A good infant car seat is a requirement, but not all seats are created equal. The best car seat for newborn ones have features that improve crash test performance, like load legs–shock absorbing parts in the base or car seat that limit movement in collisions.
A favorite among CPST instructors is the Chicco KeyFit, which has a large rear-facing weight limit and height limit and 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-rated best infant carrier car seat car seats for ease of use. It has great fabrics with a simple design and a convenient feature that allows you to attach a child's harness to the headrest to make it easier to tighten. It also has a large hideaway canopy which makes it easy to keep your baby car seat sheltered while traveling. It's a bit heavier than a standard stroller, which can be an issue if you plan to carry it around, or use it with your UPPAbaby that has won awards.
The Mesa Max's impressive crash test results demonstrate its dedication to top-tier safety. It scored high in both frontal and side impact tests, ensuring that your child will be protected from the two sides of a collision.
(Image: https://cdn.freshstore.cloud/offer/images/7007/1097/maxi-cosi-rodifix-airprotect-high-back-booster-seat-15-36-kg-3-5-12-years-reclining-isofix-car-seat-adjustable-headrest-backrest-extra-side-protection-quick-easy-buckle-up-authentic-black.jpg)Another noteworthy safety feature is the Graco's anti-rebound panel, which helps reduce the force of rebound during a crash and ensures that your child's head is protected. This feature is not common in infant car seats and makes the Mesa Max stand out among its competitors.
Graco Mesa Max can easily and securely be mounted in your vehicle using LATCH when it is used in conjunction with the base. The load leg, recline angle adjustment, and tightness indicator all help ensure a quick, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6 This is a bit more than the average infant car seats but not enough to cause any issues.
Like its predecessor, UPPAbaby Mesa V2, the Mesa Max uses dual-knit fabric that's free of fire-retardant chemicals. It also comes with an infinitely adjustable headrest as well as an extremely durable infant insert that enhances fit and body positioning for babies weighing between 4 and 11 pounds. The fabrics are GREENGUARD gold certified, which ensures low chemical emissions and low VOCs.
The Mesa Max from UPPAbaby is more expensive than some other models, but it offers top features and modern safety technology to ensure a safe traveling experience. The included base and a selection of stylish colors enhance the value proposition. Its thoughtful features and sturdy design offer parents peace of mind during every excursion.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight
The Britax Boulevard ClickTight is a fantastic choice for anyone who wants an automobile seat that can grow with their child. Its rear-facing limit is 40 pounds, which is higher than most infant car seats. Additionally, it can be used as a forward-facing car seat until your child reaches 65 pounds.
The ClickTight Installation System is its most popular selling point. It is the most secure, most simple and secure system on the market. It allows you to tighten the belt by pressing the red release button and pulling the harness strap, without having to loosen it and re-thread it. This decreases the chance of incorrectly tightening a seat belt which is the main cause of car seat failure.
The EZ-Buckle Pad adds another safety feature that holds the buckle in place as you put your child in the car seat. This feature, along with beltpath cutouts on the sides of your child's seat, makes it simple to get them in and out of the car.
All three ClickTight convertible seat models (Boulevard CT, Marathon CT, Advocate CT) share the same features. These include the ClickTight Installation System, an impact-absorbing base that has 7 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.
(Image: https://cdn.freshstore.cloud/offer/images/7007/1184/maxi-cosi-axissfix-toddler-car-seat-swivel-car-seat-4-months-4-years-61-105-cm-authentic-graphite-1184.jpg)The seat is quite heavy, but you may want to think about a lighter option if plan to make use of it for travel or frequent car swaps. The seat is also large, which means it might not be suitable for smaller vehicles, particularly if it's installed on the rear.
If you want a more budget-friendly option, but with the same quality take a look at the Graco 4Ever DLX. This seat has lower crash test scores than the Boulevard but it's an excellent seat for your little one.
The Graco also has connectors that can be pushed on for LATCH, which makes it easier to remove the seat. Boulevard's LATCH connectors use a different release mechanism that requires you to pull the webbing, then press a gray button. It's not easy to do this if your webbing has a tight fit. This seat comes with a convenient compartment to store the belt straps.
Clek Liing
Clek Liing is the ideal infant car seat for you If you're looking for everything in terms of style, safety and convenience. This rear-facing only car seat has a high crash test score, a great variety of features, and is simple to install on 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 - at any seating position - and is loaded with advanced safety features like an energy-absorbing metal load leg as well as a two-piece shell lined with EPP foam to provide greater side-impact protection. The base has seven recline positions and a trusty bubble indicator to let you know exactly when the seat is at the right angle for your newborn.
The Liing is loved by parents for its modern and sleek design as well as its innovative safety features like rigid lower anchors that are much easier to attach than standard hook-and-loop connectors. The Liing also comes with a convenient one-handed quick release that makes it easy to remove it from the base or to use with a variety of strollers compatible with it. And at less than 17 inches wide it's small enough to fit 3-across in the majority of vehicles. It also is a good fit in many convertible car seats to act as a travel booster.
The Liing infant seat is rated 1st for its unique rigid-LATCH system of installation. Lower anchors of the Liing snap directly into the lower seat belt slots. Additionally, the seat's top tether strap snaps onto the vehicle's headrest to create an extremely secure, tight fit that eliminates the risk of the child being thrown around in a crash.
The seat is light with the base weighting 9 pounds and the carrier itself weighing an easy 10.5 pounds. Other rear-facing only seats have a much heavier weight, but if you're planning to carry this car seat and its base all over the place it won't be too obvious (especially once you add a baby seat into the equation! ).
Parents appreciate the Liing's built-in canopy and 100+spf sun protection with a mesh peekaboo 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 makes it easier for them to grab the seat if they need to.
Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX
The Graco Trio GROW SnugLock is a 3-in-1 seat that can be converted from a rear-facing infant into a forward-facing harness, and then to an highback booster. It features the SnugLock system which allows for an easy and smooth installation with either lower anchors or car seat belts. It also offers the option to use the top tether when in booster mode (although we recommend using the lower anchors in all times for greater security).
We love that this chair can be used by children of different ages. For younger babies, it has an portable infant car seat insert which helps to support their backs and necks. The insert can be removed once the child is older and the seat can be used as a standard car seat for toddlers. This car seat is one of the few that allow you to use the top tether in booster mode, which we highly recommend.
Its base is quite compact front to back and it shouldn't be hard to locate a place for it in the majority of vehicles. It requires the headrest to be raised however, to give you a clear route to the lower anchor webbing. There's a handy knob to adjust the headrest and the display window indicates the location of the headrest.
The SnugLock system is one of the coolest features about this seat. It's an anchor that is located in the belt path. This makes installing the car seat using the lower anchors an easy task, and it's similar to using the car seat belt.
The manual offers a wonderful illustration on how to route the lower anchor connectors properly through the belt path which at first can be confusing. It is important to keep them out of the crotch buckle loop, and away from the chest clip, to ensure they don't interfere 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 field. This includes rear, side and rollover crashes, as well the frontal impact tests.