The Great Car Seats Thread

kiki75

I saw on April or May that they were doing weekly threads for recommendations/discussion on the bigger items. I like the idea so I'm copying it. Plenty of discussion beyond just what to get is welcome here. Especially for this topic. You can learn more at https://www.safekids.org/  and use this link to find a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician in your area. https://cert.safekids.org/get-car-seat-checked For me, the local children's hospital has someone available for a few hours every week for free. She'll walk you through installing, making sure the fit is right, etc.


And yes, this kid shouldn't be wearing that coat while riding in her car seat.

DDRRT1982

If you live in the DFW, Baylor offers events where they can help make sure your carseats are safe.  It's a great resource.  

Please also look at chest clip placement.  

I am interested in hearing about experiences with safe and light seats.  I owned a Peg with #2 and #3 and it was so heavy.  Babywearing saved me.  I got a Britax with #4 and it was better with weight, but the chest clip broke and I need to get another.  I am open to getting a new carseat if I can find something I love and comes highly recommended.

justkeeptrying

For Canadian mamas, our regulations are different. A great resource I use is the "Everything Car Seats (Canada)" Facebook group. I highly recommend it!!! They have some amazing techs who will give you advice before you buy a car seat!

heatherdubrow

We have loved the Chico keyfit for an infant seat and the britax marathon for a convertible car seat! Both safe and easy to use

muggle621

Is there a glossary somewhere that explains some of this car seat terminology? I don't fully understand latching, click connect etc. It's so overwhelming I just want to cry every time I attempt to research them. 

[Deleted User]

Registered for a Chico Keyfit.  I looked up consumer safety reports and it was one of the highest rated ones.

notthefather

We used Chicco for my first and will probably do it again. It's a heavy beast but it had great safety ratings and the ease of installation/removal makes it worth the weight and cost. I initially bought a different brand for our convertible seat and would spend 20 minutes or more trying install/uninstall if we ever had to move cars. It was awful. I eventually ditched the other one and got the Chicco Nextfit. 

becausescience

@DDRRT1982 When did you get your Britax seat? They had a recall earlier this year for the chest clip and sent replacements out. Maybe you have a different model though? I'd check their website if the seat isn't very old. 

We have a Britax B-Safe. It was easy to install and worked great. Definitely have a professional check your installation! Ours was done through our hospital. 

muggle621

@antoto is that part of a travel system or whatever the eff it's called when you can put it in a stroller too? 

muggle621

And @antoto which #/version? There are like 50 different kinds. 

[Deleted User]

muggle621 said:

And @antoto which #/version? There are like 50 different kinds. 

Yep they make a few different travel sytems that they keyfit goes into - I think I registered for the Bravo?  I just did whatever was the newest version of the keyfit.  

syssa-o

We are also choosing to go with chicco keyfits. They seem slim compared to other bucket seats & we will have 3 across with a graco nautilus FF in the middle. 

hollyk224

We have a Chicco Keyfit 30 that we used with #1, and we will be reusing it for #2. We also have the Chicco NextFit Zip that DD is using now and we love it!

DDRRT1982

@becausescience thanks!  I am not sure I knew that.  I bought it in July 2016, so it's definitely not old.  I will see if mine is part of the recall.

muggle621

Thanks @antoto . Between this thread, the April thread and talking to a friend just now I think we will be getting a Chicco Keyfit as well. 

DDRRT1982

Ease of installation should definitely be a factor when choosing a seat.  Especially, if you might have people who don't install carseat on the reg, like grandparents.  The set-up I happened upon once when my ILs showed me how they installed it made my heart drop.  The length of your seat should be a factor too.  It's a great idea to take the sample model from the store and see if the seat fits appropriately in your car.  

JamieK1882

Chicco key fit for infant seat for us too. Then we used the Britax clicktight and we love it

npkat

Anyone know anything about this jogging stroller and car seat combo.. Graco Fastaction Fold Jogger Click Connect Baby Travel System(hope the link works)? And this may be silly but do different brand bases fit different brands of car seats, or do they have to be same brand and model??

