Product Spotlight: Car Seats 3/28

jackie_dunny

This is a place for FTMs to ask questions and S+TMs to share the wealth of knowledge they've accumulated on baby products. Each week we'll spotlight a new category of product to help streamline and make it easier to refer back. This week it's.... car seats! Please stick to infant car seats so buckets or convertible car seats that are safe for infants. 

Please use the prompts below to try to share as much relevant info as you can in a format that is easy for those reading to absorb/respond to. If you'd like to recommend/ask questions about more than one product, please copy/paste the prompts as needed.  

For S+TMs:

• Favorite [car seat]:
• Link/picture:
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
• What you like about it:
• What you don't like about it, if anything:
• Is there a [car seat] you don't have but are considering? Why?:
• Additional thoughts on [car seat]:

For FTMs:

• [car seat(s)] you're interested in:
• Link/picture:
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
• Any questions about it/them for S+TMs?

Here is the schedule for the product spotlights to keep track of the topics and threads: (this is still October’s)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sI-VJ1F71kVneOVUjKUs7hEChObe7H8_GufjE1XgzSg/edit?usp=sharing

Feel free to offer suggestions for other products or changes you think can be made. This is copied from O21 BMB so thanks to those going before us  

jennpearl007

We have 3 different car seats (my car, husband's car, my mom's car) for my son.

We have the Graco 4Ever DLX 4-in-1, the Graco Contender 65, and the Safety 1st Grow and Go All-in-One.

My least favorite car seat is the Graco Contender 65. The padding seems less soft than the other two carseats and there is only one cupholder. The seam where the belt adjustment button is located is coming apart. It's not great for longer car rides.

My son seems to like the Graco 4Ever DLX the best. It's very comfortable for him. It's the only carseat he's been able to take a nap in during long road trips. The fabric is different than the Safety 1st and he seems to get less hot on his back. The overall structure of the carseat makes me feel like it's the safest, but my opinion is probably influenced by the 16k reviews, 5 star rating on Amazon and the fact that it was the most expensive out of the 3 car seats we own.

KNB1027

• Maxi Cosi Coral XP Infant Car Seat
• Link/picture: https://www.maxicosi.com/us-en/coral-xp-infant-car-seat-ic313-mc-us-en.html
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): $399
• Any questions about it/them for S+TMs? So I am trying to decide between getting a specific infant car seat so that it can easily attach and go with a stroller or buying a convertible car seat to grow with baby. What did you all like?

tmk2021

Favorite [car seat]: Maxi Cosi Mico Max infant car seat, Graco 4ever convertible car seat
Cost: $$
What you like about it: Loved the lightweight-ness of the infant seat, and the materials it was made of felt soft and plush. I feel like a lot of other car seats are hard and plastic-y and not at all comfy for infants. The graco is also awesome! Same thing about the materials feeling great. My son loves it and is super comfortable when we’re in the car. 
What you don't like about it, if anything: the only thing I don’t like is that they don’t fit easily in my car (Ford Escape) but that’s because we’re tall people and need the seats back farther than the average person. It has nothing to do with the seats themselves. 
Is there a [car seat] you don't have but are considering? No, I plan on using the same infant seat for this baby and getting another graco when they’re old enough to transition. 
Additional thoughts on [car seat]: I know some people prefer to skip the infant seat, but I honestly love it for itty bitty babies. Especially being born in the fall/winter season, I just feel more comfortable getting them in and out of the car in an infant seat. I also love that if we’re out doing something and baby falls asleep, I can leave them in their seat and go about whatever I’m doing (shopping, eating at a restaurant, etc). You can’t do that with a convertible. 

mkp0903

 

• Favorite [car seat]: I can’t say favorite b/c it’s just what I have. For an infant seat, I used the Uppababy Mesa. We have 2 convertible seats we use in separate cars: the Nuna Rava and Graco 3 in 1 slim fit.
• What you like about it: Mesa: it’s pretty light and looks great. The fabric is really nice. I mostly liked that it worked with my stroller. It was also easy to install. Nuna Rava: this is my favorite of all the seats I have. The fabric is super nice and when I actually clean it, it looks brand new (over 2.5 years in use). It feels super sturdy and safe installed. It was great rear facing. Graco 3 in 1 slim fit: definitely not something to get until later since it’s a forward facing one, we only got it because we very briefly had a nanny when our preschool closed for Covid. I just decided to use it in my car. It’s pretty slim. It feels cheaper but it’s still pretty nice. I had a 2 row SUV and it fit great on the bench seat. I just upgraded to a larger SUV so I don’t technically need a slim one, but it’s what we have. I asked my son which one he likes better and he says the Graco. 
• What you don't like about it, if anything: I have a hard time lifting my son into the Rava in my husband’s Yukon. Thankfully he can now climb up on his own. 
• Is there a [car seat] you don't have but are considering? Why?: considering a Doona, but will probably just reuse what we have for a few months and then buy another convertible. 
• Additional thoughts on [car seat]: figure out if you’re the type to carry the baby in the seat or not before jumping into convertible. Also, we have a cosco scenara for traveling-super lightweight.

doodleoodle

KNB1027 said:

• Maxi Cosi Coral XP Infant Car Seat
• Link/picture: https://www.maxicosi.com/us-en/coral-xp-infant-car-seat-ic313-mc-us-en.html
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): $399
• Any questions about it/them for S+TMs? So I am trying to decide between getting a specific infant car seat so that it can easily attach and go with a stroller or buying a convertible car seat to grow with baby. What did you all like?

