One of the most expensive, but most important investments of your new child will be their infant car seat.

If your child’s safety is your number one priority, then you’ll probably be on the look out for the best car seat out there.

Here are ten best contenders, some of who’s names are very familiar in the world of baby products:

 

*All product links in this article will take you to the latest prices on Amazon.com, scroll down for our in-depth reviews below.

Infant Car Seat Safety

With all the other costs in having a new baby, perhaps paying out nearly hundreds or more for an infant car seat isn’t appealing. But there isn’t any other legal or safe ways to travel in a vehicle than with a car seat designed for infants.

Most hospitals wont even let a new mother leave with their newborn until an appropriate seat is properly installed and tested by a designated staff member.

The Governors Highway Safety Association outlines the state specific laws concerning infants in vehicles. While specific points vary from state to state, one main law is nationwide, and that is that infants are required to have a car seat.

In infancy, babies need to be rear-facing and in the back seat. As they grow older, a child may eventually be turned around, and at some point graduate to a booster seat. The exact time a child may move to the next step is different in each state.

There are only two types of car seats that can meet the legal specifications for an infant, they are infant car seats and convertible car seats. Convertible car seats can start out as infant car seats and be placed rear-facing for the first portion of your child’s life.

When they reach the next stage, it can be turned around to a front-facing seat and converted to their growing size. While this can save money, an infant car seat is more convenient.

An infant car seat can only be rear facing, and is not able to be turned around as the child grows. What makes an infant car seat preferable is it’s made to be removed and carried saving you the difficulty of removing your child.

Some of the benefits of this is the time saved and the energy saved. There will no longer be the need to be spending time un-strapping and then strapping them back into another contraption just to move them inside a house, or another short distance.

Being able to keep them in the car seat also saves you the hassle off removing a crying or sleeping child from their car seat. Instead, you can leave them comfortably sitting when you move them, which will save you a big headache.

Some infant car seats even offer a one-handed push button release, so if you are carrying bags or holding onto another child, you still have the ability to release the infant from the car and pick them up while still in the seat.

Many infant car seats are even able to be connected to a stroller system, so that with one fluid motion you can move your child from the house, to the car, to the stroller without ever having to disturb your child.

Infant Car Seat Specifications

Any infant car seats that are currently being sold have to pass a certain safety standards before being accessible for consumers.

In additions, car seats have an expiration date on them and should not be used after that date or if they are older than 6 years according to Mayo Clinic. Used car seats should be especially scrutinized and shouldn’t even be considered if they have ever been in any sort of collision.

Here are a couple car seat specifications from Parents Magazine to double check for when considering a car seat:

• A car seat should have a 5-point harness. These points are two shoulder straps, two waist straps, and one strap between the legs.
• Any infant car seat needs to have extra padding around the head area.
• The seat should have the ability to attach the base securely without a seat belt.

In addition to the requirements, some infant car seats like to go above and beyond for extra safety, here are a few additional safety features some car seats offer:

• An anti-rebound bar is not required, but is suggested to give an extra security in to the seat in the case of an accident.
• Adjustment bars are another thing not required, but suggested to make adjusting to the perfect strap length easier.

Many companies like to claim they are the number 1 in one area or another. If you want to double check for sure if they are just making a claim, or they are officially recognized as the top in a certain area, than look for the certifications from the leaders in safety.

The most common companies that check car seats for safety and certify them are the NHTSA, the CPSC, and the FAA. The NHTSA is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

It’s purpose is to keep people safe when they are on the roads, and prevent any sort of loss or injury that can occur during a collision. They state their mission as “Save lives, prevent injuries and reduce economic costs due to road traffic crashes through education, research safety standards and enforcement activity.â€

The CPSC is the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. They evaluate everyday products to make sure they pass specific safety standards before being sold to the public.

They are also the ones who publish many of the recalls. If you ever have an issue with a product, they are the ones you can report the issue to, and the CPSC will make sure the proper channels are followed to prevent future issues.

The FAA is the Federal Aviation Administration. A car seat is not only used for riding in a car, but can also be used when flying in an aircraft to prevent injury.

Different features and specifications need to be followed to be an aircraft safe seat. Some companies go through the extra step of making sure their seats follow the aircraft as well as the vehicle specifications and get a stamp of approval from the FAA.

Car Seat Installation

If you are looking at purchasing an infant car seat, you will most likely already have a vehicle in mind. It is required in many states to put your child in the back seat for ultimate safety.

