UPPAbaby Aria Rear Facing Only Car Seat Review

UPPAbaby Aria newborn doll

UPPAbaby’s Mesa rear facing only car seat is a mainstay in our world — in real life, I see so many of these seats during car seat checks.  Since the Mesa was introduced, UPPAbaby has gone on to add the Mesa Max and the Mesa V2 to the lineup (I see a lot of those, too!).  I’m beyond excited to introduce the very latest offering — the Aria.  This well-featured, easy-to-use, lightweight carrier has a lot to offer caregivers of new babies.

UPPAbaby Aria harness adjuster snap

The seat emerges from the box with no assembly required.  The main thing I wanted to note here (okay, it’s the entire reason I added this section) is that the harness adjuster snaps onto the seat’s cover.  It is okay to remove this snap and equally okay to snap it back into place once your child is secure in the carrier.

UPPAbaby Aria carrier release

When I’m teaching a newborn car seat class, I like to joke and be serious all at the same time.  One of my jokes is that releasing the carrier from the base is the first parenting test for many new parents since it can be a little tricky, especially when they choose not to read the car seat manual first.  The Aria’s release handle is pretty far down the back of the base.  If you’re a brand new caregiver/user of car seats, this could be your only frame of reference so that may seem quite usual but for my seasoned self, it was a teeny bit surprising.  If you don’t find the release handle right away, look a little lower on the carrier!

UPPAbaby Aria preemie cushion

The Aria includes two separate inserts for smaller babies.  The preemie cushion is used when the child weighs between 4-9 pounds.  It’s not required for children that size, but it must be used with the back positioning insert.  It goes underneath the child’s bottom and just tucks around the crotch buckle.

UPPAbaby Aria back cushion attachment

The back positioning insert must be attached to the carrier via two tabs on the back of the insert — these slide into the harness slots.

UPPAbaby Aria preemie cushion and back cushion

The back positioning insert can be used alone or with the preemie cushion.  The manual recommends using this insert when the child is between 4 pounds and 4 months old.  I realize that this range includes both a weight and an age, this set of mixed measurements could be a little confusing for some caregivers.   In addition to those guidelines, the manual requires these conditions to be met before removing the (recommended but not required) inserts:

• Harness straps are at or slightly below the child’s shoulders
• Harness pads are optional. They must be removed when securing a preemie
• Chest clip must be at the child’s armpit level
• Child is not slouching and has good head and neck control
• The crotch buckle rests securely against the child with no gaps, and the child is not sitting on top of the buckle
• The harness can be properly tightened
• Perform the pinch test to ensure proper fit

UPPAbaby Aria recline angle adjuster on base

The manual instructs caregivers to always check the recline angle indicator on the base and adjust the recline bubble until it displays between the designated range indicated for the infant insert use.

The indicator includes a smaller range for babies between 0-4 months of age.  This tiny print was oddly difficult to capture in a picture, I swear it’s pretty easy to see in person!

UPPAbaby carrier recline angle indicator

The recline angle indicator on the carrier is a red line on the outside.  Make sure that’s level when installing the Aria without the base.

Adjusting the Recline Angle

The Aria’s base includes a pretty robust recline angle adjuster that we’d expect would accommodate a wide range of vehicle seat types.  To adjust the base’s recline, lift the adjuster on the top of the base.

UPPAbaby Aria vehicle seat belt installation

The manual refers to a SIP Carriage several times but doesn’t define it or explicitly show it in the parts diagram at the front.  In that diagram, it’s just called the Side Impact Protection (SIP).  We’d prefer to see this called the SIP Carriage in the diagram so it’s quite clear exactly what this is.  We’d consider the SIP Carriage the headrest so we’ll refer to it that way from here on out.

I will say that the headrest is quite large, we suspect that’s because of an impending change to the FMVSS 213 A and B standards, requiring additional side impact protection on all car seats.

UPPAbaby Aria handle position diagram

Anytime the Aria is in use in the vehicle with an actual child in the seat, the handle position must be in the 5th rebound position.  That’s the position closest to the child’s feet.  There’s a diagram on the cover reminding caregivers about this requirement.

UPPAbaby Aria base installed with lower anchors

One of my favorite features of UPPAbaby rear facing only car seats is the self-ratcheting lower anchors.  I’m a big fan of those connectors and that base so I was pleased to see that it’s part of the Aria as well.  These are slightly different because the release button is on the side of the base instead of on top.   I found this change a huge win — I was able to hold the button down to keep the connector extended while I was attaching each of them to the lower anchors in my vehicle.

These lower anchor connectors have one mission in life — to retract themselves back into the base.  That makes keeping them outside of the base while you’re attaching them a bit tricky but that trickiness is absolutely worth it when the base installs in about two seconds without a lot of fanfare.

UPPAbaby Aria base installed with lower anchors

To install the Aria’s base flip the base over and press the lever on the bottom to release the load leg, if your vehicle is compatible with using it.  I forgot this step every time I installed the base so I figured I’d say it first and prevent you from having that particular struggle.  Set the base on the vehicle seat, then make sure the recline angle indicator is in the correct position for your child. Press the button in the belt path to release the lower anchor connector.  Pull the connector out from the base and attach it to the lower anchor in your vehicle.  It will do everything it can to tighten itself at this point.  Turn your attention to the other side and repeat the process.  Once both connectors are attached, stand above the base (note: you’re not kneeling or climbing into the base, just a hand on each side of the belt path) and press each side of the base into the vehicle seat until the tension indicator on the top of the base turns green.  When it’s green, the base should move no more than an inch at the belt path and you’re ready to go!

