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Cybex Aton 2 installed with the base
Skipping the rear facing only car seat and using a convertible or multimode car seat for a new baby is a totally valid choice. It makes sense — instead of purchasing a car seat that will only be used for the child’s first year, a convertible or multimode car seat can be used for four or five years, or even longer! Choosing a convertible car seat for a newborn can be tricky.
Newborns are teeny little creatures with a unique set of needs, and not all convertible or multimode car seats are created equal when it comes to fitting a brand new baby.
Why Choose a Rear Facing Only Car Seat?
Evenflo EveryStage newborn doll
Why do parents choose a rear facing only, or infant car seat in the first place? Mainly for convenience. A rear facing only car seat has a base that stays in the car, while the carrier can be snapped in and out of multiple vehicles with their own bases, and often a stroller. That click in and out is quite convenient for a small baby, making it easier to carry them from place to place and keep them out of extreme weather. The price for that convenience is a seat that only lasts for about a year, on average, before it is outgrown.
Convertible and Multimode Car Seats
The second option is to choose a convertible or multimode car seat. These types of car seats stay installed in the vehicle rather than clicking into a base. Most convertible car seats are labeled from 5 pounds and up, however fitting a tiny newborn in a big convertible car seat can be problematic.
There are a few things to consider: 
- Harness strap positioning: when rear facing, straps need to be positioned at or just below the shoulders. Most newborns have a torso measuring around seven inches tall, so if the lowest slots must be at least that low to fit correctly.
- Harness tension: the straps need to be tight enough to pass the pinch test. The harness needs to be short enough to accommodate an average seven pound baby; many convertible seats have a harness that is too long to get tight over their small bodies.
- Recline angle: car seats that are installed for newborn passengers need a recline angle that is generally around 45 degrees. If their head were to fall forward, it can constrict the airway and cause a breathing problem for a new baby. It’s easier to install some convertibles than others at that newborn recline angle. Some convertible car seats don’t leave a lot of room for a passenger in front of the car seat. If the car seat cannot be installed on its own at the proper angle for a newborn, some allow use of pool noodles (or a tightly rolled towel) to achieve the necessary recline angle.
- Fit to child: many car seats include an insert that boosts the child’s body to position them correctly in the seat, and provide body and head support. Some convertible ar seats come with an insert that has been tested along with the seat and is safe to use. If the seat does not come with any type of insert, you may need to use rolled receiving blankets for head and/or body support.
- With all those things in mind, which seats DO work for newborns? We’ve tested our Huggable Images newborn safety training doll in a variety of convertible car seats to check the fit to see how they stack up. She weighs 7 pounds, is 17 inches long, and has a 7.5″ torso. While she offers an excellent representation of how the harness height might fit, every baby is shaped a bit differently so please test your convertible car seat for your newborn before heading out for a ride!
Sure Things
Chicco NextFit
: Rated from 5 pounds with 5.5″ bottom harness slots when using the substantial newborn insert. This seat provides a great fit for small newborns and has multiple recline settings to easily achieve a newborn recline. Original versions of this seat had large, stiff harness covers that were required and very bulky on a small baby, but Chicco has updated their recommendations to allow the old style to be removed, and seats made after 10/2013 have much smaller, more flexible covers that do not hinder fit for a small baby. One note: on some sloped vehicle seats, the NextFit is difficult to install at the proper angle for a newborn. We suggest trying the NextFit in your vehicle before purchasing one for a newborn.
Graco 4Ever: Rated from 4 pounds and 6″ bottom harness slots with a substantial newborn insert, this seat will fit almost every newborn, and will fit many premature babies. Multiple recline settings make it easy to achieve a safe newborn recline.
Maxi-Cosi Pria with Tiny Fit: The Tiny Fit system has 5″ lowest harness slots and is rated from 4 pounds. This seat will fit small newborns and preemies. The design of the seat also allows for a newborn angle to be achieved easily without taking up substantial front to back space. The non Tiny Fit Pria 70 is rated from 9 pounds and will not fit newborns or young infants. The Pria 85 is rated from 14 pounds.
Good Bets
Britax ClickTight Convertibles (Advocate pictured): Rated from 5 pounds with 7.5″ bottom harness slots when using the infant insert. With seven recline positions, it is unlikely extra recline help will be needed. All Britax ClickTight convertibles have the same bottom slot measurements, which makes them all a good bet for a newborn.
Britax Emblem newborn doll
Britax Essentials Convertibles
: Rated from 5 pounds with 7″ bottom harness slots when using the infant body insert. The seat will likely need a pool noodle to achieve a newborn recline. Both the Allegiance and Emblem Britax Essentials convertible car seats have the same harness slot measurements and similarly are good bets for a newborn.
Clek Foonf/Fllo with infant-thingy: Purchased separately, the infant-thingy is rated from 5 -22 pounds and 19 inches long for use with the Clek Foonf and Fllo, which have 8″ or 10″ bottom harness slots. The infant-thingy allows the seat to be used even if the harness is above the infant’s shoulders, making these long-lasting convertible seats an option for many infants from birth.
Combi Cocorro: The only convertible rated from 3 pounds, but unfortunately the 19 inches long height minimum means it excludes many preemies or small newborns. This seat does have an ample newborn insert and a shortened harness loop to ensure a good fit as long as the child is within the stated minimums.
