A quick look at car-seat misuse statics reveals something parents know all too well: installing a car seat correctly isn't easy. One of the toughest parts is securing it as tightly as possible so your little one is safely and properly restrained in a crash. One new child-safety seat takes the elbow grease out of tightening the seat and claims to be the "safest for your baby. Easiest to Install."
Related: Cars.com's Car Seat Checks
The Muv Kussen infant car seat is rated for babies between 5 and 32 pounds and measuring less than 32 inches tall. I tested the seat with my 18-pound son, Oliver, and found that while installation was a snap thanks to rigid Latch connectors protruding from the car seat's base, other facets of the Kussen fell flat in the "easy" department.
What I Like
MUV Kussen Car Seat; Cars.com photo by Jennifer Geiger
No-struggle Latch connection. In some vehicles, using the lower Latch anchors can be difficult; they can be buried in the seat bight, blocked by stiff seat upholstery or crowded by the seat belt buckle. With the Kussen's rigid Latch connectors, tough Latch anchors aren't an issue. Simply jam the rigid connectors into the seat bight and listen for the snap. I was able to do this on the first try in a vehicle with difficult-to-access anchors.
MUV Kussen Car Seat; Cars.com photo by Jennifer Geiger
No-struggle seat tightening. The Kussen takes most of the muscle out of installation. Car seats shouldn't move more than an inch side-to-side after they're installed, and the Kussen's Latch connectors don't need to be tightened after installation. After connecting it to the Latch anchors, simply push down on the brace bar near the baby's feet so it's snug against the seatback. When I installed it, the car seat didn't budge, and I didn't break a sweat.
MUV Kussen Car Seat; Cars.com photo by Jennifer Geiger
Recline angle that moves in a crash. The Kussen's controlled-motion base rotates the seat to a more upright position in a crash. The company says this feature lessens crash forces and ensures the baby's head and neck remain at the proper angle. Car-seat makers crash-test their own seats, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does not; we'll have to take Muv's word on this.
Easy-to-adjust harness. Harness straps for rear-facing infants should be at or below their shoulder level and making small adjustments is easy with the harness-tightening wheel on the Kussen's back. Simply turn the wheel to raise or lower the straps. For bigger adjustments, you still have to detach the straps and re-thread them through the correct slots. This is tough -- and takes up several pages of the manual -- but that's the case with most car seats.
MUV Kussen Car Seat; Cars.com photo by Jennifer Geiger
Clearly marked harness clip. Parents often set the harness clip too low on the baby's torso, which could injure the baby in a crash. The Kussen's clip states clearly that it should be positioned at armpit level, an important reminder.
What I Don't
The seat and base are heavy. Muscles may not be required for installing the car seat tightly, but they are for carrying the seat and base to your car. Together, they weigh a hefty 27 pounds ... and that's without the baby. The Graco SnugRide Classic Connect 30, which we use in our Car Seat Checks, weighs 15 pounds. If you're routinely installing the car seat and base in a couple different cars, it'll count as exercise.
There's not a lot of room to maneuver around the Latch anchors. If the seat belt buckle blocks Latch-anchor access, releasing the car seat's rigid Latch connector will be difficult because it's connected to the car seat's bulky base. There's not a ton of room to maneuver your hand and the Latch connector is chunky. Again, if you'll be installing this seat in multiple cars, this annoyance is something to consider.
Sticker confusion. The sticker on the infant seat's base tells parents not to use the seat level indicator found on the infant seat itself if you installed the car seat using the base. If you install the seat without the base, then you can use the seat's level indicator. These directions add complication -- the last thing we need from a car seat.
MUV Kussen Car Seat; Cars.com photo by Jennifer Geiger
Tricky buckle. While the harness clip may be easy to use, the car seat's buckle is not. You have to snap the two plastic pieces together, like a puzzle, before inserting them in the buckle. This is not an easy feat with a wiggly baby. Muv says this buckle - actually called the Puzzle -- is the safest buckle because it is designed to work only when both pieces are connected, unlike other double tongue buckles that make you push two separate pieces into the buckle.
The Muv Kussen starts at $249.99, pricey compared with the around $100 Graco SnugRide Classic Connect 30, but the Kussen also features a built-in component that allows it to snap into a Muv stroller, so you don't need to buy a pricey stroller-compatible attachment. The added cost also includes the increased crash-protection measures, which is something many parents think is priceless.
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