Top 3 Easiest Infant Car Seats to Install

Top 3 Easiest Infant Car Seats to Install

How easily a car seat installs is often high up on the list of priorities when considering which one to purchase. Lucky for you, I’ve compiled a list of the top 3 easiest infant car seats to install. All three are from different brands and all three are surprisingly very different from each other!

PIPA

First up for the easiest installation is the Nuna PIPA. The PIPA Lite and PIPA Lite Lux are also included in this number one spot. The bases for these car seats are unique for a couple of reasons: the rigid latch and the load leg.

The rigid latch is bar connected to the latch instead of a tether connecting to the latch. This is a huge safety feature because a bar can’t twist and move around like a thinner, more malleable tether can. Nuna claims a 5-second install for the Pipa series, and I can definitely see why.


Nuna PIPA Base

To install, you’ll simply pull out the two rigid latches from their tucked-in compartments under the base and with the help of a latch guide, you’ll push the base back toward the seat (as the rigid latches slide under the seat back). When the latch is properly and securely attached, an indicator window will turn green on either side to let you know!

The load leg is a long bar that comes out of the front of the base to be set on the floor of the car. This is (for now) an exclusive safety feature that Nuna has added to help with the dangers of the snapback motion should there be an accident. It is hidden and secure underneath the base and easily folds out and extends. Once it is on the floor, there is another indicator window that will turn green when it is securely in a safe spot.

Mesa

The second easiest infant car seat to install is the UPPAbaby Mesa. This one seems pretty foolproof and supposedly only takes ten seconds. This is to be done one latch at a time, but these aren’t just any tether latches… They’re self-retracting, ratchet tether latches. The process definitely sounds complicated, but if you watch the video linked below, it all makes a little more sense. I promise!


UPPAbaby Additional Base

To do the actual attaching, you’ll need to push down on an orange button on the base to release the ratchet feature while securing the latch. Once it is attached, let go of the orange button and do the same on the other side. When both latches are fastened and you’ve let go of the release buttons all that is left is tightening it. Because of the self-retracting tethers, the only thing that needs to happen to tighten the base into place is to push down on the rear portion of the base while the satisfying ratchet sounds click tighter and tighter until the window display turns from red to green!

If you’re so far completely lost and were unable to follow along with my attempt at explaining these in words, take a look at this video that does a much more proficient way of showing you how these two car seats install!

Keyfit 30

The third easiest installation belongs to the Chicco Keyfit 30. A huge reason why this car seat has been the most popular infant car seat for many years is because of the easy installation. And, while bells and whistles are nice, there is no super-fancy feature on this install because it’s easy enough that they’re not needed.


Chicco KeyFit 30 Infant Car Seat Base

To install this base, you’ll secure the tether latches one at a time and pull on a single tether to tighten the base into place. It is also equipped with a leveling mechanism so you know your baby is at the angle they’re supposed to be at. There is a level bubble window that will be centered when you’ve raised or lowered the base to its proper level depending on the seat of the car. To learn more about the Keyfit 30, here’s a quick video review!

We are big fans of all of these infant car seat options! We have a car seat buying guide to help with the big decision of picking out a car seat as there are many things to consider. But as for the installation process, these three are certainly tough to beat!

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