Infant Car Seats Reviews

Introduction to Infant Car Seats

This report covers car seats for newborns up to about 30 pounds (or 30 inches tall) in the rear-facing position. Infant car seats also double as carriers. They come in two parts: the car seat itself and the base unit which stays in the car at all times. The seat itself can snap out of the base and double as a carrier, so you don't have to wake a sleeping baby. We have a separate report on convertible car seats, which can be used rear-facing for newborns, and front-facing for older babies up to about 40 pounds. Convertible car seats don't double as an infant carrier, however. Also see our report on booster seats for older kids.

Consumer Reports is the most credible reviewer of infant car seats, since it is the only U.S. non-government source that conducts crash testing. Consumer Reports crash-tested each car seat using two methods of attachment: with the vehicle's seat belts and with LATCH anchors. LATCH is a system introduced in 2002 that mandated that all new cars come with metal anchor bars located under the rear seat. These anchors make installation easier, since instead of threading seat belts through car seats parents can simply clip the car seat to the anchors, then tighten the straps. Extra car seat bases (*est. $30 to $60 depending on the model) make it easier for parents to use an infant car seat with more than one vehicle.

Baby Bargains, a popular baby-gear advice book, also has an excellent section on infant car seats. Although authors Denise and Alan Fields don't conduct their own tests, they do include thorough write-ups that take into account both professional test results and parent feedback. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the government body that's responsible for testing car seats, has detailed ease-of-use ratings for each infant car seat. We also found some useful owner-written reviews on sites like Amazon.com, Viewpoints.com, Epinions and Target.com. Parent ratings are helpful for judging factors like comfort, ease of use and everyday durability.

Even the most popular models of infant car seats can have problems and be subject to recalls. Evenflo Embrace models manufactured before April 8, 2006 were recalled in May 2007 after 160 children were reportedly injured when the carrying handles released unexpectedly. Unfortunately, reviewers report more problems with the latest version of this car seat, the Evenflo Embrace 5 (*Est. $70). Owners still complain about flimsy and uncomfortable handles. Parents also say the Embrace is hard to adjust and doesn't fit well in small cars. Several say the canopy doesn't stay up very well. For a little more money, we found better reviews for the Baby Trend Flex-Loc (*Est. $80).