All seats available in the market are approved by federal regulations, meaning they are all basically safe for use... and yet, not all seats are equal! In some respects, certain seat models are superior to others, and then again, some seat models are superior to others of its type overall.

Car seat reviews will help you determine which seats have higher rankings, compared to other seats that suit the same age and weight of your child, as well as the size of your car and your wallet.Infant car seats have ease of use ratings, as defined by the National Health and Traffic Safety Administration (MHTSA) on their website at nhtsa.gov. The Child Safety Seat Ease of Use Rating is the virtual authority on the caliber of seats, as well as the usability of each standard seat feature. As of 2005 the NHTSA has five criteria for determining the Overall Ease of Use rating, all of which contribute to the total security of the seat: Assembly, Evaluation of Labels, Evaluation of Instructions, Installing Features, and Securing the Child.

Car seat safety ratings may also be defined by buyers - the people who have had the opportunity to use those seats. Online stores like Amazon.com come with extensive user reviews not only for books or movies, but also for everyday baby things like strollers, playpens and car seats! User reviews of a child safety seat could range from one-liners to a comprehensive breakdown of how well each function of the seat performs. But best of all, online stores like Amazon.com allow a graphical rating system that gives the opinion of the buyer in a nutshell. Amazon currently uses the 5-star system, which posits that 5 stars is the absolute best review a person could give to a product, while half a star is the absolute worst. And when you want to know how well a product works for a consumer, no input is better than the one provided by a fellow buyer!

While user feedback like on Amazon is an invaluable tool to measure the effectiveness and safety of the car seat, it usually doe not tell you all there is to know and that makes it worthwhile to shop around. Don't take Amazon as your universal truth, but use it as an indicator of the quality of the product.

Car seat safety ratings can identify the right seat for you, your car, and your baby. Remember there is no such thing as "the best car seat" for everyone - only "the best car seat for YOU".