If you are a new parent, a car seat is one of the most important purchases you will make – and one of the most confusing. The process is even more complex if you have your heart set on buying one made in the USA (there aren’t many options). We did the research to find all the car seats made in the USA. Keep reading to discover them, as well as our tips on labeling and materials sourcing. We also listed some well-known brands that make their car seats overseas.
Complete List of Car Seat Brands Made in the USA
Dorel Juvenile, a segment of the Canadian company Dorel Industries, owns Maxi-Cosi. However, some Maxi-Cosi car seats are made in a manufacturing plant in Indiana. Others are manufactured in China. To find out where individual car seat models were made, visit the brand website, look at the product webpage, click on “Product Support,” and check out the User Guide. The country of origin for the product should be in fine print under the “Contents” page. If the USA is listed as the country of origin for the car seat, the fine print will state, “Made in the USA from American and imported parts (including seat pad).”
Like Maxi-Cosi, Safety 1st is a brand owned by Dorel Juvenile. Not all their car seats are made in the USA, but you can discover on their website where each one is from by looking at the “Product Support” section of the product pages on their website and then viewing the User Guide, where it usually states the country of origin in the fine print under the Contents. Keep in mind that even the car seats made in the Dorel factory in Indiana may contain some imported components.
How to Find Car Seats Made in the USA
During our research, we didn’t see many domestically produced car seats. However, we managed to locate a few, and we want to do more than just recommend companies—we want to equip you with the knowledge to do your own research. Below are our tips on examining material sourcing, labeling, and other considerations for finding American-made car seats and other goods.
For more tips on searching for products made in the United States, see our Made in the USA labeling explainer guide.
Materials
One of the easiest ways to determine if a product was manufactured domestically is to look at its materials. Below, you will find the most common materials used to make car seats and the countries they usually come from.
Plastic
Plastic is typically used for the framework of a car seat because of its low cost. Unfortunately, European nations and China dominate the market for this material. However, the United States still produces around one-fifth of the world’s plastic supply.
Naturally, you want to keep your little one safe from toxic chemicals. That’s why it’s crucial to make sure the plastic used for the car seat you buy is BPA-free.
Metal
Some car seats have a metal framework. If the framework is aluminum, it probably wasn’t made here because China is far and away the world’s largest producer of that material, while the United States ranks only ninth. Your chances of a domestically-made car seat increase if it is made with stainless steel because the US ranks fourth in production of that material. That’s still considerably behind China, but US steel is three times stronger than the Chinese variety. This makes it a popular choice for some manufacturers.
Polyester
Many car seat covers and harnesses are made from polyester because this durable, easy-to-clean fabric is inexpensive. China is the global leader in polyester production, but the United States still ranks third. This means you can certainly find car seats made in the USA.
Foam
Foam is the most common filling for car seats. China leads the Globe in foam production, but the USA is also a key player in this industry. Therefore, the odds of finding a car seat with domestically-produced foam are by no means impossible.
Labeling
When shopping for USA-made goods, several US laws and regulations are your friend. For example, Title 19 Chapter 4 Section 1304 of the U.S. Code mandates that products made overseas be labeled as imported, with the country of origin stated on the item or its packaging. Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission requires products to be “all or virtually all” manufactured in the United States for a company to market them as being “made in the USA.”
Still, even with all these safeguards, shoppers need to be on their guard. The FTC doesn’t require brands to adhere to a pre-approval process to use the phrase “made in the USA” on a label or in advertising. Some companies also try to mislead consumers by using deceptive language such as “assembled in the USA” or designed in the USA.” Shoppers should also be looking for the phrase “Made in America” as it could mean an item was made in Mexico or Canada.
Sadly, even the image of Old Glory on a label doesn’t guarantee that a product was manufactured in the USA because the U.S. government doesn’t protect that image. This means companies are at liberty to slap an American flag sticker on a product or its label in an attempt to trick shoppers.
Final Tips
Here are some last-minute tips for finding car seats made in the USA.
Check the Brand’s Website
If a brand makes its products domestically, its marketing employees will do everything they can to highlight the fact in promotional materials because they know some consumers are on the hunt specifically for goods made in the USA. We recommend clicking the “Our Story” or “About Us” link on the company’s website. The brand may provide crucial information about its manufacturing process, including raw materials sourcing. Description pages for individual products are also a good place to look because the country or origin may be listed there.
Do Additional Online Research
Still unsure where a car seat was made after visiting the company’s website? Look for online articles and social media posts about the brand. Amazon can also be a good source of information. Sometimes, the Q&A section of the product description will indicate the product’s country of origin.
Call The Company
If all else fails, call the manufacturer. Hopefully, a company representative will tell you what you need to know about where a product was made and the countries of origin for raw materials.
Car Seat Brands Not Made in the USA
Here are some popular car seat brands that aren’t made domestically. We’ll keep adding to the list as we find more.
- Chicco – Made in China.
- UPPAbaby – Made in China.
- Nuna – Made in China.
- Graco – Made in China.
- Britax – 70% of their car seats are made in Germany, but models such as Polar S Convertible and the Growth with You ClickTight Harness-2-Booster are manufactured in the USA.
- Cosco – This is a Dorel Juvenile-owned brand. When you visit the Cosco website and check out individual product pages, you will sometimes find the following statement under the “Overview” section: “Proudly made by Cosco in Columbus, Indiana.”
- Evenflo – The Evenflo website contains no information on where its car seats are made. However, the Amazon pages for some models, such as the Evenflo Lifemax Infant Car Seat and the Evenflo Symphony Convertible Car Seat, indicate they were made in the USA. Other models are made in China.
