Infant Car Seat review: Muv Kussen

Web: BabyTrend.com Infant Car Seat review: Muv Kussen

Price: $149.

Type: Infant seat, five-point harness.

Limits: 4-32 lbs.

NHTSA ease of use rating: Five out of five stars (rating for previous version, Baby Trend Inertia).

Pros: Anti-rebound bar.

Cons: Rigid LATCH may not work in some vehicles. Previous life as the Baby Trend Inertia was marked by mixed parent reviews.

Comments: MÜV is the new upper-end division of Baby Trend that launched both an infant car seat and strollers back in 2015.

If the MÜV Kussen (Dutch for “cushion”) looks familiar, that’s because it started life as the Baby Trend Inertia. MÜV told us this is the second generation Inertia, but it has much the same specs (4-32 lbs., rigid LATCH, no-rethread harness, rebound bar, etc). The price, however, is spendy: $260.

Good news: they’ve dropped the price to $149 on Buy Buy Baby, although it appears on their web site as only available in a travel system with the Muv 180° 6-in-1 Jogger.

The big headline with this seat is the controlled motion base. The base rotates the seat upward during a crash. The Kussen also has side impact protection.

We’ve seen very little reader feedback on this car seat; the few who have tried it came away with mixed feelings. Folks like the rock solid base installation that doesn’t require tightening, thanks to the rigid LATCH attachments. The puzzle buckle, however, gets thumbs down from those who found it hard to work. (Puzzle buckles are seen more often on lower-end seats like those sold by . . . Baby Trend).

Stroller compatibility is another issue here—the Kussen works with two of MÜV’s strollers that cost $700 . . . and that’s about it. As of this writing, very few other strollers are compatible with it.

Bottom line: Baby Trend has tried to slap a Dutch name on a flawed car seat and raised the price, but we’re not buying it.

FYI: 

Rating: D Infant Car Seat review: Muv Kussen