But the NHTSA may dock a seat’s rating for, say, the seat’s label not having a complete illustration of a child wearing the restraint; in our opinion that’s less important than whether a layperson can install the seat’s base snugly. So even though the NHTSA ease-of-use ratings are helpful, they don’t always line up with our own field-testing experiences and takeaways. Amid all the lengthy lists of baby “must-haves,” the one item that’s not up for debate is a car seat. And most hospitals, in compliance with guidelines established by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), do not discharge a newborn until a staff member has visually confirmed the presence of a car seat to transport the baby safely home. Forward-facing installation is also straightforward, with simple recline adjustments and velcro attachment on the padding.
However, the Fit2’s bucket seat without the base weighs 11 pounds (nearly 2 pounds more than the KeyFit 30 seat), which may limit its use as a portable seat as your baby gets bigger. It’s also about 0.5 inch wider and 1.5 inches longer than the KeyFit 30, so it may not fit as well in smaller vehicles. The NHTSA gives the Fit2 four out of five stars for its ease-of-use rating. If it weren’t for the price of the Clek Liing, we’d tell everybody to get one—it’s an exceptionally well-designed, well-executed car seat. We’ve never come across another infant seat that is quite this easy to install; it is so cleverly engineered that installing it with the base (using either the LATCH system or the seat-belt method) requires minimal effort. Part of what makes the Liing so simple to install and operate is that Clek has incorporated color-coded indicators throughout the seat (green means you’re good, red means something is amiss), which takes the guesswork out of using it correctly.
If you are traveling or switch cars often, an on-the-go option is handy and some can also transform into a stroller to make the switch from car to ground seamless. Many parents prefer an infant-only rear-facing car seat for the first few months of their child’s life. An infant car seat can be taken out of the car with the baby still in it, while a convertible car seat is designed to remain in the car. Keep in mind that babies should not be left to sleep in a car seat when not traveling, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The first version of this seat debuted in 2006, and Chicco (pronounced “KEY-co”) has made very few changes to the core design since then; this is a model that caregivers and friends recommend and pass along to each other. The KeyFit 30 was previously our top pick in this guide, and Wirecutter staffers who’ve now used the seat for many years, over multiple babies, continue to vouch for its quality. In the past, we have made it known that the 4Ever graco car seat seats are not SITS favorites due to the bulky backless booster mode. But now, with their 4Ever DLX Grad, Graco has added a 5th mode, with a seat belt trainer that’s very similar to the Graco Right Guide. This version also features SnugLock, which makes the installation in the rear and forward-facing harness modes very simple. Every car seat needs to be installed using either the lower anchors or a seat belt to secure it in place, never both.
To adjust the recline position, squeeze the white handle at the front of the seat (it says RECLINE on it), then push the seat’s back. The Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35 is a high-end seat with an anti-rebound base (an added safety feature that can help reduce the rebound effect in the case of a crash) and a no-rethread harness. But when we field-tested it in 2018, we found that the chest clip was flimsy, the harness straps were hard to adjust, and the handle was relatively difficult to shift.