Top Rated Infant Car Seats

Not all infant car seats are made in the same way. The best seats have features that improve the performance of crash tests. For example load legs are shock absorbing parts that are attached to the seat or base and help to reduce movement in the event of a collision.

A favorite with CPST instructors is the Chicco KeyFit, which has a high rear-facing weight limit and height limit as well as bubble level indicator and a spring-loaded reclining foot that makes it easy to set up.

Graco Mesa Max

The Graco Mesa Max ranks as one of the easiest infant car seats to use. It has great fabrics, a simple design, and a convenient feature to connect the harness of a child to the headrest, making it easier to tighten. It has a huge canopy that can be put away to keep your child shaded when they travel. The only issue is that it's a bit heavier than normal this could be a problem if you intend to carry it around or want to use it with your UPPAbaby stroller, which is a winner.

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

Another important safety feature is the Graco's antirebound panel, which reduces rebound forces during a crash and protects your child's head. This feature is unique in infant car seats and makes the Mesa Max standout among its competitors.

Graco Mesa Max can easily and securely be mounted in your vehicle with LATCH combined with the base. The load leg, the recline angle adjustment, and the tightness indicator help ensure a fast, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6 It is a little more than the average infant car seats but not enough to cause any issues.

Like its predecessor, the UPPAbaby Mesa V2, the Mesa Max uses dual-knit fabric which is free of harmful chemicals. It also has an infinitely adjustable headrest as well as a robust infant insert that improves fit and body positioning for babies approximately 4-11 lbs. The fabric is GREENGUARD gold certified, which tests for low VOCs and chemical emissions.

The UPPAbaby Mesa Max might be a bit more expensive than the other options however it comes with premium features and modern technology for a safe travel experience. The base is included and comes in a variety of stylish colors. This adds to the value proposition. Its thoughtful design and sturdy features provide peace of mind for parents on their every trip.

Britax Boulevard ClickTight

The Britax Boulevard ClickTight is an excellent choice for parents who want an automobile seat that can grow with their child. The rear-facing weight limit is 40 pounds which is more than most infant car seats. It can be used forward-facing as well until your child weighs 65 pounds.

The ClickTight Installation System is its biggest selling feature. It is the safest, most simple and secure system available. The seat belt can be tightened by pressing a red release button and pulling the strap. This makes it unnecessary to remove and rethread your seat belt. This minimizes the possibility of a mistake when tightening the seat belt which is the most common reason for car seat failure.

The EZ-Buckle Pad is a further safety feature that keeps the buckle in place when you put your child in the car seat. This feature, along with beltpath cutouts that run along the sides of your child's seat, make it easy to get them in and out of the vehicle.

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

The seat is quite heavy, though, so you may want to consider a lighter option if plan to use it for frequent car swaps. The seat is quite large and could not fit in smaller vehicles.

If you're looking for a budget-friendly seat with similar quality the Graco 4Ever DLX is a great choice. This seat has lower scores in crash test analysis than the Boulevard but it's an excellent seat for your baby.

The Graco has also connectors that can be pushed on for LATCH, which makes it easier to take off the seat. Boulevard's LATCH connectors use a different release mechanism that requires you to pull on the webbing and then press a gray button. It's not easy to do this if the webbing is tight. However, this seat does come with a handy storage compartment for belt straps when they are not in use.

Clek Liing

If you're looking for an infant car seat that offers everything -- style, safety, convenience and luxury -you'll love the Clek Liing. This rear-facing car seat can be easy to install, has a high crash test rating and a variety of features.

The Liing is made with features that go beyond US and Canadian safety standards. It's designed to allow for a simple, secure installation - at any seating position. It's packed with safety features that are advanced like an energy-absorbing metal load leg and an outer shell that is lined with EPP foam for increased side-impact protection. The base has 7 recline positions, and a bubble indicator that tells you that the seat is just the perfect angle for your child.

The Liing is loved by parents for its sleek and modern design, and its unique safety features like rigid lower anchors that are easier to attach than standard hook-and-loop connectors. The Liing comes with a single-handed release, making it easy to remove the base and use it with strollers that are compatible with it. It's also slim enough to fit three-across several automobiles, and it can be easily inserted into a convertible car seat as an extra boost for travel.

This infant seat is rated first for its unique rigid-LATCH installation system. The Liing's lower anchors snap into the seat belt slots of the vehicle, and the top tether strap snaps on to the headrest of the vehicle. This results in a secure snug, secure fit that eliminates the chance that the child might be thrown around during a crash.

The base weighs 9lbs and the seat weighs 10.5 lbs. Other rear-facing seats have a much heavier weight, but if you're planning on taking the car seats newborn seat and its base everywhere it won't be too noticeable (especially when you add a baby to the equation! ).

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 move past the canopy. This allows parents to reach for the seat whenever they need it.

Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX

The Graco Trio GROW 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 comes with the SnugLock installation system which allows for a simple and smooth install with either car seat belts or lower anchors. It can be installed using the top tether in booster mode. (We recommend always using the lower anchors for additional security.)

This seat is perfect for children of all ages. For younger babies it comes with an infant car seat in front seat insert that helps to support their backs and necks. This insert can be removed once the child is older, and the seat can be used as a regular car seat for toddlers. This car seat is one of the few that allow you to use the top tether when in booster mode, which we recommend.

Its base is compact from front to back, which means it shouldn't pose a problem fitting in most vehicles. The headrest must be raised in order for the lower anchor webbing to pass through. Thankfully, there's a handy headrest adjustment knob to easily do this, and also view the position of your headrest in the display window.

One of the coolest things about this seat is the SnugLock installation system that is a bar that is located in the belt path. This makes installing this car seat with the lower anchors a breeze and is nearly as simple as using the seat belt of your vehicle.

The manual has a great illustration on how to route the lower anchor connectors properly through the new belt path which may initially be confusing. Keep them clear of 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's been tested to some of the most rigorous crash testing in the market. This includes side, rear and rollover crashes, as well the frontal impact tests.