Choosing the best infant car seat available is one essential for a new mom or dad. From time to time you might need to run errands and lack a person to baby seat for you.
Having best infant car seat available will come in handy as will go with you baby anywhere giving you that peace of mind. However, choosing the best infant car seat for your baby can be an overwhelming task and that is why this blog post will highlight the best that there is in the market.
It is good to note that the government has put stringent measures to ensure that every infant car seat in the market has adhered to the safety regulations. Therefore,wether its a cheap or expensive infant car seat you are looking for, one thing is certain that it meets the set safety regulations. Although the more expensive ones might have more interesting feature like easy installation or even big canopies. Below is a side to side comparison of the 5 best infant car seats;
Before making a decision on the type of infant car seat your baby needs, it is important to have basic information on the types of infant car seats available in the market. basically i am going to highlight the three main types at least to give you an idea of what you need to check out.
Infant car seat
This type of car seat is used by your baby from newborn to the time they reach the height of the seat or a weight of roughly 20-35 pounds. Additionally, this type of seat faces the rear side of the car, meaning it faces your trunk. Once your baby outgrows this type of seat, you will need to buy a toddler one.
Convertible car seat
These type of seats ideally change your baby’s sitting from the rear to front facing. most of the time it accommodates a weight of roughly 60 pounds
Booster car seat
A booster car seat ideally fills the gap between which your baby is transitioning from their toddler car seat to being able to fit into the car seat. It stands high above the car seat and its secured by the usual car seat belts.
Factors to consider when buying the best infant car seat
Budget – It is good to have an amount in mind and set it aside for the purpose of purchasing the infant car seat. Like mentioned earlier on, there are different types of infant car seat from cheap to expensive although both surpass the set safety standard. Additionally, you can buy one that can be passed down to your children hence durability should be a factor.
Used vs New infant car seat
There are times when the budget can be too tight and maybe have a friend or family member who has an infant car seat that the no longer use. However, before settling on hand-me-downs it is paramount to ask yourself a few questions like:
- How old is the infant car seat? Most infant car seats come with an expiry date from the manufacturer and maybe the receipt could be missing due to wear. It is advisable to pass on this one since it might pose a risk to your baby.
- Is it from a trust worthy individual- Second hand items can be tricky when buying since you might not know the real intentions of the seller. Hence know if it has ever been involved in a major accident and check for teller signs like crack, broken parts or even worn straps.
- Has the infant car seat recalled- This is easy to know as all you need is clicking the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website or the manufacturer’s website too.
Fitting with the your car
Ensure the infant car seat fits in your car well or other vehicles if you will be changing vehicles often. For convenience purposes, it is good to have additional car bases.
Compatibility with your stroller
With child seat, it is good to have a compatible stroller for easy movement. Buying the same brand of stroller and infant car seat can be good idea because most of them are compatible. With the above factors in mind, below is a review of the best infant car seats available:
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Dream On Me / Mia Moda Atmosferra Stroller, Brown
This Mia Moda Infant Car Seat, tops this list as the best infant car seat available. It comes in handy because of it vast specs. It’s features include:
- Accommodates up to 4 recline positions
- Adjustable and removable canopy
- Removable and washable full body infant pillow
- Stay in car base offering three heights
- Latch storage compartment
- 5-point safety harness
- Weight ranges of 6-25 pounds
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Chicco KeyFit 30 Infant Car Seat, Orion
This Chicco Keyfit also leads the list as being the best infant car seat available in the market. It comes with amazing features including;
- Full body insert for newborns
- Easy to install
- Rated in America as the no. 1 infant car seat
- Seat lined with EPS energy absorbing foam for improved impact protection
- Comes in a variety of around nine different colors
- One hand removal from the base
- Designed handle that has a comfortable grip
- Smooth underside base that doesn’t destroy the you car’s seat
- Can be used with vehicles without latch
What to look out for
- Wide base that might not fit into small vehicles
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Britax B Safe 35 Infant Seat, Black
This type of infant car seat has been around for a while now. It has amazing features that might suit your preference;
- Deep seat with high side walls that ensure your baby is secure
- Energy absorbing form that protects from side impact
- Narrow base that basically fits into small vehicles
- Impact absorbing base
- Minimum weight 4 pounds and maximum pounds
- Made of lead free material
What to look out for
Compatibility with other strollers
Buy on Amazon4 of 5
Graco SnugRide Click Connect 35 Infant Car Seat, Gotham
This Graco product is also rated as among the best infant car seat among the top best on this list and has had many positive review. Its features include:
- Lightweight to carry around be it from the car or onto a stroller
- It is rear facing hence protects your baby
- Has a click connect system that makes it to use with a Graco stroller
- Crash resistant
- Comes in about 5 different colors
what to look out for
As much as it has a good click to connect system that works on Graco strollers, this compatibility might not be used with other strollers.
Buy on Amazon
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Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30 Infant Car Seat, Devoted Black
This is also one of the best infant car seat in that it is one of the light weight available in the market today. Its specs include;
- It is rear facing
- Side impact protection
- Stay in the car base
- Easy to clean and is machine washable
- Self wicking fabric with enough padding to keep the baby warm
- Light weight to carry around with comfortable handle
With the above infant car seats outlined, I believe you are now in a better position to choose the best for your little one. Below is a video on how to instal an infant car seat in the car.