What is the Safest Forward-Facing Car Seat?

When a parent is first expecting, they often take a lot of time scrutinizing those first purchases. The crib, the high chair, the stroller, and the car seat need to check all your boxes to ensure they’re safe, practical, and in your budget. However, there comes a time when your child outgrows those initial big purchases, and you’ll need to spend just as much time searching for these new items as you did your initial buys. This is especially true when it comes to car seats! 

When your child finally outgrows their rear-facing seat, it can be scary to turn forward-facing. If you’ve been with Safe in the Seat for a while, you know that your child is safest in the rear-facing position. (Here’s more on rear-facing vs. forward-facing.) However, there comes a time when your child maxes out those requirements and you have to make the switch! It can be scary, but with a little research you can easily find a safe, practical, and budget-friendly option for your family.

So, today we’re going to discuss the best forward-facing car seat options! If you want to skip the long explanations and jump straight to finding the best seat, take our car seat quiz. We’ve reviewed thousands of seats and by answering a few questions, we can recommend the most ideal forward-facing seat for your child! 

Let’s get into it:

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What is the Safest Forward-Facing Car Seat?

All car seats follow the same safety standards in order to be on the market! So, you can be assured that no matter how much or how little you spend, the car seat you’re getting is 100% SAFE. 

What we’re saying is, the seat you purchase doesn’t impact the safety, but what does is vehicle fit, child fit, correct installation, and proper buckling. Not every seat is made for every body type and vehicle make and model. Plus, improper installation or buckling will make even the most expensive seat unsafe. 

So, below we’ll give you all the specific details about choosing a seat that fits your child and car! And, ensure you follow all of the instructions in the manual for proper installation and buckling. Don’t forget that top tether or make these common car seat mistakes! To give you the ultimate peace of mind, we recommend doing a virtual car seat consult with one of our Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs). They can answer all your questions and confirm you’re doing everything by the book!

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Are Forward-Facing Car Seats Safe?

Of course! You’ll often hear that rear-facing car seats are safest, and that is true for children under the max height and weight limits of infant seats or convertible car seats in the rear-facing position. However, it’s never safe to keep your children in a car seat stage once they’ve outgrown the maximums. When the time comes to switch to forward-facing, it’s absolutely safe and any seat on the market is going to meet safety standards as long as your child is within the car seat manufacturer’s listed measurements. 

If you’re unsure of when it’s time to graduate, here’s our post on when to switch from a rear-facing car seat to a forward-facing car seat! 

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Below we’ve listed some of our favorite forward-facing options to help you find the best car seat for your child:

9 Best Forward-Facing-Only Car Seats 

1. Chicco MyFit

The Chicco MyFit is one of our favorite front-facing car seats! Keeping kids in a five-point harness as long as possible is essential for safe car seat use, but if your child has a long torso or is tall for their age, they’ll max out the height and weight limits on most forward-facing car seat’s harness mode rather early. Luckily, the Chicco MyFit has one of the tallest max height limits at 54 inches, which is five inches taller than most other car seats! And, don’t worry about weight, because you can safely use the Chicco MyFit in harness mode up to 65 pounds (and up to 100 pounds in the high back booster stage!). 

Another thing we love about this car seat is that it includes multiple recline options to give a child a more comfortable ride or support low tone/physical disability. The Chicco MyFit is only 17.5 inches wide, meaning you can squeeze it into a 3-across situation in some vehicles. 

The only draw-back of this forward-facing seat is that it doesn’t fit well in some vehicles with non-removable forward-tilting headrests, like Teslas and Volvos. You also can’t use any kind of vehicle seat protector with this option. For upgraded versions of this car seat, check out the Chicco MyFit ClearTex (chemical free), the Chicco MyFit Zip (zip-off cover), and the Chicco MyFit Zip Air (zip-off cover and breathable fabric). 

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2. Graco Tranzitions / Graco Wayz

This 3-in-1 combination seat goes from a front-facing harnessed seat, to a high-back booster, and to a backless booster. It should get you through the rest of your car seat journey. It’s another good option to try when you need to fit 3 car seats in the back row, because it’s only 17.5 inches wide (without the cup holders), like the Chicco MyFit. Other stand-out features of the Graco Tranzitions/Graco Wayz are the machine washable padding and covers, the no-rethread straps, and the removable cup holders! 

As far as weight and height limits go, you can use the Tranzitions/Wayz in forward-facing car seat mode until 65 lbs and 49 inches tall, which is pretty standard! We also like this car seat for any families who travel frequently, because it’s pretty lightweight at just under 14 lbs. It’s also one of the more affordable options on this list, while still having plenty of the features you’re looking for in a forward-facing car seat! Like the Chicco MyFit, it is tall, so if you have a vehicle with non-removable, forward-tilting headrests, you may run into problems with installation. This seat can be dificult to install in some vehicles. If you have trouble getting a tight installation, we recommend meeting with a CPST in person for assistance.

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* If you’re wondering why we have both the Graco Tranzitions and the Graco Wayz listed here, it’s because they’re identical seats named differently to avoid price matching. 

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3. Britax Grow With You ClickTight

The Britax Grow With You ClickTight is another favorite forward-facing car seat of ours! We love the ease of installation with this seat’s “ClickTight Technology,” that allows you to open the back, thread your belt through, buckle the clip, and close the back. It’s fast and easy to get a secure installation. 

