Why No One Cares About Top Rated Infant Car Seats
Top Rated Infant Car Seats
A high-quality infant car seat is a necessity, but not all infant car seats are in the same way. The top seats come with features that enhance the performance of crash tests. For instance load legs are shock-absorbing elements that are affixed to the base or seat and reduce movement in a collision.
Chicco KeyFit is a favorite of CPST instructors. It has a rear-facing weight and height limit that is high, a bubble-level indicator, and a spring loaded foot that can recline to make it easy to install.
Graco Mesa Max
The Graco Mesa Max is one of the top infant car seats due to its ease of use. It comes with great fabrics and a simple design and a convenient feature that allows you to attach the harness of a child to the headrest, making it easier to tighten. It has a large canopy that can be tucked away to keep your child protected when they travel. It's a little heavier than a standard stroller, which can be problematic if you intend to carry it around or use it in conjunction with your award-winning UPPAbaby.
The Mesa Max's impressive crash test results show its commitment to top-quality safety. It received a high score in the frontal impact test, and a top score in the side impact test, which means that your baby is protected from both sides in an accident.
The anti-rebound feature is a notable safety feature. It helps reduce rebound forces in a crash and also safeguards the child's head. This feature is unique in infant car seats and makes the Mesa Max standout among its competitors.
If used with the base, the Graco Mesa Max can be installed quickly and securely into your vehicle by using LATCH. The load leg and recline angle adjustment and tightness indicator all help ensure a quick, accurate installation. The base weighs 12.6, which is slightly more than the average infant car seats, but not enough to cause a problem.
Like its predecessor, the UPPAbaby Mesa V2, the Mesa Max uses dual-knit fabric which is free of harmful chemicals. It features an infinitely adjustable backrest as well as an extremely durable insert for infants weighing 4-11 lbs. The fabrics are GREENGUARD Gold Certified, which means they are tested for low chemical emissions and VOCs.
The UPPAbaby Mesa Max is slightly more expensive than other models, but it offers premium features and advanced safety technology to ensure a safe traveling experience. The base is included and comes in a variety of attractive colors. This adds to the value proposition. Its thoughtful design and strong features provide peace of mind for parents on their every trip.
Britax Boulevard ClickTight
The Britax Blvd ClickTight is a great choice for parents who want a car seat that their child can expand with. Its rear-facing weight limit is 40 pounds, which is higher than other infant car seats. It can be used forward-facing up to the point that your child reaches 65 pounds.
The ClickTight Installation System is its biggest selling point. It is the most secure, most simple and secure system on the market. It allows you to tighten the seat belt by pushing an orange release button and pulling on the harness strap without the need to untie it and then re-thread it. This minimizes the possibility of a mistake when tightening the belt that is the primary cause of failures in car seats.
Another safety feature is the EZ-Buckle Pad, which holds the buckle out of the way when you're putting your child in the car seat. This feature, as well as beltpath cutouts on the sides of your child's seat, make it easy 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. ClickTight Installation System is one of them. Also included is an impact-absorbing frame that has 7 recline positions.
The seat is fairly heavy, though, so you may want to think about an alternative that is lighter if you plan to use it for frequent car swaps. car seat inserts for newborns is large, so it might not fit in smaller vehicles.
If you're looking for a budget-friendly seat with the same quality, the Graco 4Ever DLX is a great option. The seat has lower crash test scores than the Boulevard however it is still an excellent option for your child.
The Graco has also connectors that can be pushed on for LATCH, which makes it easier to take off the seat. The Boulevard's LATCH connectors feature a different release mechanism, which requires you to press a gray button and then pull on the webbing to loosen it. This can be difficult if your webbing is tight. However this seat comes with a convenient storage compartment for belt straps when they are not in use.
Clek Liing
If you're looking for an infant car seat that has all of it -style, safety, convenience and luxury -you'll be delighted with the Clek Liing. This rear-facing car seat can be easy to install, comes with an excellent crash test rating and a wide range of features.
The Liing is designed to protect babies with features that meet and exceed both US and Canadian safety standards. It is designed to allow for simple and secure installation in all seating positions. It also comes with advanced safety features, such as an energy-absorbing metal foot and two pieces of shell lined with EPP for enhanced side impact protection. The base comes with 7 recline positions and a trusty bubble indicator that lets you know exactly when the seat is at the proper angle for your baby.
The Liing is modern and sleek stroller that parents love. It has innovative safety features, like rigid lower anchors that are more convenient to attach than hook-and loop connectors. The Liing also comes with a convenient one-handed release that makes it easy to remove it from the base, or to use with various strollers compatible with it. It's also small enough to fit three across in many vehicles, and it is a good fit in many convertible car seats for an added travel aid.
This infant seat scores first place for ease of installation with its unique rigid-LATCH system. The lower anchors of the Liing snap into the lower seat belt slots in the vehicle and the top tether strap snaps onto the vehicle headrest. This creates a tight, secure fit which will eliminate the possibility that the child might be thrown around during an accident.
The seat is light with the base weighing 9 pounds and the carrier itself at an easy 10.5 lbs. Other rear-facing seats are much heavier in weight, but if you're planning on taking this car seat and its base all over the place, the slight difference won't be too obvious (especially when you add a baby to the mix! ).
Parents love 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 ability of the handle to move past the canopy. This allows parents to reach for the seat when needed.
Graco Trio Grow SnugLock LX
The Graco Trio SnugLock is a 3-in-1 seat that converts from rear-facing infant to forward-facing harness, and then to an highback booster. It comes with the SnugLock installation system which allows for a smooth and simple installation using either the vehicle seat belt 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).
This seat is perfect for children of all different ages. For younger babies it comes with an infant insert that assists to support their necks and backs. This insert can be removed when 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 allows you to use the top tether when in booster mode, which we highly recommend.
Its base is quite compact from front to back, so it shouldn't be difficult to find a space for it in the majority of vehicles. It does require the headrest to be raised however, to allow an easy route for the lower anchor webbing. There's a handy knob to adjust the headrest and the display window indicates the location of the headrest.
One of the most unique features about this seat is the SnugLock installation system, which is an anchor that is inside the belt path. This makes fitting this car seat using the lower anchors a breeze, and it's nearly as simple as using the vehicle seat belt.
The manual also provides a great illustration of how to properly guide the lower anchor connectors while traversing them along the belt's new path, which can be a bit confusing at first. 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 buckle system.
The Graco Trio Grow is part of the Protect Plus Engineered family, which means it has been subjected to some of the most rigorous crash tests in the market. This includes tests for side, rear and rollover accidents as well as frontal impacts.