Lighter Car Seats: When To Opt For One And What To Know

It goes without saying that there is not one way to correctly be a parent. As soon as my husband and I started dabbling with the idea of having a baby, we started noticing how almost every family does things differently! I'm not just talking about parenting types either. We live in a suburban neighborhood, and have two stairs that lead to our front door. One of our best friends lives in the heart of a big urban city on the fourth floor of an apartment building. You can't even pretend that we can live with a baby the same way as the other one. Family lifestyle is anything but one set standard, and it would be crazy to think that one that one car seat type just magically fits into every family's needs. Not possible, not at all!!

When Lighter is What You Need

Generally, the rule of thumb with car seats is heavier = better. That is because, steel and other materials similar to those in the body of your car are used in them. However, there are a handful of situations that we know a lighter car seat is likely the best option for you:

• Living at the top of lots of stairs (hello fourth story apartment)
• Having to carry the car seat longer distances (city dweller using public transit, without a stroller option)
• Dealing with a health issue that hinders the amount of weight that can be heldCarrying a 14-pound steel-lined car seat with a 14-pound child in it would be absurd in these situations, right?! Unless, of course, you have superwoman arm strength to match those super mom powers you have!

Lucky for you, we have found the best combinations between safety and convenience!

The Best Options, and Why!

Mico Max 30: This seat weighs in at 9.15 pounds, SO LIGHT! Even though this seat is under 10 pounds, you can use it until baby is 30 pounds (if they don't outgrow the height limits first.) The fabric is so buttery soft! I seriously wish that the seats in my car were made of it! To top off the fabric awesomeness, the entire cover is machine washable!! SAY WHAT?! Yep. All you have to do is undo a couple of snaps and it all slides right off to be thrown in the washer! You truly could not ask more of a car-seat fabric.

 Mico Max 30 | Red Rumor

The base for the Mico Max 30 has an amazing safety feature that you don't see on all bases; an anti-rebound bar. If you were by chance involved in a car crash (crossing all of my fingers so hard that you never have to be!!), this bar will prevent the car seat and base from flipping up towards the actual car's seat after initial impact. You guys, this is such an awesome feature! More potential injury prevention for baby?  Sign me up! The base is user friendly, so install is pretty quick and painless with either the LATCH system or regular seat belt. Max 30 can also be installed without the base, using the normal seat belt in a car. Great features for say, using a taxi cab as your main mode of transportation. Nuna Pipa: Another awesome light-weight is the Pipa! Weighing in at 7.9 pounds, it is one of the lightest infant seats on the market. Your arms, and your spouse's arms are thanking you already! Along with its lowww weight comes these other top notch features; large built-in extendable canopy, european belt route, and style to match!

 

 

The Pipa's base has some key safety features too! First of all, it has a rigid LATCH system. This means that the LATCH clips are not on a belt that you tighten. Instead, they are on the base itself making base installation so, so much easier! Next you have the load leg, and boy does that thing make my car seat safety heart sing! It offers a way for energy to be absorbed when in a car accident.  As the car seat continues to move forward from impact, the load leg will act as a “crumple zone,” and pull the movement downward instead of forward. So amazing, right?!  So, now the only question is HOW ARE YOU GOING TO CHOOSE?! These are both great options, and should help you feel empowered if you have been battling the "I need a lighter car seat" battle! I know the feeling of worry and strong desire to know that your baby will be safe. It's a parent thing! I am pretty sure that this feeling doesn't go away for a while, or ever (once a parent, always a parent, right?!) so help yourself out and take some of the stress out with these versatile lifestyle fitting seats!

Written by: Alyssa Liston