Natural Baby Mama

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2024 Best Non-Toxic Car Seats Without Flame Retardants

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Buying a safe and non-toxic car seat without flame retardants is finally a reality. Even better, there are many choices!  Today you can find flame retardant free car seats in all car seat types – infant, convertible, convertible all-in-one seats, and booster seats.  

When my son was born, there was not a single non-toxic car seat on the market that was flame retardant free.  Safety is always the priority, but having our children sit in chemical flame retardants has been a concern since day one.  

Over the years, I have been involved in helping change legislation to make car seats healthier.  Also, I was unintentionally involved in uncovering toxic flame retardant use directly linked to cancer in my child’s car seat.

After researching safe and non-toxic car seats years ago, I purchased an Orbit convertible car seat based on their claims to be free of toxic flame retardants as well as being Oeko-Tex certified. I then tested the foam in the car seat and found that TDCPP was present. This is a flame retardant that Orbit had claimed the car seat was free of.  TDCPP is a chlorinated flame retardant banned in the 1970s for use in children’s pajamas due to the link to cancer. Exposing my son to those chemicals has been one of my biggest disappointments. That finding led to additional testing by others, and eventually, Orbit went out of business. As a side note, it appears Orbit has come back into business this year.

After our personal experience, having a safe car seat without flame retardants for my children has been a passion of mine.  In the last 3 years, the progress that has been made is amazing.  

Today, we have multiple choices for non-toxic car seats, and that is a huge victory.  Let’s support these companies that are making safe and healthy car seats without flame retardants for our children.  

The brands making flame retardant free car seats are: 1) Nuna, 2) Clek, 3) Britax, 4) UPPAbaby, 5) Maxi-Cosi, and 6) Chicco. It’s really important to note that not all the car seats from the companies above are flame retardant free. Keep reading below to find out more about which non-toxic car seats you should buy.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure policy for details.

“This new list of products proves that flame retardant-free car seats are now the gold standard and best practice,” stated Jeff Gearhart, research director at the Ecology Center.  “Manufacturers who continue to produce seats with toxic flame retardants are going to be seen as dinosaurs.” 

What Are the Concerns With Flame Retardants in Car Seats?

It turns out there are many! There are concerns around the health impacts, whether they are effective, and around the environmental impacts.

Health Impacts of Flame Retardants

A majority of children’s car seats in the United States are filled with toxic chemical flame retardants due to an outdated 1972 federal flammability regulation.

Many flame retardants are associated with cancer. They have been linked to abnormal brain development, lower IQ, learning problems (including ADD / ADHD), behavior changes, and they can interfere with thyroid and sex hormones.   

Children are most vulnerable, and the long-term effects of these chemicals are much greater because their brains and bodies are developing. In addition, their skin is thinner.

Regulators have admitted that there is no evidence of a safety benefit from the use of these chemical flame retardants in car seats.  

Safety studies have been performed on flame retardants that show the negative health impacts, the environmental concerns, and that they do not provide benefits given their risks. Many have called to reduce the use of toxic chemical flame retardants.

How Children Are Exposed to Flame Retardants in Their Car Seats

Chemical flame retardants do not bind well to the products that they are used on.  That means that they are released into our environment as air particles, dust, and direct transfer.  

We Are Exposed to Flame Retardants Through:

  • Direct skin contact – our skin is our biggest organ!
  • Ingesting when your child touches their car seat then puts their hands in their mouth or eats a snack.
  • Inhaling the air particles that contain flame retardants.  
The Best Non-Toxic Car Seats without Flame Retardants

Types of Flame Retardants

Halogenated flame retardants are very toxic and linked to a vast array of health and environmental concerns. These consist of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants (which includes TDCPP).

Phosphate-based flame retardants are what have been used to replace the toxic halogenated flame retardants.  They have been thought to be “lesser toxic” but not considered non-toxic nor totally harmless.  Recent studies are showing links to endocrine disruptors as well as developmental concerns.

