Product Guide: Car Seats

mileswithmyles

Please review what you've used in the past and feel free to ask any questions. 

For STMs+:

• Car Seat used:
• Link/picture:
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
• Pros:
• Cons:
• Is there another one you don't have but are considering? Why?:
• Additional thoughts on car seats:

RachelT1234

We have the Chicco keyfit 30 car seat and base, and have zero complaints. Isn't awkward to handle, relatively light. We bought the seat from babies r us for a steal, around $120, based on a sale they ran on a certain color. I am glad we didn't buy the full on travel system, we bought the liteway plus stroller and have really liked it. However, it doesn't work well on gravel or bumpy terrain.

I do wish we had purchased a jogging stroller to use at parks or for gravel walkways, but now we have to look for a double so we've just made do without

tincupchalice

Our infant seat is the chicco keyfit 30.  We used it for both boys and will use it for this one.  No complaints, works fine.

Our convertible seats are the Graco 4ever which I got for cheap at Costco.  We had a britax boulevard for a while but I hated it.  I found it really hard to get DS strapped in safely.

For cheap travel (air, etc), you can't beat cosco scenera.  They're less than $50 at walmart, sometimes significantly less.  Super lightweight, slim profile, great for hauling around airports and whatnot.

mileswithmyles

For our infant seat:

• Car Seat used: Britax B Safe
• Link/picture:https://www.amazon.com/Britax-Safe-Infant-Seat-Black/dp/B0731JTHC7?th=1 
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):  $168 on Amazon 
• Pros:  the base is really easy to install and it works with the B Agile stroller easily. 
• Cons:  can’t really think of any
• Is there another one you don't have but are considering? Why?:  nope
• Additional thoughts on car seats:  you only use the infant seat for a short amount of time. 

Convertible Carseat

• Car Seat used: Britax Roundabout
• Link/picture: https://www.amazon.com/Britax-Roundabout-G4-1-Convertible-Seat/dp/B01J7Q7A32/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1509411139&sr=1-1&keywords=britax%2Broundabout&th=1 
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):  $169
• Pros:  easy to take DS in and out of, rest and forward faces, and has a high weight and height limit 
• Cons:  it’s huge and heavy and a pain to install. Taking it on an airplane was a nightmare 
• Is there another one you don't have but are considering? Why?:  my mom just got a Safety 1st one from Costco to try for DS in her car. It has a cup holder, which I wish we had. 
• Additional thoughts on car seats:  check the height and weight limits for rear and forward facing. 

Poppy0419

It won’t let me copy. Come on mobile app!!! 

Infant Seat: Britax BSafe Elite
Pros: Easy to install, compatible with a lot of strollers, not too heavy. 
Cons: if you have a chunky baby you’ll grow out of it by 8 weeks. I lend mine to family to get my moneys worth out of it. DD’s shoulders were shoved in there. 

Convertible Seat: Graco 4ever Safety Surround
Pros: the material is much cooler (temp wise) than the traditional Graco 4ever. Comfortable. Lots of recline levels. Easy to install as big ass convertibles get. Easy to clean. 
Cons: DD still can’t reach cup holders even though she can in our cheapie Seat. It’s HUGE. I drive a big SUV and it takes up a ton of room. 

You can go to BuyBuyBaby and Babies R Us and try things out in your car. The convertible I have would never in a million years fit in our previous Corolla.

theletlers

Graco FastAction Jogger Click Connect travel system. I liked how easily the car seat could go from the base to the car seat. 
$$: my sisters all pitched in and got it for us for our baby shower. I think someone found it on Amazon for like $175 including base.
Pros: cup holders, a place to lock your phone in which was nice, cup holder for the kid too once sitting in the seat, not the car seat. Babies 4 lbs and up which was important for us since we knew we would have a small baby. 
Cons: can't think of any

We also got the Evenflow Sureride once he moved to the next size. Definitely recommend investing in a convertible seat! 

MissusTexas

Infant seat: Britax B-Safe

Pros: It’s very well built, the canopy comes in handy.

Cons: It is SO HEAVY and awkward. We ended up switching to a convertible earlier with my second because it was just so heavy with her in it, and she was an average sized baby. The straps get twisted a lot. Hot material.
**ours is 5 years old so please correct me if they’ve improved upon this.