But in cases where a vehicle does not have a back seat, the front seat air bags must be disabled according to Mayo Clinic. The safest place to install a car seat is as far away from impact places as possible. This would be the middle seat of the middle row of your vehicle.

A car seat is placed on a car seat base, which is secured into the vehicle. The car seat base should be included anytime you purchase a car seat.

Additional bases can be purchased separately and installed in other vehicles for an easier transference from vehicle to vehicle without having to reinstall a singular base.

When a car seat is properly attached, there should hardly be any movement, at the most the car seat should only move an inch from side to side. When the child is in the car seat, there again should not be excess space.

A more secure fit can be created with the use of blankets or towels around the edges to make sure they do not slide in the car seat. Better car seats will have infant inserts that will provide this cushioning so you wont have to use towels or blankets.

In addition to securing an infant in a rear facing car seat, they also need to be tilted back in the car seat. This will be covered in your car seat’s manual for exactly how this is done for the particular brand you use.

The reclining position is for the best air flow for your child as well as keeping their head from being jerked forward due to sudden movements or in the case of an accident.

Each car seat should come with a user’s manual. It will outline how that specific seat should be buckled and attached for the ultimate safety of your child, and should never be tossed out. After a child is buckled, all straps and clips should be flat, with the chest clip at the level of your child’s armpits.

A car seat should be used only as a car seat. It is unhealthy for your child to be kept in the car seat for prolonged periods of time, especially if they are sleeping.

There are devices and places specifically made for a child who is sleeping that meets those safety requirements. Car seats are not one of those, as driving safety is very different than sleeping safety.

You may also want to check out the best car seat for 5 year old kids.

Best Infant Car Seats

The following ten infant car seats pass the basic safety regulations in order to be sold. They also all come with a base. Here are the top ten infant car seats that consumers choose to buy:

Baby Trend Flex-Loc Infant Car Seat

The Baby Trend Flex-Loc Infant Car Seat is not only a highly-rated choice, but also the cheapest of this list, while still maintaining the required safety standards. Their high rating is received mainly as a result of their easy installation.

The car seat has a newborn head cushion to help your child fit better into the car seat. An extra large visor is provided to help protect your child from the elements.

Multiple colors are available, some of which even come with a boot which pulls over the car seat to provide extra warmth for the baby’s legs. The seats with the boot are also more expensive than purchasing just the car seat on its own.

This car seat can hold children from 5 to 30 pounds. A child can also ride in the car seat up until they are 30 inches. The car seat itself weighs 7.7 pounds.

The carry handle has a triangle shaped top for easy carrying, which some parents find more comfortable. The seat and base put together are 16.5 x 16 x 28.5 inches.

Baby Trend is a company devoted to the safety of their products. They are closely connected with the CPSC, and make sure their products meet the correct safety requirements.

They also suggest registering your products with the CPSC so that you can be informed if any issues ever come up with your specific product and you can be reimbursed accordingly.

Baby Trend has been around for over 26 years, creating safe products for infants in many categories. You may recognize some of their original products such as the Snap-N-Go as well as the Sit N’ Stand.

In addition, their specific Flex Loc car seats recently won Top Pick in infant car seats, voted by parents like yourself.

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Evenflo LiteMax 35 Infant Car Seat

The Evenflo LiteMax 35 Infant Car Seat is a lightweight and safe option while still staying on the cheaper end of infant car seats. The seat is designed to make installation as easy as possible for the parents.

The car seat is available in two colors, a pink or a gray color. Their carrier handle is the standard straight handle that most carriers have.

The car seat has a visor to pull over to protect your child from the sun or rain. The seat’s pads and pillows can all be removed. This is for easy washing, as well as adjusting to your child’s particular body size.

The entire car seat is made extra soft for the comfort of your child.

The seat can hold infants from 4 to 35 pounds and 17 to 32 inches. The carrier on its own is about 8 pounds. The seats dimensions are 18.2 x 17.8 x 30 inches.

Evenflo has a stroller in which the car seat can easily connect into for the convenience of directly transferring your child from the car to his stroller without having to take him out of the seat.

This car seat can be used with certain Evenflo stroller bases. The strollers that the seat is compatible with are a sibling ride along travel system and a jogging system.

Evenflo has been around for over 100 years. They started back in 1920 as a company which provided baby feeding products. They have since evolved greatly over the years in the products they produce.

Now they are leaders in nearly all baby industries from car seats to in-home nursery furniture.

