Top Rated Infant Car Seats
Not all infant car seats are made in the same way. The best ones have features that increase the crash test's performance, for instance load legs, which are shock-absorbing parts in the base or car seat that limit movement in collisions.
A popular choice among CPST instructors is the Chicco KeyFit, which has a high rear-facing weight limit and height limit as well as an indicator for the level of bubbles, 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 due to its ease of use. It is made of great materials and a simple design and a convenient feature for attaching the harness of a child to the headrest, making it easier to tighten. It also comes with a huge canopy that makes it easy to keep your baby cool when traveling. The only issue is that it's a bit heavier than normal and could be a problem if intend to carry it around or if you want to pair it with your UPPAbaby stroller, which is a winner.
The Mesa Max's impressive results in crash tests show its dedication to safety. It scored well in both frontal and side impact tests, ensuring that your child will be safe from both sides of a collision.
Another important safety feature is the Graco's antirebound panel, which helps reduce rebound forces during an accident and protects your child's head. This feature is not common in infant car seats and makes the Mesa Max stand out among its competitors.
Graco Mesa Max can easily and securely be mounted in your vehicle with LATCH used with the base included. The load leg, recline angle adjustment, and tightness indicator all help to ensure a quick, precise installation. The base weighs 12.6 pounds it is slightly heavier than an average car seat for infants but not enough to be an issue.
Like its predecessor, UPPAbaby Mesa V2, the Mesa Max uses dual-knit fabric that's free of fire-retardant chemicals. It also features an infinitely adjustable headrest as well as an infant insert that improves the fit and body position of infants weighing between 4-11 pounds. The fabric is GREENGUARD Gold Certified, which tests for low emissions of chemicals and VOCs.
The UPPAbaby UPPAmax Mesa Maxi is a little more expensive than the other options, but offers premium features and advanced 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 design and sturdy features provide peace of mind for parents on every journey.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight
The Britax Blvd ClickTight is a great choice for parents looking for a car seat that their child can expand with. Its rear-facing limit is 40 pounds, which is more than the majority of infant car seats. Furthermore, it can be used as a forward-facing child seat until your child reaches 65 pounds.
The ClickTight Installation System is its most popular selling feature. It is the most secure most user-friendly and secure system on the market. It allows you to tighten the belt by pressing the red release button and pulling on the harness strap and not having to loosen it and then re-thread it. This decreases the chance of incorrectly tightening a seat belt which is the main cause of car seat failure.
The EZ-Buckle Pad is another safety feature that holds the buckle in place while you place your child in the car seat. This feature together with beltpath cutouts that are located on the sides of the seat makes it easy 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 is an impact-absorbing frame that can accommodate seven recline positions.
It's a hefty seat, so it might be worth looking at alternatives that are lighter if you intend to use it frequently for car swaps or for travel. Additionally, the seat is large, and therefore may not be suitable for smaller vehicles, especially when it's rear-facing.
If you're looking for a low-cost seat with similar quality the Graco 4Ever DLX is a great option. This seat has lower crash test analysis scores than the Boulevard, but it's still a great seat for your little one.
The Graco has also push-on connectors for LATCH, which allows you to easily remove the seat. Boulevard's LATCH connectors have a different release mechanism that requires you to pull on the webbing, then press the gray button. This isn't easy if the webbing is tight. This seat has a handy storage compartment for belt straps.
Clek Liing
If you're looking for an infant car seat that has all of it -style, safety convenience, and luxuryyou'll be delighted with the Clek Liing. This rear-facing car seat can be easy to install, comes with a high crash test rating and a wide range of features.
The Liing is constructed with features that surpass US and Canadian safety standards. It was designed for easy installation and security in all seating positions. It also features advanced safety features like an energy-absorbing metal leg and two-piece shell lined with EPP for enhanced side impact protection. The base comes with 7 recline positions, and an indicator bubble that tells you that the seat is just the right angle for your baby.
infant car seat cheap love the Liing's modern and sleek design and also its innovative safety features like rigid lower anchors that are much easier to attach than standard hook-and-loop connectors. The Liing also has a handy quick release with a single-handed button that makes it easy to remove it from the base, or to use with various strollers compatible with it. It's also slim enough to fit three-across several vehicles, and is a good fit in many convertible car seats as an extra boost for travel.
This infant seat is an impressive 1st place in terms of the ease of installation due to its unique rigid-LATCH system. The lower anchors of the Liing click directly into the lower seat belt slots. Additionally, the top tether strap snaps onto the vehicle's headrest to create a tight, secure fit that eliminates the risk of the child being thrown around in the event of a crash.
The seat is lightweight, with the base weighing 9 lbs and the carrier itself at an easy 10.5 lbs. Other rear-facing seats are heavier, but the difference is not significant if you plan to transport the car seat and base around. ).
Parents love the Liing's built-in canopy and 100+spf protection from the sun with mesh peekaboo. Caregivers love the merino cover that keeps baby warm and they also love the seat's handle's ability to pivot over the canopy which makes it more comfortable for them to grab whenever they need.
Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX
The Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX is a three-in-one car seat that goes from rear-facing infant, to forward-facing harness, and then to highback booster. It comes with the SnugLock system, which allows for a simple and smooth installation using either lower anchors or car seat belts. It can be installed using the top tether in booster mode. (We recommend using the lower anchors for additional security.)
This seat is perfect for children of all different ages. It has an infant insert for smaller babies that supports 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. It is one of the few car seats that allows the top tether to be used as a booster. We recommend it.
Its base is compact from front to back, so it shouldn't have a problem fitting into the majority of vehicles. It does require the headrest to be raised however, to give you a clear way to the lower anchor webbing. Fortunately, there's a headrest adjustment knob that allows you to do this, and you'll be able to see the headrest position in the display window.
One of the coolest things about this seat is the SnugLock installation system, which is an anchor that is inside the belt path. This makes installing this car seat using the lower anchors an easy task and is similar to using the car seat belt.
The manual also has an excellent diagram of how to correctly route the lower anchor connectors when routing them through the new belt path which can be confusing initially. Keep them from the chest clip and the crotch loop to avoid interfering with the buckle system.
The Graco Trio Grow belongs to the Protect Plus Engineered Family, which means it has been subjected some of the most rigorous testing in the market. This includes tests for rear, side and rollover crashes and frontal impact.