The 10 best infant car seats of 2023
An infant car seat is the best addition for your household when expecting your angel. You’ll soon discover that without an inftant car seat, moving your baby around and taking them with you isn’t just very cumbersome but it’s very dangerous as well.
When you put your baby in the car, it has to be strapped in a specially designed and approved infant car seat so that it can travel safely. Not only that but the moment you’ll be discharged from the hospital with your baby in your arms, they won’t let you go unless your car is equipped with a proper infant car seat.
Trying to find the perfect baby car seat can be overwhelming with the hundreds of available options on the market but that’s why we’re here. We’ve put to the test tens of the most popular infant car seats and picked the 10 best infant car seats that meet all the safety and regulation requirements and will provide a safe journey for your baby.
You can also find our selection of strollers, travel systems, and bassinets for you to choose from.
10 Best infant car seats
Read on to discover the top baby play gyms and playmats on the market currently:
- Graco 4Ever DLX 4 in 1 Car Seat
- Britax One4Life ClickTight All-In-One Car Seat
- Doona Infant Car Seat to Stroller
- Chicco Fit4 4-in-1 Convertible Car Seat
- Chicco KeyFit 35 Infant Car Seat
- Graco SnugRide SnugLock 35 LX Infant Car Seat
- UPPAbaby MESA Infant Car Seat
- Cybex Aton M Infant Car Seat with SensorSafe
- Maxi-Cosi Pria All-in-1 Convertible Car Seat
- Britax One4Life ClickTight All-In-One Inftant Car Seat
1) Graco 4Ever DLX 4 in 1 Car Seat
The Graco 4ever 1 in 1 baby car seat really stood out in our comparison of the best infant car seats of 2021. It boasts 10 years of use and that’s because it’s a modular baby car seat and it can change and “grow” with your baby.
It can easily transform from a rear facing harness car seat to a front facing harness car seat and can hold up to 65 pounds and from a high back belt positioning booster to a backless belt positioning booster that can hold up to 120 pounds.
The Graco 1 in 1 car seat also offers 6 different recline positions to find the perfect sitting position for your baby. It also features an integrated best lock system, is machine washable, and you can quickly and easily attach and remove the top cover without having to uninstall the whole seat.
What we liked
- 4 in 1 modular system
- Offers 10 years of use
- Integrated belt lock off
- Fuss free harness torage
Graco 4ever 4-in-1 inftant car seat specifications
| Weight capacity | 4 – 120 pounds |
| Item weight | 22.8 pounds |
2) Britax One4Life ClickTight All-In-One Car Seat
The Britax One 4 Life baby car seat is our second choice as the best infant car seat currently on the market. It also boasts 10 years of life offering 4 different options and grows with your child.
The Britax inftant car seat is made from premium materials and the fabric used is very soft to the touch, felt really high quality compared to all other alternatives.
You can quickly and conveniently install it in 3 easy steps: open, thread and buckle and click it closed. Its steel frame provides added support and sturdiness.
What we liked
- 4 in 1 modular system
- Offers 10 years of use
- Available in multiple colors
- 2 layers of side impact protection
- High strength steel frame
- 15-position quick adjust headrest and harness
- 9-position quick push recline settings
- Built-in cooling channels and ventilated mesh
Graco 4ever 4-in-1 inftant car seat specifications
| Weight capacity | 5 – 120 pounds |
| Item weight | 30 pounds |
3) Doona Infant Car Seat to Stroller
The Doona inftant car seat is one of the more expensive option in our roundup of the best infant car seats but it offer a lot of buck for your money.
It’s one of the few infant car seats that doubles up as a stroller so effectively you’re getting a baby stroller as well. You can quickly and easily transform it to a baby stroller an back in 3 simple steps: tuck the wheels in, bend the wheel frames and pull out the handle and you’re good to go.
On top of this it offers all the necessary features you want in an infant car seat – 5 point safety harness, adjustable handlebar, 3 layers of impact protection, it’s TUV and FAA aircarft approved and comes with a 2-years manufactures warranty. It’s worth mentioning though that as an infant car seat you can only place it facing backwards.
What we liked
- Infant car seat to baby stroller
- 5-point safety harness
Graco 4ever 4-in-1 inftant car seat specifications
| Weight capacity | 70 pounds |
| Item weight | 16.50 pounds |
4) Chicco Fit4 4-in-1 Convertible Car Seat
Chicco is a well know and beloved baby brand with tons of baby product offerings in theit portfolio and baby car seats couldn’t but be one of them.
The Chicco Fit4 is one of the best all around infant to booster car seats on the market. With 4 different functions it will offer up to 10 years of use growing together with your child.
What we liked
- Infant car seat to baby stroller
- 5-point safety harness
Chicco Fit4 4-in-1 Convertible car seat specifications
| Weight capacity | 100 pounds |
| Item weight | 25 pounds |
5) Chicco KeyFit 35 Infant Car Seat
The Chicco KeyFit 35 is the next model after the widely popular KeyFit 30 keeping all the best features of the outgoing model while also introducing some new ones.
