6 Best Infant Car Seats, According to Child Passenger Safety Technicians
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QUICK SUMMARY
pottery barn kids Car seats are essential — you won't be able to drive away from the hospital without a rear-facing car seat on hand or installed in your car.
While young babies can also ride in a convertible car seat, an infant car seat is specifically designed for newborns. That said, both infant and convertible car seats provide the same amount of safety, says Suzanne Chan, a pediatric nurse practitioner, certified child passenger safety technician (CPST) and member of the What to Expect Medical Review Board. It comes down to personal choice and cost when opting to get an infant car seat over a convertible car seat.
Unlike convertible car seats, infant car seats can be easily removed from the car and carried, and some can even clip onto your stroller. Many parents consider this a huge convenience, since it’s such a big time-saver — especially if you have other kids you have to buckle in and out every time you get out of the car.
How we chose the best infant car seats
Every car seat sold in the United States must adhere to the safety standards set forth by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). “As long as the car seat meets federal motor vehicle safety standards and has a five-point harness, it is considered safe,” says Chan.
Still, that doesn't mean all baby car seats are the same. Car seats come at a wide range of prices, but the more expensive seats aren’t necessarily better. Since they must meet the same federal regulations, the cheaper seats are perfectly safe — just more basic, says Chan. “Often, they will have lower weight and height limits, less cushioning and a more involved installation.”
Per the guidance of leading experts, a member of the What to Expect Medical Review Board, as well as What to Expect staffers and community members, we evaluated and selected the best infant car seats based on the following criteria:
Size and weight: A narrower infant car seat can be helpful if you have a small car or need to fit three children into your backseat (particularly important if you’re expecting twins or multiples). If you're planning to travel with your infant car seat or will often switch it between cars, you may want to choose a lighter-weight model.
Price: Infant car seats are available at a wide range of prices. Some infant car seats boast extra features that result in a higher cost, but know that more affordable car seats are equally safe. We prioritized infant car seats that were less than $600, and most are in the $200 to $300 range. You can even snag some of these car seats for less during big sales, like Cyber Monday.
Weight and height limits: You want to keep your baby rear-facing for as long as possible, and you'll also want to get the most time out of your investment. Most infant car seats can be used until your baby is at least 30 pounds, but we prioritized models below that have the highest maximum weights on the market, between 32 and 35 pounds. All of the car seats on our list can be used until your baby is 32 inches long.
Ease of installation: Some infant car seats have extra features that help ensure your seat is properly installed. This handy chart from the NHTSA rates the ease of use for various car seats. All of our picks have an overall ease of use rating of four stars or higher from the NHTSA (and many have five stars). Also, consider meeting with a local certified child passenger safety technician (CPST) to make sure you know how to properly install it before your little one arrives.
Compatible strollers: Not every stroller can attach to every infant car seat. If it's important that your car seat clips into your stroller, check with both manufacturers before settling on a stroller-car seat combo. Even if they can't be attached out of the box, some strollers have adapters for common car seats. (To make the process easier, you can also purchase a travel system.)
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Best Infant Car Seat Overall
Chicco KeyFit 35 Infant Car Seat and Base
- Easy to install
- Performs exceptionally well in safety tests
- Heavier than some other models
The Chicco KeyFit was voted Best Infant Car Seat in our 2023 What to Expect Mom Must-Have Awards — and for good reason. The installation process is so simple, mom and Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) Sylvia Fallas says she has installed this seat in under 30 seconds! It's easy to nail the correct recline angle, thanks to a built-in bubble level indicator, and the One-Pull Harness makes tightening the straps simple. Parents also appreciate the newborn insert for little ones 4 to 11 pounds and the UPF 50+ canopy.
Note that the Chicco KeyFit 35 is a slightly more deluxe version of the (equally safe and excellent) KeyFit 30. The biggest difference here is the height and weight requirements: The KeyFit 35 is suitable for children up to 35 pounds or 32 inches tall, which makes it an extended-use infant car seat for only $40 more. The KeyFit 35 also has an integrated anti-rebound bar. And although not the most lightweight model, the Chicco KeyFit is still lighter than some other models on this list.
“Because we don’t have our own car and Uber it everywhere, this car seat has been extremely handy,” says Lisafe Carreon, What to Expect’s Senior Project Manager and mom of a 7-month-old. “It isn’t too heavy, so transporting it in and out of the vehicle was easy.”
The one possible downside to consider is that the KeyFit doesn’t play as well with as wide a variety of strollers as other car seats on this list: It can only be used with compatible Chicco strollers, which is limiting if you’d like to use your infant car seat as part of a travel system but have your heart set on a different stroller.