Convertible Seats:

Recaro ProRide
-Pros: breathable material, chest clip pockets to hold them back while you put the kid in, straps don’t get twisted, comfortable.
-Cons: Low RF height limit. We had to get my daughter another seat when she was 2 just so we could RF longer. 

Cosco Scenera
Pros: Cheap, light for air travel 
Cons: a pain to install, adjust, and clean. We have only used it for travel.

Britax Advocate
Pros: CLICKTIGHT, YO. It is idiot proof... unless you’re my ILs. But we won’t go there. It has an adjustable headrest which means if you have a beanpole like I do, one that outgrows seats by height well before weight, you can keep them in it way longer. We were able to RF in this seat until my daughter was almost 4, and she’s almost 5 now and still has time in it. I love it.

Cons: Heavy. My daughter is no where near able to unbuckle herself, which at her age would actually be helpful.

Basically, I wish I’d bought the Advocate first... but they didn’t exist then. 

jenbabymama

Sorry but I'm a FTM and I know nothing... So you have to first buy an infant seat  which lasts for very little and then get a convertible seat? Is there any one carseat that has some sort of insert or something so that you only need one? I thought that's what a "convertible" was.

mamabird515

@jenbabymama you could use a convertible from birth and it definitely saves money. However, if baby falls asleep (and doesn’t transfer like a dream) then you take them out when you stop. A lot of infant seats also have a stroller of some kind (whether it’s a travel system or just another compatible brand) that you can snap the seat on top of. It’s portable in comparison to the convertible so that’s really what you’re paying for. 

mileswithmyles

@jenbabymama you can use a convertible early on, just check the weight requirement for it. DS did not transfer easily, so the bucket seat was a much better option for us. We used it for about a year before we switch him to a convertible seat. 

jenbabymama

Thanks, @MamaBird224 and @mileswithmyles. So if you get an infant car seat that goes with a stroller,  is the stroller only good for infants or are they convertible too? 

mileswithmyles

@jenbabymama we had the Britax B-Agile travel system.  It came with an adaptor to click the infant seat in.  We still use the stroller with DS and he's 3.5. Once he was sitting up on his own consistently, we stopped using the infant seat with the stroller.

dem068a

jenbabymama said:

Thanks, @MamaBird224 and @mileswithmyles. So if you get an infant car seat that goes with a stroller,  is the stroller only good for infants or are they convertible too? 

You can remove the car seat, and just use the stroller for your toddler. They usually are not compatible with convertible car seats though (which is a pain for traveling)

dem068a

I had a graco snap and go as the infant seat, with the stroller, the whole system was like $250.  Love it.  We have a inexpensive lightweight convertible seat that we got on amazon for $50.

Just some general advice:
- you don’t have to spend $300 + on a car seat.  They all pass safety standards if they are sold in the us, it is just more bells and whistles (which can be worth it if it is for you).
- think about your needs.  We live in NYC, so often take our seat in and out of our car, and fly a lot and bring it with us, so lightweight was huge for me
- find out what will fit in your car and read the rear facing/ front facing limits on your seat.  You don’t want to be forced to front face early because of space requirements if you have other options 

theletlers

@jenbabymama some of it depends on your baby too and how big or little he/she is. Mine was in the infant carrier until a little after a year because he didn't meet the height and weight for the next size. But also the infant one (the bucket style) is nice if you have two cars, just get two bases and click and go and then you just keep the car seat with LO wherever he/she is, daycare or whatever. Also a lot of times if you at least get the same brand of stroller and seat they are compatible to use together until your LO can sit up in the main stroller seat. 
I found this, no personal experience but then you would just be able to buy the one and adjust it as needed! I'm sure there are other brands too.

sandbar517

Infant seat:

• Car Seat used:  Graco Snugride 30 Click Connect  (apparently there are 2000 different types of the Snugride Click Connect, but I'm pretty sure this is the one we have)
• Link/picture: https://www.target.com/p/graco-174-snugride-30-click-connect-infant-car-seat/-/A-16721764#lnk=sametab&preselect=16405147
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):  I think ours were around $120ish?  But they are frequently on sale, and have the buy back things at Target, etc, so they are easily bought for less.
• Pros:  Lightweight, Click Connect is compatible with quite a few other brands of strollers, etc.
• Cons:  we opted for the 30 one (means the weight limit goes up to 30 lbs) but our girls still aren't 30 lbs at 3.5, so I feel like it was not necessary.  The base has the normal hook style LATCH system and is really hard to install and tighten.
• Is there another one you don't have but are considering? Why?:  MH is going to have buy new ones to fit three across, but I don't know which ones he's looking at.  
• Additional thoughts on car seats: The hook LATCH system sucks.  If you can get the ones that have the seat belt type, do it.  They're WAY easier.

