Babylist Parent Faves: The Nuna Pipa Was Voted the Top Car Seat—Here’s Why

When we asked thousands of Babylist parents about their favorite infant car seat and one out of three of them came back with the same answer, it got our attention.

Nuna’s Pipa Rx is a resounding fan favorite in the world of infant car seats. Repeatedly called out for its safety features, light weight, good looks and overall ease of use, it’s the top choice for the best infant car seat in our annual product survey of thousands of Babylist parents and praised across the board by Child Passenger Safety Technicians (AKA specially trained car seat educators), myself included 🙋🏻‍♀️. 

Here’s what to know about this popular seat.

Nuna PIPA rx Infant Car Seat with RELX Base - Caviar

$500.00

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The Details: Nuna Pipa Rx Infant Car Seat with Relx Base

The Nuna Pipa Rx has been a parent-favorite car seat since its release in 2020. It’s one of our top picks in Babylist’s Best Infant Car Seats guide year after year and the third most popular infant car seat Babylist parents added to their registries in 2024. It’s also a particular favorite among Nuna brand lovers; of the thousands of parents who named Nuna as their favorite car seat brand in Babylist’s annual product survey, almost 50% chose the Pipa Rx as their number one car seat.

Here’s what you need to know about this rear-facing infant car seat:

• Car seat carrier weight: 7.6 pounds

• Child weight and height guidelines: 4-32 pounds or up to 32 inches (12-18 months for most babies)

• Easy to install with or without the base

• Key safety features: side impact protection, steel-reinforced rigid LATCH, stability leg (extendable leg that stabilizes seat and helps absorb impact in a crash), anti-rebound bar (prevents extra motion)

Nuna Pipa Rx Pros

There’s a lot to love about the Nuna Pipa Rx, but these standout features are what we hear about from parents again and again and the ones I think are most important as a CPST.

Fit

Car seats are a finicky bunch; as a CPST, I know firsthand that it can be tricky to find one that fits most babies and most vehicles well. The Nuna Pipa Rx is a bit of a unicorn in this sense. In most cars, from large SUVs to compact sedans and everything in between, you’ll get a good fit with the Pipa Rx. And the same is true for babies—tall and skinny babies, chunkier kiddos and even most preemies all fit well in this car seat.

Weight

Most infant car seats weigh between around nine to 12 pounds. While the Pipa’s 7.6-pound weight may not seem all that far off, your arms and back will disagree, especially as your baby grows. Parents continually rave about how easy it is to lift and carry this seat, and I’d agree—it’s one of the lightest infant car seats on the market, and I never strain my arms or back when maneuvering it.

Ease of installation

I’ve installed a lot of car seats over the years—and the Pipa Rx is by far one of the easiest. You can install the car seat base using LATCH, which takes about 30 seconds, or use your vehicle’s seat belt, which takes a bit longer but still under a minute or so. (You can also use both LATCH and the seat belt to install this seat, but note that this is one of very few car seats that allow this installation method; 99% of car seats need to be installed using either LATCH or a seat belt, not both.) Not only do parents appreciate this ease of installation, they also love that the Pipa Rx can be used with or without the base. It took me less than a minute to install the seat using my car’s seat belt. This is especially convenient if you’re using a rideshare or traveling with your seat.

Safety

Almost 60% of parents named safety as the most influential feature when researching and registering for a car seat, according to Babylist’s annual favorite products survey. Parents appreciate the Pipa Rx’s stability leg, anti-rebound bar, side-impact protection and steel-reinforced rigid LATCH.

Convenience features

The Pipa Rx is a high-end seat—and it shows. Parents love the oversized canopy (Nuna calls it a Sky drape) that covers almost the entirety of the seat for max darkness and privacy. (There’s lots of built-in ventilation, don’t worry.) They also love the plush fabrics and multiple recline options that great for comfort and ensure a good fit in almost any sized vehicle.

Stroller compatibility

Nuna strollers are a popular pick for Babylist parents. If that’s your stroller of choice, you’re in luck—the Pipa Rx is compatible with all Nuna strollers, seamlessly clicking in and out to create a convenient travel system. The Pipa Rx car seat is also compatible with strollers from many other brands (using adapters), including popular options like UPPAbaby, Bugaboo, Baby Jogger, Thule, BOB and more, a plus parents often mention.

