Best Baby Carriers 2018
Wearing your baby is becoming increasingly popular, and there are tons of original baby carriers entering the market every year. To help make your decision easier, we took 19 popular baby carriers, some having been around for over a decade (like the BabyBjorn and ERGO) and some being relative newcomers to the market (like the Mother Nest and Tula), and put them to the test to find this year's best baby carriers. The ones we tested ranged in price from about $35 to $150, and in general, the price tended to correlate with quality. All of the carriers were purchased by us, we did not accept any freebies to ensure our reviews were honest and unbiased. We evaluated each carrier for ease of use, safety, comfort, versatility, breathability, durability, and long-term reliability. Seven moms and dads of different shapes and sizes tried out the carriers with 8 different babies ranging in age from 2 months to 2.5 years. In the end, we found several high-end (our first list) and relatively budget (our second list) baby carriers that are part of our essential baby gear list and also make great mother's day and baby registry gifts.
Best Convertible Car Seats 2018
For this hands-on review, we pulled together a group of 15 parents and tested 18 of the best convertible car seats we could find, installing them in different vehicles, putting in infants, toddlers, and big kids, and testing out all of the key features. We spilled milk and juice on them, tested their stability during erratic driving, measured head-flop during naps, researched crash test ratings, and solicited honest opinions from parents. What remained are 10 truly excellent models that met and exceeded our expectations for safety, reliability, comfort, features, and ease of use. Click on any of the Top 10 convertible car seats to jump down to our full review.
Best Infant Car Seats 2018
To pull together our list of the best and safest infant car seats of 2018, we considered Ease of Use, Flexibility, Baby Weight and Height Ranges, Safety, Car Size, and Stroller Types. We tested all of the features, installed them in multiple vehicle types, and came away with about a dozen of the best infant car seats. Note that these are all rearfacing seats only, but to see our convertible and all-in-one car seats (2in1, 3in1) see our reviews here. For more details about what we considered in our hands-on tests, scroll down to the bottom of this article.
Best Baby Monitors of 2018
Our hands-on reviews put 25 video baby monitors to the test, testing them for features, image clarity, convenience, reliability, safety, range of reception, and versatility. We came away with over 10 of the top baby monitors of the year, including the top-ranked Infant Optics monitor to the super versatile Project Nursery monitor, which also make great baby registry gifts. Below we list our top baby monitor results, some of which are self-contained and some use wifi and your smart phone, and then go into our in-depth reviews of about a dozen of the best baby monitors on the market for 2018. After our buying guide, at the end of the article you can find more details about how we evaluated each model. Note that if you're looking for a sound-only baby monitor, click here).