Convertible seat:

• Car Seat used:  Chicco NextFit Zip
• Link/picture: https://www.target.com/p/chicco-nextfit-zip-convertible-car-seat/-/A-17267653#lnk=sametab&preselect=46781213
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):  $350ish
• Pros:  I can not say enough good things about this seat.  The cover zips off, so cleaning it is really easy.  It's super solid, and the Super Cinch tightening system is AMAZING.  It has the seat belt buckle style LATCH system, and that plus the cinch tightening makes it so easy to install, it literally takes me under a minute to put it in my car.  Also, the shoulder straps are attached to the head rest part, so the height of the shoulder straps automatically adjusts when you adjust the head rest.  There are little cubby holes that click closed to hold the LATCH straps and back tether strep (and an instruction book) when not in use, so you're not banging your knees/car with them.  The leveling system is just squeezing a handle and tilting the seat until the bubble is in the right position, so also super quick and easy.  
• Cons:  It's heavy (25 lbs), but if you're not taking it in and out of your car often, it just makes it seem even sturdier.  The cup holders are out kinda far, so even at 3.5 my girls (who, to be fair, are on the small side) have a hard time reaching it.    And it's expensive.
• Is there another one you don't have but are considering? Why?:  We got these after I got rear-ended and insurance was paying for them.  Before this we had an Eddie Bauer something (can't remember the model name) and it was much lighter, but now after having this one, it makes the Eddie Bauer seem so much less sturdy.  
• Additional thoughts on car seats:  One thing I learned after reading an article that I think is SUPER important, is that when using a car seat in the front facing mode with the LATCH system- the weight limit  INCLUDES the weight of the car seat.  So if your child's weight plus the weight of the car seat is over the weight limit, you have to use the seat belt to install it and NOT the LATCH system.  

tincupchalice

@MissusTexas I'm sorry you have trouble installing the scenera!  I've found it's super fast and easy to install.

oywiththepoodlesalready

Infant

• Car Seat used: Chicco Keyfit 30
• Link/picture: https://www.chiccoshop.com/gear/car-seats/infant/keyfit-30-infant-car-seat-and-base---moonstone/04061472050070.html?cgid=gear_car_seats_infant_car_seats#selected=3e3c9fb229b96bf5159f14f14b&start=17&cgid=gear_car_seats_infant_car_seats
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): $199
• Pros: I loved how easy the base was to install and get in and out. I also had the caddy stroller which was fantastic for sleeping baby and until DD was big enough for our other strollers. 
• Cons: None that I can think of, we had a second base but honestly never used it.
• Is there another one you don't have but are considering? Why?: nope
• Additional thoughts on car seats: I would suggest to FTM that you get the infant bucket seat. There are so many times they fall asleep when driving and you don't want to wake them up to run into the store. With the bucket you just pop it out and they keep sleeping.

Convertible seat:

• Car Seat used: Evenflo SureRide DLX Convertible Car Seat
• Link/picture: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Evenflo-SureRide-DLX-Convertible-Car-Seat-Paxton/35847032
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): $89 - $99 depending on color
• Pros: Low price and does great on crash tests. We actually purchased three so that we wouldn't have to move between our car and grandparents. DD has always liked riding in it.
• Cons: it is a pain to install so you don't want to have to take it in and out of the car.
• Is there another one you don't have but are considering? Why?: Chicco NextFit because the install looked easier. We ended up deciding that for the cost of the Chicco we could get three of the Evenflo and never have to deal with moving it. 
• Additional thoughts on car seats:

mamabird515

@jenbabymama I’m too lazy to post my whole car seat info this way but.. we initially used the B Safe Elite 35 (like other mamas here) and loved it. It’s compatible with the Baby Jogger City Select stroller (which becomes a double stroller as well) and you can remove the attachments and put the regular seat on to turn it back into a traditional stroller 

theletlers

When we went to pick ours out we even just pulled all of them down and messed around with them to see what felt the most comfortable to us. Same with a stroller. Pushed it around an aisle or two, ran with it, opened it and closed it. Everyone will like something different so if you have to use it make sure you like how it operates.

