Slim Car Seats

A narrow car seat 17.5 inches wide or less. Many families need three of them to fit in their second row, and we've found that's usually possible with car seats that are 17.5 inches wide or less, but measure your own back seat to be sure, because some cars are larger than others. Each slim car seat we carry has to pass the same federal crash standard as a wider seat, and like every car seat we carry, it’s free from added fire retardants.

This will take some planning/measuring for your specific car.  Start with the three car seats’ widths and hold the total against your back seat’s width to make sure they'll fit with some wiggle room. Car seats can be installed either with seatbelts or with the lower anchors. The seatbelt method should work in most cars as long as the 3 car seats are able to fit. However, the lower anchor method may not work for 3 car seats since cars produced today are only required to have 2 sets of anchors in the back seat. Just plan to be flexible and play around with different options to find the best way to secure them. A certified technician can check your installs, usually free.

Our slimmest are the Clek Liing and Britax Willow S. Both measure 16.9 inches wide, and every other infant car seat in this collection lands between 17 and 17.5 inches. In a back seat, that 0.6-inch spread matters less than how the seat installs in your car and whether it pairs with the stroller you love. We’d shortlist on those two things first, then let width break the tie. For the full lineup beyond slim, browse all our infant car seats.

Our narrowest are the Clek Fllo and Clek Foonf. They’re both 16.9 inches wide. Count the Britax Poplar, Britax Poplar S and Babyark Classic in too: at 17 inches, they’re a tenth of an inch wider, too close to rule out of a three-across row. All five rear-face up to 50 lb, harness forward-facing to 65 lb and install with the seat belt, so each can go in a back seat without lower anchors. Torn between the two Clek seats? We put the Clek Foonf and Fllo side by side.

A slim convertible, kept rear-facing to its limit. We’re big believers in extended rear-facing, and every slim convertible and all-in-one in this collection rear-faces up to 50 lb. When your toddler does turn around, the same seat carries on with a five-point harness, and our face-forward guide walks through when it’s time. Want one seat for the long haul? The Britax One4Life Slim becomes a high-back booster later, up to 120 lb.