The average lightweight infant car seat is around 8 pounds, with the lightest on our list being just 6.5 pounds. Convertible car seats can be especially heavy due to their design. Although they stay in the vehicle, a good lightweight convertible car seat should be less than 25 pounds. The average weight of convertible car seats is around 18 pounds, but you can find lightweight convertible car seats as light as 11 pounds.
Best Lightweight Infant Car Seats
The lowest-priced seat is the Graco SnugRide 35 plus it also weighs the least at 7.2 lbs and has a 4.8 rating among Amazon customers for durability and ease of installation. The Britax B-Safe Ultra is the most expensive seat and the heaviest at 12 lbs; but it does have high reviews for safety and quality. However, the Chicco KeyFit 30 is mid-priced and mid-weight at 9 lbs, and it is the #1 infant seat in America according to Amazon.
Chicco KeyFit 30
My top pick for lightweight infant car seat is the Chicco KeyFit 30. This is the number one rated infant car seat in America according to the Amazon product description. At only nine pounds without the base, this infant seat is easy to maneuver from your vehicle to your stroller. Also, this infant car seat is compatible with Chicco strollers and may be purchased individually or as part of a travel system.
The Chicco infant car seat I purchased for my first child made it through three children before it reached its expiration date. The Chicco brand offers a variety of infant car seat styles to help you pick the right one for your taste and budget. This product is quality, cute, and easy to use.
Features:
- ReclineSure leveling foot
- RideRight bubble level indicator
- SuperCinch LATCH tightener
- 5 point safety harness
- Fits infants 4 to 30 pounds
Britax B-Safe 35 Infant Car Seat
Britax is the standard in child safety seats; however, Britax doesn’t usually focus on minimizing the weight or size of their products. Safety is their key component. Britax also offers a high-quality standard which means you can expect their products to last. The Britax B-Safe 35 Infant Car Seat is not the lightest infant car seat available with the carrier weighing 12 pounds, yet this is a solid choice for safety and quality.
Graco SnugRide 35 Lite LX Infant Car Seat
The Graco SnugRide 35 Lite LX Infant Car Seat is a very lightweight version of the Graco SnugRide. It’s only 7.2 pounds and makes it easy for parents to transition the seat from the car to a stroller or home. This child safety seat has all the features we expect from Graco including those for safety, comfort, and quality.
Safety 1st Onboard 35 Air 360 Infant Car Seat
With the carrier weighing only 7.9 pounds, the Safety 1st Onboard 35 Air 360 infant car seat offers a solid lightweight option. This highly rated infant seat offers side impact protection and 360 Protect for 5 layers of safety. This model is also designed to fit babies up to 35 pounds. Many other car seat weight limits are lower.
Best Lightweight Convertible Car Seats
Our lightest seat at 14 lbs, the Safety 1st Guide 65 works for little ones from 5-65 lbs. The Safety 1st Grow and Go weighs in at 18.25 lbs and can fit children from 5-100 lbs. A #1 rated seat weighing 21 lbs, the Primo Viaggio works for children from birth to 65 lbs. While it is the heaviest seat at 25.1 lbs, the Chicco NextFit Sport works best for children weighing 12-65 lbs.
Cosco Apt 50 Convertible Car Seat
The Cosco Apt 50 Convertible Car Seat only weighs 11 pounds. That is very lightweight for a convertible car seat. Cosco is a low-cost brand for child safety seats and doesn’t always offer the longevity of higher-end brands. But, this seat is rated for safety and you can feel confident letting your child use this seat. Another feature is the seat allows children to sit rear-facing up to 40 pounds. I recommend this seat for a second vehicle or travel.
Features:
- Built-in side-impact protection
- Latch-equipped
- 5 point safety harness
- Fits children 5 to 50 pounds
Safety 1st Grow and Go 3-in-1 Convertible Car Seat
The Safety 1st Grow and Go 3-in-1 Convertible Car Seat is a fan favorite. At 18.25 pounds, this convertible car seat fits children from 5-100 pounds as they grow from the infant car seat stage to the booster seat stage. QuickFit Harness allows you to easily adjust the harness and headrest in just one step. With this convertible car seat, you can choose from over 10 colors!
Peg Perego Primo Viaggio Convertible Car Seat
The Italian brand, Peg Perego, makes fashionable, quality baby products. The Peg Perego Primo Viaggio Convertible Car Seat tops my list for best lightweight convertible car seats. At 21 pounds it weighs less than most other convertible car seats without sacrificing safety or style. Plus, it’s a number one rated convertible car seat!
