Top Rated Infant Car Seats
Not all baby car seats are created in the same way. The best seats have features that enhance crash test performance. For example load legs -- shock absorbing parts that are affixed to the base or seat and help to reduce movement during an accident.
Chicco KeyFit is a favorite of CPST instructors. It features a rear-facing weight and height limit that is high and a bubble-level indicator and a spring-loaded reclining foot to make it easy to install.
Graco Mesa Max
The Graco Mesa Max is one of the top infant car seats for ease of use. It comes with great fabrics with a simple design and a handy feature that allows you to attach a child's harness to the headrest, making it easier to tighten. It has a huge canopy that can be put away to keep your child protected while traveling. The only issue is that it's slightly heavier than the average this could be a problem if you intend to carry it around or want it to pair with your UPPAbaby stroller that has won awards.
Mesa Max's remarkable results in crash tests reflect its commitment to safety. It scored a high mark in the frontal impact test and a high score in the side impact test, which means that your baby is safe from both sides in the event of a collision.
The anti-rebound feature is a important safety feature. It helps to reduce the forces of rebound in a crash, and safeguards the child's head. This feature is rare in car seats for infants and makes the Mesa Max stand out among its rivals.
Graco Mesa Max can easily and securely be fitted into your vehicle with LATCH when it is used in conjunction with the base. The load leg, recline angle adjustment, and tightness indicator ensure a quick, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6, which is slightly more than the average infant car seats but not enough to cause any issues.
Like its predecessor, UPPAbaby Mesa V2, the Mesa Max uses dual-knit fabric which is free of harmful chemicals. pushchairsandprams has an infinitely adjustable backrest, as well as an extremely durable insert for infants between 4 and 11 pounds. The fabric is GREENGUARD Gold Certified, which tests for low chemical emissions and VOCs.
The Mesa Max from UPPAbaby is more expensive than some other options, but it comes with top features and modern security technologies to provide the best traveling experience. The base is included and comes in a range of stylish colors. This is a great addition to the value proposition. Its thoughtful features and durable design give parents peace of mind during every trip.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight
The Britax Blvd ClickTight is a great option for parents who are looking for an automobile seat that they can grow 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 weighs 65 pounds.
Its main selling factor is the ClickTight Installation System, which is the safest and easiest on the market. It lets you tighten the seat belt by pushing the red release button and pulling on the harness strap and not having to loosen it, then re-thread. This minimizes the possibility of not tightening correctly the belt, which is the primary cause of car seat failure.
The EZ-Buckle Pad adds another safety feature that holds the buckle away while you place your child in the car seat. This feature, along with beltpath cutouts that run along the sides of the seat, makes it simple to get them in and out of the car.
All three ClickTight convertible seat models (Boulevard CT, Marathon CT, Advocate CT) share the identical features. ClickTight Installation System is one of them. Also included are an impact-absorbing frame that has 7 recline positions.
The seat is quite heavy, however, so you may want to consider a lighter option if you intend to make use of it for frequent car swaps. The seat is also large, which means it might not fit well in smaller vehicles, particularly when it's rear-facing.
If you're looking to find a budget seat with similar quality the Graco 4Ever DLX is a great choice. This seat has lower crash tests scores than the Boulevard however it is still an excellent option for your child.
The Graco has also connectors that can be pushed on for LATCH, which allows you to easily remove the seat. The Boulevard's LATCH connectors feature an additional release mechanism, which requires the user to press a grey button and pull on the webbing to loosen it. This can be difficult if the webbing is tight. However the seat comes with a handy storage compartment for belt straps when not in use.
Clek Liing
Clek Liing is the infant car seat for you If you're looking for everything with style, safety, and convenience. This rear-facing only car seat comes with a great crash test score, a wide range of features and is easy to put in within most vehicles.
The Liing is designed to protect infants with features that meet or surpass both US and Canadian safety standards. It was designed for easy installation and security in any seating position. It also features advanced safety features such as an energy-absorbing metal leg as well as two-piece shell that is lined with EPP for increased side impact protection. The base features 7 recline positions, as well as a dependable bubble indicator to let you know exactly when the seat is set at the correct angle for your infant.
The Liing is modern and sleek stroller that parents are raving about. It has innovative safety features like rigid lower anchors which are easier to attach than hook-and loop connectors. The Liing has a one-handed quick release, making it simple to remove the base and use with strollers that are compatible with it. It's also small enough to fit three-across many vehicles, and it fits well into many convertible car seat as an added travel aid.
This infant seat is rated as 1st for its unique rigid-LATCH system of installation. Lower anchors of the Liing snap right into the vehicle's lower seat belt slots and the seat's top tether strap snaps into the vehicle's headrest to create a tight, secure fit that eliminates the possibility of the child being thrown around in a crash.
The seat is light with the base weighing 9 lbs and the carrier itself weighing just 10.5 pounds. Other rear-facing seats are heavier however, the difference isn't significant if you plan to carry the car seat and base around. ).
Parents appreciate the Liing's built in canopy and 100+spf sun-protection with an open mesh window. Caregivers love the merino-covered cover that keeps babies warm and they also love the ability of the handle to pivot past the canopy and make it more comfortable for them to grab whenever they need.
Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX
The Graco Trio SnugLock is a 3-in-1 seat that can be converted from rear-facing infant to forward-facing harness, and later to a highback booster. It comes with the SnugLock installation system which allows for a smooth and easy install with either car seat belts or lower anchors. It also offers the option to use the top tether in booster mode (although we recommend using the lower anchors at all times to ensure security).
This seat is perfect for children of all ages. For babies who are just beginning to crawl, it has an infant insert that helps to support their necks and backs. As they grow older this insert can be removed and the seat can be used as a normal toddler car seat. This is the few car seats that allow the top tether to be used in booster mode. We highly recommend it.
Its base is fairly compact from front to back so it shouldn't have any issues fitting in most vehicles. The headrest needs to be raised to allow for the lower anchor webbing to pass through. Luckily, there's a headrest adjustment knob that can easily do this, and you can observe the position of the headrest in the display window.
One of the most unique features about this seat is the SnugLock installation system that's a bar that's in the belt path. Installing this car seat with lower anchors is easy, and as simple as installing the car's seat belt.
The manual has a great illustration on how to route the lower anchor connectors properly through the belt path which may initially be confusing. It's important to keep them away from the crotch buckle loop, and away from the chest clip, so that they don't hinder the buckling 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 well as frontal impact tests.