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UVW40XA?colid=J79JWY8AZA13&coliid=I1RWLJX62MRD0G&ref=br_ADD_TO_CART_title_link&th=1

Gingermom15

We have the Chicco Keyfit 30 left from ds that's still good for another few years. I need to order a new newborn insert because toddler diarrhea'ed all over it when he was a 5 months (he was teeny) and I threw it out. 
We have him rear facing in the Graco Milestones seat now and I really like it. It's easy to install and easier to adjust. We will probably go with another Milestones when this one is ready to move from the infant. 

My parents keep the Cosco seat at their house for convenience. It was $50 and can rear face from 5-45 lbs (I think) so can be used form the very beginning, then forward faced up to 60 lbs I believe. It's also a good option for those on a tight budget. One car seat purchase for probably at least the first 3 years. 

ETA I can't brag about the Chicco enough. So easy to install and adjust. My little guy was about 4 lbs when we left the hospital and he was nice and comfy with their insert. 

pettycrocker

We've always used the graco click connect seats. I think we currently have a snugride 35 with a Modes stroller, switching to a graco double 

isntthatspeshul

We used the Chicco keyfit for DD and will use it again. We chose the graco 4ever for the convertible and like it, but will likely get the extend to fit version of it for the next one when we need it. 

vflux33

So MH and I are really, really, really freaked out about fire retardants. We were gonna get the Chicco but then we discovered there is currently only 1 infant carseat that doesn't have fire retardants (it still passes fire safety standards). It's expensive as all hell, and there's a strong possibility that no one here is as freaked out about fire retardants as we are, but if any of you are and you're willing to pay way more than normal (reluctantly, as we are), check out the UPPAbaby MESA Infant Car Seat "Henry", who apparently has our (possibly crazy and paranoid) market cornered. 

DDRRT1982

vflux33 said:

So MH and I are really, really, really freaked out about fire retardants. We were gonna get the Chicco but then we discovered there is currently only 1 infant carseat that doesn't have fire retardants (it still passes fire safety standards). It's expensive as all hell, and there's a strong possibility that no one here is as freaked out about fire retardants as we are, but if any of you are and you're willing to pay way more than normal (reluctantly, as we are), check out the UPPAbaby MESA Infant Car Seat "Henry", who apparently has our (possibly crazy and paranoid) market cornered. 

Stuck in quote

Can you explain why you are paranoid?  I don't know of any reason and wondering?

vflux33

@DDRRT1982 General trigger warning: 

Exposure to flame retardants (especially in the womb and in small children) has been linked to some pretty serious medical problems. As of January 2015 mattresses and couches with flame retardants in them require labeling in California (which has thankfully led to a lot of big companies making more affordable options without these chemicals), but I don't think the people who are fighting to get these chemicals out of mainstream products have made it to all the products yet so it's not common to find something like a carseat without them currently. It's not possible at this point to 100% stop yourself or your kids from being exposed to these chemicals, but by eliminating as many as you can from your own house and car, the idea is you can lessen the probability of these related medical problems. 

Also full disclosure, I'm not a doctor and I'm definitely a bit on the crunchier side and generally more wary of chemicals than the average person. But MH is a science person who works with a lot of chemicals and gets the science behind this stuff and he was the person who initially brought this up in our house. If I personally thought this was paranoid hippie BS I wouldn't be taking these precautions myself, but I purposely phrased it in a way to recognize that not everyone is on the same page about this kind of thing and although I hope to be informative to ppl who haven't heard about this I don't want people who for whatever reason can't take this precaution to feel guilty or interpret this as shaming on any level --especially since many of these products are definitely not cheap so it's not an affordable choice for everyone... I mean we can't really afford it ourselves and it's definitely gonna hurt financially for us to do this but we decided to do it anyway and figure out how we're gonna pay for it later. I'm hopeful there will be cheaper versions of these things in the future--even in the past couple years that has gotten a lot better (mattresses without flame retardants especially are becoming more mainstream and cheaper than they used to be). 

