Best Car Seats For Infants and Babies

While convertible car seats work great for growing children but an infant seat is best car seats for infants for newborns. They're also lighter and easier to click into strollers than their larger counterparts.

CPST instructor Kecia Healy praised the Chicco KeyFit's spring-loaded recline foot and bubble indicator on the base, as well as its user-friendliness (the more user-friendly a car seats is, the more likely parents will be to install it correctly). The model also fits three across in a variety of mid-sized automobiles.

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 top infant seats. The seat comes with the best infant carrier car seat safety features available, such as a metal load-leg that can be easily installed. It also features seven different recline positions that can be adjusted to match the slope of your vehicle's seat. A bubble indicator enables you to check that the seat is set at the right angle before your child rides in it.

The base for the Liing is easy to install by using LATCH connections that are rigid and slide into the lower anchors, making the seat easy to secure. The Liing is a great choice for families who plan to switch cars frequently or need a simple and reliable method of installing car seats for babies. You can also use the belt-tensioning system that comes with it to secure your child.

The Liing's 2-piece Newborn System is one of the features that sets it apart from other infant car seats. It includes an insert for the lower that slips over the crotch buckle as well as an attachment for the head that connects to the harness to help prevent newborns from slumbering or bending their heads while they're in the seat. This is an important feature for babies and preemies. It's also one of the few rear facing infant car seat-facing infant car seats that offers this degree of support.

Another advantage of the Liing is its metal crash-test frame, which can reduce the force of a crash by up to 40 percent compared to other infant seats. The shell of the seat is reinforced with EPP foam to protect your child's head and torso which are the most susceptible in a collision. The base of the seat has an aluminum load leg that absorbs energy and helps to reduce crashes.

2. Chicco KeyFit

This is a top-rated infant car seat. It's quick to install, easy to use and can grow with your baby. It also pairs well with strollers as a travel system.

The KeyFit is a great choice for parents looking for an easy-to-use, safe and versatile seat. It was a top performer in crash tests and is light and easy to carry. It also comes with a wide range of weight and height limits. It was also designed to guarantee the comfort of babies. The click-in point is protected by soft materials that protect your baby from being burned by metal. The insert for newborns comes with a head-cover that protects their tiny heads. The seat pad, which your baby sits on, nestles them in foam cushions.

It's also among the most simple infant seats to install correctly--every time. This is important because incorrectly installed infant seats can increase the risk of injury to your child. The KeyFit's top connectors for LATCH and a SuperCinch tightener ensure a secure fit while requiring only minimal effort. The base also has a ReclineSure leveling foot as well as two RideRight bubble-level indicators to ensure the correct vehicle angle. In addition, for a different installation using the seat belt of the vehicle, clear belt routing and lock-offs make it simple to set up, install and tighten the car seat belt.

It does lose some points in the ease of use category due to the rethread-style harness height adjustment--a common feature on a lot of Chicco seats (and as well on their OG Keyfit model). This means that you must disconnect 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 disadvantage for the ease of this seat.

3. Joie i-Snug 2

The lightweight Joie i-Snug 2 infant car seat is built to the most stringent safety standards. It comes with a no-rethread harness and is compatible with Joie strollers that use Maxi-Cosi style adapters. The installation guide is clearly marked and bubble levels are built in to aid in aligning the seat. The car seat is comfortable with plenty of padding. It also comes with a handy canopy that protects your child from the sun.

The iSnug 2 comes with an ISOFIX base for secure attachment to vehicles and can be used with a compatible stroller for a complete travel system. This rear facing infant car seat-facing infant seat provides maximum head and cervical protection for newborns. The exclusive Tri-Protect Headrest features a layer Intelli-Fit Memory Foam to shield your child from side impact crashes.

You'll require a new infant car seat when your child reaches the weight and height limits or their first birthday. Then you can upgrade to a convertible, or an all-in-one car seat, which allows children to be rear-facing for longer and is more secure for them.

A convertible car seat is bigger and more spacious than an infant seat, and also has a higher weight and height limit when facing backwards. To avoid your child becoming too big for the seat too quickly, it's best to change to a car seat that can be converted as quickly as you are able to. In some instances, parents can make the transition to an all-in-one seat without needing to purchase an additional infant car seat. It's therefore important to choose the best convertible car seat for your family. Read our complete guide to provide all the details you require to make the best choice.

4. Nuna Pipa Aire RX

The Nuna Pipa Aire RX is among the most rated infant car seats because of its safety, lightweight design and its flexibility. It can be installed using rigid anchors for the lower part of the outboard seats in most vehicles and is also equipped with a vehicle seat belt that utilizes Euro routing (which utilizes pretty much all of the length of the car's seat belt for a secure installation). It also comes with an organic GOTS baby car seat insert, which is a great choice for parents who are eco conscious and want to use organic products for their child.

The Pipa Aire RX weighs only 6 lbs. without the canopy or inserts. It is one of the lightest infant car seat available. This is due to the unique Aeroflex foam that is extremely light yet incredibly strong, reducing forces transferred to your child during a crash. Other safety features include the 5-second steel-reinforced True Lock base installation, side-impact protection and a multi-position steel stability leg that has an area of crumple to limit forward rotation, resulting in greater rearward-facing security.

The ergonomic aluminum handle is lightweight and luxurious, with leatherette accents for an ergonomic grip and an ideal way to carry the bag. Magnetic buckle holders keep straps out of from the way while you buckle your child, and color-coded indicators for installation confirm correct connections. The low-profile base allows for super-fast loading, while the open belt pathway with locks that secure lap and shoulder belts.

Cleaning up after a messy child shouldn't be a problem. The inserts and fabrics of the Pipa Aire RX can be cleaned by a machine to ensure that your car seat appears like it did following each use.

5. Nuna Pipa Urbn

While Nuna's PIPA rx and PIPA aire RX car seats are both excellent options, the newly launched Pipa Urbn takes it all to another level. This ultralight infant car seat is easy to carry and weighs less than 7 pounds when the canopy and insert are attached. It also comes with elegant user-friendly design, with useful features such as buckle holders that are magnetic to keep straps clear while you buckle baby in and a green/red indicator to let you know the installation is secure (we would like to see all car seats had this! ).

The unique pipaFIX technology allows it to be used without the base, unlike the Pipa RX or other base-compatible PIPAs that require a base to be installed. This makes it an ideal option for parents who regularly take taxis or rideshares for travel, or simply need the ability to move their car seat between vehicles more easily and quickly.

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. Those green-friendly materials also include a Merino wool and Tencel branded lyocell blend headrest and a machine washable, water-resistant body cover and cover.

The biggest drawback to the Pipa Urbn is that it only has the rear-facing weight limit of 30 to 35 pounds. This means you might need to upgrade to a convertible car seat sooner than some other brands. That said, it is still a top choice for infants. The car seat is equipped for travel and can be used with all Nuna strollers. You just need to click it on or attach via the rings adapter.