The Best Times of the Year to Buy Car Seats
Car seats are pricey but a must-have. These are the best times to save big on your favorite car seat brands.
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From the first day you bring your little one home, the car seat you choose will be one of the most essential pieces of baby gear you’ll purchase (or add to your registry). And, if we’re being honest, it will likely be one of the bigger investments you’ll make in the baby gear department, especially with prices fluctuating due to tariff changes. Whether you opt for an infant car seat with plans to transition into a convertible car seat down the line or jump right to an all-in-one, it can be costly.
The good news is that car seats go on sale throughout the year, so you can likely grab the one you’ve been eyeing at a discount. While some brands go on sale less often than others, there’s almost always an opportunity within the year to save a few bucks on a car seat that will house your kiddo for the next few years or so.
July, for example, is a hotbed of sales events like Amazon’s Prime Day, Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and the Babylist Shop sale, and you can bet on finding a significant discount on baby gear, particularly car seats. I personally scour through sales pages to curate a shoppable list of deals for all of these savings events (plus our weekly sales and deals guide). To ensure you don’t miss a markdown, turn on your push notifications in the settings of your phone. This way, you’ll be alerted when there are new savings to be had.
As the commerce editor here at Babylist and a mom who loves to both shop and save, I tapped into my shopping expertise (professional and personal) to give you the deets on when the best times are to shop for a car seat deal.
January - March
Target Circle Week: March
Along with the car seat trade-in, Target’s Circle Week is a week-long event where you can save on a variety of baby gear like car seats. While you don’t have to be a premium paid Circle member, you do have to be a part of the free Circle program to take advantage of deals. Circle Week this year landed at the end of March, but Target runs this promotion a few times throughout the year.
Discounts we saw last year:
April - June
Target Car Seat Trade-In Event: April
Whether you’re a seasoned parent with a few unused, retired or expired car seats hanging around or a new parent moving from an infant seat to a convertible one for the first time, Target’s yearly trade-in event should be on your calendar. During the event, you can trade in your old car seat or base for two separate 20 percent off coupons that can then be used on a new car seat (or other select baby gear) in the store and online. Even if your old car seat has been in an accident, is expired or you just have a lonely base left—they all qualify. It is a great time to upgrade from an infant car seat to an all-in-one or convertible one or buy other baby gear you may need.
During the trade-in event window (which also happens in the fall), Target also discounts other baby gear (and yes, you can apply the 20% off coupon on top of that, so it’s a pretty good discount). As far as the type of car seats Target carries, you’ll find mid-range and affordable options from brands like Chicco, Graco, Baby Trend and Britax.
Discounts we saw last year:
July - September
Amazon Prime Day: July
Amazon started the Prime Day sale, which is exclusive to Prime Day members, nearly a decade ago, and it’s become one of the most anticipated sales events of the year. Big-ticket items like electronics, products for your home and baby gear are usually on sale. In my experience, mid-range car seats (think Graco, Evenflo, Chicco and Safety 1st) are typically the most discounted in the category (between 20 and 35 percent off). So, if you have your eye on a rotating car seat or Babylist’s favorite infant car seat, Prime Day, which typically happens mid-July, is the time (here’s our Prime Day deals article so you can stay on top of the sales this year).
Discounts we saw last year:
Nordstrom Anniversary Sale: July-August
If you’re in the market for a higher-priced car seat from a brand like Nuna, Doona or Cybex, the reality is that they rarely go on sale—with the exception of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. Happening in the summer, it’s the perfect time to splurge while saving a few dollars on the car seat or travel system of your dreams. Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale is a tiered event, opening early for their highest-ranked card members. The sale usually happens mid-July through the first week of August—this year it’s running from July 8 through August 3 (we’ll be surfacing the best deals during the sale). Starting June 26, you can preview what will be discounted (though your access is dependent on your membership status).
Discounts we saw last year:
Nuna TRVL LX + PIPA urbn Stroller & Car Seat Travel System: 26% off
Nuna PIPA RX Car Seat & Base: 25% off
Nuna RAVA Flame Retardant Free Convertible Car Seat: 27% off
Walmart Deal Days: July
Another time to get a deal on a mid-priced car seat is during Walmart’s Deal Event, which happens in July. You can expect markdowns similar to Target and Amazon on brands like Evenflo, Graco, Safety 1st and Chicco. If you’re a Walmart+ member, you’ll get earlier access, but it’s not required in order to shop the sale once it’s open to everyone.
October - December
Black Friday/Cyber Monday: November
Some would call Black Friday and Cyber Monday the Olympics of sales events, and I’d agree. Not only are brands running sales directly on their website, big box retailers like Amazon, Target and Walmart also offer huge price drops. Just about every car seat brand will have some type of discount during this time, so if you’ve been eyeballing a usually-pricey car seat that rarely goes on sale (like the Doona, which was $100 off last year), Black Friday is typically your best shot at catching a discount (even if it isn’t a large percentage knocked off).
Discounts we saw last year:
Evenflo Revolve360 Extend All-in-One Rotational Car Seat with Quick Clean Cover: 34% off
Doona Car Seat Stroller: $100 off
Throughout the Year
Babylist Shop Sales
The Babylist Shop offers discounts throughout the year, while also participating in major sales events during Memorial Day, Black Friday and Presidents’ Day. You can save on most baby gear brands, including Nuna, UPPAbaby, Chicco, Graco and more. And if you miss a sale but still have your registry completion discount, you can use it to save 15 percent with your registry completion coupon on a Babylist Shop purchase.
Brand-Specific Sales
Every now and then, you can catch a deal straight from the brand’s site. While most well-known car seat brands run their sales concurrently with big box retailers, some brands offer coupon codes or have seasonal sales throughout the year that are exclusive to their site. While there isn’t a way to nail down exactly when these sales are likely to go down, my best advice is to follow our weekly sales and deals guide, where we find deals on everything from top car seat brands and strollers to toys and things just for you. We also partner with brands to offer exclusive discount codes (like our 15% off code for Evenflo). You can also sign up for your favorite brand's mailing list to stay in the know.
