Top Rated Infant Car Seats
Not all infant car seats are created equally. The best seats have features that increase the performance of crash tests. For example load legs are shock-absorbing elements that are affixed to the seat or base and help to reduce the movement of the seat during a collision.
Chicco KeyFit is a favorite of CPST instructors. It comes with an upper-right rear-facing weight and a the height limit is high, a bubble-level indicator, and a spring loaded reclined foot that makes it simple to set up.
Graco Mesa Max
The Graco Mesa Max is one of the top-rated infant car seats due to its user-friendliness. It is made of great materials with a simple design and a handy feature that allows you to attach the child's harness to the headrest to make it easier to tighten. It also has a large hideaway canopy that makes it easy to keep your baby shaded during travel. The only drawback is that it is a bit heavier than normal this could be a problem if you intend to carry it around or want it to pair with your UPPAbaby stroller, which is a winner.
Mesa Max's impressive crash test results show its dedication to top-tier safety. It scored high in both the frontal and side impact tests, which means that your child will be protected from the two sides of a collision.
Another important safety feature is the Graco's antirebound panel, which helps reduce the forces of rebound in an accident and ensures that your child's head is protected. This feature is unique among infant car seats and makes the Mesa Max standout among its peers.
When used with the included base when used with the base Graco Mesa Max can be installed quickly and securely into your vehicle by using LATCH. The load leg, recline angle adjustment as well as the indicator of tightness help ensure a quick, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6, which is slightly higher than the typical car seat for infants however not enough to cause a problem.
Similar to its predecessor, the UPPAbaby Mesa V2, the Mesa Max uses dual-knit fabric that's free of fire-retardant chemicals. car seat for newborn features an infinitely adjustable headrest and an infant insert that improves the body's fit and positioning for babies approximately 4-11 lbs. The fabrics are GREENGUARD Gold Certified, which tests for low emissions of chemicals and VOCs.
The UPPAbaby UPPAmax Mesa Maxi might be a bit more expensive than the other options, but offers premium features and advanced technology for a safe travel experience. The base included and a variety of fashionable colors enhance the value proposition. Its thoughtful design and robust features provide peace of for parents on their every trip.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight
The Britax Blvd ClickTight is a great option for parents who are looking for a car seat they can expand with. The weight limit for rear-facing is 40 pounds, which is higher than many infant car seats. It can also be used forward-facing until your child is 65 pounds.
Its most prominent selling point is the ClickTight Installation System, which is the most secure and simple to use available. It allows you to tighten the seat belt by pressing a red release button and pulling the harness strap without the need to untie it and then re-thread it. This reduces the chance of not tightening correctly the belt that is the primary cause of car seat failure.
Another safety feature is the EZ-Buckle Pad, which holds the buckle in place when you're putting your child in the seat. This feature together with beltpath cutouts on both sides of the seat, makes it simple to get your child into and out of the car.
The three ClickTight convertible seat models (Boulevard CT, Marathon CT, Advocate CT) share the similar features. ClickTight Installation System is one of them. Also included is an impact-absorbing frame that can accommodate 7 recline positions.
The seat is quite heavy, but you may want to consider a lighter option if you plan to use it for frequent swaps of cars. Additionally, the seat is big, so it may not be suitable for smaller vehicles, especially when it's on the rear.
If you're looking to find a budget seat with similar quality, the Graco 4Ever DLX is a great option. It has lower crash test scores than the Boulevard but is a great option for your child.
The Graco also comes with LATCH connectors with push-on connections that make it simpler to remove the seat. The Boulevard's LATCH connectors have a different release mechanism which requires you to press a grey button and pull the webbing to loosen it. It's not easy to accomplish this if the webbing is tight. This seat has a handy compartment to store the belt straps.
Clek Liing
Clek Liing is the ideal infant car seat you should consider to have it all with style, safety, and comfort. This rear-facing only car seat comes with a great crash test score, an impressive variety of features, and is easy to install in most vehicles.
The Liing is designed with features that exceed US and Canadian safety standards. It is designed for easy, secure installation in any seating position. It also comes with advanced safety features, such as an energy-absorbing metal leg and two pieces of shell that is lined with EPP to provide increased side impact protection. The base comes with 7 recline positions, as well as a dependable bubble indicator that lets you know exactly when the seat is set at the correct angle for your baby.
The Liing is a sleek, modern stroller that parents are raving about. It is equipped with innovative safety features such as strong lower anchors that are much easier to attach than hook-and-loop connectors. The Liing also has a convenient one-handed release that makes it simple to remove from the base or to use with many strollers that are compatible with it. With less than 17 inches wide, it's narrow enough for 3-across in the majority of vehicles. It also fits nicely into many convertible car seats as a booster.
This infant seat scores an impressive 1st place in terms of ease of installation with its unique rigid-LATCH system. The Liing's lower anchors click right into the vehicle's lower seat belt slots and the seat's top tether strap snaps onto the vehicle's headrest to create an incredibly secure, tight fit that eliminates any chance of the child being thrown around during an accident.
The seat is lightweight, with the base weighing 9 lbs, and the car itself coming in at a manageable 10.5 lbs. Some other rear-facing only seats are much heavier in weight however if you're planning on schlepping this car seat and its base around the slight difference will not be too obvious (especially when you add a child to the mix! ).
Parents love the Liing's built-in canopy and 100+spf of protection from the sun with a mesh peekaboo. Caregivers love the merino cover that keeps baby cozy and they also love the ability of the handle to pivot past the canopy which makes it more comfortable to grab whenever they need.
Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX
The Graco Trio GROW SnugLock is a 3-in-1 seat that converts from a rear-facing infant into a forward-facing harness, and then to a highback booster. It comes with the SnugLock system, which allows for an easy and smooth installation using lower anchors or vehicle seat belts. It has the option of using the top tether when in booster mode. (We suggest using the lower anchors to provide extra security.)
This seat is great for children of all different ages. For babies who are just beginning to crawl it comes with an infant insert that assists to support their backs and necks. This insert can be removed once the child is older, and the seat can be used as a normal car seat for toddlers. This car seat is among the few that allows you to use the top tether when in booster mode, which is what we recommend.
Its base is quite compact from front to back, which means it shouldn't have a problem fitting in most vehicles. It requires the headrest to be raised, however, to give you an open route to the lower anchor webbing. Fortunately, there's a headrest adjustment knob that can easily accomplish this, and you can see the headrest position in the display window.
One of the most impressive features about this seat is the SnugLock installation system, which is a bar that's in the belt path. Installing this car seat using lower anchors is simple and almost as simple as putting it on the car's seat belt.
The manual provides a fantastic illustration on how to route the lower anchor connectors properly through the belt path which at first can be confusing. It's important to keep them out of the crotch buckle loop, and away from the chest clip, to ensure they don't interfere with the buckle system.
The Graco Trio Grow belongs to the Protect Plus Engineered Family, which means it has been subjected some of the most rigorous tests in the market. This includes side, rear and rollover crashes, as in frontal impact tests.