Top Rated Infant Car Seats

Not all baby car seats are created equally. The most effective ones have features that enhance the crash test's performance, for instance load legs--shock absorbing parts in the base or car seat that help reduce movement during a collision.

A favorite with CPST instructors is the Chicco KeyFit, which has a high rear-facing weight limit and height limit as well as a bubble level indicator, and the reclining foot is spring-loaded, which makes it easy to install.

Graco Mesa Max

The Graco Mesa Max is one of the top infant car seats in terms of ease of use. It has an easy design and excellent fabrics. It also has an excellent 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 sheltered when traveling. It is a bit heavier than the typical stroller, which is problematic if you intend to carry it around, or use it in conjunction with your UPPAbaby that has won awards.

Mesa Max's impressive crash test results show its dedication to top-tier safety. It scored highly in both the frontal and side impact tests, which means that your baby will be protected from both sides of a collision.

The anti-rebound panel is a notable safety feature. It reduces the force of a crash's rebound, and safeguards the child's head. This feature is unique among infant car seats, and makes the Mesa Max standout among its competitors.

When paired with the base, the Graco Mesa Max can be installed easily and securely in your vehicle by using LATCH. The load leg, recline angle adjustment, and the tightness indicator help ensure an accurate, quick installation. The base weighs 12.6 It is a little more than the average infant car seats but not enough to cause any issues.

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-proof. It also features an infinitely adjustable headrest as well as an extremely durable infant insert that helps improve the body's fit and positioning for infants weighing between 4-11 pounds. The fabric is GREENGUARD Gold Certified, which means they are tested for low chemical emissions and VOCs.

The UPPAbaby Mesa Max is a little more expensive than other options but it offers top features and modern technology for an enjoyable and safe journey. 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 Boulevard ClickTight is an excellent choice for parents who want an automobile seat that can expand with their child. Its rear-facing weight limit is 40 pounds which is higher than many infant car seats. It can be used forward-facing up to the point that your child reaches 65 pounds.

The ClickTight Installation System is its major selling point. It is the most secure, most simple and secure system available. It allows you to tighten the seat belt by pressing a red release button and pulling the harness strap, without having to loosen it, then re-thread. This reduces the risk of a mistake when tightening a seat belt which is the most common cause of car seat failure.

The EZ-Buckle Pad adds another security feature that keeps the buckle out the way while you place 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 in and out of the car.

The three ClickTight convertible seat models (Boulevard CT, Marathon CT, Advocate CT) share the similar features. ClickTight Installation System is one of them. Also included is an impact-absorbing frame with 7 recline positions.

It's a heavy seat, and it could be worth considering alternatives that are lighter when you are planning to use it for frequent car swaps or for travel. The seat is also large, and therefore may not be a good fit in smaller vehicles, especially if it's installed in the rear of the vehicle.

If you're looking for a budget-friendly seat that is of similar quality the Graco 4Ever is a great option. It has lower crash test scores than the Boulevard but is a great option for your child.

The Graco has also connectors that can be pushed on for LATCH, which allows you to easily remove the seat. Boulevard's LATCH connectors utilize a different release mechanism that requires you to pull on the webbing and press a gray button. This isn't easy if the webbing is tense. However, this seat does come with a storage compartment for belt straps when they are not in use.

Clek Liing

Clek Liing is the ideal infant car seat to choose if you want it all: style, safety and comfort. This rear-facing only car seat has an excellent crash test score, a wide variety of features, and is easy to put in in most vehicles.

The Liing is designed to safeguard newborn car seat insert darlings with features that meet or surpass both US and Canadian safety standards. It is designed for easy and secure installation in all seating positions. It also comes with advanced safety features like an energy-absorbing metal foot and a two piece shell that is lined with EPP to provide increased side impact protection. The base features 7 recline positions and a trusty bubble indicator that lets you know when the seat is at the right angle for your newborn.

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 much easier to connect than hook-and-loop connectors. The Liing also has a handy one-handed quick release that makes it simple to remove it from the base, or to use with a variety of compatible strollers. At less than 17 inches in width it's just narrow enough for 3-across in most vehicles and is a good fit in many convertible car seats to act as a travel booster.

The Liing infant seat is rated as 1st for its unique rigid-LATCH installation method. The Liing's lower anchors click directly into the lower seat belt slots, and the top tether strap snaps into the headrest of the vehicle, creating an extremely secure, tight fit that eliminates any chance of the child being thrown around in an accident.

The seat is light, with the base weighing 9 pounds and the carrier itself coming in at a manageable 10.5 lbs. Other rear-facing seats weigh more, however, the difference isn't evident if you intend to carry the car seat and base around. ).

Parents love the Liing's built-in canopy and 100+spf of protection from the sun's rays with mesh peekaboo. Parents appreciate the merino blanket that keeps the baby car seat warm, and the capability of the handle to pivot past the canopy. This allows parents 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 car seats cheap into a forward-facing harness, and later to a highback booster. It comes with 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 to provide extra security.)

This seat is perfect for children of all ages. It has an best infant carrier car seat insert for smaller infants that can support their backs and necks. As they grow older, the insert can be removed and the seat 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 is what we recommend.

Its base is quite compact from front to back, so it shouldn't be difficult to locate a place for it in the majority of cars. It does require the headrest to be raised, however, to give you an open path for the lower anchor webbing. Thankfully, there's a handy headrest adjustment knob that can easily accomplish this, and also see the headrest position in the display window.

One of the most impressive features about this seat is the SnugLock installation system, which is a bar that is located in the belt path. This makes installing the car seat using the lower anchors an easy task and nearly as simple as using the car seat belt.

The manual also has an excellent diagram of how to correctly guide the lower anchor connectors when traversing them along the new belt path, which can be a bit confusing at first. Keep them from the chest clip and the crotch loop in order to avoid interfering with the buckle system.

The Graco Trio Grow is part of the Protect Plus Engineered family, which means it has been subjected to some of the most rigorous crash tests in the industry. This includes tests for side, rear and rollover crashes as well as frontal impacts.