Top Rated Infant Car Seats

Not all lightweight baby car seat car seats are created equally. The best seats have features that increase crash test performance. For example, load legs -- shock-absorbing elements which are attached to the base or seat and limit the movement of the seat during a collision.

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 an reclining foot with a spring that makes it easy to install.

Graco Mesa Max

The Graco Mesa Max is one of the top portable infant car seat car seats in terms of user-friendliness. It has great fabrics with a simple design and a handy feature that allows you to attach a child's harness to the headrest, making it easier to tighten. It also comes with an enormous canopy that makes it easy to keep your baby shaded when traveling. It's a bit heavier than the average stroller, which is problematic if you intend to carry it around or use it with your award-winning UPPAbaby.

Mesa Max's impressive performance in crash tests reflect its commitment to safety. It scored highly in both frontal and side impact tests, meaning that your baby will be safe from the two sides of a collision.

Another noteworthy safety feature is the Graco's anti-rebound panel, which reduces the forces of rebound in the event of a crash, and also safeguards your child's head. This feature is unique among infant car seats and makes the Mesa Max standout among its competitors.

If used with the base When used in conjunction with the base Graco Mesa Max can be installed quickly and securely into your vehicle with LATCH. The load leg, recline angle adjustment as well as the indicator for tightness ensure a quick, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6 It is a little more than the average infant car seats however not enough to cause a problem.

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 features an infinitely adjustable backrest as well as an extremely durable insert for infants weighing 4-11 pounds. The fabric is GREENGUARD gold certified, which tests for low chemical emissions and low VOCs.

The UPPAbaby Mesa Max might be a bit more expensive than other models, but offers premium features and modern technology for the most secure travel experience. The base included and a range of stylish colorways enhance the value proposition. Its thoughtful features and robust design give parents peace of mind on every journey.

Britax Boulevard ClickTight

The Britax Blvd ClickTight is a great choice for parents looking for an automobile seat that they can grow with. The rear-facing weight limit is 40 pounds, which is higher than many infant car seats that swivel car seats. It can also be used forward-facing until your child weighs 65 pounds.

Its biggest selling point is the ClickTight Installation System, which is the most secure and simple available. It allows you to tighten the seat belt by pushing an orange release button and pulling the harness strap, without having to loosen it, then re-thread. This minimizes the possibility of not tightening correctly the belt, which is the primary reason for car seat failure.

Another safety feature is the EZBuckle Pad, which holds the buckle out of the way when you're placing your child in the seat. This feature, along with beltpath cutouts on both sides of the seat makes it easy 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. They include the ClickTight Installation System with an impact-absorbing base, with seven recline positions as well as a rip-stitch energy absorbing tether, HUGS harness pads as well as a steel reinforced frame and EPP energy-absorbing foam.

The seat is fairly heavy, however, so you may want to think about a lighter option if you plan to use it for travel or frequent car swaps. The seat is quite large, so it might not be suitable for smaller vehicles.

If you're looking for a budget-friendly option, but with the same quality, check out the 4Ever DLX from Graco. The 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. The Boulevard's LATCH connectors have a different release mechanism, which requires you to press a grey button and then pull on the webbing to loosen it. It isn't easy to accomplish this if the webbing isn't fitted properly. However this seat comes with a convenient storage compartment for belt straps when not in use.

Clek Liing

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

The Liing is designed to protect babies with features that meet and surpass both US and Canadian safety standards. It is designed to allow for a simple, secure installation - at any seat position. It's loaded with advanced safety features like an energy-absorbing metal load leg as well as an outer shell that is lined with EPP foam for enhanced side-impact protection. The base comes with 7 recline positions, and a bubble indicator that lets you know when the seat is at just the right angle for your child.

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

This infant seat is an impressive 1st place in terms of ease of installation with its unique rigid-LATCH system. The 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 results in a secure snug, secure fit that reduces the risk that the child could be thrown around during a crash.

The seat is light with the base weighting 9 lbs, and the car itself at a manageable 10.5 lbs. Other rear-facing seats weigh more, but the difference isn't noticeable if you plan to carry the car seat and base around. ).

Parents love the Liing's built-in canopy and 100+spf sun-protection with an open mesh window. Caregivers appreciate the blanket made of merino that keeps the baby warm, and the capacity of the handle to pivot away from the canopy. This allows parents to reach for the seat if they need to.

Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX

The Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX is a 3-in-1 car seat that converts from rear-facing infant, to forward-facing harness, and then to highback booster. It comes with the SnugLock installation system that allows for a simple and smooth installation using either a vehicle seat belt or lower anchors. It also allows you to use the top tether in booster mode (although we recommend using the lower anchors at all times to ensure security).

This seat is great for children of all ages. It has an infant insert designed for younger infants that can support their backs and necks. As they grow older this insert can be removed and the seat used as a regular car seat for toddlers. It is one of the only car seats that allows the top tether to be used as a booster. We recommend it.

Its base is compact from front to back, which means it shouldn't have any issues fitting into most vehicles. It is required for the headrest to be raised, however, to allow an open path for the lower anchor webbing. Luckily, there's a headrest adjustment knob to easily accomplish this, and you'll be able to see the headrest position in the display window.

The SnugLock system is one of the coolest features about this seat. It's a bar that is in the belt path. This makes installing this car seat using the lower anchors a breeze and almost as easy as using the car seat belt.

The manual also has a great illustration of how to correctly route the lower anchor connectors while routing them through the new belt path which can be confusing at first. It's important to keep them out of the crotch buckle loop, and away from the chest clip, so that they don't hinder the buckling system.

The Graco Trio Grow belongs to the Protect Plus Engineered Family, which means that it has been subjected to some of the most rigorous testing in the market. This includes tests for side, rear and rollover accidents as well as frontal collisions.