Best Car Seats For Infants and Babies
While convertible car seats work great for growing children, an infant seat works best for newborns. They are also lighter and easier to click into strollers than their larger counterparts.
CPST instructor Kecia Healy was impressed by the Chicco KeyFit's recline foot with springs and bubble indicator on the base, as well as its ease of use (the more user-friendly a car seat is, the more likely parents are to set it up correctly). The model can also be used with three across in a variety of mid-sized vehicles.
1. Clek Liing infant car seat
Clek, an Canadian manufacturer, is renowned for its top-rated convertible car seat. The infant Liing is among their best infant seats. The Liing seat is designed to offer top-of-the-line safety features like a metal load leg with easy, user-friendly installation and seven different recline positions that can be adjusted to the slope of your car seat. A simple bubble indicator makes it simple to ensure the seat is at the right position before your child rides in it.
The base for the Liing is easy to put in using rigid LATCH connections that fit into your vehicle's lower anchors making it easy to anchor. This makes the Liing an ideal choice for families who plan to change vehicles often or for those looking for a fast, reliable method to install their child's car seat. If you prefer, you can also utilize the belt-tensioning feature to buckle your child.
The Liing's 2-piece Newborn System is one of the features that set it apart from other infant car seats. This includes an insert for the lower that slips over the crotch buckle, and a head support that attaches to the harness to prevent newborns from slumping or pushing their heads forward while they're in the seat. This is a game changer for tiny babies and preemies. It's also one of the few rear-facing infant car seats that offers this level of support.
The Liing's metal crash-test framework reduces crash forces up to 40% compared with other infant seat. The shell of the seat is bolstered with EPP foam, which shields your child's head and body from a crash. The base of the seat is designed with a metal load leg that absorbs energy and helps reduce crashes, as well.
2. Chicco KeyFit
This is a consistent top-rated infant car seat. It's easy to install, easy to use and can grow with your baby. It can also be used with strollers for an overall travel system.
The KeyFit is a great choice for parents looking for an easy-to-use and safe flexible seat. It has an excellent score in crash tests, is light and comfortable to carry. It also offers a wide range of weight and height limits. It is also designed with babies' comfort in mind. The click-in points are made of soft materials around it so your baby won't be burned by the metal. Push Chairs & Prams comes with a head cover to protect their heads, and the seat pad your baby sits on is surrounded by cushions that absorb energy for a comfortable experience.
It's also one of the most simple infant seats to set up correctly every time. It is crucial to install the infant seat correctly as a wrong installation can increase your child's chance of getting injured. The KeyFit's premium connectors for LATCH that come with a SuperCinch tightener ensure an ensconced fit with only minimal effort. The base also features ReclineSure leveling feet and two RideRight bubble-level-indicators to ensure that the vehicle's angle is correct. In addition, for a different installation using the vehicle seat belt, clear belt routing and lock-offs make it simple to install, position and tighten the seat belt of your car.
It isn't perfect but it does fall short in the ease of use category due to the rethread-style harness height adjustment, a feature that is common on a lot of Chicco seats (and as well on their OG Keyfit model). This means that you must remove the harness and manually re-thread straps from one level to the next which is more time-consuming than adjustments that aren't rethread. This is a minor sacrifice for the ease of this seat.
3. Joie i-Snug 2
The light Joie i-Snug 2 is an i-Size infant car seats that is built to the most stringent safety standards. It comes with a no-rethread strap and is compatible with Joie strollers that accept Maxi Cosi style adapters. It's simple to use with clearly labeled installation guides and built-in bubble levels that aid in alignment. The car seat is full of padding and is very comfortable. It also comes with a handy canopy that shields your baby from the sun.
The iSnug comes with an ISOFIX vehicle base that allows a secure vehicle attachment. It can also be combined with a compatible stroller to create a complete travel system. This rear-facing infant seat provides maximum cervical and head protection for infants. The exclusive Tri-Protect Headrest comes with a layer Intelli-Fit Memory Foam to protect your child from side impact crashes.
You'll need a brand new infant car seat as soon as your child reaches the weight and height limits, or their first birthday. Then you can upgrade to a convertible or all-in-one car seats, which allows children to be rear-facing for longer and is more secure for them.
A convertible car seat is larger and more spacious than an infant seat, and has a higher weight and height limit when facing rearward. To stop your child from becoming too big for the seat too quickly, it's recommended to change to a car seat that converts as quickly as you are able to. In certain situations, parents can make the transition to an all-in-one seat without needing to purchase another infant car seat. It's therefore important to choose the right convertible car seat for your family. Check out our comprehensive guide to provide all the details you need to make an informed decision.
4. Nuna Pipa Aire RX
The Nuna Pipa Aire RX is one of the most highly-rated infant car seats because of its safety, lightweight design, and flexibility. It can be installed using rigid lower anchors on outboard seats in most vehicles and with vehicle seat belt using Euro routing (which makes use of the entire length of a vehicle's seat belt to ensure an extremely secure installation). It also comes with an organic GOTS baby insert which is a great choice for parents who are environmentally conscious and want to use organic products for their children.
The Pipa Aire RX weighs only 6 pounds. without the canopy or inserts. It's one of the lightest infant car seats available. This is thanks to the innovative Aeroflex foam that is extremely light yet incredibly strong, reducing the force that is transferred to your baby in a crash. Other safety features include a 5-second steel-reinforced True base lock installation, side impact protection and a multi-position steel stability leg with crumple zones that limit forward rotation to provide greater rear-facing security.
The ergonomic aluminum handle is light and luxurious, with leatherette accents for an ergonomic grip and an ideal option to carry the bag. A magnet buckle holder keeps straps clear when buckling your child in and color-coded installation indicators confirm that the belts are properly connected. The low-profile base enables rapid loading, and the open belt pathway with lock-off secures shoulder and lap belts.
Parenting is messy But cleaning up doesn't be a chore. The inserts and fabrics of the Pipa Aire RX are machine washable, so you can keep your car seat looking good as new after every use.
5. Nuna Pipa Urbn
While Nuna's PIPA RX and PIPA aire rx car seats are both great alternatives, the new Pipa Urbn takes it all to another level. This ultralight infant car seat is easy to carry and weighs less than 7 pounds once the canopy and insert are in place. It is user-friendly and elegant design, with features such as magnetic buckle holders that keep straps out the way when buckling in baby and a red/green indication to inform you whether the installation is secure. ).
This innovative pipaFIX system allows it to be used without the base, unlike Pipa RX or other base-compatible PIPAs that require one to be installed. This makes it the ideal choice for parents who often take taxis or rideshares as well as for those who need to transfer their car seat faster and more easily.
Like other Nuna products, the Pipa Urbn is designed with environmentally-friendly materials that are free of added fire retardant chemicals, and is GREENGUARD Gold certified. The green-friendly materials include a Merino wool and Tencel branded lyocell blend headrest, as well as machine washable, water-resistant body insert and cover.
The Pipa Urbn has a weight limit of only 30 to 35 pounds when used rear-facing. This means that you will need to upgrade to a convertible model sooner than with other brands. It is still a top choice for babies. The car seat is equipped for travel and can be used with all Nuna strollers. You just need to click it on or connect via the ring adapter.