25 Unexpected Facts About Top Rated Infant Car Seats
Top Rated Infant Car Seats

Not all baby car seats are created equally. The most effective seats come with features that increase the performance of crash tests. For example load legs -- shock-absorbing elements which are attached to the base or seat and limit movement in a collision.
Chicco KeyFit is a favorite of CPST instructors. It has an rear-facing weight, a the height limit is high and a bubble-level indicator and a spring loaded foot that can recline to make it simple to set up.
Graco Mesa Max
The Graco Mesa Max ranks as one of the most simple infant car seats to use. It comes with great fabrics with a simple design and a handy feature for attaching the child's harness to the headrest, making it easier to tighten. It comes with a large canopy that can be hidden away to keep your child sheltered when they travel. The only issue is that it's slightly heavier than the average this could be an issue if you plan to lug it around or if you want to pair it with your award-winning UPPAbaby stroller.
The Mesa Max's impressive crash test results reflect its commitment to safety at the highest level. It received a high score in the frontal test, and a top score in the side impact test, which means your baby is protected from both sides of an accident.
The anti-rebound panel is a notable safety feature. It helps reduce rebound forces in a crash, and ensures that the child's head is protected. This feature is not common in infant car seats and makes the Mesa Max stand out among its rivals.
Graco Mesa Max can easily and securely be installed in your vehicle using LATCH when combined with the base. The load leg as well as recline angle adjustment and tightness indicator all help to ensure a quick, precise installation. The base weighs 12.6 lbs, which is slightly heavier than an average car seat for infants but not enough to cause an issue.
Similar to its predecessor, the UPPAbaby Mesa V2, the Mesa Max uses dual-knit fabric which is free of harmful chemicals. It comes with an infinitely adjustable backrest as well as a robust insert for infants who weigh between 4 and 11 lbs. The fabrics are GREENGUARD Gold Certified, which means they are tested for low emissions of chemicals and VOCs.
The Mesa Max from UPPAbaby is more expensive than the other models, but it comes with top-quality features and the latest safety technologies for an optimal traveling experience. The base is included and comes in a variety of attractive colors. This adds to the value proposition. Its thoughtful features and durable design provide parents with peace of mind on every trip.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight
The Britax Blvd ClickTight is a fantastic choice for parents who want a car seat they can grow with. The rear-facing limit is 40 pounds, which is higher than the majority of infant car seats, and it can be used as a forward-facing seat until your child is 65 pounds.
The ClickTight Installation System is its biggest selling point. It is the safest, most simple and secure system available. It allows you to tighten the seat belt by pushing an orange release button and pulling the harness strap and not having to loosen it and re-thread it. This decreases the risk of incorrectly tightening the belt, which is the primary reason for car seat failure.
The EZ-Buckle Pad is another safety feature that holds the buckle away when you put your child in the car seat. This feature together with beltpath cutouts that are located on the sides of the seat, makes it simple to get your child in and out of the car.
All three of the ClickTight convertible seats (Boulevard, Marathon CT, and Advocate CT) have the identical features. ClickTight Installation System is one of them. Also included is an impact-absorbing frame with 7 recline positions.
It's a hefty seat, and it could be worth looking at alternatives that are lighter when you are planning to use it frequently for car swaps or traveling. The seat is quite large and could not be suitable for smaller vehicles.
If you're looking to find a budget seat with similar quality the Graco 4Ever DLX is a great option. It has lower crash test analysis scores than the Boulevard however it's a great seat for your little one.
The Graco has also connectors that can be pushed on for LATCH, which allows you to easily remove the seat. Boulevard's LATCH connectors utilize a different release mechanism that requires you to pull the webbing, then press an orange button. It isn't easy to do this if your webbing is tight.
best car seat comes with an easy storage compartment for the belt straps.
Clek Liing
If you're in search of a child car seat that has all of it -- style, safety convenience, and luxuryyou'll be delighted with the Clek Liing. This rear-facing car seat can be easy to install, has a high crash test rating and a range of features.
The Liing is designed to safeguard newborn darlings with features that meet and surpass both US and Canadian safety standards. It's engineered to be simple and secure installation in any seat position. It's equipped with the latest safety features like an energy-absorbing metal load leg and two-piece shells lined with EPP foam to provide greater side-impact protection. The base features 7 recline positions as well as a reliable bubble indicator to let you know exactly when the seat is at the right angle for your infant.
The Liing is modern and sleek stroller that parents love. It is equipped with innovative safety features, like rigid lower anchors which are easier to attach than hook-and loop connectors. The Liing comes with a single-handed release, making it easy to remove the base and use with strollers that are compatible with it. With less than 17 inches in width it's small enough to fit 3-across use in most cars and can easily fit into convertible car seats as a travel booster.
The Liing infant seat is rated 1st for its unique rigid-LATCH installation method. Lower anchors of the Liing snap right into the vehicle's lower seat belt slots. Additionally, the top tether strap snaps onto the vehicle's headrest to create an incredibly secure, tight fit that eliminates the risk of the child being thrown around in an accident.
The seat is light with the base weighing 9 lbs, and the car itself weighing just 10.5 lbs. Other rear-facing seats are heavier, but the difference is not noticeable if you plan to transport the car seat and base around. ).
Parents appreciate the Liing's built in canopy and 100+spf sun protection that comes with the mesh peekaboo window. Caregivers love the merino-covered cover that keeps baby warm, and they also like the ability of the handle to pivot over the canopy, making it more comfortable to grab whenever they need.
Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX
The Graco Trio SnugLock is a 3-in-1 seat that can be converted from rear-facing infant to forward-facing harness and then to a highback booster. It features the SnugLock installation system that allows for a smooth and simple installation using either a car seat belts or lower anchors. It can be installed using the top tether in booster mode. (We recommend using the lower anchors for extra security.)
This seat is ideal for children of all ages. For younger babies, it has an infant insert which helps to help support their necks and backs. When they get older, the insert can be removed and the seat used as a normal car seat for toddlers. This car seat is among the few that allows you to use the top tether in booster mode, which we highly recommend.
Its base is fairly compact from front to back so it shouldn't pose a problem fitting in most vehicles. It is required for the headrest to be raised however, to give you an easy way to the lower anchor webbing. There's a knob that is handy to adjust the headrest and the display window displays the location of the headrest.
One of the coolest things about this seat is the SnugLock installation system that is a bar that's in the belt path. This makes installing this car seat using the lower anchors an easy task and almost as easy as using the vehicle seat belt.
The manual also includes a great illustration of how to correctly guide the lower anchor connectors when routing them through the new belt path, which may be difficult initially. Keep them away from 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 testing in the market. This includes tests for rear, side, and rollover crashes as well as frontal impacts.