Best Infant Car Seats of 2017


Our hands-on testing and focus groups with over two dozen moms got down to the nitty-gritty on over a dozen of the best infant car seats on the market. Their reviews and ratings helped us identify several highly recommended infant car seats for 2017, made by brands such as Britax, Graco, Baby Trend, Peg Perego, UppaBaby, Maxi Cosi, and Chicco.All of the car seats on this list are not only well-rated, but also pass the test of time: reliability is very important for baby products, and sometimes the best-looking and functioning car seats can lead to disappointment after a few months. As always, our reviews are impartial and honest, and we did not accept any freebie or discounted car seats for this review. Our top car seats range in price from about $80 to $300; if you're looking for something a bit cheaper, we suggest checking out our list of the best infant car seats for under $100, here.


Here are some of the most important factors to consider when finding a great infant car seat for you family:
Ease of Use: This is probably the most important factor to consider when purchasing a new car seat. You do not want to deal with a frustrating latch, annoying seat belt mechanism, clumsy chest buckle, two-hands required handle folding, or an uncomfortable  handle multiple times a day. You won't care if you have the most stylish car seat on the market if you pinch your finger every time you fold down the handle, or find yourself cursing at the chest buckle while your baby is screaming. To put together our list, we tried out over a dozen options, putting them to the test with both calm and wiggly babies, with summer and winter outfits, and made sure they were not only intuitive to use, but also easy to buckle, unbuckle, attach to and detach from the base, adjust incline, rotate the handle, adjust the sun visor, and remove the cover for washing. In general, we found the pricier car seat options were the ones that are more user friendly, but that doesn't mean you need to break the bank. There are some really great options for under $150.
Price: Infant car seats vary widely in quality, style, and (importantly) price. You will notice that some car seats sell for under $100, whereas others are upwards of $300. There are usually very good reasons for the price differences. In general, the more expensive car seats tend to be plusher, softer to the touch, more user friendly, use higher quality parts (snaps, handles, hinges), lighter parts, and come in a more stylish array of color and pattern options. Are more expensive car seats safer? No, when used correctly all car seats are safe and must meet requirements of the NHTSA. However, some of the less expensive brands may meet NHTSA minimum requirements whereas others go beyond those standards. A good example of going beyond NHTSA requirements to increase safety is using an anti-rebound bar to reduce rotational forces due to accident impact, or double and triple side-impact protection. Overall, expect to spend under $150 for a good quality car seat, between $150-250 for a high quality car seat, and over $300 for a fancy seat with extra safety and convenience features.
Baby Weight and Height: Babies come in all shapes and sizes. If you're lucky you will have a 7-9 pound baby, but many moms deliver a bit early, or deliver a baby bigger than they expected. So you might be on the lower end of the spectrum with a cute little 4 pound baby, or on the higher end with a chunky-monkey 12 pound baby (like me!). It's important to realize that every car seat has its own unique minimum and maximum infant weights and heights. These guidelines are very important and can influence your baby's safety and comfort. Most infant car seats have a minimum baby weight of 4 pounds (1.8 kg), and maximum of either 30 pounds (13.6 kg) or 35 pounds (15.9 kg). But be sure to check the box or label because even within a single brand, different models have different specifications. Also, some models will include an insert for particularly small babies (4-11 pounds) to help support their body, these can also give them a snug fit and help them not feel like they're swimming in the seat. We also want to point out that it's unlikely you'll reach the weight limit before reaching the height limit on many of these seats. In other words, your baby will end up too tall before they end up too heavy. That's expected, but keep that in mind when you're considering whether weight limit or height limit is the more important factor (we suggest focusing on height limit more than weight limit). If you want something that can support infants (rear-facing) as well as toddlers (front-facing), check out our list of best convertible car seats, some of which can support babies as small as 4 pounds and bigger kids all the way up to 100-120 pounds. In our opinion, you will be best served by an infant car seat, then transitioning to a convertible later in development. The primary reason for this advice: infant car seats detach from the base and have a handle for carrying a sleeping baby, convertible car seats do not.
Safety: Car seats sold in the USA must meet federal (NHTSA) safety requirements, so no matter which car seat you choose, you can rest assured that it has been thoroughly safety tested. It is important to note, however, that some seats go far beyond the federal safety standards. There are a few good examples of that. First, some car seats have larger cushioned side impact protection near the shoulders and head. At a minimum, these will provide greater comfort for your child's droopy head during naps; at the most, it might provide some extra security during a side-impact crash. Second, anti-rebound bars are becoming more popular, such as the one seen on the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio (see below on our list); the idea here is that the anti-rebound bar can reduce rotational forces in the event of a crash. This means that, for instance, in the event of a front-end crash, the car seat will not have such an extreme rebound toward the back seat. Similarly, some modern infant car seats are also using a load leg that extends down from the back of the car seat down onto the floor of your vehicle. A good example of this is the new Peg Perego Primo Viaggio Nido infant car seat, which is an upgrade from the regular Primo Viaggio. The load leg is also designed to reduce rotational forces, and together with the rebound bar can reduce rotational forces by up to about 50%. Worth the cost over a traditional car seat design? That's for you to decide. Even if some extra peace of mind is important, then it might be worth the extra $100 (or so). 
Car Size: If you have more than one child, or a smaller vehicle like a Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla, you definitely must consider the size and fit of the car seat. Mainstream car seats are bulkier than ever, with more padding, big side impact protection wings, more safety features and foam, and thicker plastic. Gone are the days when your car seat is only slightly larger than the baby itself. The increasing size of infant car seats is a good thing, given the increased comfort and safety. However, it can also lead to issues when trying to fit multiple car seats into the back seat, particularly more than 2 at once. Most cars will NOT fit 3 infant car seats into the back seat, so unless you drive an Escalade make sure you take some measurements before you go buying something. To see our article about narrow car seats for fitting 3 in a row, click here.
Stroller Type: What do you intend to do with the car seat once it's out of the car? If your baby is sleeping, do you want to be able to pop the seat out and stick it into a stroller? If so, be careful to make sure that the seat will fit your existing stroller, or if you want to be able to use one of the relatively universal snap-in strollers, be sure to check compatibility. Though we definitely recommend buying the folding snap-in stroller that's the same brand as your car seat (for Graco car seats: Graco Snugrider Elite Stroller and Car Seat Carrier; for Chicco car seats  Chicco Keyfit Caddy Stroller Frame), here is an example of a snap-in stroller that can accomodate several brands of car seats: Baby Trend Snap N Go EX Universal Infant Car Seat Carrier.
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