GoMax™ Baseless Infant Car Seat ft. Insta-Install™ Rigid LATCH (2219741)

Urbn, Graco GoMax, and Joie Mint latch are all baseless latch infant seats. All of the nuna seats can be installed baseless if you use a seatbelt btw. They’re all safe. People feel like they’re not safe because they’re new or because they don’t know how car seats work, but ask any CPST or look online for video demos - they can explain how it’s just as safe as other car seats on the market. People have this idea that the base that it clicks into, is safer, but when you have the baseless latch connection…it’s doing the same thing as the base is (connecting via latch lol) 😂 Idk the weight limits for the the Graco and Joie car seats but the nuna urbn, nuna pipa RX, and Aire RX all have the same weight and height limits now. They’re 4-30lbs and 16-30 inches. The older models varied more, but now they’re the same across the 3.

We wanted the features that tend to be exclusive to high end strollers, but didn’t want to pay for the high end seats that are compatible with them. We ended up getting a Graco GoMax system (baseless infant seat and stroller frame - no toddler seat) for less than the price of a high end car seat and planned to get a Joolz Hub. However, I scored a Babyzen Yoyo+ and Thule Urban Glide 1 for $20 apiece on Facebook marketplace instead. So instead of a car seat on wheels plus a high end hybrid stroller, we have a car seat on wheels and 2 used high end strollers on opposite ends of the spectrum lol. I think it will work well for us!

All infant car seats on the market right now *can* be installed baseless. If you want the easiest baseless install out there, then you want a truly baseless seat with rigid latch, ie the Nuna Pipa Urbn (not the versions that come with bases) or the Graco Gomax. Both of these seats have rigid latch anchors that pop down from the car seat shell and click directly onto the lower anchor connectors of the vehicle. The process is VERY secure and easy - just as fast and convenient as popping any other infant seat in/out of a base, in my experience. Baseless install of other infant car seats with a seatbelt isn’t usually *difficult* per se but it does take longer and it takes more physical effort because you have to tighten the seatbelt enough - so with a standard infant car seat it’s most convenient to have a base in any vehicle baby rides in frequently, in both parents’ cars at a minimum. It’s not necessary, of course, but it is a lot more convenient. With those types of seats I’d prefer to only do seatbelt baseless install when the base wasn’t available/convenient, such as traveling or one-time rides in other cars. The Urbn is really great. There aren’t many drawbacks to it at all, except for the fact that it can only be purchased as a travel system with Nuna strollers (and thus, the price). But even as someone who isn’t the biggest fan of Nuna strollers I still loved it. And if you’re expecting a preemie or smaller newborn for any reason, this seat is one of the best on the market for that (I say this as a NICU based CPST who’s put a LOT of preemies in a LOT of car seats!) I also like the handle shape and find it relatively comfortable to carry, though that’s a personal opinion thing for sure. The GoMax is also FR-free. It has a couple advantages over the Urbn- for one the seat can be purchased alone instead of with a stroller system, so it’s a lot cheaper. It also has the option of a base (unlike the Urbn) which can be a plus for some parents - though personally I’d pass on the base because it’s truly not needed, and using the base means you aren’t taking advantage of the rigid latch option (which can have energy management benefits in a crash, in addition to being easy and convenient on its own). It does have different stroller compatibility than the “regular” Graco infant car seat lineup, but Graco offers a frame stroller for it that can be a convenient and cost effective option (then you’d need another, regular stroller when the infant car seat is outgrown). It is heavier than the Urbn (or the Mint Latch) - however, I don’t think the weight of the car seat really matters that much in the grand scheme of things, because whether you have an 8lb car seat or a 10lb car seat, it’ll become heavy and awkward to lift/carry as baby grows. If you pair it with a stroller, you won’t necessarily need to carry it very far or often anyway- just lift in and out between car and stroller, and probably carry it in and out of the house from your driveway/garage/parking spot.

A baseless, rigid latch infant car seat will be your smallest option for a newborn. My baby used her Joie Mint Latch in our sitter’s Mazda 3 until she outgrew it at 15 months. It fit behind the driver’s seat comfortably with a little space to spare for my average height sitter. The Nuna Pipa Urbn and Graco GoMax are also very compact.

Like many have said: graco go max, Joie mint latch, or nuna pipa urbn. If it was me, I’d do a Joie or a graco bc of the significantly higher weight limit over the nuna. We also have the Joie nutmeg that comes as a bundle with the Joie mint and like it as a travel stroller.

I would heed the bulkhead warnings in the previous comments. If you weren't in the bulkhead I would also heed your child's height/weight, cause this an awkward age for us. My 2.5 yr old was not going to fit in the go to infant travel seats. I went with a no base slim Graco, tall and light enough but now too big to fit rear facing. Forced to do forward facing with no recline, so while she slept, she did it with a slumped head and I felt bad. I didn't feel ready to put her in a way-b pico and couldn't justify the cost ( until we have multiple trips planned or big international trip, soon) and even then I could see us stowing it and just letting her lay down. The seat was worth it in the rear phasing reclines baby phase.

Graco GoMax and you can buy a stroller frame for it, basically making it a cheap two-piece Doona.

Greco just made an infant seat without a base designed for people who do ride shares a lot. Bring your own seat, I wouldn’t trust one I found in an Uber.