Why Flame Retardants Aren’t Thought to Be Effective in Car Seats

We would like to think that if chemicals are being used on the car seats to prevent fires, they would also be effective.  

Fire scientist Dr. Vyto Babrauskas, formerly the head of furniture fire research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, says that unless a fire is ignited inside the car seat foam itself, real-world car fires flames are too big for retardants to provide any significant benefit.  

Before flame retardant free car seats were available, Julie Watts, an investigative consumer reporter, did a side by side test of car seat covers to see if flame retardants provided an additional benefit in a fire.  The flame retardant free sample performed better than the car seat that had chemical flame retardants in it.  

Are Non-Toxic Car Seats Without Flame Retardants Safe if There Was a Fire?

Yes, all car seat companies must comply and meet federal flammability regulations. Foam and synthetic fibers are highly flammable. When companies use those materials in car seats, some choose to use chemical flame retardants to meet the flammability regulation.

One way to meet the flammability regulation without the use of chemical flame retardants is by using wool, which is naturally flame resistant. 

Another way to meet the flammability regulation, without using wool, is how the car seat and car seat cover are designed. This can include the weave of the fabric.

The companies below have created ways to meet the federal flammability regulation without the use of toxic flame retardants!

Another Chemical Lurking in Car Seats is PFAs (Waterproofing Chemicals)

PFAs are short for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances. These chemicals are used to make products non-stick (like Teflon) as well as stainproof and waterproof.

PFAs are linked to cancer, weakened childhood immunity, reproductive issues, and endocrine disruption in humans. They are also a huge environmental problem and are considered forever chemicals.

Luckily there are non-toxic car seat brands today that are both flame retardant free as well as PFA free.  

Car Seats Without Flame Retardants

With all the concerns about flame retardants, in my opinion, car seats made without flame retardants are healthier for our children.

In the past few years, we have gone from zero to over 35 car seats from 6 companies made without flame retardants!  This is amazing and inspiring.  I truly believe that all car seats will be free from chemical flame retardants in the future.    

Safety is always a priority. Please do your research to make sure the car seat you choose meets your family’s safety needs.  

This list of non-toxic car seats without flame retardants was created by reviewing the Ecology Center’s testing and contacting each individual company.

In 2022, additional car seats were added to the list of flame retardant free car seats.

he Best Non-Toxic Car Seats without Flame Retardants

The Best Non-Toxic, Flame Retardant Free Car Seats

The seats from the following 6 companies are on my approved list for non-toxic car seats without flame retardants.

Nuna:

Nuna is the ONLY car seat company that is flame retardant free! In 2020 Nuna’s booster seat was made without the use of chemical flame retardants making their entire line of car seats flame retardant free.

In addition, Nuna does not use PFAs or any waterproofing materials on their car seats. Nuna follows the European REACH standard, which is a certification that reduces chemical inputs.

Nuna car seats are made in China.

Nuna started phasing in flame retardant free car seats in early 2019. If you are unsure about when you bought your Nuna car seat, you can contact Nuna directly, and they will advise you if your car seat contains flame retardants or not. The Pipa car seats became flame retardant free in January of 2019, Rava and EXEC in February of 2019, and the Aace in March of 2020. For the Aace, the colors aspen and charcoal are NOT flame retardant free, but they are no longer in production but still could be available for sale.

Infant Car Seat:

Convertible Car Seat:

Convertible All-In-One Car Seat:

Booster Seat:

  • Aace booster seat (fabric is a polyester/cotton blend). Choose colors other than aspen and charcoal, which were in their pre-flame retardant free inventory (those colors are older inventory and contain flame retardants).

Clek:

Clek’s flame retardant free car seats come in two merino wool fabric colors called Mammoth and Full Moon/Twilight (added in 2020). Mammoth and Full Moon/Twilight are Clek’s only flame retardant free car seats. Their other car seats still contain flame retardants.

Their 100% merino wool car seat covers are Oeko-Tex certified and are free of PFAs (or any treatment).

