3 Tips to Save Money on Car Seats

You’ve found out that you’re pregnant. YAY!!!

Fast forward to going into the store to register and you’re all “Oh, crap!”. One, there’s a bajillion items in the store.  How do you know what the heck to get.  I remember registering with our first daughter and we were just happily walking through the aisles, scanning everything. It took me a few weeks after registering to realize that half the stuff we put on there, we didn’t even need. Then, I realized that some of the things, I really needed to think about. Fast forward to now having two children and I’m a little more versed on things.

Car seats were one of the hardest selections. So. Many. Options. Seriously, why are there so many car seat options? Do we want an infant seat with a stroller? An infant seat without a stroller? Do we need an extra base? How about a convertible car seat? Do it matter which one we get?  Is the $100 option as good as the $500 car seat? So. Many. Questions.

Luckily, I’m here to save the day.

First, it’s important to realize that every single seat on the market has been tested and approved for the current safety standards.  This means that they all meet crash safety protocols.  Typically, when looking at higher priced car seats, you are paying for more cushion in the seats, higher quality fabrics, or longer ability to rearface and/or use multi-mode (rearfacing, forward facing, belt positioning booster all in one).

Here’s our 3 Tips to Save Money on Car Seats 

1. Get a coupon if not purchased from your registry
   • Many registries, like Target and Amazon, will give you coupons for completing your registry about a month before you put your due date.
   • For us, we got a 15% off Target coupon to use for anything that was on our registry that someone didn’t buy.
2. Trade in Events
   • Target and Babies-R-Us both have trade-in events.  They will give you a % off coupon to bring in an old seat and upgrade to a new one. The coupon usually ranges in the 20-25% off range.
   • If this is your first child, try to locate a used car seat somewhere like your local FreeCycle
     • PLEASE NOTE: You NEVER want to personally use a used car seat. If you don’t 100% know the history of the car seat, then you shouldn’t be using it. 
3. Buy a convertible car seat
   • For us, this was the greatest savings ever. We didn’t realize this was an option with our first, but it’s what we did with our second. (We have a Diono Radian for one and Rainier for the other)
   • Convertible car seats cost more up front typically; however, depending on your child, it could be the only seat that they ever needed.
   • For our first, we switched to a convertible around 6 months.  With our first, she was in a convertible car seat from the day we left the hospital. We used a Boba baby carrier to get her back and forth.

What are your Tips to Save Money on Car Seats?  Leave a comment and let us know!

BONUS!  Check out our 4 car seats for under $100 post!

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