UPPAbaby Aria vehicle seat belt installation

To install the base with the vehicle seat belt, make sure the recline angle indicator is in the correct position for your child, then open the lockoff on the base.  Thread the seat belt through the belt path and buckle it in.  Pull the shoulder portion of the belt tight while applying downward pressure on the base.

UPPAbaby Aria seat belt lockoff is so easy to use

Once the belt is tight, close the lockoff.  If the tension indicator is green,  the base should move no more than an inch at the belt path and you’re ready to go. The base includes a very nice lockoff, it’s so well-designed that I was able to close it with one hand!

UPPAbaby Aria installed without the base

The Aria has some rather lovely, easy-to-find and use belt guides for baseless installation.  It also has optional Euro routing (the little clip on the back, you thread the shoulder portion of the vehicle seat belt around the back of the carrier and through that clip).  I had no trouble at all installing it without the base, those belt guides made the process quite easy.  Because the Aria’s carrier is so compact, the Euro routing installation didn’t actually use all of my seat belt so I had to pull the belt all the way out, then feed the remaining slack back into the retractor.

UPPAbaby Aria preemie doll

Our preemie Huggable Images doll weighs 4 pounds and is 17 inches long.  The preemie cushion is recommended when the child weighs between 4-9 pounds so we just had the doll model with both inserts in the seat.

With the inserts in, the seat fit our doll so well!  If you find yourself needing to transport a kiddo who weighs 4 pounds, the Aria would be an excellent option.

UPPAbaby Aria preemie doll without inserts

Since the inserts are recommended for children who weigh between 4-9 pounds, it seemed prudent to have our preemie doll model the seat without them,

This was less successful than having the inserts in use, even with the harness at its smallest setting, it was still a bit loose on our doll.

We would absolutely expect this — those inserts are designed to fit the tiniest passengers well and the Aria’s deliver on that 100%.  We’d encourage caregivers to try both options for their kiddos before heading out for a ride.

UPPAbaby Aria newborn doll with inserts

Weighing in at 7 pounds, our 17 inch long newborn doll is within the recommended weight range for the preemie cushion so we asked our doll to model the Aria both with and without the inserts.

With both inserts in the seat, our doll fit reasonably well but possibly seems a bit uncomfortable.  Granted, this is a doll and not a human so uncomfortable is relative here.

UPPAbaby Aria preemie doll

So, we tried the seat without the inserts and I swear, our doll looks a bit happier.  Both options worked well for our doll, we’d encourage caregivers to try both options for their kiddos, especially as they approach the 9 pound mark.

UPPAbaby Aria 2 months old

This adorable model is the newest member of the CSFTL team!  He weighs 11 pounds and is 24 inches long.  The Aria fits him so well and his parents report that using the seat is pretty darn easy — they’re especially fond of the easy-to-install ratcheting lower anchors.

Here are some additional thoughts from his family:

• It’s so easy to carry and feels really lightweight compared to the seat we’d been using!
• Putting the handle into the correct position for use in the vehicle isn’t always easy to remember. I appreciate the reminder ON the seat.
• The recline foot gives a nice wide range. It’s the only install that I have done in my newer Camry that didn’t require a towel for newborn recline.
• The canopy is fantastic! It’s not too thick of fabric and virtually covers all of baby. Having so many setting/opening options on it is great.
• Only one crotch buckle setting makes use easier. It seems like it’s in a really great spot to not get too tight over time and fits great now with the buckle pad.
• I like how the harness adjuster is completely covered. No chance of stuff getting up in there. But it is different than the seat we’d been using, it threw my husband off for a minute.

UPPAbaby Aria FAA approval label

FAA approval label: the carrier is approved for use on airplanes.   The manual includes some guidelines for airplane use:

• Notify the airline ahead of time that you’ll be traveling with a child restraint and ask about their specific policies for using a child restraint system on board their aircraft.
• Install this carrier in a window seat to avoid blocking the aisle.
• Ask for a seat belt extender if the lap belt is too short. • Use only on a forward-facing aircraft seat.
• DO NOT use this restraint if a secure installation cannot be achieved.
• Place carry handle in the most forward locked position (child’s foot end) for use in the aircraft as long as it doesn’t interfere with the back of the seat in front of the carrier.

UPPAbaby Aria base date of manufacture label

Date of manufacture label: the Aria expires 7 years after the date of manufacture.  The labels are on the bottom of the carrier and on the bottom of the base.

UPPAbaby Aria carrier date of manufacture label

Here’s the label on the bottom of the carrier.  If you purchased an additional base separately, it’s quite likely to have a different date than the one on your base.

UPPAbaby Aria manual storage

Manual storage: the manual stores in a handy, easy-to-see-and-access compartment on the top of the base.  In a world where many manuals are stored in far less obvious places, the Aria chalks up another win with this design.