Infant Car Seat:

Clek car seats are made in North America of domestic or imported parts.

Convertible Car Seat:

  • Fllo convertible car seat in Mammoth

Booster Seat:

Britax:

Britax SafeWash is their only line that has a flame retardant free cover. Britax stands behind the cover being free of flame retardants but does not state the entire seat is free of flame retardants. The Ecology Center testing shows that the upholstery, rigid foam, and shade were flame retardant free in two of the seats they tested. In one seat minor components (labels, interfacing) were free of flame retardants in one of the seats but not in the other.

The SafeWash line was released in 2019, and it is washable up to 30 washes.

Britax offers four car seats in SafeWash. The SafeWash fabric is synthetic and is free of PFAs.

Britax car seats are made in the USA of domestic and international parts.

Infant Car Seat:

Convertible Car Seat:

Booster Seat:

UPPAbaby:

The UPPAbaby Mesa infant car seat in Jordan and Henry are flame retardant free. None of their other car seats are made without flame retardants.  

The Mesa Jordan and Henry fabric is a Merino wool blend (60% wool, 40% polyester). In the EU and UK, their car seats meet the European REACH standards, which is a certification that reduces chemical inputs.

UPPAbaby car seats are made in China.

Infant Car Seat:

Convertible Car Seat:

Maxi-Cosi:

Maxi-Cosi has the PureCosi line which is flame retardant free. The PureCosi fabric is an easily removable, washable cover and is free of PFAs.

The fabric is wool-free polyester.

Maxi-Cosi’s Mico Max Plus is made in China.

Infant Car Seat:

Convertible Car Seat:

Booster:

Most of these car seats are available in my Amazon Store, along with other vetted non-toxic products. Nuna is the only car seat that is not available on Amazon.

One important thing to note, check the manufacture date when you get your car seat to confirm it is flame retardant free.

Chicco:

Chicco has entered the flame retardant free space with their ClearTex line of car seats. These car seats not only are flame retardant free but they are also GreenGuard Gold certified for low emmissions for VOCs (volatile organic compounds)

The ClearTex line is free of PFAs and the fabric is polyester.

Infant Car Seat:

Convertible Car Seat:

Convertible All-In-One Car Seat:

Booster Seat:

Other Brands Not Currently Recommended

Peg Perego has come out with a flame retardant free Merino wool fabric car seat. After confirming details with the company, it is only the fabric that is flame retardant free. The hard foam as well as the harness are both treated with flame retardants.

What Should You Do If You Don’t Have a Car Seat on This List?

If you can, I would recommend switching to a car seat without flame retardants to lessen the toxin burden on your children. I would also consider how much longer your child will be in their current car seat as well.

If you can not replace your current car seat, then vacuum and damp dust the inside of your car regularly. This will not remove the exposure to toxic chemical flame retardants but rather attempt to reduce the exposure.

Final Thoughts

There are many great choices for non-toxic car seats without flame retardant available to us now. Support the car seat companies making healthier products for our families!

Share this post to bring awareness to others that safe, non-toxic car seats made without toxic chemical flame retardants are widely available now!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jessica says

    I love this list and appreciate your experience and all the work you put into these resources for us. I shared it to a couple car seat Facebook groups and one had a link reply from a chemist.

    https://csftl.org/chemists-guide-car-seats/

    I would rather not have flame retardants and PFAs and am glad to see the car seat I am planning on getting next on this list. You mentioned PFAs also, is this list free of both or just flame retardants?

    • Natural Baby Mama says

      Hi, thanks for your comment! I mention under each seat if they are free of PFAs.

      I appreciate that link from the chemist but I don’t necessarily agree. There are studies that have done showing how harmful FRs are to us as humans and how they easily transfer. In the past few years, flame retardants have been removed so many children’s products. We have more options to buy flame retardant free furniture as well as more options for mattresses too. This just shows that there is a big push to move away from the chemical flame retardants to healthier options. The investigative reporter (who I linked in this post) tested her daughter’s level of the flame retardant found in her car seat. She also tested her own personal level. Her daughter’s level was off the charts high showing that it does transfer to children at a very high rate. While I agree that chemicals are everywhere I don’t agree with using the term “chemicals are everywhere” as a way to dismiss the concern. I strive to eliminate toxins wherever I possibly can to help reduce the toxin burden on my family.