Cosco Apt 40 or 50
: Rated from 5 pounds and 19 inches long with 5″ bottom harness slots and coming in around $50, the Apt is a great bet for newborns. The Apt 50 has a 2 year minimum age to use it forward facing. The Apt 50’s top harness position is 3″ taller than the Apt 40 making it a longer-lasting option.
Scenera NEXT Newborn fit
Cosco Scenera NEXT: Rated from 5 pounds and 19 inches long with 5″ bottom harness slots, the Scenera NEXT will fit most average newborns. This seat also has a 2 year minimum age to use it forward facing. The Scenera NEXT is a great option to get most Littles from birth – 3 years old rear facing at a budget price.
Evenflo EveryStage newborn doll
Evenflo EveryStage The EveryStage is rated from 4-50 pounds rear facing and has a 7.5″ bottom harness slot with the infant padding in place. We found that it fit our newborn doll quite well.
Evenflo SureRide : The budget-friendly SureRide is rated from 5 pounds and 19 inches long with 6.5″ bottom harness slots. It may need a pool noodle to achieve a proper angle for a newborn, as well as rolled receiving blankets for body support; but will provide a good fit for a newborn. At around $100, it also is a great budget-friendly option.
Graco Contender newborn doll
Graco Contender: The lightweight Contender is rated from 5 pounds and has a 7 inch lowest harness slot with the infant padding in the seat. It fit our newborn doll reasonably well.
Graco Extend2Fit Convertible: Rated from 4 pounds with 7″ bottom slots with the use of the infant insert, the Extend2Fit will not fit premature or very small babies, but is a good bet for most singleton term newborns. The seat is compact and will work well at the required newborn angle for most vehicles.
Graco My Ride 65: Rated from 5 pounds and 19 inches long with 7″ bottom harness slots, multiple harness loops and a newborn insert. This seat has a deep natural recline and is a good fit for newborns.
Graco Size4Me/Head Wise/Fit4Me/MySize Rated from 4 pounds with 7″ bottom harness slots. This seat has an infant body insert as well as a head insert that adjusts below the big headwings to provide proper support.
Maxi-Cosi Magellan Max newborn doll
Maxi-Cosi Magellan: The Magellan is rated from 5 pounds and has a 6 inch lowest harness position. The Magellan Max fit our doll quite well. Before we buckled the doll into the seat, we were concerned that the extra padding would make the fit challenging or that the harness pads would make the chest clip sit too low on her chest.We were pleasantly surprised to see that the padding helped to provide a great harness fit for our doll. In addition, the seat seemed to cradle the doll very well. The harness pads did not make the chest clip sit too low on our doll’s chest.
Peg Perego Primo Viaggio Convertible: Rated from 5 pounds with 7.5″ bottom harness slots and a large newborn insert, the Peg will fit average newborns nicely and tighten sufficiently. The seat will likely require a pool noodle to achieve a newborn angle, and caregivers may want to remove the large harness covers, which are bulky on a newborn.
Safety 1st Advance Air and Safety First Advance EX 65 Air + : Rated from 5 pounds and 19 inches long with 7.5″ bottom harness slots and a small newborn insert, the Advance Air and Advance EX will fit newborns easily. The required recline for infants under 22 pounds takes up a very large amount of space in the vehicle. When installed at the newborn angle, these seats are only suited for large vehicles.
Safety 1st Grow and Go: Infant Fit
Safety 1st Grow and Go: Rated from 5 pounds and 19 inches long with 6″ bottom harness position when using the required infant insert, the Grow and Go will fit newborns easily. The required recline for infants who cannot sit unassisted takes up a very large amount of front-to-back space in the vehicle. This seat also has a 2 year minimum age to use it forward facing. When installed at the newborn angle, these seats are best suited for large vehicles.
Hit or Miss
Diono Radian R120 / RXT: Rated from 5 pounds with 8″ bottom harness slots, it may not work for all newborns at birth. The R120 and RXT models come with a head and body insert that is necessary to provide a good fit. Diono also sells separately a shorter harness that may be necessary. The Radian is a tall seat, and does not allow use of a pool noodle to adjust the angle. Generally, the Radian naturally installs at an angle appropriate for a newborn but in some vehicles it may take up a large amount of front to back space or may install too upright for newborns.
Evenflo Triumph: Rated from 5 pounds and 19 inches long with 8″ bottom harness slots, it may not work for all newborns at birth. This seat will likely need a pool noodle to achieve a newborn recline. The crotch buckle depth is a bit long for a newborn and will likely need a small rolled receiving blanket to keep baby from slouching.
Graco Milestone: Rated from 5 pounds with 8″ bottom harness slots and a newborn insert, it may not work for all newborns at birth. Milestones produced starting late in 2014 now have a recline bubble to indicate the proper 30-40 degree recline range.
Seats to Skip:
Conclusion:
The safest seat is the one that fits your child, fits your vehicle, and can be used properly every time. If you decide to skip the infant seat and move straight to a convertible, we hope this guide will help you narrow down your choices to make a choice that will fit your brand new Little correctly from their very first ride. Read reviews of some of the seats listed above on our recommended car seat list.
