Top Rated Infant Car Seats

A quality infant car seat is a necessity, but not all seats are created to be the same. The best car seat for newborn ones have features that increase the crash test's performance, for instance load legs, which are shock-absorbing parts on the base or car seat that help reduce movement during a collision.

Chicco KeyFit is a favorite of CPST instructors. It comes with an upper-right rear-facing weight and a height limit that is high and a bubble-level indicator and a spring loaded reclined foot that makes it easy to put in.

Graco Mesa Max

The Graco Mesa Max ranks as one of the easiest infant car seats to use. It features an easy-to-use design and top fabrics. It also comes with an excellent feature that allows you to connect the harness of your child directly to the headrest. It comes with a large canopy that can be hidden away to keep your child protected while traveling. The only downside is that it's a little heavier than average this could be a problem if plan to lug it around or want to use it with your award-winning UPPAbaby stroller.

Mesa Max's impressive performance in crash tests demonstrate its dedication to safety. It scored high in both the frontal and side impact tests, ensuring that your baby will be safe from both sides of a collision.

Another important safety feature is the Graco's antirebound panel, which helps reduce the force of rebound during the event of a crash, and also protects your child's head. This feature is not common in infant car seats and makes the Mesa Max stand out among its rivals.

Graco Mesa Max can easily and securely be installed in your vehicle with LATCH combined with the base. The load leg, recline angle adjustment, and tightness indicator ensure a quick, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6 pounds, which is slightly heavier than the typical infant car seat but not enough to be an issue.

Similar to its predecessor, the UPPAbaby Mesa V2, the Mesa Max uses dual-knit fabric that is free of chemicals that cause fire. It has an infinitely adjustable backrest as well as an extremely durable insert for infants weighing 4-11 lbs. The fabric is GREENGUARD Gold Certified, which ensures low chemical emissions and VOCs.

The UPPAbaby Mesa Max might be a bit more expensive than the other options, but offers premium features and advanced technology for the most secure travel experience. The base is included and is available in a variety of stylish colors. This adds to the value proposition. Its thoughtful design and robust features provide peace of for parents on every trip.

Britax Boulevard ClickTight

The Britax Blvd ClickTight is a fantastic choice for parents who are looking for an automobile seat that they can expand with. Its rear-facing limit is 40 pounds, which is higher than the majority of infant car seats. Additionally, it can be used as a forward-facing seat until your child is 65 pounds.

The ClickTight Installation System is its most popular selling point. It is the safest, most simple and 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 remove and rethread your seat belt. This decreases the risk of not tightening correctly the belt that is the most common cause of failures in car seats.

The EZ-Buckle Pad adds another security feature that keeps the buckle away while you place 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.

The three ClickTight convertible seats (Boulevard, Marathon CT, and Advocate CT) have 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 heavy seat, and it could be worth considering alternatives that are lighter in case you plan to use it frequently for car swaps or for travel. Additionally, the seat is large, which means it might not fit well in smaller vehicles, particularly when it's rear facing infant car seat-facing.

If you want a more budget-friendly option with similar quality, check out the 4Ever DLX from Graco. The seat has lower crash tests scores than the Boulevard however it is still an excellent choice for your child.

The Graco has also connectors that can be pushed on for LATCH, which makes it easier to take off the seat. The LATCH connectors on the Boulevard have a different release mechanism which requires you to press a grey button and then pull on the webbing to loosen it. This can be difficult if your webbing is tight. However this seat comes with a convenient storage cubby to store the belt straps when not in use.

Clek Liing

Clek Liing is the perfect infant car seat for you to have it all: style, safety and convenience. This rear-facing car seat can be easy to install, comes with a high crash test rating and a variety of features.

The Liing is designed with features that exceed US and Canadian safety standards. It was designed for easy and secure installation in any seating position. It also has advanced safety features such as an energy-absorbing metal leg and a two piece shell lined with EPP for increased side impact protection. The base features seven recline positions, as well as an indicator bubble that tells you when the seat is at just the perfect angle for your child.

The Liing is a sleek, modern stroller that parents love. It is equipped with innovative safety features such as strong lower anchors that are easier to attach than hook-and-loop connectors. The Liing also comes with a convenient one-handed quick release that makes it easy to remove it from the base and to use with many strollers compatible with it. At less than 17 inches wide it's small enough to fit 3-across in most vehicles and fits nicely into many convertible car seats to act as a travel booster.

This infant seat is rated 1st for its unique rigid-LATCH installation system. Lower anchors of the Liing snap into the seat belt slots of the vehicle and the top tether strap snaps onto the vehicle headrest. This creates a tight and secure fit that reduces the risk that the child might be thrown around during an accident.

The seat is light with the base weighing 9 lbs, and the car itself weighing an easy 10.5 lbs. Other rear-facing seats are heavier but the difference isn't significant if you plan to carry the car seat and base around. ).

Parents appreciate the Liing's built in canopy and 100+spf sun protection with a mesh peekaboo window. Caregivers love the blanket made of merino, which keeps the baby warm, and the capacity of the handle to pivot past the canopy. This makes it easier for them to grab the seat if they need to.

Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX

The Graco Trio GROW SnugLock is a 3-in-1 seat that converts from a rear-facing infant car seat swivel to a forward-facing harness, and later to an highback booster. It features the SnugLock installation system which allows for a smooth and easy install with either car seat belts or lower anchors. It has the option of using the top tether when in booster mode. (We suggest using the lower anchors for additional security.)

We love that this chair is suitable for children of different ages. It comes with an infant insert designed for younger babies that supports their necks and backs. When they get older, the insert can be removed and the seat used as a normal car seat for toddlers. 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 quite compact from front to rear and it shouldn't be difficult to locate a place for it in most vehicles. The headrest has to be raised to allow the lower anchor webbing to pass through. Thankfully, there's a handy headrest adjustment knob that allows you to accomplish this, and also observe the position of the headrest in the display window.

One of the coolest things about this seat is the SnugLock installation system, which is a bar that's within the belt path. Installing this car seat using lower anchors is simple and as simple as putting it on the car's seat belt.

The manual also provides an excellent illustration of how to properly route the lower anchor connectors while routing them through the new belt path, which can be a bit confusing initially. Keep them away from the chest clip as well as the crotch loop to prevent interference with the buckle system.

The Graco Trio Grow is part of the Protect Plus Engineered family, which means it's been subjected to some of the most rigorous crash testing in the industry. This includes side, rear and rollover crashes as well as frontal impact tests.