At UPPAbaby, as parents and caregivers ourselves, we intimately understand the complex emotions associated with ensuring the safety of your little ones. This understanding drives our commitment to transcend the ordinary, ensuring that every journey with your child is as secure and comforting as a loving embrace.

That’s precisely the sentiment behind our UPPAbaby Mesa® Max and its standout feature: the load leg. So, why is this car seat safety innovation creating a buzz in the parenting community, and how does it elevate protection for your most cherished passenger on the road? Read on to learn how exactly the load leg adds extra stability and keeps baby safe! Car seat safety shouldn’t be scary, and we hope this blog offers some clarity so you can make the best choice.

Understanding the Load Leg

Car seat terminology sometimes feels like a different language. At UPPAbaby, we totally get that, and we’re here to help decipher some of the jargon so you can make the best choices for your child. 

The “load leg” on our UPPAbaby Mesa Max is a step forward in infant car seat safety. Simply put, a load leg is a feature that descends from the base of the infant car seat to the vehicle floor. By using this feature, it can reduce the forward motion in the event of a frontal crash and minimize the loads a child can experience on the critical areas of their body (head, neck, and spine).

Car seat safety is continuously evolving, and the load leg stands as a proactive measure to help ensure added protection in the event of a frontal crash, granting you peace of mind with every mile.

Elevating Safety During Transit

The magic of the load leg truly shines during unforeseen circumstances, such as an accident. Its role in safeguarding your child during transit is multi-faceted:

Reducing Forward Motion

According to a third-party testing facility, the load leg can reduce forward motion by up to 4 inches during a crash.

This might sound like a small distance, but every inch becomes vital when considering the delicate nature of an infant’s head, neck, and spine. This attention to detail in design ensures the utmost protection for our most precious cargo. A study from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia found that it reduces the rotational force by nearly 50%. 

Protected in Varied Crash Scenarios

Each journey presents its own unique set of challenges. Research has highlighted that infant car seats with load legs can lead to 47% fewer head injuries from a frontal collision impact. Regardless of where you’re headed, this car seat establishes a safer cocoon for your little traveler with its load leg feature by transferring the frontal crash forces down to the vehicle floor as it moves forward toward the point of impact.

The Mesa Max stands out in this dynamic world of car seat innovations. Combining real-life parental concerns with data-driven safety features, it isn’t just a car seat; it’s UPPAbaby’s promise of heightened safety, supporting countless cherished moments with your child.

Setting the Mesa Max Apart

The Load Leg on the Mesa Max is just the start of its impressive list of included safety features. Learn more about the extra-large UPF 25+ canopy, Anti-Rebound+ Panel, adjustable headrest with EPP foam, and more here. Bringing the next generation in safety, innovation, and enhanced comfort, the Mesa Max was designed to give you reassurance in every ride.