure you browse through the entire article to ensure you do not miss out on anything important!

 

Summary: If you are looking to buy an infant seat for your newborn child (Upto 9 months of age) you should opt for the TruMom Infant Seat.  This car seat can also be used as a carry cot or a rocker for your baby. However, if you have kid aged 9 months or above, you can opt for the R for Rabbit Jack N Jill Grand covertible car seat.

 

 

What are Baby Car Seats?

Babies (Due to their size) cannot use the regular seat belt that comes standard with all cars. These seat belts are designed to protect adults. With increasing traffic and road rage in India, It has now become a must to have a car seat for your child to keep him/her safe during your travels.

These seats are specially designed to keep babies and kids comfortable as well as safe in your car. You will need to select the right product for you baby as per her/his height and weight.

 

 

Why do I need them? Why not hold my kid in my lap/hands?

I admit car seats are an expensive investment for most Indian parents. I asked myself the same thing a few years back. Thankfully, I quickly realized that “Safety is better than Cure”.

Although I could not find any Indian study, however, according to a study done by CDC in the USA, car seats helped prevent fatal injury amongst kids by up to a whopping 71%.

A 71% chance of my Baby surviving a crash was a good reason for me to immediately order the same. However, there were too many options out there on Amazon & Flipkart. I was totally confused about which one to buy. A part of my mind was suggesting to buy the cheapest option I could find with good ratings. While my heart was urging me to buy a fancy looking sports seat which looked like could be used by my baby for years.

I spent 3 days reading and researching about the same. Hence, I decided to come up with this guide.

Read on to know which type of product you should buy.

 

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Types of Car Seats for Babies & Which one should I buy?

There are three main types of types of Baby Seats. Each of them has been explained in details below. Don’t worry if you find it very confusing in the beginning. Read the complete article, even after that you find it difficult to select the right one for your kiddo, just leave me a comment below with your query.

 

1.  Infant Seats

• Specially designed seats to keep infants safe and in a comfortable position. Hence, helps the baby sleep well
• Infant seats can be used by baby right from birth to up to 2 years (Depending on the height & weight of your baby)

• This product is always installed rear facing (On the back seat of your car)
• As these seats are compact, you will be frequently attaching and detaching these seats in your car (Mainly because you can carry your child in it)
• You will find that a lot of Infant seat now comes with the additional functionality of being used as a carrycot. This is useful features, as you do not need to wake up your baby if you need to take him/her out of the car.
• Expensive models come compatible with strollers (From the same manufacturer). This combination of the car seat with a stroller is called as Travel Systems.

 

2. Convertible Baby Seats

• These seats are bigger and heavier compared to Infant seats. These seats are meant to be installed in the car and are not removed frequently.
• Your child will spend the most time in this seat.

• Although most manufacturers state that this product can be used by newborns until they are about 3 to 7 years old (Varies as per models). I will not recommend you to use this product if you baby is less than 6/8 month old.
• A lot of Indian families do not go out with their kids for the first 6 to 8 months (Unless necessary). This is the perfect product for them. You can skip buying the Infant seat and directly buy this product.
• Convertible seats are initially installed rear facing. You should use it in a rear-facing position till the time the child is about 2 to 3 years old. You can continue using it in this position until the time your child is comfortable in it, as this is the safest way your child can travel.
• However, once the child is old enough, you can also install it as a front facing car seat. You should be able to use this product until your child is about 7 years old (Or as specified by the model of convertible seat you buy)

 

3. Booster Seats

Once your kid outgrows the convertible seat, you can upgrade to the booster seat. Unlike the Infant and Convertible models, this particular seat does not have seat belt/harness of its own. Instead, it just acts as a platform to raise your child up so that he/she can use the regular belts that come along with the car.

 

I guess. the information I shared above should be enough to help you decide which is the right baby car seat for your needs. I have summarized the information I provided above in the image below:

 

We shall now proceed with the list of best baby car seats in India.

In this review, I have covered the best products in each of the three categories I discussed above. You can skip to the relevant section of the article as per your needs.

 

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Best Car Seats in India – Infant

 

1. Chicco KeyFit

Chicco is one of the most popular and trusted brands dealing in baby products in India. However, this also means that their products are priced higher accordingly.  While I don’t mind paying a little extra for quality products for my baby that I can trust. There may be parents who like to get the most value for the money they pay. For them, TruMom Seat mentioned below might be the ideal fit.

Keyfit is one of their entry levels model for Infants. This seat is compliant with the European ECE R44/04 standards of safety.

 

 

 

 

Check the Latest Price in India – Amazon

Key Features:

• This seat can be used by newborn kids. It can support kids to the weight of 6 Kgs
• 5 Point safety harness
• Ergonomically designed, non-slip handle grip for safety
• Can be used as a carrycot. It can be safely placed on the floor as well as used as a rocker

 

 

2. TruMom Infant Car Seat with CarryCot & Rocker

TruMom is a famous brand from the United States. This particular product offers all the features that Chicco KeyFit provides above but is priced at a much lower.

The product noticeable also has a better side safety technology. It is equipped with side impact protection with softly padded wings.

The main difference is that this product is heavier compared to Chicco Keyfit.

 

 

 

 

 

Check more User Review and Price in India – Amazon

Key Features:

• This product can be used by infants up to 15 months or 9 Kgs (Whichever comes first)
• Tested and approved according to safety standard ECE R44/04
• Sun and wind protection canopy with 50+ UV protection rating
• Can be used as a carrycot and rocker

Have a look at the promo video by TruMom below. The video also showcases some of the features of the product.

 

 

3. R For Rabbit Picaboo 

If you are someone who prefers Indian brands, the next product might appeal to you.

