Top Rated Infant Car Seats

A high-quality infant car seats best car seat is a necessity, but not all seats are created equal. The most effective ones have features that improve the crash test's performance, for instance load legs, which are shock absorbing components on the base or car seat that reduce movement in collisions.

Chicco KeyFit is a favorite of CPST instructors. It has an rear-facing weight, a height limit that is high and 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 most simple infant car seats to use. It has a simple design and great fabrics. It also has a handy feature that allows you to connect the harness of your child directly to the headrest. It also comes with a large hideaway canopy which makes it easy to keep your baby sheltered when traveling. The only drawback is that it is slightly heavier than the average and could be an issue if you are planning to transport it or if you want to pair it with your award-winning UPPAbaby stroller.

The Mesa Max's impressive results in crash tests show its commitment to safety. It scored high in both frontal and side impact tests, meaning that your baby will be protected from the two sides of a collision.

Another notable safety feature is the Graco's anti-rebound panel that helps to reduce the forces of rebound in a crash and protects your child's head. This feature is rare in car seats for infants and makes the Mesa Max stand out among its competitors.

Graco Mesa Max can easily and securely be installed in your vehicle using LATCH when combined with the base. The load leg, the recline angle adjustment and the tightness indicator help ensure a fast, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6, which is slightly higher than the typical infant car seats however not enough to cause an issue.

The UPPAbaby Mesa V2 uses the same dual-knit fabric as its predecessor. It is free of harmful chemicals that are fire retardant. It also has an adjustable headrest that can be adjusted infinitely and an infant insert that enhances the body's fit and positioning for babies approximately 4-11 lbs. The fabric is GREENGUARD Gold Certified, which ensures low emissions of chemicals and VOCs.

The Mesa Max from UPPAbaby is more expensive than the other models, but it offers premium features and advanced safety technology to ensure a safe travel experience. The included base and a selection of stylish colorways enhance the value proposition. Its thoughtful features and robust design provide parents with peace of mind for every journey.

Britax Boulevard ClickTight

The Britax Boulevard ClickTight is an excellent choice for anyone who wants a car seat that can grow with their child. The rear-facing limit is 40 pounds, which is greater than the majority of infant car seats. Additionally, it can also be used as a forward-facing seat until your child is 65 pounds.

Its main selling factor is the ClickTight Installation System, which is the most secure and user-friendly to use available. It allows you to tighten the seat belt by pushing the red release button and pulling on the harness strap, without having to loosen it and then re-thread it. This minimizes the possibility of not tightening correctly the seat belt which is the main cause of failures in car seats.

The EZ-Buckle Pad adds another safety feature that holds the buckle away as you put your child in the car seat. This feature, along with beltpath cutouts on both sides of the seat makes it simple to get your child in and out of the car.

All 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 that can accommodate 7 recline positions.

The seat is quite heavy, however, so you may want to consider a lighter option if plan to use it for travel infant car seat or frequent car swaps. The seat is large and therefore may not be suitable for smaller vehicles.

If you want a more budget-friendly option with similar quality take a look at the 4Ever DLX from Graco. It has lower crash test analysis scores than the Boulevard but it's a great seat for your child.

The Graco also has LATCH connectors that can be pushed on that make it simpler to remove the seat. Boulevard's LATCH connectors have a different release mechanism that requires you to pull the webbing, then press the gray button. This can be difficult if your webbing is tense. However this seat comes with a storage cubby for the belt straps when not in use.

Clek Liing

Clek Liing is the ideal infant car seat you should consider if you want it all in terms of style, safety and convenience. This rear-facing car seat can be easy to put in, has an impressive crash test score and a variety of features.

The Liing is designed to safeguard infants with features that meet or exceed both US and Canadian safety standards. It was designed for easy installation and security in all seating positions. It also has advanced safety features, such as an energy-absorbing metal leg as well as two pieces of shell that is lined with EPP for increased side impact protection. The base has seven recline positions, as well as a dependable bubble indicator to let you know precisely when the seat is at the right angle for your baby.

The Liing is loved by parents for its sleek and modern 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 simple to remove the base and use with strollers compatible with it. At less than 17 inches in width, it's narrow enough for 3-across use in most cars and can easily fit into convertible car seats as a travel booster.

This infant seat is first place for ease of installation with its unique rigid-LATCH system. The lower anchors of the Liing click directly into the lower seat belt slots, and the seat's top tether strap snaps into the headrest of the vehicle to create an incredibly secure, tight fit that eliminates the risk of the child being thrown around during a crash.

The seat is light, with the base weighting 9 lbs, and the car itself coming in at an easy 10.5 pounds. Other rear-facing seats weigh more, but the difference is not evident if you intend to carry the car seat newborn insert seat and base around. ).

Parents love the Liing's built-in canopy and 100+spf protection from the sun's rays with a mesh peekaboo. Caregivers love the merino cover that keeps baby cozy and they also love the seat's handle's ability to pivot past the canopy, making it more comfortable for them to grab whenever they need.

Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX

The Graco Trio SnugLock is a 3-in-1 seat that converts from a rear-facing infant to a forward-facing harness, and later to a highback booster. It has the SnugLock system that allows for a simple and smooth installation with either lower anchors or vehicle seat belts. It also allows you to use the top tether when in booster mode (although we recommend using the lower anchors at all times for added security).

We love that this seat is suitable for children of all age groups. It comes with an portable infant car seat 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. It is one of the only car seats that allow the top tether to be used as a booster. We highly recommend it.

Its base is quite compact front to back, so it shouldn't be hard to locate a place for it in the majority of cars. The headrest needs to be raised in order for the lower anchor webbing to pass through. Fortunately, there's a headrest adjustment knob to easily do this, and you can view the position of your headrest in the display window.

One of the most impressive features about this seat is the SnugLock installation system that is an anchor that is in the belt path. This makes fitting this car seat using the lower anchors a breeze and similar to using the seat belt of your vehicle.

The manual offers a wonderful illustration on how to route the lower anchor connectors in a correct manner through the new belt pathway which may initially be confusing. It's important to keep them away from the crotch buckle loop, and away from the chest clip, to ensure 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 tests in the industry. This includes tests for side, rear, and rollover crashes as well as frontal impacts.