Other features you’ll appreciate are the washable covers, the 2 cup holders, and no rethread straps. This seat features two stages, which are forward-facing mode and high-back booster mode. You can use the forward-facing mode up to 49 inches tall and 65 lbs. Though this is a great seat, it’s not a great option if you need to fit 3 seats in a row or have non-removable headrests in your vehicle. It’s also a more expensive forward-facing option, but with all the stand-out features, it’s well worth the price if it checks your boxes! 

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4. Graco Nautilus 2.0 LX 

Here’s another 3-in-1 option that goes from a forward-facing car seat to a backless booster! It has standard height and weight maximums for the harness mode at 49 inches tall and 65 lbs. It’s easy to find a safe and comfortable position for your child at any size, because it has 4 recline positions, a 10-position adjustable headrest, and no-rethread straps. Plus, the comfortable car seat padding is machine washable to keep your seat not only cozy, but clean as well. 

The Graco Nautilus 2.0 LX has a steel-reinforced frame and specialty energy-absorbing foam for added safety. So, it’s safe and comfortable, but it also has a larger profile than some other car seats on this list. It’s 19.4 inches wide, 17.4 lbs, and 26 inches tall, meaning it won’t be a great option if you need 3 car seats in a row. If you have non-removable headrests in your vehicle, this seat is one that you should consider!

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5. Cosco Finale

Cosco is known for making car seats at the most budget-friendly price points out there. It always feels good to find a seat for under $100! This seat is a 2-in-1 combination seat that works as a forward-facing car seat or a high-back booster (however, the booster mode has some quirks you can read more about in our review.) It’s extremely lightweight at only 8 lbs, so it’s great for air travel!

This seat is also narrow at just 17 inches, making it a solid choice if you need 3 car seats in a row. At such a low price point, it doesn’t have too many other features, but the Cosco Finale does have a removable dishwasher safe cup holder and washable cover! However, this seat would not be a great choice if you have a tall child, because the highest harness height is 16.75 inches. Tgis car seat is usually not a good fit for vehicles with non-removable headrests.    

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6. Safety 1st Boost & Go

Here’s another super affordable and super lightweight option! The Safety 1st Comfort Ride is around 12 lbs, so great for travel. It only has a harness height of 16.5 inches tall, so it’s not great for a tall child. This car seat also has 3 modes, going from forward-facing to high-back booster to backless booster.

This seat is 17.75 inches wide, so it could work in some vehicles for 3-across car seat needs. Other practical features you may like are the washable cup holders and washable and dryable seat pads! It makes safely cleaning your car seat much easier! 

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7. KidsEmbrace Combination Seat

If your kids haven’t loved their car seats in the past, they’ll love this one! The KidsEmbrace Combination Seat is a front-facing car seat and a high-back booster seat that comes in your child’s favorite character designs whether they’re into superheroes, princess, or Star Wars.

Like many of the other seats on this list, the max height limit is 49 inches and the max weight limit is 65 lbs. The seat cover is machine washable and there are two cup holders, which are small conveniences that can make a big difference. Outside of that, this affordable car seat that includes the basic features you need and can offer a good fit for certain cars and children! 

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8. Evenflo Maestro Sport

The Evenflo Maestro Sport is another 2-in-1 option that’s lightweight for easy travel and lower profile for vehicles with non-removable headrests. It’s not the best car seat for larger children because the max weight for the forward-facing mode is only 50 lbs. It has a standard height maximum, but it’s still quite a bit shorter than the Chicco MyFit. As far as width goes, the car seat is pretty wide at 19 inches, so it wouldn’t be the best choice if you need to fit 3 car seats in a row. 

This car seat doesn’t offer a lot of extras, but it comes at a great price point, and if it suits your child’s measurements and your vehicle type, it can be a smart choice for parents looking for an inexpensive forward-facing car seat! 

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9. Wayb Pico

The Wayb Pico is more expensive than all of the other forward-facing car seats on this list, but it’s well worth it for certain lifestyles! It’s a unique seat that’s made to be extremely portable, with a lightweight and foldable design. The whole thing weighs 8 lbs and is great for traveling, ride sharing, and even 3-across situations with its ultra-compact design. We will say, however, the unique design adds for some unique installation challenges, which you’ll want to master before moving the seat from vehicle-to-vehicle.

The design is ergonomic and breathable, and the fabric can be easily spot cleaned or hand washed. And, yes, even though there’s less shell and framing, it still passes all the safety standards of a forward-facing car seat. It actually uses aerospace-grade aluminum alloy to ensure that the seat absorbs crash energy and the frame holds strong. 

If your child is higher percentile in height and/or weight, this Wayb Pico may not be the best choice, because it does have notably shorter height and weight maximums at 45 inches tall and 50 lbs. Plus, the crotch buckle is pretty short, and it’s not adjustable like other car seats, causing some comfort and fit issues. But, again, for the right family, this could be the perfect seat! 

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There are lots of great (and safe) forward-facing car seats on the market!

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Any time your child has to graduate to a new car seat stage, it can be intimidating to choose and install a new seat! We all want our kids to be as safe as possible, but there are so many options out there, it can be hard to know what makes the most sense for your family. We hope this roundup of our favorite forward-facing only car seats helps you find your next car seat. 

Be sure to stick around with us on the blog to get more essential car seat safety info and find more recommendations on car seats and strollers! It’s our goal to equip parents with trusted information to make informed decisions about every car seat purchase from infant seats all the way up to the final booster stage! 

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