I'll include some links below, but giving a general trigger warning for all these articles too. 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-you-need-to-know-about-flame-retardants/

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/materials/flame_retardants_508.pdf

https://www.lucieslist.com/gear-guides/the-organic-mattress-smackdown/

jerseygirl9090

We bought the graco snugride for DD then converted to the graco 4ever once she could sit up on her own so we probably will re use the snugride since it's only 1 1/2 year old and buy another convertible since she will be using hers still. I'm thinking of either the graco 4ever again or maybe buying  the extend to fit and using it with DD to keep her rear facing longer then once we finally turn her forward facing switching the seats back so DS can also stay rear facing longer. 

day38

I also have the Chicco Keyfit from DS which we will use for this baby. When we switched to a convertible, we got the Peg Perego and I cannot say enough good things about it. We bought the Britax Boulevard G4.1 as a backup seat for my mom's car (she does some daycare pick ups) and our 2nd car that we only really use on weekends since my husband takes public transportation to work. It was significantly more affordable than our Peg, but I vastly prefer the Peg. Also, for anyone with a small car, the Britax Boulevard fits rear facing in our Corolla, but my son is a little smushed (he's over 2 though).

I cannot urge everyone enough to get your installation checked out by a professional. What we did on our 1st try with the bucket seat (with our placement we needed to use a seatbelt instead of Latch), and what my parents did with their convertible (their relatively new car doesn't have Latch) was horribly wrong. 

DDRRT1982

@vflux33 I am not crunchy, but I do take great care in limiting exposure to chemicals and preservatives that cause or could cause harm with my kids.  I found your info very informative and it definitely warrants more research for me.  Thank you!

Edit bc I type to fast and don't proof read well

heatherdubrow

@vflux33 thank you for that perspective! It’s one I actually haven’t thought a lot about. I wonder do you know if it’s still safe to no have the flame retardant in the event of a car crash? It sounds like you’ve done a lot of research, that’s just a question that comes to mind for me.

vflux33

@heatherdubrow The safety standards for fires haven't changed since people began researching these chemicals--I think it's just easier and cheaper for many companies to meet those standards using these harmful chemicals. But it is absolutely possible to meet those standards without the chemicals, and many companies do it.

In addition, the fire safety standards are a throwback from the time when more people smoked cigarettes indoors and when homes themselves were made with more wood and were more flammable. Home fires were much more common then than they are now, and it made the tobacco companies look bad when a lot of fires occurred so many people say the tobacco (and chemical) industries are responsible (because of their lobbying efforts) for many of these flame retardant requirements even though they no longer, according to many people, reflect the actual risk (also to be fair we --and those industries-- didn't know these chemicals posed these risks back then).

*TW In addition, and this is super dark to think about, but let's say a man is sleeping in his bed and there is a fire engulfing his home: the risk of death from smoke inhalation is so severe that by the time it mattered for his mattress to have flame retardants in it, TBH he'd likely already be dead or close to death. Sorry I know that is super shitty to think about but it's a point I've seen brought up a lot and think it is worth repeating. *End TW

vflux33

@heatherdubrow Here's an interesting article kind of summarizing the politics of the issue from Boston Globe (and showing the desire of many to further study the link between the higher rate of certain cancers in firefighters). It doesn't have as much of the science and effects on kids as the links I shared above, but from a policy perspective it's interesting.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/04/24/firefighters-seek-new-law-ban-flame-retardants/Zzv8aVoRN6WTcpKDIvV4cP/story.html

becausescience

@vflux33 I was waffling on whether or not to get another "relatively pricey" crib mattress for when this new baby comes (I was going to switch DD to a cheaper one and give the new baby her old one) and I think you convinced me just to do it.  (Pure Core Smart - https://babyletto.com/pages/pure-mattresses if anybody is interested)

Is it just chemical retardants to be wary of?

ETA: It is cheaper than normal on Amazon right now (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IVNDWHG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

garnetmama

@npkat we got that travel system for our first and we will be reusing it this time around. The car seat was fairly light and easy to transport from car to car. Word of caution - that jogger stroller handles well but is HEAVY and big. It's great if we are going somewhere that we will be doing a lot of walking, but to be honest I prefer our smaller grace stroller that our infant carrier also clicks into.

becausescience

npkat said:

Anyone know anything about this jogging stroller and car seat combo.. Graco Fastaction Fold Jogger Click Connect Baby Travel System(hope the link works)? And this may be silly but do different brand bases fit different brands of car seats, or do they have to be same brand and model??

