Top Rated Infant Car Seats

Not all infant car seats are made in the same way. The top ones come with features that improve the crash test's performance, for instance load legs--shock absorbing parts on the base of the seat that help reduce movement during collisions.

Chicco KeyFit is a favorite of CPST instructors. It features an rear-facing weight, a height limit that is high and a bubble-level indicator and a spring loaded reclined foot that makes it simple to set up.

Graco Mesa Max

The Graco Mesa Max is one of the highest-ranked infant car seats in terms of convenience of use. It is made of great materials, a simple design, and a handy feature that allows you to attach the harness of a child to the headrest, making it easier to tighten. It has a large canopy that can be hidden away to keep your child sheltered when traveling. The only issue is that it's a bit heavier than normal, which might be a problem if intend to carry it around or want it to pair with your award-winning UPPAbaby stroller.

The Mesa Max's impressive crash test results demonstrate its commitment to top-quality safety. It scored well in both frontal and side impact tests, meaning that your child will be protected from both sides of a collision.

Another important safety feature is the Graco's anti-rebound panel, which reduces the force of rebound during an accident and protects your child's head. This feature is unique in infant car seats and makes the Mesa Max standout among its peers.

When paired with the base When used in conjunction with the base Graco Mesa Max can be installed quickly and safely in your vehicle by using LATCH. The load leg, recline angle adjustment, and the indicator of tightness help ensure a fast, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6, which is slightly more than the average car seat for infants however not enough to cause a problem.

Similar to its predecessor, the UPPAbaby Mesa V2, the Mesa Max uses dual-knit fabric which is free of harmful chemicals. It also comes with an infinitely adjustable headrest as well as an extremely durable infant insert that helps improve fit and body positioning for babies weighing between 4 and 11 pounds. The fabrics are GREENGUARD Gold Certified, which means they are tested for low VOCs and chemical emissions.

The UPPAbaby UPPAmax Mesa Maxi is a little more expensive than other models however it comes with premium features and modern technology for an enjoyable and safe journey. The included base and a selection of stylish colors enhance the value proposition. Its thoughtful features and robust design offer parents peace of mind for every excursion.

Britax Boulevard ClickTight

The Britax Blvd ClickTight is a great choice for parents looking for a car seat they can grow with. Its rear-facing limit is 40 pounds, which is greater than the majority of infant car seats. Furthermore, it can also be used as a forward-facing car seat until your child weighs 65 pounds.

The ClickTight Installation System is its biggest selling point. It is the safest, easiest and most secure system on the market. It allows you to tighten the seat belt by pressing an orange release button and pulling the harness strap and not having to loosen it and re-thread it. This reduces the chance of not tightening correctly the belt, which is the primary cause of failures in car seats.

Another safety feature is the EZBuckle Pad, which keeps the buckle out of the way when you're putting your child in the car seat. This feature along with beltpath cutouts that are located on the sides of the seat makes it simple to get your child in and out of the car.

The three ClickTight convertible seat models (Boulevard CT, Marathon CT, Advocate CT) share the same features. ClickTight Installation System is one of them. Also included are an impact-absorbing frame with seven recline positions.

The seat is fairly heavy, but you might want to consider a lighter option if you intend to use it for travel or frequent swaps of cars. Additionally, the seat is large, and therefore may not fit well in smaller vehicles, especially if it's installed on the rear.

If you're looking for a affordable option that is comparable to take a look at the 4Ever DLX by Graco. It has lower crash test scores than the Boulevard but is still an excellent option for your child.

The Graco also comes with LATCH connectors with push-on connections, which make it easier to take the seat off. The LATCH connectors on the Boulevard have a different release mechanism which requires the user to press a grey button and pull on the webbing to loosen it. It isn't easy to do this if your webbing is tight. However the seat comes with a convenient storage cubby for the belt straps when not in use.

Clek Liing

If you're looking for a baby car seat that offers it all -style, safety convenience, and luxuryyou'll be delighted with the Clek Liing. This rear-facing car seat has a high crash test score, a great range of features and is easy to put in in most vehicles.

The Liing is designed with features that exceed US and Canadian safety regulations. It's designed to allow for a simple, secure installation - at any seat position. It's loaded with advanced safety features like an energy-absorbing steel load leg and two-piece shells lined with EPP foam to provide greater side-impact protection. The base comes with 7 recline positions, as well as a dependable bubble indicator that lets you know exactly when the seat is at the proper angle for your baby.

The Liing is a sleek, modern stroller that parents love. It has innovative safety features such as rigid lower anchors which are more convenient to connect than hook-and-loop connectors. The Liing comes with a single-handed release, making it easy to remove the base and connect it to strollers compatible with it. It's also small enough to fit three-across several vehicles, and is a good fit in many convertible car seats as an extra boost for travel.

The Liing infant seat earns a solid 1st 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 rated infant car seats tether strap snaps onto the headrest of the vehicle, creating a tight, secure fit that eliminates the possibility of the child being thrown around during an accident.

The seat is lightweight, with the base weighting 9 lbs, and the car itself coming in at a manageable 10.5 lbs. Some other rear-facing only seats have a much heavier weight however, if you plan to carry this car seat and its base all over the place it won't be noticeable (especially when you add a child to the mix! ).

Parents love the Liing's integrated canopy and 100+spf of protection from the sun's rays by a mesh peekaboo. Parents love the merino cover that keeps baby warm, and they also like the ability of the handle to pivot past the canopy which makes it more comfortable to grab when needed.

Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX

The Graco Trio GROW SnugLock is an all-in-one seat that converts from a rear-facing infant car seats on sale to a forward-facing harness, and later to a highback booster. It has the SnugLock system which allows for a simple and smooth installation with either lower anchors or best car seat newborn seat belts. It also allows you to use the top rated infant car seats tether in booster mode (although we recommend using the lower anchors at all times to ensure security).

This seat is perfect for children of all age groups. For babies who are just beginning to crawl it has an infant insert that helps to help support their necks and backs. This insert can be removed once 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 allows the top tether to be used as a booster. We highly recommend it.

Its base is compact from front to back so it shouldn't have any issues fitting into most vehicles. It does require the headrest to be raised, in order to provide an open route for the lower anchor webbing. There's a convenient knob to adjust the headrest and the display window displays the position of the headrest.

One of the most impressive features about this seat is the SnugLock installation system, which is a bar that is located inside the belt path. Installing this car seat using lower anchors is simple and as simple as using the vehicle's seat belt.

The manual has a great illustration of how to guide the lower anchor connectors properly through the new belt path which may initially be confusing. Keep them clear of the chest clip and 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 tested to some of the most rigorous crash tests in the industry. This includes tests for rear, side and rollover accidents and frontal impact.