The KeyFit 35 is very easy to install in your car and can hold children up to 32″ tall. The integrated anti-rebound bar provides increased stability and there’s even more legroom now compared to the KeyFit 30.
Naturally Chicco offers compatibility with their strollers and boasts a one hand click-in attachment for all the compatible strollers. It also comes with a full coverage canopy for added sun protection and privacy.
What we liked
- Seamless compatibility with Chicco strollers
- Ample legroom space
- Increased stability for extended rear-facing use
- Adjustable headrest to fit children up to 32″ tall
Chicco KeyFit 35 Infant car seat specifications
| Weight capacity | 35 pounds |
| Item weight | 18.50 pounds |
6) Graco SnugRide SnugLock 35 LX Infant Car Seat
The Graco SnugRide Snuglock 35LX is one of the sturdiest and safest infant car seats of our comparison (that said, we want to highlight that each and every baby car seat of our roundup has been selected based on its safety features, and all infant car seats meet the highest safety standards).
Graco’s infant car seat offers extra side-impact protection thanks to its TrueShield rpotective shield that encases the seat and will keep your baby safe in the event of an impact.
It’s rear facing and can hold up to 35 lbs. You can easily adjust it with one hand and it also comes with a canopy that adjusts easily and silently so as not to disturb your baby.
What we liked
- TrueShield technology for extra protection
- Thick canopy offers good sun protection
- One had installation
Graco SnugRide SnugLock 35 LX Infant car seat specifications
| Weight capacity | 35 pounds |
| Item weight | 9.75 pounds |
7) UPPAbaby MESA Infant Car Seat
UPPAbaby is a premium brand that always offers top quality products and its infant seat is no exception. With its stylish design, it’s hands down the best looking infant car seat of our comparison.
UPPAbaby’s infant car seat is suitable for children up to 32lbs or 32″ tall. Its SMARTSecure system allows for easy and tool-free installation in seconds and if you have an UPPAbaby stroller (VISTA or CRUZ) it can attach seamlessly and then you have a complete travel system.
It also comes with an adjustable headrest and a UPF hideaway canopy for sun protection and privacy.
What we liked
- Can attach to UPPAbaby strollers and becomes a complete travel system
- Easy and hasle-free installation
- Beautiful design
UPPAbaby MESA Infant car seat specifications
| Weight capacity | 35 pounds |
| Item weight | 9 pounds |
8) Cybex Aton M Infant Car Seat with SensorSafe
Another infant car seat that focuses on safety and promises unique safety features – which we’ve put to the test! It’s equipped with the SensorSafe app that sends out an alert to your mobile phone when it detects unsafe activities like if your child unbuckles the seat belt or if it gets too hot inside the car. This safety feature works as advertized and we were pleasantly surprised.
It also offers 11 position adjustable headrest to grow with your child and extra linear padding for added side protection from impacts.
What we liked
- Excellent security features
- SensorSafe app works great
- Extra side padding for added protection
Cybex Aton M Infant car seat specifications
| Weight capacity | 30 pounds |
| Item weight | 10.9 pounds |
9) Maxi-Cosi Pria All-in-1 Convertible Car Seat
The Maxi-Cosi Pria all in one convertible car seat is another excellent and stylish choice. It offers three different functions: front facing, booster mode, and rear-facing to grow with your child and offer many years of use.
The sides have been equipped with GCell technology that offers added protection from vibrations and braking andthe in and out harness holders keep the straps out of the way when buckling down your baby.
It also features a very easy and convenient installation and the QuickFit should harndess automatically raises the harness and the headrest height
What we liked
- GCell technology for added protection
- 3 modes: front facing, rear facing, booster
- Multifunctional harness system, easy to use
- 3 position recline
- Machine washable & dryer safe
Maxi-Cosi Pria All-in-1 Convertible Infant car seat specifications
| Weight capacity | 100 pounds (booster mode) |
| Item weight | 22.4 pounds |
10) Britax One4Life ClickTight All-In-One Inftant Car Seat
Last but not least we have the Britax One4Life ClickTight infant car seat – it offers 4 different modes: front-facing, rear-facing, booster and big kid seat for move than 10 years of use.
It’s equipped with cool flow mesh fabric to improve air flow and keep your child comfortable when the car gets hot. It has a steel frame for added strength and sturdiness. The headrest provides 15 different positions to create the perfect fit for your child and 9 recliner positions.
What we liked
- Cool flow mesh fabric for improved air flow
- 15-position adjustable headrest
- 9-position recliner
- Easy installation
Britax One4Life ClickTight All-In-One Infant car seat specifications
| Weight capacity | 120 pounds (booster mode) |
| Item weight | 30 pounds |
Sandra has over 13 years of experience as a child psychologist, both as a practitioner and researcher. She has a Bachelor's in child psychology from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and then she did her master's in Psychology in Education (focused on Children & Families) at Columbia University, NY. She has been writing for health and child-related publications for over 5 years now.