      The good news in all of this is that now there are seats that meet the federal flammability regulations and that don’t use chemicals. It’s a win for the health of our children, and it’s a win for the environment all will keeping the structure and safety of the seat the same.

      I’m glad to hear that the seat you are planning on buying next is on this list! Thanks for reaching out!

  2. Jessie DeVito says

    Just went to go purchase the Nuna AACE on their website and thank God I read the additional info under the “smart design” heading. I noticed an asterisk next to the “doesn’t contain added flame retardants” and it excludes the Aspen and Charcoal colors….. almost bought the Aspen. I didn’t see it under their other seats, but here’s to hoping.

    • Natural Baby Mama says

      Hi, thanks for your comment. Yes another reader just told me about this a few days ago. I emailed Nuna and they did confirm this. I had emailed them and called them multiple times on the Aace and they never stated that before. I am updating my post now that I have confirmation from Nuna. Thank you!

    • Shannon says

      I just wanted to comment on an update on this. The colors Aspen and Charcoal are no longer in production. That was inventory they still had available from previous production runs where they were using flame retardants. All of the current colors of the Aace are flame retardant free.

  3. Rachel says

    Hi there – Thanks so much for this list. I’ve been referencing it a lot as we shop for a convertible carseat. I wish I had known about this when we chose our infant seat.

    We need 3 carseats as there are 3 of us that regularly transport our kiddo. I’d already purchased two safe-wash britax (a one-for-life for my husband and an advocate for my mom) and was prepared to purchase another britax for my car. I’ve been waiting for sales because 3 car seats is no joke on the budget!

    Anyway, I’m super bummed to read here that britax does not state that the entire car seat is free of pfas and flame retardants, only their covers. I hadn’t noticed that note until just now. What are your thoughts on that? Clearly you must have some faith in britax for listing the seat here. Should we be shelling out the extra $100 for a Nuna? I know you can’t tell me what we should do, but I’d love your feedback on the importance of a toxic chemical free seat itself vs just the cover. Thanks!

    • Natural Baby Mama says

      I have seen testing of other Britax seats on EWG and there have not been FRs other places on the seat. I’m hopeful we get a full test on a Britax seat in the coming year. That being said, I would go with whatever works best for you. I would buy either but do like that there is full testing on Nuna.

  4. Ashley says

    What do you think about the Clek C-Zero Plus line of fabrics with no chlorinated or brominated flame retardants and no fluorine in the water proofing? Also, don’t cars in general have a ton of toxic chemical including flame retardants? Even with a non-toxic car seat I would assume the child would unavoidably be exposed via all of the other adult toxic seats.

    • Natural Baby Mama says

      Hi, that Clek seat still has flame retardants so personally I would go with their seats that do not have added flame retardants. Yes, you are correct cars are filled with FRs. It is important to keep dust to a minimum in cars but by buying a FR free car seat for your child you are avoiding direct contact with the FRs in the cars. Their skin is much thinner than ours and hands are often in their mouths. You are eliminating a huge exposure of flame retardants by not having them in a seat that contains additional FRs.

  5. Roxanne says

    Hi, I was planing to buy Aace Nuna booster for my son. I wanted to doublecheck with their Flame Retardant Free policy and to make sure I got a March 2020 carseat since it’s the date when they launch their booster FR free. Here’s what Nuna Canada wrote back :

    Good morning
    Thank you for contacting Nuna Canada. We cannot guarantee that the car seat was manufactured after March 2020. In order to comply with Canadian regulations (CMVSS 302), we must apply certain chemicals to enhance flame retardant properties of materials to specific areas on our car seats. All The Aace has flame retardant applied to internal foam of the main pad, back pocket of backrest, back of seat pad pocket & seat cover binding.

