Cosco Scenera Next

There are plenty of inexpensive car seat options out there. Unfortunately, many of those seats can feel like more trouble than they are worth: lots of them are difficult to install, hard to adjust, bulky…or all of the above! But the Cosco Scenera Next is an easy to install car seat and straightforward and lasts most kids from birth to preschool — all for $60! We can’t overstate how impressive and important this car seat is: as a user-friendly and financially accessible option, the Cosco Scenera Next is a groundbreaking car seat.

The Cosco Scenera Next is 17″ wide. If you need to fit 3 across in your vehicle, this is a good option to try since it’s one of the narrowest car seats out there!

The Cosco Scenera Next weighs just 7 pounds, so once your child outgrows an infant seat, this is one of the best options to tote around with you. You can easily attach it to a stroller handle with a bungee cord. We have also found that it works well with the Mountain Buggy Nano Stroller in the seat itself.

After your child has outgrown the infant seat, this may be a great next step for you if you fly frequently. It’s lightweight at just under 7 pounds, and it’s narrow as well, so it works on any plane. It’s a fan favorite of our Wheels Up private Facebook group members!

The Cosco Scenera Next will allow the majority of babies to rear face until they turn two years old — which is the minimum age to turn forward facing. However, it may not last much longer than that second birthday for bigger kids. Due to the weight limit (40 pounds), height limit (40 inches), and head height limit of 1 inch below the shell of the seat, parents of bigger littles will likely need to replace this car seat sooner rather than later.

We recommend maxing out the limits of your rear-facing car seat before switching to forward-facing. After all, rear-facing is the safest way to ride, and you can learn more about why here! Due to this car seat’s height, weight, and harness height limits, when you max it out rear-facing, you have nearly maxed out the forward-facing limits as well. When your child reaches the rear-facing limits, and they are at minimum two years old, and you plan to switch them forward-facing, purchase a forward-facing only combination (harness and high back booster) seat. 

The Cosco Scenera Next doesn’t have any fancy features to make installation easier, but that’s okay if you know this installation technique! Whether you’re installing with lower anchors or the vehicle seatbelt, pull the car seat cover up off one of the sides and tighten from inside the belt path. With the inside-out trick, this car seat can be securely installed in no time!

The top harness height is only 13.5.” Many kids are able to use it longer rear-facing than forward-facing. This is because the harness should be at or below the shoulders when rear-facing but must be at or above when forward-facing.

There is a line on the side of the seat that must be level with the ground. This means that it is very reclined, even for older children.