New parents are presented with two options for transporting babies – infant seats or convertible seats, each with their own particularities, features, and limitations. Convertible infant car seats start as rear-facing seats that letter convert to front facing seats as the baby grows while standard infant car seats are designed to be lightweight and portable, but immobile and rigid.
It is because of their portability that most parents start with infant seats for their baby transporting needs, and the fact that they’re also lightweight is a definite bonus. Over the next few minutes, we’ll take a look at the ten lightest infant car seats on the market right now, car seats that are not only easy to carry but also easy to install and operate.
10Mountain Buggy Protect Infant Car Seat
We should start off by pointing out that this particular infant car seats weights just 8.3 lbs. This makes it much easier for parents to carry the seat around without disturbing the baby’s sleep. It is a travel-ready infant car seat that comes with receivers and adapters to facilitate its installation on almost any type of car seat. It also has a secure latch base system with anchor points for added safety, although you can very well use the seat’s seat belt should you wish to do so.
9Britax B-Safe 35 Infant Car Seat
Equipped with a SafeCell Impact Protection system, this car seat surrounds the baby with a multitude of safety features that work together to provide an impressive amount of protection. It is designed to absorb crash energy while its Impact Stabilizing Steel Frame provides increased strength and stability at the same time. The fact that it features a lightweight ergonomic design and an integrated Click & Go system is also worth mentioning.
8Graco SnugRide Click Connect 30 Infant Car Seat
Thoroughly crash tested to meet or even exceed US safety standards, this is one of the safest infant car seats on the market. This lightweight car seat is designed to be easily carried without disturbing the baby in any way, partly due to its Click Connect system that provides a one-step secure attachment capability. It is also worth mentioning that it features an EPS, energy absorbing foam construction for a more effective impact energy management than usual.
7Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30 Infant Car Seat
This infant car seat comes equipped with an air protect side impact protection system and a rebound bar for added safety. Due to its self-wicking fabrics, it also deodorizes the seat while absorbing any liquids away from the baby’s skin. Thanks to its Cozi-Dozi insert, it provides head and neck support for smaller babies while its removable seat pad makes it easier for you to take the seat off without unthreading the harnesses.
6Chicco Keyfit 30 Infant Car Seat
The Chicco Keyfit 30 is not the lightest infant car seat on our list, quite the contrary. However, we felt it deserved a place on our list due to not only how easy it is to install but also due to how comfortable and protective it is. It has a removable newborn insert that will accommodate any baby between 4 and 30 lbs while its thickly cushioned seat will undoubtedly provide a more comfortable experience than most infant car seats thanks to its innovative build.
5Maxi-Cosi Mico AP Infant Car Seat
Made with self-wicking fabrics, this particular car seat will deodorize and draw liquids away from the baby’s skin, providing a very comfortable experience for them throughout the ride. It features machine washable, dryer safe seat fabrics, making it easier for you to effectively clean the seat up at any time. It also comes with an adjustable base with a LATCH system for a better fit in any car, a system that uses a multi-position sun canopy with a flip out visor to protect the baby from bright lights.
4Safety 1st Onboard 35 Air Infant Car Seat
Equipped with a versatile base that offers five different angles to choose from, you can install the Onboard 35 any way you want. For small babies, this infant car seat uses a specially designed harness. This doesn’t mean that it is a big car seat in any way, quite the contrary, it is one of the lightest infant car seats out there. It only means that it features additional leg room along with greater overall comfort for any baby between 4 and 35 lbs.
3BOB B-Safe Infant Car Seat
The BOB B-Safe features a Britax click & go system that allows it to fit in almost any car or baby stroller out there. Lightweight and travel-friendly, this infant car seat is also one of the safest car seats on the market thanks to its side impact protection system and its energy-absorbing foam liner. These systems offer the seat protection against front, rear, and side impacts at all times. It also has a removable comfort pad and an extra large canopy to keep the baby safe and comfortable throughout the ride.
2Evenflo Embrace LX Infant Car Seat
The Embrace LX from Evenflo is one of the lightest and safest infant car seats on the market. It is nationally recognized by Safety Avocates for low birth weight babies as one of the safest infant car seats in existence actually, which speaks volumes about the standard of protection it offers. It also comes with an adjustable auto base that includes a central pendulum level indicator to ensure a proper recline and an up-front harness adjustment feature for easy access.
1Graco SnugRide Click Connect 35 Infant Car Seat
This ultra-lightweight infant car seat is one of the most popular on the market at this point in time and we can see why. This rear-facing car seat is designed to protect any baby between 4 and 35 lbs while being extremely comfortable at the same time. Thanks to its removable boot and its Click Connect features, parents can easily remove the car seat at any time without disturbing the baby’s sleep in any way. Overall, the SnugRide Connect 35 from Graco is one of the safest lightweight infant car seat money can buy.