arteduc8

We have the Graco Snugride 35 for DD's infant carrier. It came with the base and a stroller as the Graco Modes Click Connect Travel System in the Downton color from BRU. Its currently on sale for $270 and has worked really well for us.  We moved DD to a convertible around 10.5-11 months because she is so tall. Her head was reaching the top of the infant carrier. Consumer Reports put this out which concerned us enough to make the switch sooner than her reaching either the height or weight limit. https://www.consumerreports.org/convertible-car-seats/why-you-should-buy-a-convertible-car-seat-sooner-rather-than-later/
The risk of a head injury from hitting the back of my driver seat was not worth the wait for us to keep her in the infant carrier any longer. We have a Brixax Marathon Clicktight Convertible carseat for my DH's car that we got as a shower gift and it works well. We bought a Chicco NextFit Zip Convertible for my car. DD had bad reflux as an infant, so we liked that you can unzip the cover from it and launder it easily. I believe we got that one for $260 at BBB but used a 20% off coupon. No complaints on any of our seats thus far. Just bummed that we'll need to spend another $500+ on more seats when this little bean arrives. We plan to use the snugride for the first 9-10 months again. 

kat11223344

I can't remember what car seats we used- Baby Trend something maybe? But I just wanted to point out that the importance of easy washing the car seat cannot be overstated- especially when they get into the bigger seats they'll be in longer. My oldest would get really carsick, and we had to replace the convertible car seat he could have been in until he was 27 because it made the whole car smell like old vomit. We got another car seat with less bells and whistles that was much easier to wash and havent looked back.

holli0801

mileswithmyles said:

For our infant seat:

• Car Seat used: Britax B Safe
• Link/picture:https://www.amazon.com/Britax-Safe-Infant-Seat-Black/dp/B0731JTHC7?th=1 
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):  $168 on Amazon 
• Pros:  the base is really easy to install and it works with the B Agile stroller easily. 
• Cons:  can’t really think of any
• Is there another one you don't have but are considering? Why?:  nope

^^i second all this. Loved this car seat and used it until about 15 months. Then switched to Britax Marathon Click Tight and love that one. Will use it til 40 lbs.

sandbar517

I just read this article, and I think it's a wonderful article to read-especially for FTMs.  It doesn't go into a ton of detail, but it brings up such a good point.  Even the "best" or most expensive car seat isn't worth spit if it isn't installed and used correctly. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/on-parenting/the-5-worst-car-seat-mistakes-parents-are-making/2017/10/31/0634a5b6-b8ea-11e7-be94-fabb0f1e9ffb_story.html?utm_term=.f576f769c181

bwow615

Reviving this thread because just saw a great deal on the Graco forever all in one convertible, you can get it for 149.99. usually 299.99

https://hip2save.com/2017/12/30/graco-4ever-all-in-one-convertible-car-seat-only-149-99-shipped-regularly-300/

SaVy_05

• Car Seat used: Chicco keyfit 30
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): $200ish for the carseat, we found our 2nd and 3rd on great sales though,  $300 for TS
• Pros: light, easily adjustable
• Cons: no complaints from me
• Is there another one you don't have but are considering? Why?: nope, we're using one again this go round
• Additional thoughts on car seats: we've owned several other carseats (convertibles) but prefer an infant sear for the first year.  

loko08

We have the Chicco Keyfit. Got it on an awesome sale on amazon for about $80. No complaints, it’s super light. Used it with the Chicco Bravo stroller and it snaps right in. Seriously, that part was amazing for when DD would fall asleep in the car.

We have the Graco 4Ever in both of our cars. Plan on using the keyfit for DD2 and getting another set of 4Evers as they go on sale. Amazon again has great sales on these.