Posted by Lisa on Jun 20th 2023

NUNA PIPA vs UPPAbaby MESA: Which is The Best Infant Car Seat

When it comes to finding the right car seat for your baby, you want to ensure you choose one that is safe, easy to use, and can function in a travel system, so you can easily use a stroller to get around. Luckily, you have two excellent choices: the Nuna PIPA and Uppababy MESA series of infant car seats. Here at Kidsland, we offer both the Nuna PIPA and Uppababy MESA series, so you can select the car seat that perfectly meets your family's needs.

Dive deeper into Nuna PIPA vs Uppababy MESA to help you find the ideal car seat that ensures utmost comfort and safety for your precious baby.

Similarities

Nuna PIPA and Uppababy MESA car seats are both highly rated for their safety features, including side impact protection and naturally flame-retardant fabric options free of harmful chemicals. Both brands are designed for ease of use, ensuring you install the car seat safely and correctly whenever you and your little one are on the move.

The two brands have car seats that also come in similar styles and are within the same price range.

The few differences between the two brands and their varieties of infant car seats could be deciding factors when you are shopping.

Nuna PIPA Series

The Nuna PIPA series has five different car seats available -- Nuna PIPA original, Nuna PIPA LITE, Nuna PIPA LITE RX, Nuna PIPA LITE R, and the Nuna PIPA RX.

All of the PIPA car seats can fit a child from five to 32 lbs., or 32 in., so they will all last until your child is around two years old. They are also all made with Greenguard Gold Certified fabrics, ensuring they are better for the environment. In addition, each Nuna PIPA car seat has a light and ergonomic aerospace aluminum handle with a luxe leatherette grip to make carrying your baby's car seat around accessible and stylish.

Your baby is sure to be safe with PIPA's five-second True Lock LATCH installation system and an added load leg that ensures extra safety by connecting the seat to the floor of the car. The LATCH connectors are rotating, making installing easier and allowing you to get the seat installed as tightly as possible to help keep your baby as safe as possible. The leg is adjustable for multiple positions so that it can fit in most vehicles and has been shown to reduce the risk of head injury in a crash by 46%. The installation is easy to do and keeps your baby safe. Plus, the removable canopy on the car seat provides UPF 50+ protection and will keep your baby safe from the sun.

PIPA seats are compatible with many different stroller brands, and while some may require an adapter, they are compatible with far more strollers than an Uppababy MESA car seat.

Each PIPA series seat is FAA aircraft certified, making it easier to travel with your baby. However, the differences start to become clearer here as some are certified with their base, and others are only certified without the base.

Nuna PIPA Original

The PIPA original was the first in the PIPA series. The PIPA has some amazing features that still make it one of the best infant car seats on the market.

Pros

Safety features

The PIPA original has many safety features, including front, rear, and side impact protection, but it also has added safety features, such as the stability load leg, to help you know that your child will be safe in the event of a car accident.

Ease of use

You can also use and install the seat with or without the base, making transferring it to different vehicles easier. The seat is FAA-certified without the base, so you can easily install the Nuna PIPA in an airplane seat during air travel.

Because airplanes are glorified petri dishes crawling with harmful bacteria, rest assured that the naturally flame-retardant fabric on the car seat is machine washable, which makes keeping your little one's car seat clean far easier–especially during long-distance travel.

UV protection

On top of the removable UPF 50+ canopy, the PIPA also comes with a “dream drape” cover that provides extra protection from the sun’s harsh UV rays as well as other weather elements like rain and wind. The drape is equipped with magnets to make it easy to install, and it can be conveniently zipped away when you are not using it.

Lightweight design

The PIPA original car seat is also fairly lightweight. Without the base, it weighs about 8 pounds. However, the seat may have some downsides that you should also consider.

Cons

Ease of use

One of the biggest downfalls of the PIPA original is that the straps on the five-point harness have limited adjustability. Many car seat harnesses adjust with the headrest, but with the PIPA, the headrest isn't adjustable, so you have to manually re-thread them each time you want to make adjustments.

The LATCH seat belt system is also more complex than other car seats and might be incompatible with some cars, so be sure to check its compatibility before making your purchase.

Price

The original PIPA costs $250 when you buy it from Kidsland. It is a little more expensive than some other brands of infant car seats, but with the added safety and features, it is well worth the price.

Nuna PIPA LITE

The PIPA car seat gets even better with the PIPA LITE. The main feature that differentiates it from the PIPA original is that it is incredibly lightweight.

The car seat uses the same Truelock base as the original and has all the same safety features but with the added bonus of being lighter and easier to carry.

Pros

Lightweight design

The PIPA LITE is the lightest infant car seat available in the United States. At 27.3 x 17.5 x 22.5 inches, it weighs just 5.3 lbs. The seat is also flight certified with the base, making it a breeze to travel with your baby.

UV protection

The PIPA LITE UPF 50+ canopy has a flip-out eyeshade and a peek-a-boo window, so you can easily check on your baby without removing the canopy.

Comfort

The final feature that sets the PIPA LITE apart from the original is the removable and adjustable memory foam headrest that can be adjusted to fit your baby's needs and add extra comfort to their car seat experience.

Cons

Ease of use

Unfortunately, even with an adjustable headrest, the five-point harness cannot be easily adjusted and requires you to rethread it when making adjustments.

Also, installing the PIPA LITE is more complex than installing a Uppababy MESA car seat since the indicators on the base are not entirely clear. The car seat also has to be installed with the PIPA series base and cannot be properly installed without it, which can make switching vehicles difficult.

