These Portable Car Seats Make Traveling with Baby a Bit Easier

Having kids doesn't mean the end of travel, though it does mean you'll want to get savvy about the ways to make it more manageable. The key to keeping the adventures going is finding the right travel gear for you and your whole family. Enter: The portable car seat. Unlike your regular day-to-day car seat, a portable car seat is designed to be more lightweight, compact and easy to take with you on the go. Safety is always the number one priority, and these car seats make it possible to keep your little one safer in all types of vehicles, from airplanes to taxis.

Aside from requiring a lot more gear, traveling with kids can be quite stressful, and in between packing your luggage, remembering your sunscreen and making sure you grab their favorite toy, there's not a lot of mental energy for anything else. That's why our experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute Parenting Lab have been testing car seats for decades including the best car seat and stroller combos, the best convertible car seats and the best booster seats. We test each car seat based on safety features, functionality, ease of use and value. Our picks are decided based on tests done in-Lab by our experts, evaluations from our consumer testers and extensive research.

Our top picks:

Head to the end of this guide to find more information on how we test, whether or not you should use a car seat on a plane, what to look for when shopping for the best portable car seats and more. Looking for something else to help make traveling with kids as easy as possible? Check out our favorite lightweight strollers and diaper bags and the winners of our first annual Family Travel Awards.