Baby cars eat: UPPAbaby Mesa or something else?

sonisf

Hi!

I'm 20 weeks pregnant and even if it's a little early I'm already looking at the strollers and car seats on the market.

We are living in a big city. We will mostly use the stroller for walking in our neighborhood and maybe once a week use the car.

We are already pretty sold on the Uppababy cruz. It's a lighter and sleeker version of the Vista and has a large basket. I really like it. It move so easily, is not heavy and folds/opens very easely. 

But we are still hesitating between buying a maxi cosi (or something else) car seat or the Uppababy mesa car seat.

The mesa is pretty, and is SO easy to install (no adapter and you just push one button to install and relase the seat) but it is heavier than the maxi cosi we saw in store... on the over hand the maxi cosi is a bit harder to intall (with adapter and you have to push 2 buttons on the side to release the seat.).

It is our first child so we have no idea what should be more important.

What do you think?

avigailandcharlie

I compared the Mesa and the Maxi Cosi Prezi - for the same price, I think the Prezi is better quality. I think the fabric is nicer and will be easier to clean, and I also think it "looks nicer". Lastly, I think the Prezi has the extra base support that is a stabilizer if you were to get in a car accident. Obviously all carseats meat safety standards, but I like that bar on the base that exceeds these standards. Yes it's a bit of a pain to get it off the stroller, but you get the hang of it. Also, with the uppababy, you get the basinet, so you'll only need to use the carseat on the stroller when you're driving. But, it would probably be much easier to use the carseat that is "compatible" with your stroller. I think it just depends on how often you'll have baby in the carseat on the stroller!

GirlWithTheMostCake

You can't use the Prezi with the Cruz. The adapter does not work.

Do you have your own car where the base will remain or will you be installing the base in rental cars etc? Will you be installing it baseless in cabs?

I would also consider the Cybex Aton because it is easy to install with out without the base. If you live in a city, I assume you won't be using the car seat on your stroller much since you wouldn't have a reason to if you weren't going in the car. So removing it from the stroller wouldn't be a big deal for the little bit you use it like that. Get the car seat that's easiest for you to correctly install in the vehicles you will be using most often. Removing it from the stroller is trivial.

sonisf

thanks Avigail & Girl,

I'm a newbie so maybe I'm doing it wrong but I thought I could just  have the cruz and a car seat/carrier... no basinet (is that silly?). 

I wanted to keep it as simple as it gets: carrier on the cruz frame and hop in the car when I need to drive. We have just one car and the base will remain inside (no cabs).

Thanks for noticing that the Prezi doesn't fit with the cruz... that is at leat one carrier less! 

I figure I will have to detach the maxi cosi or mesa from the frame every time I want to get out or in my apartment since we have stairs, that's why weight and praticabilty are important to me... apparently I can't have both and don't know which criteria I should give up.

As a mom to be I don't know if will I get use to the weight or if I get better in installing the carrier on the frame! 

chicagobride_07

I have the uppa baby vista with an adapter and the Chico keyfit car seat. Love that car seat. Mesa was not available when I had my LO. I'm definitely not one to pinch pennies, but think the price point on the car seat is kind of ridiculous compared to other infant car seats out there. Also if you google you'll find a lot of complaints about the Mesa canopy getting stained in the rain, and uppa baby acknowledging this as a known issue. When I did get a chance to see the canopy in person, it seemed kind of flimsy.

GirlWithTheMostCake

Since the base will be staying in your car and you won't be using cabs, the ease of install of a base is great, but not the most essential feature for you.

You can use a car seat on your stroller. Many people do it, but think of it this way. The car seat was made for the car. It's only function is to keep your baby safe in the car. Yes, many many many people use it in place of a stroller seat. But, that is definitely not ideal. A car seat is at a 45 degree angle. This doesn't allow optimal oxygen intake for a child that needs it most. The seat is warmer because it has foam insulating it and it doesn't allow much movement and stretching for those brand new body parts. I 300% understand the convenience of using a car seat on the stroller for quick trips to places. But, I personally think that for long trips out of the car, walks etc a child is best in the stroller seat. I totally get that this is not always possible, but if you can do it, I say do it. I am not a believer in using a car seat as a stroller seat for months. That's like using your toilet seat as your couch. Well, maybe not exactly, but you get the point. I would get the Cruz, the car seat you love that is easy to carry up and down the stairs for you (the adapter for it) and then possibly a bassinet if it's available and within your budget. Some people don't like bassinets. I personally loved mine for my kids. If you decide to use the stroller seat for a newborn and not go with a bassinet, it's not really newborn friendly so you absolutely need a snug insert, but the bassinet would probably be more ideal on that stroller. I hope that helps!

sonisf

Thanks Chicagobride, I will definitely check out the chicco key fit!

There is so many choices out there, that's crazy!

I think I will give up the Mesa, the canopy seemed a bit flimsy to me too and I think I got excited by the super convenient handling!

GirlWithTheMostCake, thank you so much for all these explanations! That is so nice from you to take the time to explain me all these things! I never thought of a carrier that way, you're right. 

I want my baby to move as much as he wants so I'll have to consider another option (bassinet or snug insert). 

I think I didn't express myself well before: my main issue was not to install the car seat on its base but to install the car seat/carrier on the stroller frame with the adapters. But as I wrote, I'll probably go with a maxi cosi/chicco or cybex aton (didn't know this one!) as the quality seems better. I'll probably get use to the handling like every moms!