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Safety 1^st Onboard 35 Air infant Car Seat

The Safety 1^st Onboard 35 Air infant Car Seat provides exactly what the name suggests: safety first. Not only is it very safe for your growing child, it has many features to make it easier and more convenient for your lifestyle.

The car seat comes in four different colors. There is corabelle which is a red accent, estate is a black and gray, pink pearl is a light pink with a polka dot design, and York is a gray with blue accents.

The larger variety of colors can be fun to choose from when personalizing your seat for your infant. The seats have a curved handle made for easily carrying the seat. It also has an average sized canopy for protecting your little one from the elements.

The car seat is made to hold babies as small as 4 pounds all the way up to 35 pounds. This is done through a removable infant insert as well as extra leg room for your growing child. The seat’s dimensions are 30 x 16 x 16. The carrier seat on its own weighs a little over 8 pounds.

The carrier seat can be attached to a Safety 1^st stroller for a convenient move from the car to the stroller without having to take your child from his seat.

Safety 1^st’s motto is “Helping parents through all their firsts.†While you may not be able to name all their products, they have become very prevalent in the baby world.

You can see this by their famous “Baby on Board†sign that many parents now have displayed in their vehicles. This was one of their first products after their safe socket covers.

They now have an entire line of products for promoting safety in the home and on the go from monitors to baby bouncers to their very safe line of car seats and strollers.

Safety 1^st offers an array of replacement parts on their website. These parts can range from padding for your car seat to a piece to your attached stroller.

This service can help you keep your products new and safer longer. In addition, they also have a limited warranty available for their products to guarantee your satisfaction.

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Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4/35 Infant Car Seat

The Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4/35 Infant Car Seat is unique as it is made in Italy. It is one of the top three most expensive car seats on this list, but rightly so as it has more safety and comfort features than some of the other car seats.

The car seat has a very sleek design, compared to the regular car seat look. In addition, it has a canopy to protect your child from the elements.

It also has a carrier handle with a slight curve for more comfort when carrying the seat. In addition, the handle is more compact so that it is not as difficult when inserting the seat into a vehicle.

The seat comes with 16 vivid color options. But be aware, some of the color options will double the price of the seat. The car seat can fit into any Peg Perego stroller. The only stroller it does not fit in is the Pliko Mini and Skate.

This car seat can hold infants anywhere from 4 to 35 pounds. It can also hold a child up to 32 inches tall. The seat’s dimensions are 28.9 x 17 x 25.3 inches.

There are two stages of cushions that can be inserted into the seat. The first stage is for 4 pounds and up. The cushions will help keep your child secure.

When they become too tight, you can move to the second stage cushions for a more comfortable fit while still maintaining the proper seating position.

Peg Perego is an Italian company that produces baby products internationally. They have been around since 1949 with high quality and safe products. To make sure all their products keep within their strict safety guidelines, they handle every step from production to distribution.

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UPPAbaby MESA Infant Car Seat

The UPPAbaby MESA Infant Car Seat is a highly rated car seat by multiple leaders in the baby industry. It has received a five star rating from NHTSA for its ease of use.

It has also passed NHTSA’s side impact protection standard. Many parenting magazines and blogs have rated this seat as the best infant car seat on the market.

The car seat can hold infants from 4 to 35 pounds. It can also fit infants as tall as 32 inches. An infant insert is used for small infants from about 4 to 8 pounds in order to provide extra cushioning and security.

The headrest is adjustable for just the right fit for your child. This cushioning is very breathable and can easily be removed to be machine washed.

The seat comes in five different colors and features an easy carry handle. The five colors are black, gray, tan, blue, and red. Not all places carry all five colors.

The handle bar is easy to adjust and move out of the way when it is either in the stroller or the car. The stroller is available through Mesa. The seat itself is 21.2 x 14.2 x 10.2 inches.

UPPAbaby manufactures baby products, with most of their emphasis in strollers and car seats. They have six product categories: Mesa, Vista, Cruz, G-Link, G-Luke, and G-Lite. The Mesa was created around the Smartsecure system.

This system is all about creating an easy installation with the least amount of errors. This is why these seats have the belt guides that will help you always get the perfect installation of your seat for ultimate security and peace of mind.

Another of Mesa’s unique designs is the tightness indicator and self retracting Latch connectors. These, again, help to get the perfect fit when installing the seat. It is mainly because of these two specific traits of the seat that the NHTSA gave the car seat the five star rating for ease of use.