NHTSA ease of use rating: 4 stars
Dimensions: 16.75 x 28 x 22.5 inches
Weight: 9.5 lbs. without base
Weight and height limit: 4 to 35 lbs. and up to 32 inches tall
Best Infant Car Seat and Stroller Combo
Doona Infant Car Seat Stroller
- Car seat and stroller in one
- Great for travel
- May be too short for tall parents
- Baby will need a new stroller once you reach height/weight limits
If you'll be logging frequent flier miles with baby or utilizing taxi services, the Doona is guaranteed to make your life so much easier. This infant car seat converts into a stroller so you don’t have to worry about carrying it or installing a base once you reach your destination. Many parents love the freedom and convenience the Doona offers — it’s much easier to take your little one on the go with just one piece of gear to manage instead of two (or even more if your travel system requires adapters).
“It's fantastic for moving between cars, cabs, trains, and so on,” says Jamison Hermann, What to Expect’s Senior Producer and dad of a 3.5-year-old and 8-month-old. “The design is very sturdy and it feels safe. When I pop out the wheels, I get a lot of ‘Wow!’ reactions from friends and family and even people I don't know.”
Some parents find the Doona a little heavy for carrying and it doesn’t take bumps as well as bigger, sturdier strollers. Taller parents also say it’s on the shorter side, which can make it a less comfortable stroller to push. But the convenience of having a car seat that can transform into a stroller still makes it a favorite.
“Doona was great, but when [our daughter] was a newborn, she sunk a bit too much into the seat and it made it hard to get her out,” notes Lisafe, who also has the Doona. “Although this was easier to transport, it definitely was heavier and much more difficult to wrap the shoulder belt around the back of the car seat because of the wheels.”
Another consideration with the Doona is longevity. Keep in mind that once your baby reaches 32 inches or 35 pounds, you’ll have to retire the Doona and switch to a stroller that has a dedicated toddler seat. For most children, that’s somewhere around 1 year old, though some infants will hit one of those milestones sooner.
Just don’t forget: Like all car seats, the Doona is not safe for sleep. So while the Doona is great for running errands around town, it should not be used in place of a bassinet, crib or flat-lying stroller for naptime.
NHTSA ease of use rating: 5 stars
Dimensions: 39 x 17.3 x 32.2 inches
Weight: 16.5 lbs.
Weight and height limit: 4 to 35 lbs. and up to 32 inches
Best Affordable Infant Car Seat
Graco SnugRide SnugFit 35 DLX 35
- Easy to install
- Affordable
- Heavier than some other models
One of the biggest selling points of the Graco SnugRide is the unbeatable price tag. But while it may be an affordable option, this infant car seat still offers plenty of benefits. For one, many parents rave about the brand's Click Connect technology, which eliminates any potential errors connecting your infant's car seat carrier to the base or to a stroller, since you literally hear a "click" when it’s done correctly. Despite its lower price, parents say that the SnugRide feels well-made with soft, plush cushioning that looks comfortable for baby.
“It was super easy to install and to take in and out of the car, even though we installed it on the middle seat,” says Sarah Darby, What to Expect’s Senior SEO Strategist and mom of a 1-year-old. “We found it really easy to adjust.”
You can use this infant car seat until your baby is 35 pounds or 32 inches tall, which is more than some other models on this list. And given its affordability, it also enables you to invest in a fancier, longer-term option later on if you so choose.
Although this car seat is very easy to install and tighten with the base, some parents find it tricky to tighten when it’s installed without the base (such as if you’re riding in a taxi). If you’ll be switching cars frequently, this might not be the best infant car seat for you unless you plan to buy separate bases for each car. One final consideration is stroller compatibility — like the KeyFit, the SnugRide can be used only with compatible Graco strollers but doesn’t clip into as many stroller brands as the Nuna Pipa does, for example.
NHTSA ease of use rating: 4 stars
Dimensions: 27.5 x 17.5 x 25.5 inches
Weight: 16.2 lbs.
Weight and height limit: 4 to 35 lbs. and up to 32 inches tall
Easiest-to-Clean Infant Car Seat
Uppababy Mesa M2 Infant Car Seat
- Easy to install and clean
- Sleek and attractive
- More expensive than some other options
It’s not the most fun feature to think about when buying an infant car seat, but know that at some point — probably after baby’s first mid-ride diaper blowout — you’re going to have to clean the thing. And when that happens, you’ll appreciate having a car seat that’s a little easier to wash. Parents in our What to Expect community consistently call out the Uppababy Mesa as being less frustrating to clean than others on the market — the fabric comes off easily, and all the fabric parts except the harness and canopy are machine-washable.