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UVW40XA?colid=J79JWY8AZA13&coliid=I1RWLJX62MRD0G&ref=br_ADD_TO_CART_title_link&th=1

Like @garnetmama said, jogging strollers are heavy and don't fold up as small as others, but are a breeze to push.  You don't need to get the same brand car seat/stroller, but you do need to make sure that the stroller is compatible with the car seat you choose (or has adapters available).

I know some moms get a snap 'n go stroller (example) for the infant seat days and then switch to the jogging stroller once baby can sit up well.

ashleyf911

We had the Britax B-Safe 35 for an infant carrier (as a travel system with the Britax B-Agile stroller), and then upgraded to the Britax Marathon as a convertible seat when DS was big enough. I have LOVED my Britax seats (and stroller) and will be using them for this little one, too.  They're both super easy to install.

My car seat tips that I wish I had known:
-Show grandparents/family members/etc how to properly fit babe in a car seat. My heart fell into my stomach when I saw how my father in law had strapped in DS after a trip to the store - loose straps and chest clip down over his belly.
-You should really rear face until at LEAST two. It's generally 5 times safer than forward facing. DS is super tall and his legs were always criss crossed before we flipped him forward, DH always gave me shit because he thought it looked uncomfortable, but it doesn't bother little ones. He was happy as a clam.
-No fluffy coats or buntings in the car seat. Here's a good link for info on how to keep baby warm: https://thecarseatlady.com/warmandsafe/
-Most fire departments and police departments have certified car seat technicians, if you call them they'll show you how to correctly install your seat and are super helpful.

vflux33

@becausescience Thank you for the recommendation! That's definitely cheaper than the Lullaby one I was looking at. We haven't decided whether to go full organic or just flame retardant free for the crib mattress... 

There are definitely chemicals besides flame retardants that I'm wary of (offhand, pesticides come to mind for one). Not all chemicals have been tested a lot, you know? Not all chemicals are even disclosed to the consumer, which is a big problem IMO. So TBH that question is a bit over my head. If you want something totally chemical free, then you're going organic. There are definitely fully organic baby crib mattresses on the market (no carseats), but they tend to be even more expensive than the ones that are just flame-retardant free. It's a personal choice. When there is an organic option I tend toward it personally but as I said the prices go up fast when you add up all these products. And like with food even if you want to eat organic all the time it's not practical really because you're gonna be out somewhere and hungry and not everyone carries organic options. Keetsa makes great organic mattresses for adults but no kids ones yet. If you just want flame retardant free Ikea now carries it, I think. And the Lucie's list link I shared a few comments ago has full on organic crib mattresses from other companies. Really hoping to see more, cheaper options in the future. 

heatherdubrow

@vflux33 girl you are a wealth of knowledge! Thank you!

npkat

Thank you @garnetmama and @becausescience!

DDRRT1982

heatherdubrow said:

@vflux33 girl you are a wealth of knowledge! Thank you!

Oops, posted too soon.  I went down a rabbit hole.  The Henry uses a wool blend to meet safety standards and it sounds like brands such as Britax and clek are making an effort to reduce chemical exposure in their seats.

orbmaker

@vflux33 @becausescience I recommend the book Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis by Sandra Steingraber. it's definitely a reality-check, but not a super SCARY book. Thanks for starting this discussion re: car seats, @vflux33 - I'm trying to be conscious of this stuff, but in this case it hadn't even crossed my mind!

Cowboycorgi

Chicco keyfit 30 from DD, and then a second Graco Extend2Fit like DD has. 

vflux33

@orbmaker Thank you for the book recommendation! I will check that out. 

Honestly it hadn't crossed my mind either until MH went down the rabbit hole on it, freaked me out, and educated me. We had bought an organic mattress when we moved a couple years ago and then I just forgot about the whole thing until he brought it up. I only sound knowledgeable about it because I've been studying it these last couple weeks.