This child safety seat works from birth up to 65 pounds. This should be the only car seat you will need until your baby becomes a child ready for a booster seat. The Viaggio comes in ten different fabrics to match your personal tastes.
Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat
At just 14 pounds, the Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat is one of the lightest convertible car seats on our list. You can use this car seat in 2 modes: a rear-facing car seat for babies 5 to 40 pounds or a forward-facing car seat for kids 22 to 65 pounds. The best part of this car seat? It’s also a narrow car seat, so you can fit 3 car seats across. That’s thanks to the 19-inch width and the detachable cup holder. Although it’s inexpensive and super light, you still get nice features like plush body pillows, adjustable headrest, and latch connectors.
Chicco NextFit Sport Convertible Car Seat
It’s no secret that I love Chicco! The Chicco NextFit Sport Convertible Car Seat only weighs 25.1 pounds and offers the safety, reliability, quality, and style I love about Chicco. Chicco’s are made for quick and easy installation using LATCH technology and dual RideRight bubble indicators. The ReclineSure 9-position leveling system offers an accurate fit in a wider range of vehicles which makes this car seat perfect for travel or use in multiple vehicles.
Best Evenflo Lightweight Car Seats
Evenflo Tribute LX Convertible Car Seat
The Evenflo Tribute LX Convertible Car Seat is so budget-friendly that you could easily purchase this online and have it waiting for you at your travel destination. However, at only 12.1 pounds, this seat is easy to transport. It’s a great backup car seat. Just like with the Evenflo infant car seat, the Tribute LX meets or exceeds all safety standards and has all the standard features of the more expensive brands.
Evenflo Nurture Infant Car Seat
The carrier is only 5.58 pounds making this a super lightweight choice. The Evenflo Nurture Infant Car Seat fits infants from five to 22 pounds. Don’t let the low price worry you on safety, it meets or exceeds all applicable federal safety standards and Evenflo’s side impact test standard. My only concern would be quality over time with daily use. However, this is the perfect option for occasional use.
Evenflo LiteMax DLX Infant Car Seat
The Evenflo LiteMax DLX Infant Car Seat features a No-Rethread Harness which means that as your child grows, you can instantly adjust the harness without having to rethread it! This lightweight infant car seat weighs in at 19.2 pounds and is rollover tested and exceeds safety standards.
Best Maxi-Cosi Lightweight Car Seats
Similarly priced and ranked well for safety and quality, the biggest difference between these two seat is that the Maxi-Cosi Mico 30 is a rear-facing infant seat that only works for infants from 5-30 lbs; whereas the Maxi-Cosi Pria is a convertible seat that is rear-facing and forward-facing for little tikes from 4-65 lbs.
Maxi-Cosi Pria 3-in-1 Convertible Car Seat
The Maxi-Cosi Pria 3-in-1 Convertible Car Seat is designed to fit well in your vehicle while offering safety and comfort for your child. And, at just under 19 pounds, it qualifies as lightweight. The seat fits children from 4 to 65 pounds. It features side impact protection, three reclining positions, a removable seat cover, and is LATCH equipped. If you love the Maxi-Cosi infant seat, this is a great next step up.
Maxi-Cosi Mico 30 Infant Car Seat
I like the Maxi-Cosi Mico 30 Infant Car Seat because it’s reasonably priced but still ranks well for safety and quality. Unlike the Evenflo child safety seats that I recommend as a travel or second seat option, the Maxi-Cosi Mico 30 works for daily use. .
The seat fits infants 5 to 30 pounds and up to 32 inches in length. The carrier is compatible with the Maxi-Cosi and Quinny strollers.
Best Baby Trend Lightweight Car Seats
Just slightly more expensive, the 7.7 lightweight Baby Trend EZ Flex Loc is an infant rear-facing seat for baby’s weighing 5-30 lbs. While under $100, the Baby Trend Trooper is a convertible seat that has rear facing infant mode (4-18lbs), rear facing toddler mode (18-40lbs), and forward facing toddler mode (22-65lbs).
Baby Trend Flex-Loc Infant Car Seat
Baby Trend offers a selection of lightweight child safety seats. The Baby Trend Flex-Loc Infant Car Seat is a very light option at only 7.7 pounds. The carrier is easy to handle and includes a boot for added comfort. The seat is designed for infants 5 to 30 pounds. This infant seat offers the same quality and safety standard features of the other infant seat brands. The Baby Trend Flex-Loc is compatible with all Baby Trend strollers.
Baby Trend Trooper 2-in-1 Convertible Car Seat
Not only is the Baby Trend Trooper 2-in-1 Convertible Car Seat lightweight at around 14.2 pounds, but it looks stylish. I like the color options available, like the red and trendy black/grey colors. This car seat is designed for safety with patented side impact head control tested to the strictest international standards.
