Top Rated Infant Car Seats
A quality infant car seat is a safety requirement, but not all car seats are made in the same way. The top seats come with features that improve the performance of crash tests. For example, load legs -- shock-absorbing components which are attached to the base or seat and help to reduce movement during an accident.
A favorite with CPST instructors is the Chicco KeyFit, which has a high rear-facing weight limit and height limit, a bubble level indicator, and the reclining foot is spring-loaded, which allows for easy installation.
Graco Mesa Max
The Graco Mesa Max is one of the top infant car seats due to its user-friendliness. It has an easy-to-use design and top fabrics. It also has an innovative feature that allows you to attach the child's harness directly to the headrest. It also has a huge canopy that makes it easy to keep your baby shaded during travel. The only issue is that it's slightly heavier than the average this could be an issue if you are planning to transport it or if you want to pair it with your UPPAbaby stroller that has won awards.
The Mesa Max's impressive crash test results reflect its commitment to top-quality safety. It scored high in both the frontal and side impact tests, ensuring that your child will be protected from both sides of a collision.
The anti-rebound panel is a important safety feature. It helps reduce rebound forces in a crash and also protects the child's head. This feature is not common in infant car seats and makes the Mesa Max stand out among its competitors.
If used with the base when used with the base Graco Mesa Max can be installed quickly and securely into your vehicle using LATCH. The load leg, the recline angle adjustment and the tightness indicator help ensure a fast, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6 pounds, which is slightly heavier than the average infant car seat but not enough to cause an issue.
The UPPAbaby Mesa V2 uses the same fabric with the same dual-knit construction as its predecessor. It is free of harmful chemicals that are fire-resistant. It comes with an infinitely adjustable backrest and an extremely durable insert for infants weighing 4-11 lbs. The fabric is GREENGUARD Gold Certified, which tests for low chemical emissions and VOCs.
The UPPAbaby UPPAmax Mesa Max is a little more expensive than the other options however it comes with premium 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 design and robust features provide peace of mind for parents on every trip.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight
The Britax Blvd ClickTight is a great choice for parents looking for a car seat they can expand with. Its rear-facing capacity is 40 pounds, which is greater than most infant car seats. Furthermore, it can be used as a forward-facing car seat until your child weighs 65 pounds.
The ClickTight Installation System is its major selling feature. It is the most secure most user-friendly and secure system on the market. It allows you to tighten the seat belt by pressing a red release button and pulling on the harness strap without the need to untie it, then re-thread. This decreases the risk of incorrectly tightening the belt that is the primary cause of car seat failure.
Another security feature is the EZ-Buckle Pad, which holds the buckle in place when you're placing 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 of the ClickTight convertible seats (Boulevard, Marathon CT, and Advocate CT) have the same features. ClickTight Installation System is one of them. Also included are 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 are planning to use it for frequent swaps of cars. Also, the seat is large, and therefore may not be suitable for smaller vehicles, particularly in the case of on the rear.
If you want a more budget-friendly option, but with the same quality look into the Graco 4Ever DLX. This seat has lower crash tests scores than the Boulevard but is an excellent option for your child.
The Graco has also connectors with push-on connectors for LATCH which makes it easier to take off the seat. Boulevard's LATCH connectors have a different release system 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 comes with a handy storage cubby for the belt straps when not in use.
Clek Liing
If you're looking for an infant car seat that has it all -style, safety convenience, and luxury- you'll love the Clek Liing. This rear-facing car seat has a high crash test score, a great variety of features, and is easy to install on most vehicles.
The Liing is designed to protect newborn darlings with features that meet and exceed both US and Canadian safety standards. It's designed to be simple and secure installation - in every seat position. It's equipped with the latest safety features such as an energy-absorbing metal load leg as well as a two-piece shell lined with EPP foam for increased side-impact protection. The base features seven recline positions, and a bubble indicator that tells you that the seat is just the right angle for your child.
Parents love the Liing's modern and sleek design as well as its innovative safety features like rigid lower anchors that are easier to attach than hook-and-loop connectors. The Liing also has a convenient one-handed release that makes it simple to take it off the base and to use with various compatible strollers. And at less than 17 inches wide, it's narrow enough for 3-across use in most cars and can easily fit into convertible car seats as a booster.
The Liing infant seat is rated as 1st for its unique rigid-LATCH installation method. The Liing's lower anchors snap into the seat belt slots in the vehicle and the top tether strap snaps onto the headrest of the vehicle. This ensures a tight snug, secure fit that eliminates the chance that the child might be thrown around in an accident.
The base weighs 9 lbs and the seat weighs 10.5 lbs. Some other rear-facing only seats have a much heavier weight however if you're planning to carry the car seat and its base everywhere it won't be noticeable (especially once you add a child to the equation! ).
Parents love the Liing's built-in canopy and 100+spf sun-protection with a mesh peekaboo window. Parents love the merino cover that keeps babies warm and they also love the seat's handle's ability to pivot past the canopy and make it easier for them to grab when needed.
Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX
The Graco Trio SnugLock LX is a three-in-one car seat that converts from rear-facing infant, to forward-facing harness, and finally to highback booster. It comes with the SnugLock installation system that allows for a smooth and simple installation using either a vehicle seat belt or lower anchors. It also has the option to use the top tether in booster mode (although we recommend using the lower anchors in all times for greater security).
This seat is great for children of all different ages. It comes with an infant insert for younger babies that helps support their necks and backs. As they grow older this insert can be removed and the seat is used as a regular car seat for toddlers. This is one of the only car seats that allow the top tether to be used in booster mode. We highly recommend it.
Its base is pretty compact front to back, so it shouldn't be difficult to find a spot for it in the majority of cars. The headrest must be raised to allow for the lower anchor webbing to pass through. Luckily, there's a headrest adjustment knob that can easily accomplish this, and also view the position of your headrest in the display window.
The SnugLock system is among the coolest features about this seat. It's a bar that's in the belt path. Push Chairs And Prams makes installing this car seat with the lower anchors an easy task and is nearly as simple as using the vehicle seat belt.
The manual offers a wonderful illustration of how to run the lower anchor connectors properly through the belt path, which can initially be confusing. Keep them away from the chest clip as well as the crotch loop to prevent interference with the buckle system.
The Graco Trio Grow belongs to the Protect Plus Engineered Family, which means it has been put through some of the most rigorous testing in the industry. This includes tests for side, rear and rollover crashes and frontal impact.