The final feature that the PIPA LITE lacks is that the fabric is not machine-washable. It is made from a micro-knit fabric that must be spot cleaned, which makes cleaning the car seat a more laborious task.

UV protection

The LITE also does not include the Dream Drape feature that many of the other PIPA series car seats have.

Even with some of these lacking features, the lightweight design and added safety features still make this seat a good choice.

Price

The PIPA LITE is cheaper than other car seats that are lightweight with similar features, at only $260 from Kidsland.

Nuna PIPA RX

The Nuna PIPA RX is a PIPA car seat with an added RELX base with four on-the-go recline positions that can be adjusted with a button. The base enhances the installation process with seatbelt lock off technology, making routing and securing seat belt pathways easy. It also increases the impact absorption of the seat due to its built-in anti-rebound panel.

Pros

Safety features

The biggest thing setting this seat apart is the RELX base, with added safety and comfort features. The seat weighs 7.6 lbs without the base and 24.4 lbs with it. The seat can be installed with or without the base.

UV protection

Other special features include the Dream Drape™ and Peek-a-boo Window in the canopy.

The Nuna PIPA series offers some great car seats, but so does the Uppababy MESA series. Let’s look deeper into Uppababy MESA vs Nuna PIPA by going through the pros and cons of the MESA series.

Pros

The MESA series offers sleek and stylish car seats with excellent safety features and ease of use. They have a non-slip handle, which makes them easy to carry.

Ease of use

They have been awarded a 5-star NHTSA rating, which is the government's highest rating for ease of use since they are so easy to install. Each MESA car seat can be installed with its base or using a seat belt only. If you install the seat with the base, there are built-in tightness indicators on the seat that turns from red to green when it is safely secured.

Each MESA seat has an adjustable headrest and no-rethread harness, which means making adjustments is far simpler than on most of the PIPA car seats. Plus, the car seat fabric is easy to remove and machine washable, making it easy to keep the car seat clean.

The seats have a weight limit of 35 pounds and a height limit of 32 inches, so they can be used until your child is about two years old.

UV protection

Finally, all of the MESA series car seats include a removable canopy with UPF 25+ that can be easily hidden away when not in use.

Cons

UV protection

Unfortunately, the canopy is easy to move accidentally. Moving the car seat handle upsets the position of the canopy and can inadvertently expose your baby to the sun.

Safety features

When compared to the PIPA series, the MESA also falls short because it does not have a steel stability leg. The prices are similar, yet even the non-LITE PIPA car seats are about a pound lighter than the MESA series.

Stroller compatibility

Finally, MESA car seats are compatible with UPPAbaby brand strollers, but not many other stroller brands, so creating a travel system can be complex with Uppababy MESA car seats.

Uppababy MESA Original

The Uppababy MESA original is a wonderful car seat that is highly rated for usability and includes some excellent features.

Pros

Comfort

The seat weighs 9.9 lbs, and with the base, it only weighs 19 lbs. The seat also has EPP foam padding, which adds an extra layer of comfort for your baby.

Stroller compatibility

If you use a UPPAbaby stroller with the Uppababy MESA, the seat can be reversed, allowing you to look at your baby as you walk them in the stroller.

Cons

Safety features

Unfortunately, the MESA original lacks some of the added safety features of the PIPA series.

Comfort

It also lacks a few comfort features, such as airflow and extra sun protection. However, it is a high-quality car seat that you can get for a good price.

Price

The Uppababy MESA original comes in a few different styles ranging in price from $279.99 to $349.99.

Uppababy MESA V2

If you want a car seat like the MESA original with several improvements and added features, the MESA V2 may be the perfect choice.

Pros

Ease of use

The V2 is easy to install, is 25.8 x 17 x 23 inches, and weighs the same as the original MESA. The MESA V2 also adds storage pockets for harness buckles, making buckling your child in easier.

Safety features

It also has a larger headrest for improved side impact protection, extra handlebar positions that can be used similar to a rebound bar when in the vehicle, and a larger canopy for added sun protection.

Cons

Design

The car seat is still heavier than other models and incompatible with many strollers. It also doesn’t have air control or a steel load leg.

Price

Due to some added features, the MESA V2 costs anywhere from $329.99 - $359.99, depending on which style you prefer.

Uppababy MESA MAX

The Uppababy MESA MAX is the ultimate MESA car seat. The MESA MAX has added features that greatly improve the seat’s safety and comfortability.

Pros

Safety features

The biggest draw for the MESA MAX is that it has a load leg similar to the PIPA series for additional stability and energy absorption. The base also includes a rebound panel that limits rotation and movement for increased safety.

Comfort

When it comes to comfort features, the MAX includes side ventilation on the car seat for additional airflow, keeping your baby comfortable in hot or cold weather. The MAX also has an extra-large three-panel canopy for increased sun protection.

Cons

Design

The MESA MAX is a very great car seat, but it continues to lack the variety of features found in a PIPA seat. They are not lightweight, and the safety features are not as advanced as the Nuna PIPA’s. However, the seat is cheaper than the best Nuna PIPA.

Price

Depending on the style you pick, your MESA MAX car seat will cost between $399.99 - $429.99.

Conclusion

If you are deciding between a Nuna vs Uppababy car seat, you’re already well on your way to purchasing premium baby gear for your newborn. Each of the car seats discussed is an excellent choice with plenty of safety features, so the decision of which one you want is up to your family's needs and preferences.

If you are more concerned about safety features or a lightweight car seat, a PIPA LITE RX car seat might be your best choice. However, if you want ease of use, MESA has it beat. Price, car size, and safety features will all likely play a role in your choice.

No matter which infant car seat you choose, Kidsland can help set you up with all the gear you need for your new bundle of joy.