The Lightest Weight Car Seats Compared
The table below compares only the recommended products on this page. A low or high Price means it is low or high compared to the other products listed.
The Popularity Score reflects how often readers click on and buy the product. The Quality Score is our assessment of the overall performance and satisfaction with
the product compared to others in the table.Peg Perego Primo Viaggio Convertible Car Seat 6.2 9.6 399.99 Chicco NextFit Sport Convertible Car Seat 9.5 - 329.99 Maxi-Cosi Pria 3-in-1 Convertible Car Seat 9.7 9.4 269.99 Chicco KeyFit 30 9.8 9.8 221.57 Safety 1st Grow and Go 3-in-1 Convertible Car Seat 9.9 9.6 199.99 Graco SnugRide 35 Lite LX Infant Car Seat 9.9 - 169.99 Britax B-Safe 35 Infant Car Seat 7.8 9.8 139.99 Baby Trend Flex-Loc Infant Car Seat 9.7 9.4 109.99 Baby Trend Trooper 2-in-1 Convertible Car Seat 9.7 8.8 99.99 Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat 9.8 9.2 89.99 Evenflo Tribute LX Convertible Car Seat 6.5 9.2 - Cosco Apt 50 Convertible Car Seat 7.4 9.2 - Safety 1st Onboard 35 Air 360 Infant Car Seat 5.4 9.6 - Evenflo Nurture Infant Car Seat 3.9 9.0 - Evenflo LiteMax DLX Infant Car Seat 4.4 9.6 - Maxi-Cosi Mico 30 Infant Car Seat 4.8 9.2 -
How to Decide Which Seat is Right for You
Purchasing big-ticket items always stress me out. You want to make the best choice for quality, comfort, and safety without totally breaking the bank. However, most people use their car seats multiple times per day for years. For this reason, I think it’s actually smart to spend more on a highly reliable and quality child safety seat.
Also, I think lightweight matters more for infant car seats. You want a carrier that you can confidently carry with your baby inside. I always felt safer moving my baby inside the carrier. This was especially true when I had my dog or another child present along with an armful of shopping bags or baby supplies.
For the convertible car seat, weight shouldn’t matter as much unless you are using it for travel or multiple vehicles. I actually recommend buying a top-quality, high-end convertible car seat for your primary vehicle. Then, purchase a budget-friendly convertible car seat for your second vehicle, childcare provider’s vehicle, or for travel.
When deciding which car seat to pick, find the one that fits your budget, style, and needs. Many options are available in a variety of brands, styles, features, and budgets to help you select the perfect lightweight car seat for your child.
We’ve covered other choices in this best infant car seat roundup.
FAQs – Lightweight Car Seats
What is the safest infant car seat in 2020?
Again, opinions vary, but there are four that seem to fall near the top of every list. They are:
- Graco Snugride Click Connect 35
- Chicco Keyfit 30
- Chicco Fit2 35
- Britax B-Safe 35 Ultra
What brand of car seat has the best safety rating?
Car seats are made for safety, so most any new car seat, if installed properly, is safe. Though opinions (as to which are the best brands for safety) vary, Chicco, Graco, and Britax seem to fare well in this category.
Is my infant car seat FAA approved?
First, check the car seat for a sticker that reads: This restraint is certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft. The presence of this sticker is a sure indication that your car seat is FAA-approved. While several brands market an FAA-approved seat, the following are among the best of them.
- Chicco Keyfit 30 (5)
- Costco Scenera Next (4.5 stars)
- Evenflo Tribute (4.5 stars)
- Graco Snugride 35 (4.5)
Which convertible car seat is best for small cars?
There are a number of good options. Among the narrowest of the convertible car seats is the Baby Trend EX Flex-Loc Convertible Car seat. Graco milestone convertible (17 wide) is among the shortest, with a maximum height of only 21. Costco Scenera Next is 17 wide and 23.5 tall, a very budget-friendly choice.
What is the highest-rated infant car seat?
There are so many that are very highly rated; you will want to compare the features of some of the top-rated seats to find the one that is right for you. But the Graco Snugride Click Connect 30 and Chicco Keyfit 30 seem to top many lists and are very highly rated by buyers.
What’s the next car seat after the infant stage?
When your child reaches about two years or around 25 pounds (check the weight limit on your particular seat), he/she will move from a rear-facing infant seat to a forward-facing toddler seat (unless, of course, he/she is in a convertible seat – infant and toddler in one).
