Top Rated Infant Car Seats

Not all baby car seats are created in the same way. The most effective seats come with features that improve the performance of crash tests. For example, load legs are shock-absorbing components which are attached to the seat or base and limit movement in an accident.

A favorite with CPST instructors is the Chicco KeyFit, which has a weight limit that is high for rear facing infant car seat-facing and height limit and bubble level indicator and a spring-loaded reclining foot that allows for easy installation.

Graco Mesa Max

The Graco Mesa Max is one of the top-rated infant car seats in terms of ease of use. It has great fabrics with a simple design and a convenient feature for attaching the child's harness to the headrest, making it easier to tighten. It has a large canopy that can be put away to keep your child protected when they travel. The only downside is that it is a bit heavier than normal and could be a problem if you plan to lug it around or want it to pair with your UPPAbaby stroller, which is a winner.

The Mesa Max's impressive crash test results reflect its commitment to safety at the highest level. It scored a top score in the frontal test and a high score in the side impact test, which means that your baby is protected from both sides of the event of a collision.

Another important safety feature is the Graco's anti-rebound panel, that helps to reduce rebound forces during the event of a crash, and also ensures that your child's head is protected. This feature is unique among infant car seats, and makes the Mesa Max standout among its competitors.

When paired with the base When used in conjunction with the base Graco Mesa Max can be installed easily and securely in your vehicle with LATCH. The load leg, the recline angle adjustment as well as the tightness indicator help ensure an accurate, quick installation. The base weighs 12.6, which is slightly more than the average car seat for infants however not enough to cause any issues.

Similar to its predecessor, the UPPAbaby Mesa V2, the Mesa Max uses dual-knit fabric that's free of fire-retardant chemicals. It has an infinitely adjustable backrest and an extremely durable insert for infants who weigh between 4 and 11 pounds. The fabrics are GREENGUARD gold certified, which ensures low chemical emissions and low VOCs.

The UPPAbaby Mesa Max may be slightly more expensive than other options but it offers top features and advanced technology for an enjoyable and safe journey. The base is included and is available in a variety of stylish colors. This adds to the value proposition. Its thoughtful design and strong features offer peace of mind for parents on every journey.

Britax Boulevard ClickTight

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

Its main selling point is the ClickTight Installation System, which is the safest and easiest to use available. It lets you tighten the seat belt by pushing a red release button and pulling the harness strap and not having to loosen it and then re-thread it. This decreases the chance of not tightening the correct belt which is the most common cause of car seat failure.

The EZ-Buckle Pad adds another safety feature that keeps the buckle away as you put your child in the car seat. This feature, as well as beltpath cutouts on the sides of your child's seat, make it easy to get them into and out of the vehicle.

All three ClickTight convertible seat models (Boulevard CT, Marathon CT, Advocate CT) share the identical features. They include the ClickTight Installation System and an impact-absorbing base with 7 recline positions and a rip-stitch energy-absorbing harness pad, a tether that is HUGS and a steel-reinforced frame and EPP energy-absorbing foam.

It is a heavy seat, so it might be worth considering a lighter alternative in case you plan to use it frequently for car swaps or traveling. The seat is quite large and could not be suitable for smaller vehicles.

If you're looking for a budget-friendly seat with the same quality, the Graco 4Ever DLX is a great choice. It has lower crash tests scores than the Boulevard but is still an excellent option for your child.

The Graco has also push-on connectors for LATCH, which makes it easier to remove the seat. The LATCH connectors on the Boulevard have a different release mechanism, which requires you to press a gray button and then pull on the webbing to loosen it. It's not easy to do this if the webbing has a tight fit. However this seat comes with a handy storage compartment for belt straps when not in use.

Clek Liing

If you're in search of a child car seat that offers everything -- style, safety as well as convenience and luxury- you'll love the Clek Liing. This rear-facing car seat comes with a great crash test score, an impressive variety of features, and is simple to install in most vehicles.

The Liing is designed to safeguard babies with features that meet or exceed both US and Canadian safety standards. It was designed for easy, secure installation 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 for enhanced side impact protection. The base features seven recline positions, as well as a bubble indicator that lets you know that the seat is just the perfect angle for your child.

The Liing is a sleek, modern stroller that parents love. It comes with innovative safety features, like rigid lower anchors which are much easier to attach than hook-and loop connectors. The Liing features a one-handed release, making it easy to remove the base and connect it to compatible strollers. It's also slim enough to fit three across in several vehicles, and is a good fit in many convertible car seats as an added travel aid.

The Liing infant seat is rated first for its unique rigid-LATCH installation method. Lower anchors of the Liing snap into the seat belt slots of the vehicle, and the top tether strap snaps on to the vehicle headrest. This ensures a tight, secure fit which will eliminate the possibility that the child will be thrown around during a crash.

The base weighs 9 lbs and the car seat weighs 10.5 lbs. Other rear-facing seats are much heavier in weight however, if you plan on schlepping this car seat and its base all over the place the slight difference will not be noticeable (especially when you add a child to the equation! ).

Parents love the Liing's built-in canopy and 100+spf of protection from the sun with the mesh peekaboo. Parents love the merino cover that keeps babies warm and also appreciate the ability of the handle to pivot past the canopy, making it more comfortable to grab when needed.

Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX

The Graco Trio SnugLock LX is a 3-in-1 car seats by age seat that can be used from rear-facing infant to forward-facing harness and then to highback booster. It features the SnugLock system, which allows for a simple and smooth installation with either lower anchors or vehicle seat belts. It has the option of using the top tether in booster mode. (We suggest using the lower anchors for additional security.)

This seat is great for children of all different ages. For babies who are just beginning to crawl it has an infant insert which helps to help support their necks and backs. This insert can be removed when the child is older and the seat can be used as a normal car seat for toddlers. This is one of the only car seats that allow the top tether to be used as a booster. We recommend it.

Its base is compact from front to back so it shouldn't have a problem fitting in most vehicles. It does require the headrest to be raised however, to allow an easy way to the lower anchor webbing. Fortunately, there's a headrest adjustment knob that allows you to accomplish this, and you'll be able to observe the position of the headrest in the display window.

The SnugLock system is one of the most exciting features of this seat. It's a bar that's within the belt path. This makes installing this car seat inserts for newborns seat using the lower anchors a breeze and almost as easy as using the seat belt of your vehicle.

The manual also includes an excellent illustration of how to properly connect the lower anchor connectors when traversing them along the new belt path which may be confusing at first. Keep them clear of the chest clip and 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 field. This includes tests for side, rear and rollover accidents as well as frontal collisions.