Affordable infant car seats need to be safe, durable, adjustable and easy of use. There is a wide range of infant car seats for babies, which can be fairly overwhelming for new parents with many claiming to be the best.
The best infant car seat for babies is the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio that is made in Italy and will safely carry babies between 4 to 35 LBS and up to 32 inches tall.
Many infant car seats for babies come with a removable base that acts as a booster. However, the larger the feature list, the more expensive the infant car seat will be.
Table of Contents
Best Affordable Infant Car Seats
| Infant Car Seat | Weight Capacity | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Peg Perego Primo Viaggio | 4 to 35 LBS | Front & Rear Facing |
| Evenflo Maestro Booster | 22 - 110 LBS | Front Facing |
| Disney APT Convertible | 4 to 50 LBS | Front & Rear Facing |
| Chicco Keyfit | 4 to 30 LBS | Front & Rear Facing |
| Britax B Safe-35 | 4 to 35 LBS | Rear Facing |
Infant car seats are vital for your child’s safety within the car and is required by law. The law on baby booster seats varies from state to state and there are heavy fines for those who don’t comply. However, the police fine should be the least of your worries, a crash with a baby not restraint properly could be fatal.
Before purchasing an infant booster car seat, you should ensure that their is enough room for it in your car. There are also different variations of baby car seats from rear facing to front facing seats.
There is a huge range of styles from convertible infant seats to ones with stylish hoods. Below is a list of the best affordable infant car seats for babies that come in a range of sizes and styles.
Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35
The Peg Perego Primo Viaggio in black is one of the nicest looking infant car seats on the market. Along with the stylish design, the Viaggio car seat features a snazzy cushion that creates a comfy environment for your baby. The cushions can be altered to fit the baby required seating position with ease.
This infant car seat is mainly focused upon safety of the baby with even the head cushion going through strict testing alone to ensure safety. The seat features an adjustable side impact protection that is can be moved in 6 different positions. Even the baby car seat base has an anti rebound bar to provide additional protection.
Although this infant car seat may be out of budget for some, it is the best infant car seat for the money with a two year warranty for peace of mind. Many other seats with similar features are double the cost, hence why it is under the affordable infant car seat category.
Check it OutEvenflo Maestro Infant Booster Car Seat
The Evenflo Maestro Booster Car Seat is a combination seat that is suited to babies between 22 and 110 pounds. This baby car seat is a 5-point harness car seat that converts to a belt positioning booster.
Thanks to the LATCH system, this baby car seat is easy to install and swap between cars. This baby car seat even has cup holders that makes it the Rolls Royce in terms of baby boosters.
In terms of safety, the Evenflo Maestro has been through strict testing that enables it to withstand extreme situations. The side impact and structural integrity has been tried and tested against twice the energy levels required by the Federal Crash Test Standards.
Overall, it is the best convertible infant car seat that offers excellent value for money with some clever features.
Check it OutDisney APT Convertible Car Seat
How better to get your baby daughter into their car seat than encouraging them with a bit of Disney magic. Ideally suited for girls, the pink seat with the Minnie Me bow tie that also has two cup holders.
The Disney Baby Minnie Mouse is both a rear facing and front facing infant car seat. Supporting a five point harness with three buckle locations, this product can easily suit all growing infants.
The ideal weight suited to this booster when rear facing is between 4 lbs and 50 lbs, with a 40 inch height rating. When the booster is front facing, infants between 22 lbs and 40 pounds with a height of 43 inches makes for comfortable seating.
Overall, it is the best infant car seats for girls that love pink and Disney. It will be an instant win compared to the bog standard dull looking cheap alternatives.
Check it OutChicco Keyfit 30 Infant Car Seat and Base
Chicco is an ease to use, durable and portable car seat that is rated number 1 in the US. With a five point harness that adjusts to increase the babies comfort. Great features of the Chicco Keyfit baby car seat are a spring loaded recliner, level-indicator and a one pull latch tightener.
This infant car seat is ideal for babies between 4 and 30 pounds and comes with a based that can be removed with one hand. Meeting all the safety standards with ease as well as being able to accommodate cars without a latch system, the Chicco car seat is excellent for your baby.
The Chicco Keyfit 30 is in direct competition with the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio as both are boosters with a base and in a similar price bracket. The Chicco alternative is a great all rounder but the Peg Perego alternative just beats it with the styling.
Check it OutBritax B-Safe 35 Elite Seat and Base
Britax B-Safe 35 Elite a top rated baby car seat that Britax produce that has a strong focus upon safety. Made with SafeCell technology, it meets all the essential safety standards by miles.
The baby car seat contains head protection and a no re threaded harness that include an easy to remove cover. To increase side impact safety, the Britax B-Safe has a double sided impact layer to further protect your child.
The overly planned smart design takes little room in the car seat yet still gives your baby excellent space for comfort. The only downside is that it is rear facing only with a weight specification of 4 to 35 pounds.
Check it OutInfant Car Seat Buying Guide
For transporting your baby, you will need a safe infant car seat that can be placed so that your baby looks towards the front or rear. An infant seat can range for babies as small as 20 LBS to 110 LBS and will provide upmost safety whilst on the road.
On top of this, there is a range of styles to consider from convertible seats or one with a hood. Regardless, there are many factors that you should consider to ensure that your baby is made safe and it happy with their new comfortable infant car seat.
Infant Car Seat Base
Using various automotive standards such as ISOFIX, many bases will fit securely into the car seat without any modifications for buckling up the seat belt. The number one reason why parents prefer having a base is purely for the ease of installation.
They simply fit straight onto the car seat and the infant car seat just slots into place on top of the base. You can then use the seat onto a traveling system (such as a pram) but these are sold as additions and are not that affordable.
On top of this, the additional base adds extra height to the infant car seat that allows the baby to see out the window and have additional leg room.
Rear Facing v Front Facing
The main benefit for using a rear facing infant car seat is because it offers greater safety when travelling. It offers more protection for the neck and spine but on top of this, the baby must remain facing this way for at least 15 months.
Unfortunately. if you are planning on installing rear headrest DVD players for your babies to enjoy, you will need a car seat that is front facing.
Wide Ranging Weight and Height Limits
After spending a large chunk of your money on an affordable infant car seat, you will want it to last a few years. For this to be the case, its important your baby does not outgrow the car seat too quickly.
The majority of the top rated infant car seats know that this is a worry of many and include a wide ranging weight and height limit.
Ease of Use and Installation
Installing the infant car seat needs to be simply without any barriers preventing a safe and fast install. using a LATCH system make installations much easier by using metal clips that attach to the seat hook that are built in.
On top of the installation, it must be easy to use in terms of handling and adjustment. For example, not many include a handle on the seat, which can be an excellent feature for transferring the seat from the car onto a stroller.
Other Factors
With babies being known for being messy passengers, you will want to ensure that the infant car seat is easy to clean. For example, many include awkward to clean gaps that make it a pain to clean and the dirt can begin to smell.
All of the top rated infant car seats allow for car upholstery cleaners to be used without causing any damage.
Conclusion
The article has discussed three different style of baby car seats that have bases and do not. Some are rear facing and others are front facing, there really is a broad variation to choose from. My personal favorite is the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio with its excellent styling and superior styling. However, its not the cheapest and may not provide the best value for the money.
Therefore the best all-rounder when taking everything into perspective has to be the Graco Nautilus 65 that is a 3 in 1 harness that is durable enough to use throughout your child’s toddler to youth age.