    Anything in contact with the child, is free of flame retardant.

    As per the Canadian Regulation (CMVSS 302), we must apply certain chemicals to enhance flame retardant properties of materials to specific areas on our car seats.

    I was pretty disappointed, and will finally buy an Oobr Clek booster.

    Thanks.

    Thank you

  7. grace says

    do you know anything about doona car seats and if they are non toxic and chemical free from flame retardants, etc? thank you

      • Christine says

        I just inquired about Doona and this was their reply:

        Good morning,

        Thank you for reaching out to U.S. Doona Customer Support. We are happy to address any concerns and questions you have with your Doona.

        1) All car seats sold in the U.S. are required to meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Flammability Safety Standard (FMVSS 302). The fabric used on the Doona is sprayed with a flame retardant. This is not used on the infant height adjustment pillow or head support. We adhere to California’s Proposition 65 specification, which is the most stringent requirement in the US.

        Best regards,
        Doona Customer Support

  8. Brittany says

    I am trying to choose between the britax, nuna, and Clek.

    I am having a really hard time choosing.I have a couple questions if you don’t mind!

    1.do they have to be bought from the companies website or can they be bought from dillards or Albee baby as well to ensure they are from the right time frame?

    2. And since britax isn’t completely free is it just as safe or should I try to go with clek or nuna?

    • Shannon says

      You will need to check and compare with the company to ensure FR free no matter where you buy. Many stores and companies hold old inventory. I own a Nuna and a Britax.

    • Andrea says

      Albee Baby ships their Nuna car seats directly from Nuna. So, the inventory is new. I cannot say anything about the other brands though. However, when I do get other brands (Britax and Chicco) the manufacturer date is within a few months. I purchase all of my car seats for Albee Baby. Just purchased two this week actually.

  9. Brittan says

    Would you say the britax is just as safe even thought be while deaf isn’t said to be free?

  10. Joanna says

    Thank you for you blog. Please advise about the toxicity of Cybex Cloud Z as it is one of the few that has a full reclining position.

    • Shannon says

      Hi, since they do not state that they are flame-retardant free that means to meet federal standards they are using chemical flame-retardants. Most car seat companies are still doing this, only these few are not. Also the Cybex has smart capabilities built into their seats which would concern me regarding EMFs.

  11. Desiree says

    Do you know if the Clek Liingo (the baseless version of Liing) is good as well? This is all their website says about it:

    “It’s proudly Made in Canada and is available in various fabric options, all of which are free of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants.”

    • Shannon says

      All of the merino wool options should be flame retardant free (so I would choose that fabric). I can look into this one more and add it to my list if it meets the criteria.

      • Desiree says

        Ah, it doesn’t appear that the Liingo comes in merino wool. So the other fabrics have the FRs just not the brominated and chlorinated ones. Darn.

  12. Erica says

    Hi there, how do you know that the Nuna Rava is PFAs free? Their website doesn’t say anything about it and I have not heard back from them in response to my inquiry.
    Thank you!

  14. Lauren says

    Hello, I am really struggling to make a decision about that seat to get between the Nuna and Clark flame retardant free ones. I was leaning toward Nuna bc they are 100% flame retardant free but don’t like that they won’t allow the third party testing and that they are made in China…so I’m leaning toward clerk since they have been more transparent and are made in Canada. I just don’t like that their other seats have flame retardants and stain resistant treatments. Driving myself crazy trying to make the choice…any insight? I will be getting a convertible and a booster. Thank you!

    • Shannon says

      Hi, I think either Clek or Nuna is great. It’s just a personal choice and whatever would fit best in your car and for your budget. I have the Nuna but I wanted a 5 point harness, and Clek did not offer that in the seat I needed.

  15. Jose says

    I have a Nuna Pipa lite lx that was manufactured on 01/05-2018 does this years model have any flame retardants or PFOAs?

