Top Rated Infant Car Seats
Not all infant car seats are made equally. The most effective seats come with features that increase crash test performance. For instance, load legs -- 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 a rear-facing weight and height limit that is high as well as a bubble-level indicator and a spring loaded foot that can recline to make it simple to set up.
Graco Mesa Max
The Graco Mesa Max is one of the top-rated infant car seats for convenience of use. It has great fabrics, a simple design, and a handy feature for attaching a child's harness to the headrest to make it easier to tighten. It has a large canopy that can be put away to keep your child protected when traveling. It is a bit heavier than a standard stroller, which can be a problem if you want to transport it around or use it with your award-winning UPPAbaby.
Mesa Max's impressive performance in crash tests show its commitment to safety. It scored a top score in the frontal test, and a top score in the side impact test, which means your baby is safe from both sides of the event of a collision.
The anti-rebound feature is a notable safety feature. It reduces rebound forces in a crash and also ensures that the child's head is protected. infant carrier seat is unique in infant car seats and makes the Mesa Max standout among its competitors.
If used with the base When used in conjunction with the base Graco Mesa Max can be installed quickly and securely into your vehicle using LATCH. The load leg as well as recline angle adjustment and tightness indicator all help ensure a quick, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6 pounds, which is slightly heavier than the average car seat for infants but not enough to be an issue.
Similar to its predecessor, the UPPAbaby Mesa V2, the Mesa Max uses dual-knit fabric which is free of harmful chemicals. It has an infinitely adjustable backrest, as well as an extremely durable insert for infants between 4 and 11 pounds. The fabrics are GREENGUARD gold certified, which means they test for low VOCs and chemical emissions.
The Mesa Max from UPPAbaby is more expensive than the other models, but it comes with top-quality features and the latest safety technologies for an optimal travel experience. The base is included and comes in a variety of stylish colors. This is a great addition to the value proposition. Its thoughtful design and sturdy features provide peace of mind for parents on every trip.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight
The Britax Boulevard ClickTight is a fantastic choice for parents who want a car seat that can grow with their child. The rear-facing limit is 40 pounds, which is greater than the majority of infant car seats. Additionally, it can be used as a forward-facing seat until your child weighs 65 pounds.
Its most prominent selling feature is the ClickTight Installation System, which is the most secure and simple on the market. It allows you to tighten the seat belt by pushing a red release button and pulling the harness strap and not having to loosen it and re-thread it. This reduces the risk of not tightening the correct belt, which is the leading cause of car seat failure.
Another safety feature is the EZBuckle Pad, which keeps the buckle out of the way when you're placing your child in the car seat. This feature, as well as beltpath cutouts along the sides of the seat, make it easy to get them in and out of the vehicle.
All three ClickTight convertible seat models (Boulevard CT, Marathon CT, Advocate CT) share the similar features. They include the ClickTight Installation System, an impact-absorbing base that has 7 recline positions and a rip-stitch energy-absorbing harness pad, a HUGS tether as well as a steel reinforced frame and EPP energy-absorbing foam.
The seat is fairly heavy, though, so you may want to think about an alternative that is lighter if you intend to make use of it for travel or frequent car swaps. Also, the seat is large, which means it might not be suitable for smaller vehicles, particularly when it's on the rear.
If you're looking for a budget-friendly seat with the same quality the Graco 4Ever DLX is a fantastic choice. It has lower scores in crash test analysis than the Boulevard however it's an excellent seat for your baby.
The Graco also comes with LATCH connectors that can be pushed on which make it much easier to uninstall the seat. Boulevard's LATCH connectors utilize a different release mechanism that requires you to pull on the webbing, then press an orange button. It isn't easy to accomplish this if the webbing has a tight fit. However the seat comes with a storage cubby for the belt straps when they are not in use.
Clek Liing
Clek Liing is the infant car seat you should consider if you want it all with style, safety, and comfort. This rear-facing car seat is easy to install, comes with an impressive crash test score and a wide range of features.
The Liing is designed with features that exceed US and Canadian safety standards. It was designed for easy and secure installation in all seating positions. It also has advanced safety features such as an energy-absorbing metal leg and two pieces of shell that is lined with EPP for increased side impact protection. The base features seven recline positions and a bubble indicator that tells you whether the seat is just the right angle for your baby.
The Liing is loved by parents for its modern and sleek design, and also its innovative safety features such as the rigid lower anchors that are simpler to connect than hook-and-loop connectors. The Liing also has a convenient one-handed release that makes it easy to take it off the base or to use with many strollers that are compatible with it. It's also slim enough to fit three-across many vehicles, and is a good fit in many convertible car seats for an added travel aid.
This infant seat is first place for ease of installation with its unique rigid-LATCH system. The lower anchors of the Liing snap into the seat belt slots in the vehicle and the top tether strap snaps on to the vehicle headrest. This ensures a tight, secure fit which eliminates the chance that the child will be thrown around during a crash.
The seat is lightweight, with the base weighing 9 lbs and the carrier itself at an easy 10.5 lbs. Some other rear-facing only seats are much heavier in weight, but if you're planning on taking this car seat and its base all over the place it won't be too noticeable (especially when you add a child to the equation! ).
Parents appreciate the Liing's built-in canopy and 100+spf sun protection with a mesh peekaboo window. Caregivers love the merino cover that keeps baby cozy, and they also like the ability of the handle to pivot past the canopy, making it more comfortable for them to reach for when they need.
Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX
The Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX is a 3-in-1 car seat that can be used from rear-facing infant, to forward-facing harness and then to highback booster. It comes with the SnugLock system which allows for a simple and smooth installation using lower anchors or vehicle seat belts. It can be installed using the top tether when in booster mode. (We recommend using the lower anchors to provide extra security.)
We love that this chair does so much for children of different ages. For younger babies it has an infant insert which helps to help support their necks and backs. The insert can be removed when the child is older, and the seat can be used as a standard car seat for toddlers. This car seat is among the few that allow you to use the top tether in booster mode, which is what we recommend.
Its base is fairly compact front to back which means it shouldn't be hard to locate a place for it in the majority of vehicles. It is required for the headrest to be raised, in order to provide an easy way for the lower anchor webbing. Fortunately, there's a headrest adjustment knob that allows you to accomplish this, and you can observe the position of the headrest in the display window.
The SnugLock system is one of the most exciting features of this seat. It's a bar that's within the belt path. Installing this car seat using lower anchors is simple, and as simple as putting it on the car's seat belt.
The manual also has an excellent diagram of how to correctly guide the lower anchor connectors when routing them through the belt's new path, which can be confusing initially. It is important to keep them away from the crotch buckle loop and away from the chest clip, so they don't interfere with the buckle system.
The Graco Trio Grow is part of the Protect Plus Engineered family, which means it's been tested to some of the most rigorous crash testing in the industry. This includes tests for side, rear and rollover accidents and frontal impact.