New parents buy a lot of stuff when they welcome a new baby, but one of the most important is the infant car seat.
Consumer Reports’ new tests and baby page can help narrow the choices.
“The main objective of a car seat is to manage the crash forces with the energy absorption, keeping it away from the child,” said Consumer Reports’ auto safety expert Jennifer Stockburger.
While all child seats sold in the US must meet federal safety requirements, Consumer Reports goes beyond and conducts its own crash tests at a higher speed. It uses a test-sled designed to more closely represent the inside of a car and a real-world crash.
That includes looking at new designs like seats with “load legs’' — extra support extending from a car seat’s base to the vehicle’s floor, making infant seats much safer. The Clek Liing is CR’s top recommended infant seat, earning high scores for crash protection.
Along with crash tests, Consumer Reports engineers also evaluate each seat for its easy use and installation.
Car seats are unique in that there’s so much of the consumer’s use that affects the outcome of how it controls energy and protects a child in a crash. The Chicco KeyFit is rated as one of the easiest seats to install and also top for safety.
Always ensure your child is buckled correctly and the seat is properly installed every single time.
To help you make the best and safest choice, try Consumer Reports’ free infant car seat finder.
For a list of the best infant car seats of 2023, click here.
To see how Consumer Reports test car seats, see here.