Top Rated Infant Car Seats
Not all baby car seats are created equally. The top seats come with features that improve the performance of crash tests. For instance, load legs are shock-absorbing elements that are affixed to the base or seat and reduce the movement of the seat during a collision.
Chicco KeyFit is a favorite of CPST instructors. It has 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 ranks as one of the most simple infant car seats to use. It has a simple design and great fabrics. It also comes with an innovative feature that allows you to attach the harness of your child directly to the headrest. It has a huge canopy that can be put away to keep your child shaded when they travel. It is a bit heavier than the typical stroller, which could be an issue if you plan to carry it around or use it in conjunction with your UPPAbaby that has won awards.
The Mesa Max's impressive results in crash tests demonstrate its commitment to safety. It scored well in both the frontal and side impact tests, meaning that your baby will be protected from both sides of a collision.
The anti-rebound panel is another important safety feature. It helps reduce the force of a crash's rebound and also ensures that the child's head is protected. This feature is not common in car seats for infants and makes the Mesa Max stand out among its competitors.
When used with the included 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 and recline angle adjustment and tightness indicator all help ensure a quick and accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6, which is slightly higher than the typical infant car seats however not enough to cause any issues.
Like its predecessor, the UPPAbaby Mesa V2, the Mesa Max uses dual-knit fabric which is free of harmful chemicals. It also comes with an adjustable headrest that can be adjusted infinitely and an extremely durable infant insert that improves the body's fit and positioning for infants weighing between 4-11 pounds. The fabrics are GREENGUARD gold certified, which tests for low chemical emissions and low VOCs.
The Mesa Max from UPPAbaby is more expensive than the other models, but it comes with premium features and advanced safety technology to ensure a safe travel experience. The base is included and comes in a range of fashionable colors. This adds to the value proposition. Its thoughtful features and durable design give parents peace of mind on every excursion.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight
The Britax Blvd ClickTight is a great option for parents looking for a car seat that their child can expand with. Its rear-facing weight limit is 40 pounds, which is more than most infant car seats. baby seat can also be used forward-facing until your child is 65 pounds.
The ClickTight Installation System is its major selling feature. It is the safest, most simple and secure system available. The seat belt can be tightened by pressing a red release button and pulling the harness strap. This makes it unnecessary to unwind and rethread the seat belt. This reduces the risk of a mistake when tightening a seat belt which is the main cause of car seat failure.
Another safety feature is the EZ-Buckle Pad, which holds the buckle out of the way when you're putting your child in the seat. This feature, along with beltpath cutouts that are located 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 same features. ClickTight Installation System is one of them. Also included are an impact-absorbing frame with 7 recline positions.
It is a heavy seat, so it may be worth looking at a lighter alternative when you are planning to use it for frequent car swaps or for travel. The seat is quite large and could not fit in smaller cars.
If you want a more budget-friendly option, but with the same quality look into the 4Ever DLX by Graco. This seat has lower crash test analysis scores than the Boulevard, but it's still an excellent choice for your baby.
The Graco also has connectors with push-on connectors for LATCH which makes it easier to remove the seat. The Boulevard's LATCH connectors have an additional release mechanism, which requires the user to press a grey button and then pull on the webbing to loosen it. This can be difficult if your webbing is tense. However the seat comes with a storage cubby to store the belt straps when they are not in use.
Clek Liing
If you're looking for a baby car seat that offers everything -- style, safety as well as convenience and luxury- you'll love the Clek Liing. This rear-facing car seat can be easy to put in, has a high crash test rating and a variety of features.
The Liing is constructed with features that surpass US and Canadian safety regulations. It is designed for a simple, secure installation in any seating position - and is equipped with the latest safety features like an energy-absorbing metal load leg and two-piece shells lined with EPP foam to provide greater side-impact protection. The base features seven recline positions, as well as a bubble indicator that lets you know that the seat is just the perfect angle for your child.
The Liing is modern and sleek stroller that parents love. It has innovative safety features such as rigid lower anchors that are much easier to attach than hook-and-loop connectors. The Liing also has a convenient quick release with a single-handed button that makes it easy to remove it from the base or to use with a variety of strollers compatible with it. It's also slim enough to fit three across in many automobiles, and it can be easily inserted into a convertible car seats as an extra boost for travel.
The Liing infant seat earns an impressive 1st place in terms of ease of installation thanks to its unique rigid-LATCH system. 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 creates a tight, secure fit which reduces the risk that the child could be thrown around during an accident.
The base weighs 9 lbs, and the carrier weighs 10.5 lbs. Other rear-facing only seats are much heavier in weight however, if you plan to carry the car seat and its base everywhere the slight difference will not be noticeable (especially when you add a baby into the equation! ).
Parents love the Liing's built-in canopy and 100+spf protection from the sun with the mesh peekaboo. Parents appreciate the blanket made of merino, which keeps the baby warm and the ability of the handle to move past the canopy. This allows them to grab the seat when needed.
Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX
The Graco Trio SnugLock is a 3-in-1 seat that can be converted from a rear-facing infant to a forward-facing harness, and then to an highback booster. It features the SnugLock system, which allows for an easy and smooth installation using lower anchors or vehicle seat belts. It can be installed using the top tether when in booster mode. (We recommend always using the lower anchors for additional security.)
We love that this chair can be used by children of all age groups. It has an infant insert for smaller babies that helps support their backs and necks. The insert can be removed when the child is older, and the seat can be used as a normal car seat for toddlers. 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 fairly compact from front to rear which means it shouldn't be difficult to find a spot for it in the majority of vehicles. The headrest needs to be raised in order for the lower anchor webbing to pass through. There's a convenient knob for adjusting the headrest, and the display window shows the location of the headrest.
One of the most impressive features about this seat is the SnugLock installation system that's a bar that is located in the belt path. Installing this car seat using lower anchors is simple, and as simple as using the vehicle's seat belt.
The manual has a great illustration on how to route the lower anchor connectors correctly through the belt path which may initially be confusing. It's crucial 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 is part of the Protect Plus Engineered family, which means it's been subjected to some of the most rigorous crash testing in the industry. This includes side, rear and rollover crashes, as the frontal impact tests.