A load leg is a metal pole that comes down from a rear-facing car seat and rests on the vehicle’s floor. Load legs reduce crash forces which offer additional protection, especially for your child’s head, neck, and spine.

European baseless routing

This seat can be installed baseless with European or American/Standard belt routing. You can find a video showing both of those methods here. The European routing method is preferred! European belt routing means the shoulder belt portion of the seat belt is routed behind the shell of the rear-facing seat, limiting its ability to rotate down in a frontal crash. This routing functions similarly to a load leg. Pretty cool, huh?! One thing to note is that we did have an issue installing the seat baseless when the preemie cushion was being used. This cushion has the baby up so high that the seat belt ends up touching the baby's legs. The baby had some marks on her skin from the tightened seat belt after taking a ride. Once this insert is removed, this is no longer an issue.

Lightweight

At only 6.8 pounds, this seat is noticeably lighter than many other seats on the market. If you are going to be carrying the seat around a lot, this is a nice feature.

Seat is good for you if

You want a seat with extra safety features.

This seat has a load leg and an anti-rebound bar built into the base.

You want a car seat that is easy to install.

The base comes with self-ratcheting lower anchors to make installation a breeze. If you prefer a seat belt installation, the base has a lock-off.

You need a seat that is compact front to back.

When this seat is installed baseless, it takes up very little space. It is one of the most compact seats on the market when installed like that. When installed with the base, the seat takes up about 4 more inches of space, but it is still quite compact this way as well.

Use caution if

Quirks to be aware of

Baseless installation

When the baby is using the preemie insert and you want to install the seat baseless, the lap portion of the seat belt may be pushing on their legs because of how how the isnert boosts baby up. The baby we tried it out with experienced some discomfort from this, but she was too small to remove the insert. When she was 9 weeks old and this insert was removed, this was no longer an issue.

Harnessing Information

Installation Information

Airplane Use

The Uppababy Aria has aircraft approval. Since it is very compact front to back, it fits well even in economy. It works best without the preemie insert in for the reason discussed previously in this review.

Videos

This carseat does not have any videos yet.

SITS Bottom Line

The Uppababy Aria infant seat is a great addition to the market overall. We would advise caution to parents who do not own a vehicle as the baseless installation may prove difficult until the preemie insert is removed. We like the base installation and the newborn fit.

Buy Now:

SITS checks manufactures and retailers daily to ensure these are the lowest prices available for these models.

UPPAbaby

Aria

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349.99

UPPAbaby

Cruz V2 with Aria Infant Car Seat

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1049.00