Multiple Car Seats?

spainy17

I was just thinking about this today and wondered what other people were doing...

I will work evenings once baby arrives so I will be dropping them off at daycare in the afternoon while hubs is working and he will do the pickup.  So we will need two carseats?  What about grandparents doing pickup?  Are yours getting one too?

And if you are getting mutliple ones, are you getting the kind that click into a stroller or one nice one and a cheaper one? 

It just baffled my mind today and I had never really thought about needing more than one!

ariellabe

Maybe you should just get another base for the car seat and leave the second one in his car. Like this Graco Snug Ride base for $40 - https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11267689

Much easier than spending another $80+ for another car seat. 

As for the grandparents, it depends.  Another base might work or they might have to get a different one if the one you pick doesn't fit in their car. 

ShandaB

With DS we had one carseat and 2 bases.  The daycare let us put the carseat under DS's crib so when DH picked up DS he was able to put him in the carseat.  You should check with your daycare about this before buying another carseat.

smwiggle

We ended up just getting a convertible car seat for DH's car when it was time to go to daycare and kept the infant one in my car.  

st.augbride

For ds we each have a car seat base in each car so dh can drop off and I can pick up. If you can swing it, it's much better that way. Ds is in a convertible now so we have the 2 infant carseat bases for #2 already and we'll put both in. We did need two convertibles though.

==N==

We're also just getting a second base for dh's car since th seat will almost always stay with the baby anyway. Im dreading having to pay for two convertible seats later on though.

OliveBeckett

I have been checking with day cares and so far all will let you drop off the car seat with the baby. So 1 seat,2 bases.

mindy0711

We used the infant seat for the first 7 or 8 months with DD.  We just had bases in each of our cars and would transfer it.  Both sets of grandparents also bought bases just in case so it made it a lot easier.

 

We all now have the convertible car seats in our car.  DH and I bought one and my MIL and mom bought one also.

jdm7

If you get a carrier, then just get an extra base so you each have one in your cars. You'll take the carrier into daycare and leave it there. Once they outgrow the carrier (depending on age/weight restrictions) you will have to buy 2 car seats, one for each car, for either rear-facing or forward-facing (FF is 1yr, 20lbs by law and APA recommends 2yrs RF). 

osufan

With DS we had one car seat and 2 bases.  One in my car and one is DH's car. We also bought a separate carseat for my moms car because she watches him a lot, but we went with a safe, recommended but cheaper car seat for her.

bstengler

I know we will be getting 2. One for me and one for DH. But if grandparents need them I'm sure we will find away to make it work. Out buy an extra base do they can hang on to that. 

pghctwife

Another extra base suggestion! We have 1 infant seat and 3 bases one (included) in my car, and the 2 extras in DHs car and my moms car (she watches henry once a week). We will reuse all this time round.

Once they move up to a convertible you will need a seat per car. It is a PITA to move the convertibles (even wtih LATCH etc, not something Id want to do daily).

Id be shocked if a daycare DIDNT let you leave the seat there. This is a really common situation. 

jdm7

Pgh-CTBride:

Another extra base suggestion! We have 1 infant seat and 3 bases one (included) in my car, and the 2 extras in DHs car and my moms car (she watches henry once a week). We will reuse all this time round.

Once they move up to a convertible you will need a seat per car. It is a PITA to move the convertibles (even wtih LATCH etc, not something Id want to do daily).

Id be shocked if a daycare DIDNT let you leave the seat there. This is a really common situation. 

I agree with the suggestion on a 3rd base IF you know someone else will be picking up LO more often than not. We only ever did 2 bases because no family live in town so it didn't matter. By the time the IL's would get to our house, I was at home with DD for the evening.

And if you know you want to get convertible seats down the road and you're going to buy 2 (minimum) or 3 (for your mom's car or whatever), you should start looking at prices and buying around 6 months so it's not $200+/- per seat all at one time.  

sbevmc09

Assuming you can leave the actual seat with baby I'd just get multiple bases. 

I'm a SAHM, but MH had a base in his car as well.  On weekends he likes to use his car when we're going somewhere as a family and plus I occasionally take my car places and he's left home with DS so he needs access to a seat in his car. 

Once DS moved into a convertible we have a Britax in my car and a cheaper seat (that works just as well) for MH's car.  DS rides in MH's car a lot less often than in mine and the Britax is more plush than the one in MH's car so if we end up taking any longer trips (when we travel as a family and MH likes to drive his own car) we just install my seat in MH's car. 

pghctwife

jdm7:

I agree with the suggestion on a 3rd base IF you know someone else will be picking up LO more often than not. We only ever did 2 bases because no family live in town so it didn't matter. By the time the IL's would get to our house, I was at home with DD for the evening.

And if you know you want to get convertible seats down the road and you're going to buy 2 (minimum) or 3 (for your mom's car or whatever), you should start looking at prices and buying around 6 months so it's not $200+/- per seat all at one time.  

Oh yeah, my mom is 5 min from us and watches him every tues. Wouldnt have bothered otherwise  

Good call on working on the convertibles early... but... just be careful wtih that too. They have a 5 year expiration, so getting one 6 months early can cut it's life significantly. Also, what we wanted in our 'main' (aka MY) convertible was different when we bought it (7 months old) than if I had bought it when he was born or before. I ended up with the diono radian, and had I bought it earlier I would have gotten a britax (whihc many people love and we have in the other cars). Id suggest at least waiting until you have lived with a baby and a carseat for a little while before you decide on your convertible. Since they ARE so $$... 

JMO though  

pghctwife

wait I misread... yeah buying seat 1 at 6 months OLD and then the second (or thrid) a few months LATER is a good plan

Jenn0810

spainy17:

I was just thinking about this today and wondered what other people were doing...

I will work evenings once baby arrives so I will be dropping them off at daycare in the afternoon while hubs is working and he will do the pickup.  So we will need two carseats?  What about grandparents doing pickup?  Are yours getting one too?

And if you are getting mutliple ones, are you getting the kind that click into a stroller or one nice one and a cheaper one? 

It just baffled my mind today and I had never really thought about needing more than one!

We have one seat and 2 bases. When LO arrives we will get DD a new seat and bases for each car. LO will get her carseat. 

SittinUnderAPalmTree

DH and I have the same type of schedule... in the beginning, we used the infant carrier and had two bases, but DD is extremely tall and reached the height limit by 8 months.  We then bought a car seat for each car and one for my mother because she watches her a lot.  Now that #2 is on the way, we're going to need three more car seats!!