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Britax B Safe 35 Infant Seat 

The Britax B Safe 35 Infant Seat has been rated as the number one brand in safety technology by the NHTSA. Not only is it safe, but you can get this safety without the hefty price tag that other car seats sometimes carry with them.

You can use this seat for infants sized 4 to 35 pounds. The seat’s dimensions are 26.5 x 17.8 x 25 inches. The seat has a basic carry handle with additional grip on the top.

It comes in six different colors: black, meadow green, red, cyan blue, slate gray, and steel gray. Some of the colors are more expensive than others.

Britax has strollers available in the same brand that the seats easily connect into to make transitions from the car to the stroller seamless.

The seat has both the staple security features, as well as some added bonuses for an extra peace of mind. There is complete side-impact protection around your child’s head in case of jostling.

This seat also has an impact absorbing base. Britax uses the SafeCenter latch installation for the safest and most secure installation. This seat utilizes a click and go system for an easy transition from car to stroller.

The seat has built in lock-offs for more security. When it comes to reclining your infant’s seat, the dual level indicators help you get the perfect incline for your child.

The side impact protection is unique from other car seats. Britax has patented their design of the SafeCell impact protection. Two of the features of their design are a frame made from steel and an energy absorbing base. The entire seat and its parts are tested in the USA before being sent out to customers, for ultimate safety.

Not just the car seat, but the entire Britax company is praised as the #1 brand in safety technology. They began as a European company, focusing on coming up with the safest products on the market with their advanced safety technology.

They have now expanded into a worldwide cooperation. Their two main emphasis are their side impact protection and the safe seat installation. Their two main products include both car seats and strollers, both with the same high standard in safety.

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Graco SnugRide Click Connect 35 Infant Car Seat

The Graco SnugRide Click Connect 35 Infant Car Seat is one of the more popular car seats with a name that is well known and trusted among infant products.

They have made many other Graco car seats in the past that have been well-loved and trusted. This seat is one of their newest models.

The seat is more lightweight than most of the other car seats, weighing only a little over 7 pounds on its own, before the base. The carry handle is a regular handle with an easy grip at the top.

The seat comes in five different colors: tangerine, red, gray, pink, and light gray. All colors are priced about the same. The car seat easily fits into the Graco stroller.

The car seat fits infants from 4 to 35 pounds. The seat’s dimensions are 28 x 18.7 x 5.6 inches. The seat can also fit infants as tall as 32 inches. There is also a removable boot to cover their legs that comes with the seat.

In addition, there is a head support for newborns that helps them fit better and safer into the seat until they grow. The head support can then be removed to accommodate the larger child. The cushions and canopy are both machine washable.

The base easily latches into the vehicle, in order that it is simple and fast for parents to install. There are even level indicators to help with the process. If you have an older vehicle and do not have the latches available, the car seat can connect using seat belts instead.

Graco is famous for their many baby products, and have become one of the most trusted brands. They have been creating baby products for over 60 years.

These products have been anything from car seats to play yards and all the furniture in between. Their two main goals in creating products are safety and durability.

They manufacture their products starting with the basic government safety protocols, then they take it a step further to make their products not just make the cut, but exceed the safety requirements in every way.

Their SnugRide 35 has won two different awards. One award was for the best car seat. The other was BabyCenter’s Mom’s picks Award. Other of their car seats won awards as well in both safety and popularity.

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Maxi Cosi Mico Max 30 Infant Car Seat

The Maxi Cosi Mico Max 30 Infant Car Seat claims they are “max comfort, max safety, max style: Mico Max 30.†This slogan sums up this impressive, sleek car seat. Not only is this a very comfortable, premium car seat, it is also very stylish with an abundance of bright colors.

The Maxi Cosi manages to combine safety with a beautiful design. The seat has an average sized canopy to protect your child from the elements.

The carry handle is contoured to make it easier to hold the seat for long periods of time. The curve is meant to sit in your hit and cut down on the amount of bounce when you walk. This will both be more comfortable for you as a parent, and quieter for your child as they have a smoother ride when carried.

The seat itself is striking in its 23 stunning color combinations. The seat fits easily into the Maxi Cosi stroller base for an easy switch from the car to the stroller without having to remove your child.

The seat holds infants from 4 to 30 pounds. It can also hold an infant up to 32 inches. The seat’s dimensions are 22.8 x 21.2 x 29.5 inches. There is a head and neck insert for smaller babies to give them extra protection and support. This can easily be removed.