  16. Madhumitha Venkataraman says

    Hello Shannon,

    Thanks for all your efforts to keep the interested public informed on this. The last I read (in your fb grp) that clek’s model of convertible car seats with Merino wool still has chemicals and flame retardant in it’s strap, but not sure if it was something that changed in 2020/21.

    • Shannon says

      You are welcome! The last testing did show low levels. I tried to find out more details but was told by a third party that it doesn’t necessarily mean flame retardants since the levels were lower than what is typically seen. I couldn’t get a clear answer on it but this is the case with some car seat companies and not others. I think in the scheme of things, these car seats are so much better than even a few years ago!

  17. Nancy says

    Thanks for this super helpful article. A friend wants to give me an old Nuna Pipa, not yet expired, manufactured in 2015, so I’m assuming it has FRs. How long do these take to offgas? Would my baby be getting some exposure to chemicals via this seat?

    • Shannon says

      Yes, it would have FRs. Also, car seats expire so I would double-check on that as well. FRs don’t necessarily full off-gas. Yes, high likelihood your baby would have FR exposure from this seat. Honestly, I would get a new FR-free seat.

    • Shannon says

      I reached out to them to confirm that the entire seat is FR free and not just the fabric and they never responded to me. The wording on their website makes it unclear if they are talking about the entire seat or not.

  19. Chana says

    Chicco has a cleartex green gold certified option that claims it is free of chemicals in the fabric, foam, and labels. Have you done any research to know how this one compares to those you have listed?

    • Shannon says

      Hi, I reached out to them a month or more ago and they never responded. The way they worded it on the website had me wanting to verify a few things but when they didn’t respond, I felt that I couldn’t include them on this post.

  20. Sylina says

    Clek’s C-Zero Plus fabric is Greenguard gold certified. I would think this means it only has negligible chemicals? Also, I am not sure it’s clear if the Clek has FRs in the foam of their seats? The comments seem directed to the outer fabric. Any insights? I really like the company and had their merino Liingo before they stopped producing that model with that fabric. I loved it and am looking at getting a convertible from them but the wool options are just so expensive. They are apparently coming out with a new merino wool-tencel blend in a few months, too, to replace the 100% merino wool.

    • Shannon says

      Greengold certified does not mean that it only has negligible chemicals. It has mostly to do with air quality. You can have PVC, lead, and flame retardants and still be Greengold certified.

      Clek is FR free as I state in the post and confirmed by independent testing. That’s too bad they are replacing the 100% wool with a wool-Tencel blend. Often to get fibers like wood pulp into a useable form (ie, tencel) it can be a chemically intensive process (just like bamboo). I would much prefer natural fibers like wool.

  21. Jen says

    Hi! Thank you so much for this great information. What are your thought on the Purecosi car seats by Maxi Cosi? Torn between the Britax

    • Shannon says

      You are welcome. I don’t have any personal experience with the Purecosi but I think any of these flame retardant free seats are a great option.

  22. Mona says

    Thanks for the great article.

    I have a brand new Britax advocate in softwash fabric that I can still return and get a Nuna Rava.
    If you were in my shoes, would you return the Britax? Or you feel confident about Britax in terms of chemicals?

  23. Nichole says

    Hi Wondering if the New Britrax Next Gen line is free from Flame retardents or PFAS it does come in their safewash line however it seems it is only the seat cover itself that is possibly flame retardent free not the whole seat?

    • Shannon says

      Yes, Britax is only claiming that their Safewash line is FR free for the seat cover itself. If you look at previous testing done by the Ecology Center you’ll see that the Britax seats test FR free. I would be comfortable with any Safewash line from Britax.

  24. Michaela says

    Hi Shannon! My kiddo is in need of a bigger / convertible car seat and I came across the Maxi Cosi Pria All-in1 Convertible Car Seat. It says in the description that “PureCosi fabric is wool-free and without added fire-retardant treatment”. Did you do any research on this model? Thanks so much in advance!

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