This particular product is available in 4 different colours and is priced slightly less compared the Trumom. The quality and the finish of the product is accordingly slightly inferior.

However, the product does its job well. It is also ECE R44/04 certified as the other two product above. So you do not have to worry about the safety of your child.

 

 

 

 

 

Check the Latest Price and User Reviews – Amazon |Flipkart

 

Best Travel System – Car Seat + Stroller Combo

4.  Graco Aire4 XT

If you wish to buy a travel system, you can consider the Graco Aire4 XT. The stroller is equipped with swivel never flat tyres with locking functionality and suspension. Both Stroller, as well as the car seat, has 50+ UV protection canopy. 

The product is lightweight, very sturdy and easy to use.

Check Price of this Combo in India – Amazon

 

 

Best Convertible Baby Car Seats in India:

I will now list down the best products in the convertible category.

 

5. Britax Roundabout G4.1 Convertible Car Seat

An expensive product for the Indian market. However, parents with budget and obsession with their child’s safety will love the features and the finish of the overall product.

This product uses the Latch connectors (Also called Isofix). So do ensure, your car has latch anchors before you order this product. You can read more about the Isofix/LATCH system on Wikipedia – here

This is one the best Isofix car seat available in India.

Check more details about the product & availability – Amazon

Key Features:

• Multiple safety features (Safecell) that include impact absorbing base, steel frame body, side impact protection and tether + Harness
• 5 point safety harness
• 3 different recline positions for the comfort of your baby
• Adjustable buckle
• Isofix/LATCH connectors for extra safety

 

 

6. LuvLap Premier Baby Car Seat

An amazing product by LuvLap. This product can be used easily by three different age group kids. First age group being 9 months to 3 years, Second age group –  3 years to 6 years and the last age group of 6 years to 12-year-old children.

The first group will be using this product as a rear-facing convertible seat. The second age group will this product as a front facing convertible seat, while the last age group can use this seat as a booster seat.

Check User Reviews and Latest Price Online – Amazon 

Key Highlights:

• Comes with 5 point safety harness
• Has adjustable headrest and shoulder harness
• Cons – The padding of the product seem as a little less. It does not reline, so if your child sleeps, his/her head might not feel comfortable.

If you can afford to buy a new booster seat after your child has outgrown a convertible seat, You should skip this product and go for either the R for Rabbit or the Trumom products discussed below.

 

 

7. R for Rabbit Jack N Jill Grand

This product is  ECE R44/04 Certified for Safety. It means that the product has been properly crash-tested to meet the European Safety standards.

This product can be safely used by kids from 6 months old to about 7 years old. The seat can support up to 25 kgs of weight.

3 step recliner position available. Your child can enjoy a nice nap while you drive around the town. Other important features included side impact protection, 5 point safety harness and washable cushion seat cover.

Check the Latest Price & User Reviews – Amazon

 

 

8. Trumom Convertible Sports Car Seat for Babies

One of Best Value for Money product on my list so far. You will be pleasantly surprised as to how well this seat is priced if you look at the features being offered.

This seat has been tested and approved according to safety standard ECE R44/04 (European safety rating standard)

Check out the latest price and Amazing User Reviews – Amazon | Flipkart

Key Features:

• The headrest and the shoulder strap location can be adjusted according to growing baby’s height. This ensures best safety and comfort to the kid
• 5 point safety harness
• Easy to adjust, 3 point recliner
• Comes with side impact protection with extra padded side wings

 

 

How to Install a Baby Car Seat?

The video below shows how to install a convertible seat in a rear-facing way. The video shows how to install the car seat with Latch/Isofix connectors as well as using seat belts. It also shows to cross check if the car seat is installed correctly. The infant, as well as forward facing convertible seats, can be installed int he same way. You can also refer to the instruction booklet that comes along with your product for more details.

 

Precautions/Things to check:

1. Use the right seat as per the manufacturer specifications. If your child has outgrown his/her seat, you should get a new one as per the safety requirements.
2. Ensure the seat is in the right position before you install it in your car. A lot of infant seats can be used as rockers, carrycot etc. Don’t forget to make the right adjustments before you install it in your car.
3. You should not be able to move the seat more than an inch on any side once it is installed.
4. Make sure the harness are below the baby’s shoulders in a rear-facing seat. While using the seat as front facing, ensure the harness starts over or at the height of your child’s shoulder
5. Once your child is locked in the harness, try and pinch the harness. If you are successful the harness is not tight enough.
6. Always install the baby seat on the back seat. Even in the back seat, do not install it in the middle. You should fix it directly behind any of the front seats for maximum protection.

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

How to Select the Safest and Best Baby Car Seats in India?

I hope this guide will have helped you select the safest and best car seats in India. If you have any further queries, do write to me in the comments below. I will try my best to answer them.

 

How long can Babies sit in a Car Seat?

Most good car seats you get today are very comfortable for the babies. However, they do restrict the sideways movement of the child. Ideally, you should stop the car every couple of hours and allow the child to take a break on the outside.

Do not leave your child unattended inside the car seat. Even if you are using it as a rocker at home, lift your child once he/she dozes off and place them on a comfortable bed.

 

Can Infant Use Convertible Car Seat?

A lot of convertible baby car seats can accommodate infants. You will be able to find age restrictions mentioned on each individual product. However, I would still recommend you to buy a separate infant seat for a child below 6 months of age.

 

Can Babies sleep inside them?

Absolutely, however, as I said earlier, ensure you take your child out of the car seat after 2 hours. Take a break with them for at least 15 minutes before you place them back in their seat.

 

This brings to an end of this long and detailed review of the Best Baby Car Seats in India. I hope this article was helpful for you to understand the different types of car seats available and select the right one for your needs.

Which one did you buy? Do let me know in the comments below.