Top Rated Infant Car Seats

Not all infant car seats are created equally. The most effective seats come with features that improve crash test performance. For instance load legs -- shock-absorbing elements that are attached to the seat or base and help to reduce the movement of the seat during a collision.

Chicco KeyFit is a favorite of CPST instructors. It has an rear-facing weight, a the height limit is high as well as a bubble-level indicator and a spring-loaded foot that can recline 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 is an easy design and excellent fabrics. It also has an excellent feature that allows you to attach the child's harness directly to the headrest. It comes with a large canopy that can be hidden away to keep your child protected while traveling. It is a bit heavier than the average stroller, which is problematic if you intend to carry it around or use it in conjunction with your UPPAbaby that has won awards.

The Mesa Max's impressive crash test results demonstrate its commitment to top-quality safety. It scored a top score in the frontal test, and a top score in the side impact test, which means your baby is protected from both sides in an accident.

The anti-rebound panel is a notable safety feature. It helps reduce the forces of rebound in a crash and also safeguards the child's head. This is a rare feature in infant car seats and makes the Mesa Max stand out among its rivals.

When paired with the base when used with the base Graco Mesa Max can be installed quickly and safely in your vehicle using LATCH. The load leg, recline angle adjustment and the indicator of tightness help ensure a quick, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6 lbs it is slightly heavier than an average car seat for infants but not enough to be an issue.

Like its predecessor, the UPPAbaby Mesa V2, the Mesa Max uses dual-knit fabric which is free of harmful chemicals. It also features an infinitely adjustable headrest as well as an infant insert that enhances the fit and body position of babies weighing between 4 and 11 pounds. The fabrics are GREENGUARD gold certified, which tests for low chemical emissions and low VOCs.

The Mesa Max from UPPAbaby is more expensive than other alternatives, however it has top-quality features and the latest security technologies to provide the best car seat traveling experience. The base is included and comes in a range of attractive colors. This is a great addition to the value proposition. Its thoughtful design and strong features provide peace of mind for parents on every journey.

Britax Boulevard ClickTight

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

Its most prominent selling feature is the ClickTight Installation System, which is the most secure and simple available. It lets you tighten the seat belt by pushing an orange release button and pulling on the harness strap and not having to loosen it and then re-thread it. This decreases the chance of a mistake when tightening a seat belt which is the main cause of car seat failure.

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 that run along the sides of your child's seat, makes it simple to get them into and out of the vehicle.

All three ClickTight convertible seats (Boulevard, Marathon CT, and Advocate CT) have the identical features. ClickTight Installation System is one of them. Also included is an impact-absorbing frame that has seven recline positions.

It's a heavy seat, so it might be worth considering an alternative that is lighter if you intend to use it frequently for car swaps or for travel. Also, the seat is large, and therefore may not fit well in smaller vehicles, particularly in the case of rear facing infant car seat-facing.

If you're looking for a low-cost seat that is of similar quality the Graco 4Ever is a great choice. The seat has lower scores in crash test analysis than the Boulevard, but it's still an excellent choice for your baby.

The Graco also has connectors that can be pushed on for LATCH, which allows you to easily remove the seat. The LATCH connectors on the Boulevard have an additional release mechanism, which requires you to press a gray button and pull the webbing to loosen it. It isn't easy to do this if the webbing is tight. However this seat comes with a convenient storage cubby for the belt straps when they are not in use.

Clek Liing

If you're looking for an infant car seat that has all of it -- style, safety convenience, and luxuryyou'll love the Clek Liing. This rear-facing car seat is easy to put in, has a high crash test rating and a variety of features.

The Liing is designed with features that exceed US and Canadian safety regulations. It's engineered to be simple and secure installation - at any seating position. It's equipped with the latest safety features like an energy-absorbing metal load leg as well as an outer shell that is lined with EPP foam for increased side-impact protection. The base features 7 recline positions as well as a reliable bubble indicator that lets you know when the seat is at the right angle for your baby.

The Liing is loved by parents for its modern and sleek design and also its innovative safety features like rigid lower anchors that are 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 strollers compatible with it. It's also slim enough to fit three-across many vehicles, and it can be easily inserted into a convertible car seats as a travel boost.

The Liing infant seat earns a solid 1st place for ease of installation thanks to its unique rigid-LATCH system. The lower anchors of the Liing snap into the lower seat belt slots of the vehicle and the top tether strap snaps on to the headrest of the vehicle. This creates a tight, secure fit which eliminates the chance that the child will be thrown around during an accident.

The seat is light with the base weighing 9 lbs, and the car itself coming in at a manageable 10.5 pounds. Some other rear-facing only seats are heavier in weight however, if you plan on schlepping the car seat and its base all over the place the slight difference will not be too noticeable (especially once you add a baby into the mix! ).

Parents appreciate the Liing's built in canopy and 100+spf sun-protection with the mesh peekaboo window. Parents appreciate the blanket made of merino, which keeps the baby warm and the ability of the handle to pivot away from the canopy. This makes it easier for parents to grab the seat when needed.

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 then to the highback booster. It is equipped with the SnugLock installation system which allows for a smooth and simple installation using either the car seat newborn 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 all age groups. For infants it comes with an infant insert that helps to 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. It 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 fairly compact from front to back so it shouldn't pose a problem fitting into most vehicles. The headrest has to be raised to allow the lower anchor webbing to pass through. There's a handy knob for adjusting the headrest, and the display window indicates the position of the headrest.

One of the coolest things about this seat is the SnugLock installation system that's a bar that's inside the belt path. This makes fitting this car seat with the lower anchors an easy task, and it's almost as easy as using the vehicle seat belt.

The manual provides a fantastic illustration of how to guide the lower anchor connectors correctly through the new belt path, which can initially be confusing. Keep them away from the chest clip as well as the crotch loop to avoid interfering with the buckle system.

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