Top Rated Infant Car Seats

Not all infant car seat swivel car seats are made equally. The most effective seats come with features that increase the performance of crash tests. For instance load legs are shock-absorbing elements that are affixed to the base or seat and limit movement in an accident.

A popular choice among CPST instructors is the Chicco KeyFit, which has a large rear-facing weight limit and height limit, bubble level indicator and an reclining foot with a spring that allows for easy installation.

Graco Mesa Max

The Graco Mesa Max ranks as one of the most simple infant car seats to use. It has an easy-to-use design and top fabrics. It also has an excellent feature that lets you connect the harness of your child directly to the headrest. It also comes with an enormous canopy that allows you to keep your baby shaded when traveling. The only drawback is that it's a little heavier than average, which might be a problem if you intend to carry it around or if you want to pair it with your UPPAbaby stroller, which is a winner.

Mesa Max's impressive performance in crash tests show its dedication to safety. It received a high score in the frontal test and an excellent score in the side impact test, which means that your baby is safe from both sides in the event of a collision.

Another notable safety feature is the Graco's antirebound panel, that helps to reduce the force of rebound during a crash and protects your child's head. This feature is rare in infant car seats and makes the Mesa Max stand out among its rivals.

If used with the base, the Graco Mesa Max can be installed quickly and securely into your vehicle by using LATCH. The load leg, recline angle adjustment as well as the indicator of tightness help ensure a quick, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6 pounds, which is slightly heavier than an average car seat for infants but not enough to be an issue.

The UPPAbaby Mesa V2 uses the same dual-knit fabric as its predecessor. It is free of harmful chemicals that are fire-proof. It also features an infinitely adjustable headrest and an extremely durable infant insert that improves the body's fit and positioning for infants weighing between 4-11 pounds. The fabrics are GREENGUARD gold certified, which tests for low VOCs and chemical emissions.

The Mesa Max from UPPAbaby is more expensive than the other options, but it offers premium features and advanced safety technologies for an optimal travel experience. The included base and a variety of fashionable colors enhance the value proposition. Its thoughtful features and sturdy design give parents peace of mind on every excursion.

Britax Boulevard ClickTight

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

The ClickTight Installation System is its biggest selling point. It is the most secure most user-friendly and secure system available. It allows you to tighten the belt by pressing a red release button and pulling the harness strap without the need to untie it, then re-thread. This decreases the chance of a mistake when tightening a seat belt which is the most common cause of car seat failure.

Another security feature is the EZ-Buckle Pad, which keeps the buckle in place when you're placing your child in the seat. This feature, along with beltpath cutouts along the sides of the seat, makes it simple to get them 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 are an impact-absorbing frame with seven recline positions.

The seat is fairly heavy, though, so you may want to think about an alternative that is lighter if you are planning to use it for travel or frequent car swaps. The seat is also large, and therefore may not fit well in smaller vehicles, particularly when it's in the rear of the vehicle.

If you're looking to find a budget seat that is of similar quality, the Graco 4Ever DLX is a fantastic choice. The seat has lower crash test scores than the Boulevard but is a great option for your child.

The Graco also has LATCH connectors with push-on connections that make it simpler to uninstall the seat. Boulevard's LATCH connectors use an alternative release system that requires you to pull on the webbing, then press the gray button. It isn't easy to do this if your webbing has a tight fit. However the seat comes with a storage cubby for the belt straps when they are not in use.

Clek Liing

If you're looking for an infant car seat that offers everything -safety, style, convenience and luxury -you'll be delighted with the Clek Liing. This rear-facing only car seat has a high crash test score, an impressive range of features and is easy to put in in most vehicles.

The Liing is made with features that go beyond US and Canadian safety regulations. It's designed to be simple and secure installation in any seating position - and is packed with safety features that are advanced 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 features seven recline positions, and an indicator bubble that lets you know that the seat is just the perfect angle for your child.

The Liing is modern and sleek stroller that parents love. It comes with innovative safety features like strong lower anchors that are easier to attach than hook-and loop connectors. The Liing has a one-handed quick release, making it easy to remove the base and connect it to compatible strollers. It's also narrow enough to fit three across in many automobiles, and it can be easily inserted into a convertible car seat as an extra boost for travel.

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

The base weighs 9lbs and the car seat weighs 10.5 lbs. Other rear-facing only seats have a much heavier weight however, if you plan on taking the car seat and its base all over the place it won't be noticeable (especially when you add a baby to the equation! ).

Parents love the Liing's integrated canopy and 100+spf protection from the sun's rays with the mesh peekaboo. 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 when needed.

Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX

The Graco Trio SnugLock is a 3-in-1 seat that converts from a rear-facing best infant carrier car seat to a forward-facing harness, and later to the highback booster. It features the SnugLock installation system which allows for a simple and smooth installation using either the vehicle seat belts or lower anchors. It also allows you to use the top tether when in booster mode (although we recommend using the lower anchors at all times for added security).

We like that this seat can be used by children of various age groups. For babies who are just beginning to crawl it has an infant insert that assists to help support their necks and backs. When they get older, this insert can be removed and the seat is used as a normal car seat for toddlers. This is one of the few car seats that allow the top tether to be used in booster mode. We highly recommend it.

Its base is quite compact from front to back so it shouldn't have a problem fitting into most vehicles. The headrest must be raised in order for the lower anchor webbing to pass through. Luckily, there's a headrest adjustment knob that allows you to do this, and you'll be able to see the headrest position in the display window.

The SnugLock system is one of the most exciting features of this seat. It's a bar that is inside the belt path. Installing this car seat with lower anchors is simple, and is almost as easy as installing the car's seat belt.

The manual has a great illustration of how to run the lower anchor connectors correctly through the new belt pathway, which can initially be confusing. Keep them clear of the chest clip as well as the crotch loop in order to avoid interfering 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 tests in the market. This includes side, rear and rollover crashes as well as frontal impact tests.