Top Rated Infant Car Seats
A good infant car seat is a safety requirement, but not all car seats are made equal. The top ones come with features that enhance the performance of crash tests, such as load legs--shock absorbing parts on the base of the seat that reduce movement in a collision.
car seat for newborn among CPST instructors is the Chicco KeyFit, which has a weight limit that is high for rear-facing and height limit and an indicator for the level of bubbles, and the reclining foot is spring-loaded, which allows for easy installation.
Graco Mesa Max
The Graco Mesa Max is one of the top-rated infant car seats in terms of user-friendliness. It features an easy-to-use design and top fabrics. It also comes with an innovative feature that allows you to connect the harness of your child directly to the headrest. It comes with a large canopy that can be tucked away to keep your child protected when they travel. The only drawback is that it's a bit heavier than normal and could be an issue if you intend to carry it around or if you want to pair it with your award-winning UPPAbaby stroller.
Mesa Max's impressive crash test results demonstrate its commitment to top-quality safety. It scored well in both the frontal and side impact tests, which means that your child will be protected from the two sides of a collision.
The anti-rebound panel is a notable safety feature. It helps reduce the forces of rebound in a crash, and protects the 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 fitted into your vehicle using LATCH when combined with the base. The load leg as well as recline angle adjustment and tightness indicator all help ensure a quick, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6 This is a bit higher than the typical car seat for infants however not enough to cause an issue.
The UPPAbaby Mesa V2 uses the same dual-knit fabric as its predecessor. It is free of harmful chemicals that are fire-resistant. It also features an infinitely adjustable headrest as well as a robust infant insert that improves the fit and body position of infants weighing between 4-11 pounds. The fabrics are GREENGUARD Gold Certified, which ensures low chemical emissions and VOCs.
The UPPAbaby UPPAmax Mesa Maxi might be a bit more expensive than other options, but offers premium features and advanced technology for an enjoyable and safe journey. The base is included and is available in a variety of fashionable colors. This adds to the value proposition. Its thoughtful design and robust features offer peace of mind for parents on every trip.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight
The Britax Blvd ClickTight is a great option for parents who are looking for a car seat that their child can develop with. Its rear-facing capacity is 40 pounds, which is higher than the majority of infant car seats. Additionally, it can also be used as a forward-facing seat until your child is 65 pounds.
Its most prominent selling point is the ClickTight Installation System, which is the most secure and user-friendly on the market. It lets you tighten the seat belt by pushing the red release button and pulling on the harness strap without the need to untie it and then re-thread it. This reduces the chance of a mistake when tightening the seat belt which is the primary reason for car seat failure.

The EZ-Buckle Pad adds another safety feature that keeps the buckle in place when you put your child in the car seat. This feature along with beltpath cutouts on both sides of the seat makes it simple to get your child into and out of the car.
The three ClickTight convertible seats (Boulevard, Marathon CT, and Advocate CT) have the identical features. These include the ClickTight Installation System and an impact-absorbing base, with seven recline positions and a rip-stitch energy-absorbing harness pad, a HUGS tether as well as a steel reinforced frame and EPP energy-absorbing foam.
It's a heavy seat, so it may be worth considering a lighter alternative in case you plan to use it for frequent car swaps or for travel. Additionally, the seat is large, which means it might not be a good fit in smaller vehicles, especially in the case of in the rear of the vehicle.
If you want a more affordable option that is comparable to look into the Graco 4Ever DLX. It has lower scores in crash test analysis than the Boulevard, but it's still an excellent seat for your little one.
The Graco also has connectors with push-on connectors for LATCH which makes it easier to remove the seat. Boulevard's LATCH connectors have a different release system that requires you to pull the webbing and press a gray button. This can be difficult if your webbing is tight. This seat has a convenient storage compartment for belt straps.
Clek Liing
If you're in search of a child car seat that offers it all -style, safety as well as convenience and luxuryyou'll love the Clek Liing. This rear-facing car seat comes with a great crash test score, an impressive variety of features, and is easy to install in most vehicles.
The Liing is designed with features that exceed US and Canadian safety regulations. It is designed to allow for simple, secure installation in all seating positions. It also has advanced safety features like an energy-absorbing metal foot and two-piece shell that is lined with EPP to provide enhanced side impact protection. The base features 7 recline positions as well as a reliable bubble indicator that lets you know precisely when the seat is at the proper angle for your infant.
The Liing is modern, sleek stroller that parents are raving about. It has innovative safety features like rigid lower anchors which are easier to connect than hook-and-loop connectors. The Liing comes with a single-handed release, making it easy to remove the base and use it with compatible strollers. It's also small enough to fit three-across several automobiles, and it is a good fit in many convertible car seats as an added travel aid.
The Liing infant seat is rated 1st for its unique rigid-LATCH system of installation. The lower anchors of the Liing click right into the vehicle's lower seat belt slots. Additionally, the seat's top tether strap snaps into the headrest of the vehicle to create an incredibly secure, tight fit that eliminates the risk of the child being thrown around in the event of a crash.
The base weighs 9 lbs, and the carrier weighs 10.5 lbs. Some other rear-facing only seats are heavier in weight, but if you're planning to carry this car seat and its base all over the place the slight difference will not be noticeable (especially once you add a baby to the mix! ).
Parents appreciate the Liing's built-in canopy and 100+spf sun protection that comes with a mesh peekaboo window. Caregivers appreciate the merino blanket that keeps the baby warm and the ability of the handle to pivot past the canopy. This makes it easier for them to grab the seat if they need to.
Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX
The Graco Trio SnugLock is a 3-in-1 seat that can be converted from a rear-facing infant to a forward-facing harness, and then to the highback booster. It comes with the SnugLock installation system that allows for a simple and smooth installation using either the vehicle seat belts or lower anchors. It also has the option 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 all age groups. For younger babies it has an infant insert that helps to support their backs and necks. When they get older, this insert can be removed and the seat used as a regular car seat for toddlers. This car seat is one of the few that allow you to use the top tether in booster mode, which is what we recommend.
Its base is quite compact front to back and it shouldn't be hard to find a spot for it in the majority of vehicles. It requires the headrest to be raised, however, to give you a clear way to the lower anchor webbing. Luckily, there's a headrest adjustment knob to easily do this, and you can see the headrest position in the display window.
The SnugLock system is one of the most unique features of this seat. It's a bar that is within the belt path. This makes installing this car seat with the lower anchors an easy task, and it's almost as easy as using the seat belt of your vehicle.
The manual also provides a great illustration of how to properly route the lower anchor connectors when routing them through the belt's new path, which may be confusing initially. It is important to keep them out of the crotch buckle loop and away from the chest clip, so they don't interfere with the buckling system.
The Graco Trio Grow is part of the Protect Plus Engineered family, which means it's been subjected to some of the most rigorous crash tests in the industry. This includes side, rear and rollover crashes, as in frontal impact tests.