Alwzdancing

I have the UB Vista and am not sure but am assuming you have the same choices for adapters on the Cruz. I originally wanted the Mesa but it wasn't out in time for me. It was getting close to my due date (3.5 weeks away) so I read reviews and purchased the Graco Snugride 30 for $75 as a second seat for DH's car and one to hold us over. I LOVE this seat for exactly how light it is! We haven't picked up the adapter for the vista yet (the seat arrived in the mail on a sat and my LO came at 37 weeks exactly the following Tuesday). Prior to getting this seat I was debating between the Mesa and the peg perego primo viaggo, which are both about the same $$ and weight. I am now thinking of just buying another snugride if we find we need an additional seat. I hope this helps some!

JRT512

I ordered the Mesa after deciding to go with the Cruz stroller. I love that no adapter was needed and that it easily switched from front to rear facing positions. It is heavier, but I figure that if I'm going to carry her around for awhile, I can just snap the car seat into the stroller. My IL's live in town (2 sets) and will be helping with child care after I return to work. They both plan to buy an extra base, so it was important to us that we have a base that was quick and easy to install correctly. If we hadn't ordered the Mesa, our second choice was the chicco key fit. It was highly rated, but we are in Texas, and I read that there were a lot of issues with the baby overheating and getting too sweaty in that seat. Hope this helps!

Eta: after reading some PP's-- we also ordered the infant snug insert for longer stroller rides so she is not stuck in recline position. As for the rain canopy stains, we don't get much rain were I live and we park in a garage, so it wasn't really a factor. But I could see it being an issue if you are walking around the city a lot.

cyprissa

Lots of good points from pps. Plus, I love high quality baby gear but that's a lot of money for an infant bucket seat which depending on the size of your LO may not even last a full year. We have a Chicco keyfit like others and really like it. It's super easy to install. I also just helped my neighbors install a Graco Snugride 35 click connect and it was so easy to install and very light.

bmouse22

We went ahead and purchased the Mesa.  We love it.  It was very easy to install and fits perfectly with our Cruz stroller.  We brought it to the police station to check installation and the cop was super impressed with the seat. 

rh10264706

I have the vista and the Mesa and love the Mesa carseat. It is heavy but I think it's worth it.

ebp913

bmouse22 said:

We went ahead and purchased the Mesa.  We love it.  It was very easy to install and fits perfectly with our Cruz stroller.  We brought it to the police station to check installation and the cop was super impressed with the seat. 

Just so you know, many police officers aren't really certified techs.  You might want to just double check with someone who has a Safe Kids card and certification.  It's a common misconception that fire stations and police officers are capable of doing this.  Some are, but many are not.  I have seen some people get very very bad advice from police or firemen about car seat installation.  Just wanted to let you know!  

Alexames

I have been using the Cruz for over 8 months now and have also recommended it to a couple of friends who are expecting soon.  We used the Chicco Keyfit30  and the adapter w/our Cruz and do highly recommend it to anyone who's looking for an infant seat for their LO.  The Keyfit30 comes w/the infant insert, easy to clean, well padded, well secured and extremely easy to snap on and off the adapter.  And Cruz folds up just as easily as w/or w/o the adapter attached.  We were so impress w/our Keyfit...we graduated to the Nextfit Convertible car seat for our LO and will be passing our Keyfit to our friend who also bought a Cruz.  

bmouse22

ebp913 said:

bmouse22 said:

We went ahead and purchased the Mesa.  We love it.  It was very easy to install and fits perfectly with our Cruz stroller.  We brought it to the police station to check installation and the cop was super impressed with the seat. 

Just so you know, many police officers aren't really certified techs.  You might want to just double check with someone who has a Safe Kids card and certification.  It's a common misconception that fire stations and police officers are capable of doing this.  Some are, but many are not.  I have seen some people get very very bad advice from police or firemen about car seat installation.  Just wanted to let you know!  

Thanks for the advice.  We specifically asked for certified personnel and had to wait until a specific officer was on duty to complete the check. 

lindseysheckler

Hi, I know this forum is old but I came across it because I'm researching the same issue. I just purchased the Uppababy Cruz and now don't know if I should go with the Mesa or something else (I'm thinking the Maxi Cosi Mico AP because of the weight). What did you end up going with and how do you feel about your decision?

kmc84

https://csftl.org/recommended-seats/

The only seats I would tell you no way to are anything babytrend or the Graco snug ride 22 as those seats don't fit newborns because the lowest harness slots are too high.

Go to a store that carries the seats you like and play with them you may find that a seat you really thought you liked isn't what you like in person.

ADBroseh

We bought the UB Mesa to go with our Vista. I really did want to love the carseat, but couldnt. It was beautiful, and I thought it looked like the safest thing out there.  Our little one hated it. He screamed from the first moment we put him in it until we would take him out. He simply was uncomfortable in it. We ended up getting him a convertible carseat (rear facing) at 4 months and he did fine from then on. We tried our son in our friend's Maxi Cosi and he was fine in there too.

Also, it is super heavy. We pre-ordered it when the website said it weighed 10lbs... My husband weighed it and it was close to 14 pounds. When you put in a 10 pound infant... it was a pain.
Behind the passenger seat, we have to scoot the front seat up quite a bit.  And, it didnt fit well in shopping carts or grocery carts.

I don't know about the 2014 models, but we had to have adapters for the Mesa to fit into the vista, which really makes the whole thing pointless. We could have had a more comfortable carseat and an adapter for our vista as well. 

Second time around, we will not be doing the Vista.