Best Foldable Car Seat for 2 year Old | The Info You Should Know in 2021

The car seat industry is constantly launching newly designed car seats in the market. Nowadays car seats come with reinforced steel frame, super soft headrest armrest, extended height and weight limits, and lots of comfort features.

But car seats become a big headache when you want to travel with your baby. Because these normal car seats are too big to pack and carry through aircraft. But those days are gone when you have to leave your baby’s huge car seat at home and compromise your child safe while traveling or you have to rent car seats from hire companies with lots of money. You don’t need to worry, because you have options now.

Besides all these big car seats a new category has come which are foldable car seat for 2 year old and more than 2 years old baby’s so that you can travel and explore the world with your baby without compromising the safety of your child. There are alternatives to those huge car seats in the market.

You will find lots of foldable car seats in the market which allows you to travel with your child without worrying about safety. These compact designed seats fold easily and allow you to carry through the airport and plane easily.

In our article, we will provide information about foldable seats. And we will talk about the features, advantages, and disadvantages of foldable car seats. So that you can select the correct one for your child.

What To Look For in a Lightweight Car Seat

Since our article is all about folding car seats, the main feature should be portability. You should buy a car seat that folds small enough so that you can take the seat out and carry it easily and you can use it when you need to.

All car safety seats are going to provide the same level of safety. Because there are some safety standards for car seats. If a car seat fails to maintain these safety standards it doesn’t get permission to sell in the market. So safety is not the issue to worry about.

And one of the most important things you should look for in a foldable car seat is for what stage babies the car seat is and if the seat is gigging to match with the child’s age and size. Because putting a 2 or 3 years old baby in a backless booster seat is not safe no matter how convenient the booster seat is. On the other hand, a 6 years old baby who still slopes in the vehicle will not fit into a foldable 5 point harness seat.

Besides these, there are also some important features that you should look for before buying a foldable car seat for a 2 years old kid.

Convertibility

A convertible car seat can hold the baby for longer and gives you a chance to use one car seat for long. A typical convertible car seat normally holds an infant around 3 pounds and maybe its ability to hold around 65 pounds. The benefits of buying a folding convertible seat are you can use two modes (Rear-facing and Forward-facing) and you can use this seat

FAA Approval

The main reason you’re thinking of buying a foldable car seat is you want to travel, and take the car seat with you so that you can use it when you need it. For traveling you’re going to ride the aircraft for sure.

So it is necessary to buy a seat which is FAA approved. Because the airport authority won’t allow you to fly with a seat that is not FFA approved. So you must buy the seat with FFA approval. Check the car seat before buying. It should have a sticker which says “This Restraint certified for use in the aircraft” if it is approved by the FFA.

Features

There are car seats that come with lots of features. On the other hand, there are car seats which have only a few features. But before buying a car seat you need to figure out what are the feathers that your family needs most. There are features like sun canopy, removable and washable seat pads, and cloth, cup holders, safety harness, etc. But you need to find out which features are going to make your work easy.

Size / Width of Seat

This option is more important if you are planning to fly with your car seat or you have more than one child in the back seat while you’re traveling in a car. Just because you have brought an FAA-approved car seat it doesn’t mean your car seat will get fit in the aircraft. An aircraft seat width is 17’’ to 22’’. A seat that is 17-inch wide or less usually fits in every airplane. And if you want to install several seats in your car you should buy a seat with less width and which one fits across 3 in almost every car seat.

Style

Before you buy a foldable car seat for a 2 years old child you need to find out which style is compatible with your baby. Because there are Five-point harnesses and booster seats in the market.

The harness seat gets attached in five points – on the 2 side’s shoulder, in both hips, and in the crotch. When you properly tighten a harness seat it prevents the child from moving from the sitting position. Normally a harnessed seat is used for the small child who moves a lot. A harness seat can be used for both infants and toddlers.

And the booster seat is used for toddlers who outgrow their car seat limits. Mainly the booster seat is used so that the seat belt lays through the correct location of the child’s body to protect them. There is no specific time for using booster seats for a child. But just make sure your child is mature enough and doesn’t move around too much from the sitting position.

