Wondering what an all-in-one car seat is or how to choose one? All-in-one car seats are designed to grow with your child through every stage—from rear-facing for infants to forward-facing for toddlers and eventually to high-back booster mode for big kids. Chicco all-in-one car seats are built for long-term use, offering adjustable features that fit newborns, toddler, preschoolers, and older children. Choosing an all-in-one car seat means investing in a single seat that transitions with your child’s needs over time.
The best all-in-one car seat will fit your child properly at each and every stage of use in addition to fitting your vehicle. Further, an all-in-one car seat is designed to last for several years so make sure you understand how the seat works in all of the stages and if needed, replacement parts are available.
When installing an all-in-one car seat, the LATCH system or the vehicle seat belt are both good options as long as you get a secure, tight installation. Consult your product manual to ensure that installation with LATCH is an option based on the child weight limit for LATCH use. LATCH use is weight-limited based on the overall weight of the child occupant plus the weight of the car seat. You must also check your vehicle manual to confirm appropriate LATCH seating positions.
Many all-in-one car seats have machine washable fabrics. Always refer to the product manual for specific details on how to remove the seat cover and properly clean the seat. Some brands include step-by-step instructional videos for removing and replacing the seat pad for cleaning so be sure to check your car seat manufacturer’s website.
An infant car seat can only be used rear-facing and is used for a limited amount of time, usually for the first 1 to 2 years. It offers the convenience of a 2-part design which consists of the car seat carrier and stay-in-car base. The car seat carrier clicks securely into the base and compatible strollers, making transporting your little one conveniently easy. If your child will be riding in more than one vehicle, you just need to purchase additional infant car seat bases. An all-in-one car seat offers a longer duration of use, accommodating the growth of your child and provides all major modes of car seat usage: Rear-Facing with Harness, Forward-Facing with Harness & Booster Mode. An all-in-one car seat stays in the car, it does not click into a separate base or stroller. Because of its bigger size and weight, it is not portable like an infant car seat. If your child will be riding in more than one vehicle, you’ll likely want to purchase an all-in-one car seat for each vehicle.