The seat pad itself can also be removed easily without having to rethread it. The padding can then be machine washed to help keep the seat cleaner and newer looking.

Maxi Cosi is a parent based organization that manufactures many safe and reliable baby products. They created their products while listening to exactly what it is parents are looking for in their products.

They really enjoy interacting with their customers in order to provide the best service and more useful products. They also crash test their seats and accessories to ensure only the safest products are given to customers.

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CYBEX Aton 2 Infant Car Seat

The CYBEX Aton 2 Infant Car Seat is the most expensive car seat on this list, but has more features and certifications than the others to match the cost.

This seat is built to the utmost standard of safety for your child, without compromising in comfort or style. And even with all the extra features, it still manages to be one of the smaller seats and fit into most vehicles.

The Aton 2 is praised as one of the smallest infant seats on the market. It’s dimensions are just 18 x 17 x 26.2 inches. It comes with a carry handle, and a UV50+ rated canopy.

The seat is available in nine different color options. It can fit infants from 4 to 35 pounds. There is a removable newborn inlay for smaller infants. In total, the seat comes out to weighing nearly 9 pounds without the base.

This seat was made for making traveling easier on you and your infant. The seat fits easily into any of CYBEX’s strollers, with an adaptor. The seat has even been approved by the FAA to be used in airplanes when doing air travel.

The seat has been crash tested multiple times, and built for the ultimate safety of your child. The seat uses an energy absorbing shell to help keep your child safe during any collision. In addition, it has advanced side impact protection.

A unique feature this car seat has is an adjustable loading leg. While this loading leg is common in Europe, not very many US car seats have it. The leg comes out the back of the seat and runs to the floor. It helps to anchor the car seat and keep it from rotating, especially during a collision.

CYBEX is a German company that manufactures travel systems such as car seats, baby carriers, and strollers. They want to not only create the safest products, but also create more unique and easy to use products. They put their products through vigorous testing, and display the results along with their products on the website so that there is no doubt in any parent’s mind whether they can trust their products with the life of their child.

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Chicco KeyFit 30 Infant Car Seat

Chicco KeyFit 30 Infant Car Seat is one of the top rated car seats, and most popular car seats on the market. It is one of the easiest seats to install securely every time.

You can have all the security and ease of many other car seats, without the hefty price tag. This is one of the reasons many moms choose Chicco.

The car seat has a regular design with a canopy and carry handle. The carry handle has a top grip for ease and comfort. The seat weighs nearly 9 pounds without the base.

The seat comes in four different colors. Sometimes there are more colors offered, but if the price is less than it will most likely be a slightly varied product and may not fit the Keyfit 30 strollers and travel systems as the others do.

The base is easy to install in any vehicle. The entire seat is on the smaller end for infant car seats and can fit in smaller vehicles, but is not the absolute smallest. The dimensions of the seat are 27.5 x 17 x 24 inches.

To install the base, you have some easy install features. One of these is the ReclineSure leveling foot. The other is the RideRight bubble level indicator. These help you get the perfect fit for your child.

The seat can either be attached using the easy latch system which was built to make pulling the straps tight as easy as possible, or you can use seat belts along the belt route.

The seat can fit infants from 4 to 30 pounds. There is a removable infant insert for both the head and the rest of the body for accommodating smaller babies.

For additional safety, the seat is made from energy absorbing foam in case of a collision. When you are ready to take your child out of the vehicle, the one-click feature  makes this a simple process. You can then easily move your child without disturbing them from the base to a compatible Chicco stroller base.

Chicco is the largest European brand of baby products. Its popularity has travelled worldwide and has become trusted by thousands of parents.

The company has been around for over 50 years, producing superior products that are trusted by many. Chicco is the main brand of the larger company Artsana.

Artsana produces more than just baby products, but also very precise medical equipment. Chicco, though, focuses on the well-being of children. Chicco has a special laboratory in Italy called the Happiness Lab. This space is specifically dedicated to finding just what best helps children be both happy and safe.

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The Winner

Now that you have had a chance to look at the ten most popular car seats, it is time to narrow down which ones best fulfill the needs of a parent looking for an infant car seat.

The easiest and most user friendly of the car seats listed is by far the Chicco Keyfit 30 infant car seat. With its one snap action, it is a breeze to put in and out of the car.

With this seat, you can easily get the perfect fit, while not compromising on safety. While there are more expensive seats that claim to be safer, the Chicco still beats many other competitors in the department of safety with their higher standards without compromising on their user friendliness as the more expensive brands tend to do.