Weight

Weight is a very important issue when you travel a lot. You will never want to struggle with carrying a heavy seat every time you travel. So make sure you buy a lightweight car seat. The weight of a typical lightweight car seat is only 8 to 20 pounds. And this is a great weight to carry while traveling even through the airport. A lightweight seat will help you to save your energy so that you can travel happily.

Frequently Asked Question

Are foldable car seats safe?

All the car seats sold in the market have to pass a similar level of Federal crash test. So all types of car seats are safe. But you need to choose the right seat according to your child’s height and weight to ensure the best level of safety.

Can I use a foldable car seat in any car?

Yes, You can use a foldable car seat in all vehicles. A foldable car seat comes with all the facilities that a typical car seat has. The difference and the advantage are you can fold the seat and carry or move it easily.

What to Look for in a foldable Car Seat for 2 Year Old Kids?

First, you need to find which type of foldable seat will be best for your baby. Because you will find both a 5-point harness and Booster foldable car seat in the market. Normally a point harness seat holds up to 65 pounds. The 5 point harness seat keeps those babies in the correct position who moves a lot while traveling.

On the other hand, the booster seats are for mature babies who don’t move from the seating position. There is no specific time to move the baby in a booster seat. You need to find out the seat style according to your baby. And in our article, we have mentioned what features a foldable car has. Read the article carefully so you will get enough knowledge about foldable car seats.

Are you sure that your kids are riding in the car safe?

According to researchers, 3 out of 4 car seats are installed incorrectly. And more than 90% of parents can’t use a car seat properly. So 90% percent of kids are raiding incorrectly in their car seats, which is not safe. To make sure your baby is riding safely you should learn how to fix the seat correctly before putting your baby in the car seat.

What kind of car seat should a 2 year old be in?

According to AAP, a two years old kid should ride rear-facing. A convertible rear-facing car seat would be the best option for a two years old child. Kids remain safer while riding rear-facing and it lessens the chance of neck and spine injuries.

Though most of the forward-facing seat and booster seat allows a tow years old kid to in forward-facing seat and booster seat, you should keep your 2 years old rear-facing as long as possible. There are many foldable rear-facing car seats that allow the kid to ride rear-facing until 4 or 5 years old.

How to select the best foldable car seat?

Since the question is about folding car seats, the main feature should be portability. You should buy a car seat that folds small enough so that you can take the seat out and carry it easily and you can use it when you need to.

What is the safest car seat for a 2 year old?

No manufacturers can say that their car seat is the safest car set for 2 years old babies. All car seats available in the US market have to pass the same level of federal safety test. There’s nothing like the Federal safety standard for side impact or roll over-testing, so any manufacturers claiming their seat is a rollover or side-impact tested this isn’t especially meaningful. So we can’t surely say that one seat is safer than another.

However, there are some seats available in the market that provide some additional features like anti-rebounding bars, extra side impact protection, etc. These features do help to provide some extra security.

Is a booster seat safe for a 2 year old?

No. The bones of a 2 years old baby are not strong enough that can withstand crash forces in a booster seat. In the booster, only the seat belt protects the baby when it is in the correct position on the child’s body. You should not use a booster seat until your baby grows enough and stays in the same sitting position without moving during the whole trip. The minimum age for booster seats is 5 according to AAP.

Conclusion

Choosing a travel-friendly and secure car seat or booster seat for your kid is a really tough job. Because almost every car seat out there is heavy and huge sized. These car seats are too big to pack and carry through the airport and all the time during your trip.

That’s why the Foldable car seats are made so that you can keep your child’s car seat with you in all trips. And you can carry them with you and use them when you need them. Now you don’t need to compromise your baby’s safety or spend extra money on renting a car seat from hire companies while you’re traveling.

But before buying a car seat you must find out the style and type of the seat which is going to be best for your child. And as you know the best seat is the one in which your child fits perfectly. And make sure the seat is FAA approved because the main reason for buying a foldable car seat is traveling.

So it’s important to buy an FAA-approved seat so that you can carry and use the seat through aircraft. And the most important thing is weight. Normally a typical foldable seat is lightweight so that you can carry the seat without sweating.