Top Rated Infant Car Seats
Not all baby car seats are created equally. The most effective seats come with features that improve crash test performance. For instance, load legs -- shock absorbing parts which are attached to the seat or base and reduce movement during an accident.
Chicco KeyFit is a favorite of CPST instructors. It comes with a rear-facing weight and the height limit is high as well as a bubble-level indicator and a spring-loaded reclining foot to make it easy to put in.
Graco Mesa Max
The Graco Mesa Max ranks as one of the easiest infant car seats to use. It is made of great materials and a simple design and a handy feature that allows you to attach the harness of a child to the headrest, making it easier to tighten. It comes with a large canopy that can be tucked away to keep your child protected when traveling. It's a little heavier than the average stroller, which can be problematic if you intend to carry it around, or use it with your UPPAbaby that has won awards.
The Mesa Max's impressive crash test results show its dedication to top-tier safety. It scored a top score in the frontal impact test and an excellent score in the side impact test, which means your baby is safe from both sides of a collision.
Another notable safety feature is the Graco's anti-rebound panel which reduces rebound forces during an accident and ensures that your child's head is protected. This feature is not common in infant car seats and makes the Mesa Max stand out among its competitors.
When paired with the base when used with the base Graco Mesa Max can be installed easily and securely in your vehicle with LATCH. The load leg, recline angle adjustment as well as the indicator of tightness help ensure a fast, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6 pounds which is slightly heavier than an average car seat for infants but not enough to be an issue.
The UPPAbaby Mesa V2 uses the same double-knit fabric that was used in its predecessor. It is free of chemical that are fire retardant. It also has an infinitely adjustable headrest as well as 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 ensures low VOCs and chemical emissions.
The UPPAbaby UPPAmax Mesa Maxi may be slightly more expensive than other options, but offers premium features and modern technology for the most secure travel experience. 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 for parents on every journey.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight
The Britax Blvd ClickTight is a great choice for parents who want an automobile seat that they can develop with. The rear-facing limit is 40 pounds, which is higher than most infant car seats, and it can also be used as a forward-facing child seat until your child is 65 pounds.
The ClickTight Installation System is its biggest selling feature. It is the most secure, easiest and most secure system available. The seat belt can be tightened by pressing a red release button and pulling the harness strap. This means that there is no need to unwind and rethread the seatbelt. 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 is another security feature that keeps the buckle in place as you put your child in the car seat. This feature, along with beltpath cutouts on the sides of the seat, makes it simple to get your child into and out of the car.
The three ClickTight convertible seat models (Boulevard CT, Marathon CT, Advocate CT) share the identical features. They include the ClickTight Installation System, an impact-absorbing base, with seven recline positions, a rip-stitch energy-absorbing tether, HUGS harness pads and a steel-reinforced frame and EPP energy-absorbing foam.
It's a heavy seat, and it could be worth considering an alternative that is lighter if you intend to use it frequently for car swaps or travel. The seat is quite large and therefore may not fit in smaller cars.
If you want a more affordable option that is comparable to take a look at the Graco 4Ever DLX. It has lower crash test analysis scores than the Boulevard however it's an excellent seat for your baby.
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 have a different release mechanism, which requires you to press a gray button and pull the webbing to loosen it. This can be difficult if the webbing is tight. This seat comes with a convenient compartment to store the belt straps.
Clek Liing
Clek Liing is the infant car seat to choose to have it all: style, safety and comfort. This rear-facing car seat comes with a great crash test score, a great variety of features, and is simple to install on most vehicles.
The Liing is made with features that go beyond US and Canadian safety standards. It is designed to allow for simple installation and security in all seating positions. It also features advanced safety features like an energy-absorbing metal leg as well as two pieces of shell lined with EPP for increased side impact protection. The base comes with 7 recline positions and an indicator bubble that lets you know whether the seat is just the perfect angle for your child.
Parents love the Liing's sleek and modern design, as well as its innovative safety features, such as rigid lower anchors that are simpler to attach than hook-and-loop connectors. The Liing also comes with a convenient quick release with a single-handed button that makes it easy to take it off the base, or to use with a variety of compatible strollers. At less than 17 inches wide it's just narrow enough for 3-across use in most cars and fits nicely into many convertible car seats as a booster.
The Liing infant seat is rated as 1st for its unique rigid-LATCH installation system. The lower anchors of the Liing click right into the vehicle's lower seat belt slots. Additionally, the top tether strap snaps onto the vehicle's headrest to create an extremely secure, tight fit that eliminates the risk of the child being thrown around in the event of a crash.
The base weighs 9lbs and the seat weighs 10.5 lbs. Other rear-facing seats are heavier in weight however if you're planning to carry this car seat and its base everywhere it won't be too obvious (especially when you add a child to the mix! ).
Parents appreciate the Liing's built in canopy and 100+spf sun-protection with the mesh peekaboo window. Parents love the merino cover that keeps babies warm and they also love the ability of the handle to pivot over the canopy which makes it easier for them to grab whenever they need.
Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX
The Graco Trio SnugLock LX is a three-in-one car seat that can be used from rear-facing infant, forward-facing harness, and then to highback booster. It comes with the SnugLock system that allows for an easy and smooth installation using lower anchors or vehicle seat belts. It has the option of using the top tether in booster mode. (We recommend using the lower anchors to provide extra security.)
We love that this seat can be used by children of different ages. It has an infant insert for smaller infants that can 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 is the only car seats that allows the top tether to be used as a booster. We recommend it.
Its base is quite compact front to back which means it shouldn't be difficult to locate a place for it in the majority of vehicles. It requires the headrest to be raised however, to allow an open way for the lower anchor webbing. There's a convenient knob for adjusting the headrest, and the display window indicates the location of the headrest.
The SnugLock system is among the most unique features of this seat. It's a bar that is inside the belt path. Installing this car seat with lower anchors is simple, and as simple as using the vehicle's seat belt.
The manual also includes a great illustration of how to correctly guide the lower anchor connectors when traversing them along the new belt path which can be a bit 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 field. best infant carrier car seat pushchairsandprams.uk includes rear, side and rollover crashes, as as frontal impact tests.