Top Rated Infant Car Seats
Not all baby car seats are created in the same way. The top ones come with features that increase the crash test's performance, for instance load legs, which are shock absorbing components on the base of the seat that reduce movement in a collision.
A popular choice among CPST instructors is the Chicco KeyFit, which has a large rear-facing weight limit and height limit and bubble level indicator and a spring-loaded reclining foot that makes it easy to set up.
Graco Mesa Max
The Graco Mesa Max ranks as one of the easiest infant car seats to use. It has a simple design and great fabrics. It also has an excellent feature that lets you connect the harness of your child directly to the headrest. It has a large canopy that can be tucked away to keep your child shaded when traveling. The only drawback is that it's slightly heavier than the average and could be a problem if you intend to carry it around or want to use it with your award-winning UPPAbaby stroller.
The Mesa Max's impressive crash test results reflect its dedication to top-tier safety. It scored a top score in the frontal test and a high score in the side impact test, which means your baby is protected from both sides of an accident.
The anti-rebound feature is a notable safety feature. It helps to reduce the forces of rebound in a crash and ensures that the child's head is protected. This feature is unique among infant car seats, and makes the Mesa Max standout among its competitors.
If used with the base when used with the base Graco Mesa Max can be installed easily and securely in your vehicle by using LATCH. The load leg, recline angle adjustment as well as the indicator of tightness help ensure a quick, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6, which is slightly more than the average infant car seats however not enough to cause a problem.
The UPPAbaby Mesa V2 uses the same dual-knit fabric as its predecessor. It is free of chemicals that are fire-proof. It has an infinitely adjustable backrest, as well as an extremely sturdy insert for infants weighing 4-11 pounds. The fabrics are GREENGUARD gold certified, which means they test for low VOCs and chemical emissions.
The UPPAbaby Mesa Max is slightly more expensive than other alternatives, however it offers top features and modern safety technologies for an optimal travel experience. The base is included and comes in a range of attractive colors. This is a great addition to the value proposition. Its thoughtful features and robust design offer parents peace of mind during every trip.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight
The Britax Boulevard ClickTight is a great choice for anyone who wants a car seat that can expand with their child. Its rear-facing limit is 40 pounds, which is more than the majority of infant car seats. Additionally, it can be used as a forward-facing seat until your child reaches 65 pounds.
rotating infant car seat selling feature is the ClickTight Installation System, which is the safest and easiest on the market. It allows you to tighten the belt by pressing the red release button and pulling the harness strap and not having to loosen it and re-thread it. This reduces the risk of incorrectly tightening a seat belt, which is the leading cause of car seat failure.
The EZ-Buckle Pad is a further safety feature that holds the buckle in place when you put your child in the car seat. This feature, along with beltpath cutouts on the sides of the seat, make it easy to get them into and out of the car.
The three ClickTight convertible seats (Boulevard, Marathon CT, and Advocate CT) have the same features. These include the ClickTight Installation System and an impact-absorbing base, with seven recline positions as well as a rip-stitch energy absorbing harness pad, a tether that is HUGS and a steel-reinforced frame and EPP energy-absorbing foam.
The seat is quite heavy, however, so you may want to think about an alternative that is lighter if you are planning to make use of it for frequent car swaps. The seat is large, so it might not fit in smaller vehicles.
If you're looking for a budget-friendly option with similar quality, check out the 4Ever DLX by Graco. The seat has lower crash test analysis scores than the Boulevard, but it's still a great seat 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 feature a different release mechanism, which requires you to press a gray button and pull on the webbing to loosen it. This can be difficult if your webbing is tense. However this seat comes with a storage compartment for belt straps when not in use.
Clek Liing
If you're in search of a child car seat that offers all of it -safety, style convenience, and luxuryyou'll love the Clek Liing. This rear-facing car seat is simple to install, has an excellent crash test rating and a range of features.
The Liing is designed to protect newborn darlings with features that meet or exceed both US and Canadian safety standards. It is designed to allow for simple installation and security in any seating position. It also comes with advanced safety features, such as an energy-absorbing metal leg and two pieces of shell that is lined with EPP to provide enhanced side impact protection. The base features 7 recline positions as well as a reliable bubble indicator that lets you know when the seat is at the proper angle for your newborn.
The Liing is a sleek, modern stroller that parents love. It comes with innovative safety features like rigid lower anchors which are more convenient to attach than hook-and-loop connectors. The Liing also has a handy one-handed release that makes it simple to remove 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 can easily fit into convertible car seats as a booster.
This infant seat is first place for ease of installation with its unique rigid-LATCH system. Lower anchors of the Liing snap directly into the lower seat belt slots and the top tether strap snaps onto the vehicle's headrest to create an extremely secure, tight fit that eliminates the possibility of the child being thrown around during the event of a crash.
The base weighs 9lbs, and the carrier weighs 10.5 lbs. Some other rear-facing only seats have a much heavier weight however, if you plan on schlepping the car seat and its base around it won't be too noticeable (especially once you add a baby to the mix! ).
Parents love the Liing's integrated canopy and 100+spf protection from the sun's rays by mesh peekaboo. Caregivers love the merino cover that keeps babies warm, and they also like the ability of the handle to pivot over the canopy which makes it more comfortable to reach for when they need.
Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX
The Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX is a 3-in-1 car seat that can be used from rear-facing infant to forward-facing harness, and finally to highback booster. It features the SnugLock installation system that allows for a smooth and simple install with either vehicle seat belts or lower anchors. It can be installed using the top tether in booster mode. (We recommend using the lower anchors for additional security.)
We love that this seat can be used by children of all ages. It comes with an infant insert designed for younger babies that supports their necks and backs. As they grow older, this insert can be removed and the seat is used as a regular toddler car seat. It is one of the only car seats that allows the top tether to be used in booster mode. We highly recommend it.
Its base is fairly compact from front to back, which means it shouldn't pose a problem fitting in most vehicles. The headrest needs to be raised to allow the lower anchor webbing to pass through. Luckily, there's a headrest adjustment knob that can easily do this, and also observe the position of the headrest in the display window.
The SnugLock system is among the most exciting features of this seat. It's an anchor that is located inside the belt path. Installing this car seat using lower anchors is simple, and almost as simple as installing the car's seat belt.
The manual provides a fantastic illustration of how to run the lower anchor connectors in a correct manner through the belt path, which can initially be confusing. It is important to keep them out of the crotch buckle loop and away from the chest clip, so they don't interfere with the buckle system.
The Graco Trio Grow belongs to the Protect Plus Engineered Family, which means that it has been subjected some of the most rigorous testing in the market. This includes side, rear and rollover crashes as well as frontal impact tests.