The Mesa M2 has some minor but notable improvements from the brand’s original Mesa car seat. It’s ever so slightly smaller and more streamlined, and also has a lighter weight. This car seat is a particularly good choice if you’re getting an Uppababy stroller and hope to use it as part of a travel system — it’s compatible with the Vista and Cruz models and clips in without any additional adapters.
The sleek look doesn’t come at the expense of comfort, either: The Mesa has generous padding in the center and sides, plus an adjustable headrest that is reinforced for added protection in case of a side-impact collision.
It's also blissfully easy to install. Many parents appreciate the Mesa's tightness indicator, which switches from red to green to let you know that you've secured the seat into the base correctly every time.
The Mesa is also naturally flame-retardant, thanks to its merino wool construction — something many naturally-minded parents appreciate.
NHTSA ease of use rating: 5 stars
Dimensions: 27.5 x 16.95 x 24 inches
Weight: 9.9 lbs.
Weight and height limit: 4 to 35 lbs. and up to 32 inches tall
Best Infant Car Seat for Small Cars
Clek Liing Infant Car Seat
- Suitable for small cars
- Multiple recline positions
- More expensive than some other options
Whether you have a small car or need to fit three seats across a single row (calling all parents of multiples!), the Clek Liing is a smart choice. The seat is nice and slim, and short enough to leave room for tall drivers and passengers to sit comfortably in the front. Still, thanks to the smart design, the interior of the seat is roomy enough to keep baby comfortable wherever your travels take you.
There are plenty of added comfort features, too. The Clek Liing has seven recline positions, a mesh peekaboo window for airflow and visibility, and a large, three-position canopy complete with SPF 100+ protection — which is much higher than other infant car seats we’ve reviewed here. These features make the Clek Liing an especially good choice for families who live in warmer, sunnier climates.
What’s more, it has plenty of helpful installation features, including a seat belt tensioning and locking device that makes installation more straightforward, indicators that alert you when you’ve achieved a properly tight install in your car and a load leg on the base. Multiple What to Expect parents say that they found the installation process to be surprisingly easy with this infant car seat.
At 15 pounds, the Clek Liing falls somewhere in the middle on our list in terms of weight. You can use this infant car seat as part of a travel system (with adapters, which are sold separately) for select strollers, including Bugaboo, Stokke and Babyzen Yoyo.
NHTSA ease of use rating: 4 stars
Dimensions: 26 x 17 x 26 inches
Weight: 15 pounds
Weight and height limit: 4 to 35 pounds and up to 32 inches
Best Infant Car Seat for Airplane Travel
Evenflo Shyft DualRide with Carryall Storage Infant Car Seat and Stroller Combo
- An infant car seat/stroller combo that makes air travel with an infant easy
- Heavier than the Doona
The Evenflo Shyft DualRide DualRide is one of just two car seat/stroller combos on the market, the other being the Doona. Both models meet all applicable requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213, meaning they’re certified for use on airplanes, but the DualRide has a few features that make it especially good for air travel.
For one, it has a no-rethread harness, which means it’s easier to raise and lower the straps. Many parents also appreciate the brand’s integrated SensorSafe technology, which alerts you in real-time to potentially unsafe conditions from your child’s car seat (think unexpected chest clip unbuckling or a too hot/too cold temperature in your car) via Bluetooth. (Just keep in mind that these high-tech features aren’t meant to replace your close observation.)
You also get a little more value for your money with the DualRide — for $550, this stroller/car seat combo also comes with a helpful carryall storage bag that makes navigating the airport even easier. The DualRide can also accommodate smaller babies, as it has a minimum weight of just 3 pounds, and also has a slightly higher stroller height than the Doona, making it a better fit for taller parents.
The downside is that the DualRide is heavier than the Doona (29 pounds vs. Doona’s 16.5). So if weight is a priority, the Doona may be the better choice for you. Some parents also say that the Doona’s stroller wheels are better at navigating terrain.
NHTSA ease of use rating: Not available
Dimensions: 31 x 18 x 18 inches
Weight: 29 pounds
Weight and height limit: 3 to 35 pounds and up to 32 inches
Our Research
We referenced car seat guidelines from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All of the products on this list meet safety recommendations from these leading expert groups.
For additional insights about infant car seat features to look for, we also spoke to Suzanne Chan, D.N.P., C.L.C., C.P.S.T., a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner working in the Infant Cardiac NICU at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital in New York City. Dr. Chan is also a Certified Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) and a member of the What to Expect Medical Review board.
