Top Rated Infant Car Seats
A good infant car seat is a necessity, but not all infant car seats are equal. The most effective ones have features that improve the crash test's performance, for instance load legs, which are shock-absorbing parts in the base or car seat that help reduce movement during a collision.
Chicco KeyFit is a favorite of CPST instructors. It features an upper-right rear-facing weight and a height limit that is high and a bubble-level indicator and a spring-loaded reclining foot to make it simple to set up.
Graco Mesa Max
The Graco Mesa Max ranks as one of the easiest infant car seats to use. It is a simple design and great fabrics. It also comes with an innovative feature that allows you to connect the harness of your child directly to the headrest. It also comes with a huge canopy that allows you to keep your baby shaded during travel. The only downside is that it is a bit heavier than normal and could be an issue if you plan to lug it around or want it to pair with your UPPAbaby stroller, which is a winner.
The Mesa Max's impressive crash test results reflect its commitment to safety at the highest level. It received a high score in the frontal test and an excellent score in the side impact test, which means your baby is safe from both sides in an accident.
Another important safety feature is the Graco's anti-rebound panel, which helps reduce the forces of rebound in a crash and safeguards your child's head. This feature is rare in infant car seats and makes the Mesa Max stand out among its competitors.
If used with the base, the Graco Mesa Max can be installed easily and securely in your vehicle with LATCH. The load leg, the recline angle adjustment as well as the tightness indicator help ensure a quick, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6 lbs it is slightly heavier than the typical car seat for infants, but not enough to be an issue.
The UPPAbaby Mesa V2 uses the same double-knit fabric that was used in its predecessor. It is free of chemicals that are fire retardant. It also features an infinitely adjustable headrest and an infant insert that helps improve the body's fit and positioning for infants weighing between 4-11 pounds. The fabrics are GREENGUARD gold certified, which ensures low VOCs and chemical emissions.
The UPPAbaby UPPAmax Mesa Max is a little more expensive than other models but it offers top features and the latest technology to ensure a safe travel experience. The base is included and comes in a range of stylish colors. This is a great addition to the value proposition. Its thoughtful design and robust features offer peace of mind for parents on their every trip.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight
The Britax Blvd ClickTight is a fantastic choice for parents who want a car seat they can develop with. The weight limit for rear-facing is 40 pounds, which is more than most infant car seats. It can be used forward-facing up to the point that your child weighs 65 pounds.
Its biggest selling factor is the ClickTight Installation System, which is the most secure and user-friendly available. The seat belt can be tightened by pressing a red release and pulling the strap. This makes it unnecessary to unwind and rethread the seat belt. This reduces the chance of a mistake when tightening the belt, which is the main reason for car seat failure.
newborn car seat is the EZBuckle Pad, which keeps the buckle away from the way when you're placing your child in the car seat. This feature together with beltpath cutouts on the sides of the seat, makes it simple to get your child in and out of the car.
All three ClickTight convertible seat models (Boulevard CT, Marathon CT, Advocate CT) share the identical features. They include the ClickTight Installation System, an impact-absorbing base that has 7 recline positions, a rip-stitch energy-absorbing harness pad, a HUGS tether, a steel-reinforced frame, and EPP energy-absorbing foam.
The seat is fairly heavy, however, so you may want to consider a lighter option if you plan to make use of it for frequent car swaps. The seat is large and could not be suitable for smaller vehicles.
If you're looking for a budget-friendly seat that is of similar quality the Graco 4Ever is a great choice. It has lower crash tests scores than the Boulevard however it is still an excellent option for your child.
The Graco also has push-on connectors for LATCH, which makes it easier to take off the seat. The Boulevard's LATCH connectors feature a different release mechanism which requires you to press a grey button and pull the webbing to loosen it. This can be difficult if your webbing is tense. This seat has an easy storage compartment for the belt straps.
Clek Liing
Clek Liing is the infant car seat you should consider to have it all: style, safety and comfort. This rear-facing car seat is simple to put in, has an excellent crash test rating and a wide range of features.
The Liing is made with features that go beyond US and Canadian safety regulations. It's designed to be simple and secure installation in any seat position. It's equipped with the latest safety features such as an energy-absorbing metal load leg and an outer shell that is lined with EPP foam for enhanced side-impact protection. The base has seven recline positions, as well as a dependable bubble indicator that lets you know precisely when the seat is set at the correct angle for your newborn.
The Liing is modern and sleek stroller that parents love. It comes with innovative safety features such as strong lower anchors that are easier to attach than hook-and-loop connectors. The Liing also has a handy quick release with a single-handed button that makes it simple to take it off the base or to use with many strollers compatible with it. It's also small enough to fit three-across in many vehicles, and fits well into many convertible car seat as an extra boost for travel.
This infant seat is rated first for its unique rigid-LATCH system of installation. Lower anchors of the Liing snap into the seat belt slots of the vehicle and the top tether strap snaps on to the vehicle headrest. This ensures a tight snug, secure fit that will eliminate the possibility that the child could be thrown around during a crash.
The seat is lightweight, with the base weighting 9 lbs and the carrier itself coming in at an easy 10.5 lbs. Some other rear-facing only seats are heavier in weight however, if you plan on schlepping the car seat and its base around the slight difference will not be too obvious (especially once you add a baby into the equation! ).
Parents love the Liing's integrated canopy and 100+spf of protection from the sun with the mesh peekaboo. Caregivers appreciate the merino blanket that keeps the baby warm and the ability of the handle to pivot away from the canopy. This makes it easier for them to grab the seat whenever they need it.
Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX
The Graco Trio GROW SnugLock is a 3-in-1 seat that can be converted from a rear-facing infant to a forward-facing harness, and later to an highback booster. It features the SnugLock installation system which allows for a smooth and easy installation using either a vehicle seat belts or lower anchors. It also allows you to use the top tether when in booster mode (although we recommend using the lower anchors in all times for greater security).
This seat is ideal for children of all age groups. It has an infant insert for smaller babies that helps support their necks and backs. As they grow older, the insert can be removed and the seat can be used as a normal toddler car seat. This car seat is one of the few that allows you to use the top tether when in booster mode, which we recommend.
Its base is pretty compact from front to rear, so it shouldn't be difficult to find a space for it in the majority of vehicles. It does require the headrest to be raised, however, to give you an easy way to the lower anchor webbing. There's a convenient knob for adjusting the headrest, and the display window indicates the position of the headrest.
The SnugLock system is one of the most exciting features of this seat. It's an anchor that is located in the belt path. Installing this car seat using lower anchors is easy, and as simple as using the vehicle's seat belt.
The manual provides a fantastic illustration on how to route the lower anchor connectors properly through the new belt pathway, which can initially be confusing. It is important to keep them out of 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 subjected to some of the most rigorous crash tests in the market. This includes rear, side and rollover crashes, as the frontal impact tests.