What Parents Are Saying

Parents have told us how much they love the Nuna Pipa Rx in our annual survey and in their reviews in the Babylist Shop. Here are some highlights.

Nuna Pipa Rx Cons

There’s no perfect baby product, and there are some minor downsides of the Nuna Pipa Rx to be aware of if you’re considering this infant car seat. 

Cost

The biggest con is the seat’s price tag. The Pipa Rx is a high-end seat, and its price reflects that. While the seat does deliver on all fronts, it’s still a pricey car seat at almost $500. The good news is the seat has a fairly long usage life. It expires seven years after the manufacture date (you can find your seat’s date of manufacture on a label located on the back bottom portion of the seat), so you’ll be able to use it for multiple children if you plan on having them fairly close together.

Rethread harness

The Pipa Rx has what’s called a rethread harness, not a no-rethread one. That means that as your baby grows, you’ll need to pull back the seat’s fabric and manually rethread the harness straps into the next set of higher slots. While this is a con from a convenience perspective, it can also be viewed as a pro. As a CPST, I find that while no-rethread harnesses are more user-friendly than manual ones, the sacrifice often comes in fit—seats with manual rethread harnesses tend to provide a better fit for babies of all shapes and sizes.

Stability leg vehicle compatibility

One more con to consider is the stability leg. You can use them in most vehicles, but not all, so check your car’s owner’s manual before investing in this seat. (Per Nuna, you can install the Pipa Rx without the stability leg, but you’ll lose its safety benefits.)

Nuna Pipa Rx Vs. the Competition

If you’re considering the Nuna Pipa Rx, you’re likely stacking it up against two other popular competitors: the Nuna Pipa Aire Rx Infant Car Seat and the UPPAbaby Mesa V2 Infant Car Seat. So how do they line up?

If you’re doing a Nuna car seat comparison, know that the Pipa Rx and the Pipa Aire Rx share many of the same features, including rigid LATCH, a baseless install option, multiple recline angles for comfort and installation, a Sky drape, premium fabrics, infant inserts and more. But there are a few key differences:

• The Aire Rx has a lower height and weight maximum when compared to the Pipa Rx, so it won’t last you as long. (The Aire Rx maxes out at 30 pounds and 30 inches, whereas the Pipa Rx has a 32-pound weight and 32-inch height max.) 

• The Aire Rx is about $100 more than the Pipa Rx.

• But, the Aire Rx is significantly lighter than the Pipa Rx, weighing in at 6.2 pounds—well over a pound lighter than the Pipa Rx’s 7.6 pounds. 

If you’re comparing the Pipa Rx to UPPAbaby’s popular Mesa V2 Infant Seat, know both seats can be installed without their bases and are made from high-end materials with plenty of comfort and convenience features. Here’s how they differ:

• The Mesa has the same height maximum as the Pipa Rx (32 inches) but a three-pound higher weight maximum at 35 pounds. (It’s important to note that almost all babies outgrow infant car seats by height long before they outgrow them by weight, however.)

• The Mesa is also over $100 cheaper than the Pipa Rx, at $329, and it features a no-rethread harness as compared to the Pipa Rx’s manual rethread harness. 

• But, the Mesa weighs significantly more than the Pipa Rx, at almost 10 pounds versus the Pipa’s 7.6. 

• The Mesa base installs via semi-rigid LATCH as compared to Pipa’s rigid LATCH. (Rigid LATCH means the LATCH connectors are anchored directly to the car seat’s base, whereas semi-rigid LATCH connectors are attached to a strap. Both are safe, however rigid LATCH provides a tighter, more secure connection between the car seat and the vehicle, potentially decreasing a seat’s movement in the event of a crash.)

• You’ll get an anti-rebound panel on the Mesa, but you won’t find a stability leg; for that, you’ll need to upgrade to the Mesa Max.

Is the Nuna Pipa Rx Worth It?

Choosing the best car seat depends on many personal factors, including the type of car you drive, the age and size of your child, whether you need to fit multiple car seats in your back seat and more. While it is one of the pricier car seats on the market, if it fits your budget, I think the Nuna Pipa Rx is worth it—and thousands of Babylist parents agree. This infant car seat is light, easy to install, fits most babies and most vehicles well and is packed with safety features. Features like the Sky Drape and the buckle holders, among others, are thoughtful additions that make using the seat just a little bit easier—and it’s one of the most stylish infant car seats around.