We also spoke to several What to Expect staff members, including:
- Lisafe Carreon, Senior Project Manager, mom of a 7-month-old
- Tika Fender, Senior Art Director, mom of an 8-month-old
- Jamison Hermann, Senior Producer, dad of a 3.5-year-old and 8-month-old
- Sarah Darby, Senior SEO Strategist, mom of a 1-year-old
As a mom of two and former parenting editor, I’ve also included my experience from testing many of the infant car seats on the list.
Finally, we canvassed the What to Expect community boards to learn which infant car seats parents felt were easy to install and use, a good value, and felt high-quality and well-made.
FAQs
What’s the difference between an infant car seat and a convertible car seat?
If you’re confused, know that you’re not alone. Both infant and convertible car seats can be used by infants. But aside from that, there are some major differences to consider before you make a purchase.
- Infant car seats: These seats are rear-facing only, have a lower weight limit than convertible car seats and can usually be used until your baby is 22 to 35 pounds and 26 to 35 inches (this will vary a bit by model). You won’t be able to use infant car seats as long as convertible car seats, but they do have some clear benefits, the main one being portability. Infant car seats are smaller than convertible car seats, have carrying handles and can be easily clicked in and out of their base.
- Convertible car seats: Unlike infant car seats, convertible models can be both rear- and forward-facing. You can use them when your baby is a newborn until she reaches the maximum weight or height requirement for the seat’s forward-facing position, which is usually sometime in the preschool years (though some models can extend much longer). This can be a smart investment: “If cost is a large concern, you may want to consider a car seat that is not only fit for an infant but converts to a forward facing car seat which can save a considerable amount,” says Dr. Chan. The downside is that you won’t be able to use a convertible car seat as part of a travel system, and it’s not nearly as portable.
How long do babies stay in infant car seats?
This will depend on the specific make and model of car seat you purchase as well as how quickly your baby reaches the maximum weight or height requirements. Infant car seats have height and weight limits, and should no longer be used once your child reaches either milestone. In other words, if baby has met the height limit but is under the weight limit, you'll still have to retire your infant car seat.
Exact height and weight limits vary from model to model — check your car seat’s manual for your seat’s limits — but most infant car seats have a height limit somewhere between 30 and 35 inches (or when your child’s head is less than one inch from the top of the carrier), and a weight limit between 30 and 35 pounds.
Some babies will outgrow their infant car seats before their first birthday, while others can continue using these seats for longer. If longevity is a priority, look for an infant car seat with higher height and weight maximums.
Are infant car seats worth it?
This comes down to personal preference and lifestyle. But generally:
An infant car seat might be right for you if:
- You want to be able to use your child’s car seat as part of a travel system
- Your child will be a passenger in a few different cars (yours, your partner’s, a grandparent’s) and you don’t want to buy a separate car seat for each
A convertible car seat might be right for you if:
- You want to invest in one car seat when your baby is a newborn and not replace it for many years
- You don’t mind not being able to easily take your child’s car seat in and out of the car or use it as a stroller attachment
Can my child sleep in a car seat?
The AAP says that the safest place for a baby to sleep is on a firm, flat surface such as a crib, bassinet, portable crib or playard. Products that place your baby in an inclined position (swings, bouncers, seats or even strollers) aren’t considered safe sleep spaces for a baby, especially for long stretches. Sleeping while sitting upright (or semi-upright) can cause a baby to slump down, and end up in a chin-to-chest position, potentially causing suffocation.
Of course, many babies fall asleep in their car seats. If your child dozes off on a drive, don’t panic. In an ideal world, you or another rider would keep an eye to make sure your little one doesn’t slump into a chin-to-chest position. Once you reach your destination, move her to a crib, bassinet or playard.
Can I use a second-hand car seat?
Experts don’t recommend using second-hand car seats. “It’s not okay to purchase a used car seat unless you know its history,” says Chan. “If a car seat has ever been in a car accident (even a minor one), it needs to be replaced immediately.” It’s also important to note that car seats have expiration dates — typically six years from the date of manufacture, so you’ll want to read your manual and ensure you know when your car seat expires (and that this won’t happen before your baby outgrows it).
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: AAP Policy Explained, July 2022.
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Shopping for Car Seats: Tips for Parents, February 2020.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Keep Child Passengers Safe on the Road, October 2022.
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Car Seats and Booster Seats, 2023.
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Booster Seats Business Guidance and Small Entity Compliance Guide, 2023.
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