Top Rated Infant Car Seats
A quality infant car seat is a requirement, but not all infant car seats are in the same way. The top ones come with features that increase crash test performance, like load legs--shock absorbing parts on the base or car seat that reduce movement in the event of 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 as well as a bubble-level indicator and a spring-loaded reclined foot that makes it easy to put in.
Graco Mesa Max
The Graco Mesa Max ranks as one of the most simple infant car seats to use. It features an easy design and excellent fabrics. It also comes with an excellent feature that allows you to attach the child's harness directly to the headrest. It has a huge canopy that can be tucked away to keep your child protected when they travel. The only issue is that it's slightly heavier than the average this could be a problem if plan to lug it around or if you want to pair it with your UPPAbaby stroller, which is a winner.
Mesa Max's impressive performance in crash tests reflect its commitment to safety. It received a high score in the frontal impact test and an excellent score in the side impact test, which means that your baby is safe from both sides of a collision.
Another noteworthy safety feature is the Graco's antirebound panel, that helps to reduce rebound forces during an accident and safeguards your child's head. This feature is unique in infant car seats and makes the Mesa Max standout among its rivals.
When paired with the base, the Graco Mesa Max can be installed quickly and securely into your vehicle with LATCH. The load leg, recline angle adjustment and the indicator for tightness ensure a fast, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6 lbs it is slightly heavier than the typical infant car seat but not enough to cause an issue.
The UPPAbaby Mesa V2 uses the same fabric with the same dual-knit construction as its predecessor. It is free of chemicals that are fire-resistant. It has an infinitely adjustable backrest and an extremely durable insert for infants weighing 4-11 pounds. The fabrics are GREENGUARD Gold Certified, which tests for low VOCs and chemical emissions.
The UPPAbaby Mesa Max is slightly more expensive than the other models, but it has top features and modern security technologies to provide the best 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 robust features offer peace of mind for parents on every trip.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight
The Britax Blvd ClickTight is a great option for parents who want a car seat that their child can expand with. The rear-facing weight limit is 40 pounds, which is more than most infant car seats. It can also be used forward-facing until your child is 65 pounds.
Its biggest selling factor is the ClickTight Installation System, which is the safest and easiest available. It lets you tighten the belt by pressing the red release button and pulling on the harness strap, without having to loosen it, then re-thread. This minimizes the possibility of a mistake when tightening the belt, which is the primary cause of failures in car seats.
Another safety feature is the EZBuckle Pad, which keeps the buckle away from the way when you're placing your child in the car seat. This feature, along with beltpath cutouts on both sides of the seat, makes it easy 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. They include the ClickTight Installation System, an impact-absorbing base with 7 recline positions, a rip-stitch energy-absorbing harness pad, a HUGS tether and a steel-reinforced frame and EPP energy-absorbing foam.
It's a hefty seat, so it might be worth considering an alternative that is lighter if you intend to use it for frequent car swaps or travel. Additionally, the seat is large, and therefore may not be suitable for smaller vehicles, especially if it's installed on the rear.
If you're looking for a budget-friendly option with similar quality look into the 4Ever DLX from Graco. It has lower crash test scores than the Boulevard but it's an excellent seat for your baby.
The Graco has also push-on connectors for LATCH, which allows you to easily remove the seat. pushchairsandprams.uk use a different release system that requires you to pull the webbing and then press the gray button. This isn't easy if the webbing is tense. This seat comes with a handy compartment to store the belt straps.
Clek Liing
If you're looking for a baby car seat that offers it all -- style, safety as well as convenience and luxuryyou'll be delighted with the Clek Liing. This rear-facing only car seat has a high crash test score, an impressive variety of features, and is simple to install within most vehicles.
The Liing is designed to protect newborn darlings with features that meet and surpass both US and Canadian safety standards. It's designed to be simple and secure installation in any seat position. It's loaded with advanced safety features like an energy-absorbing steel load leg as well as a two-piece shell lined with EPP foam for increased side-impact protection. The base comes with 7 recline positions, as well as a dependable bubble indicator to let you know when the seat is at the proper angle for your infant.
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 easier to attach than hook-and-loop connectors. The Liing comes with a single-handed release, making it easy to remove the base and connect it to compatible strollers. With less than 17 inches in width, it's narrow enough for 3-across in most vehicles and is a good fit in many convertible car seats as a travel booster.
The Liing infant seat earns first place for the ease of installation due to its unique rigid-LATCH system. The lower anchors of the Liing click right into the vehicle's lower seat belt slots and the top tether strap snaps onto the headrest of the vehicle, creating a tight, secure fit that eliminates the possibility of the child being thrown around in a crash.
The base weighs 9lbs, and the carrier weighs 10.5 lbs. Other rear-facing seats are heavier but the difference is not significant if you plan to carry the car seat and base around. ).
Parents love the Liing's integrated canopy and 100+spf of protection from the sun's rays by mesh peekaboo. Parents appreciate the blanket made of merino that keeps the baby warm and the capacity of the handle to pivot past the canopy. This allows parents to grab the seat if they need to.
Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX
The Graco Trio SnugLock LX is a 3-in-1 car seat that goes from rear-facing infant, to forward-facing harness, and finally to highback booster. It is equipped with the SnugLock installation system which allows for a smooth and simple installation using either the vehicle seat belts or lower anchors. It has the option of using the top tether in booster mode. (We recommend using the lower anchors for additional security.)
We love that this chair is suitable for children of different age groups. It comes with an infant insert for smaller babies that helps support their necks and backs. As they grow older this insert can be removed and the seat can be used as a regular car seat for toddlers. This car seat is one of the few that allows you to use the top tether in booster mode, which we highly recommend.
Its base is fairly compact from front to back, which means it shouldn't have a problem fitting into most vehicles. The headrest needs to be raised to allow the lower anchor webbing to pass through. There's a knob that is handy to adjust the headrest and the display window indicates the position of the headrest.
The SnugLock system is among the coolest features about this seat. It's a bar that's within the belt path. This makes fitting this car seat using the lower anchors a breeze and is nearly as simple as using the car seat belt.
The manual offers a wonderful illustration of how to guide the lower anchor connectors in a correct manner through the new belt path which may initially be confusing. Keep them from the chest clip and crotch loop to prevent interference 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 rear, side and rollover crashes, as the frontal impact tests.