I would definitely go with an infant seat the first year or so. In the winter it’s really nice to get baby buckled and snug in the car seat inside the house. They’re likely to fall asleep in their car seat as well and you can just pop them into the stroller and let them continue their nap with an infant seat.

artsiefartsie

I also agree that the infant seat was great for the first year.  Just being able to snap them in and out without waking them up is a godsend.

We then upgraded to the Graco extend2fit. My son has always been really long and the leg extender let us keep him rear facing until he was 4. Knowing that this will grow with him until he doesn't need it is very nice.  I would highly recommend it. 

mkp0903

I’m going to slightly disagree on an infant seat for the first year...my son was a chunky little chunkmuffin and no way I could carry him in a car seat after 6-7months. We got a rear facing convertible at 6 months. 

3monkeycircus

• Favorite [car seat]: With three kiddos in car seats across 3 cars I can’t say I have a favorite car seat but I tend to lean towards Graco seats as I find them easy to install across multiple cars and easy for my parents/in-laws who are car seat clueless to use without breaking the bank. We’ve owned 2 Graco infant seats, 5 Graco convertibles, 2 Graco forward only seats and a Graco booster (in addition to seats from other brands)
• Link/picture:
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
• What you like about it:
• What you don't like about it, if anything: I find most Gracos to be very wide side to side to fitting 3 across a backseat is hard/impossible. We do have 2 of their narrow seats and the kiddos seem to have the same seating space
• Is there a [car seat] you don't have but are considering? Why?:
• Additional thoughts on [car seat]: I feel like picking a car seat can be a personal choice based on your needs/wants but I find 2 sites to be particularly helpful when dealing with car seats. Car seat for the littles- they have reviews on just about any seat written by certified car seat technicians. I like the car seat lady for her reviews on how car seats fit in cars. 

@KNB1027 I personally like starting with an infant seat but I’m in a weird spot where I’ve never had a newborn without an older kiddo (my oldest came to live with us at 16 months and was almost 2.5 when my middle was born). The infant seat is nice to get baby all buckled in in the house then take out to the car so you aren’t trying to get them in correctly in the heat/cold/bad weather. I find when they are bitty it takes a bit of adjusting each time you buckle them in. Also since I had my babies pre-COVID we were very out and about and the car seat was a safe place to put them away from other people or when you want to eat out without holding little one. I wear my little ones a bunch but I still like having the option of having the ability to use the car seat. We also opted to purchase less expensive (under $175 each) infant seats since baby will probably use it less than a year. 

sliztee

KNB1027 said:

• Maxi Cosi Coral XP Infant Car Seat
• Link/picture: https://www.maxicosi.com/us-en/coral-xp-infant-car-seat-ic313-mc-us-en.html
• Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.): $399
• Any questions about it/them for S+TMs? So I am trying to decide between getting a specific infant car seat so that it can easily attach and go with a stroller or buying a convertible car seat to grow with baby. What did you all like?

I had a convertible for Arlo as an infant because it was the economical/environmental option, but I will not be making that mistake again! It was such a pain to go to doctor visits or anything, because I had to hold him the entire time, rather than just put him on the floor in his car seat. I just found a click in and out infant to toddler seat called the Chicco Fit2 and that’s what I’ll be getting the new babe with extra bases for our second car and grandparents’ car. 

sliztee

I’m about to buy Arlo a Britax Advocate because I can’t freaking STAND the harness straps on the Graco Extend2Fit! They’re infuriating and I never feel like it’s tight enough on him. Once he needs a booster, I’ll pass the Advocate on to his little sibling. As stated above, I’m getting the new bean the Chicco Fit2 so it’ll last a little longer than an ordinary infant seat. 

Starynightsky24

I think the infant seat is a must. I don’t carry it around either, I have a stroller that it can fit into. It’s worth every penny for naps/getting baby strapped in indoors. 

I’ve learned I like Chicco seats the best. They are comfortable, padded, have the extras I need (no thread harness, cupholders etc). And don’t break the bank. I’ve been eyeing the key fit 35. I need a new one this time since my old Britax B Safe is expired (also we have two Britax seats and they’re not as good as Chicco imo). 

KNB1027

@doodleoodle @artsiefartsie @mkp0903 @3monkeycircus @Starynightsky24 Thanks all! Great things to consider and I think I'll start looking more seriously at an infant seat. Do you all usually by one and two bases or one for each car?

artsiefartsie

@KNB1027 we bought one seat then multiple bases for all the cars

mkp0903

@KNB1027 for sure. I think we had 3 total bases, one for both of our cars and one for my mom b/c she keeps my son when I’m at work. 

doodleoodle

@KNB1027 we never bought an extra base and we’ve never been in a position where I regretted not having an extra base. 

3monkeycircus

@KNB1027 yes 1 seat multiple bases. You can install most infant car seats without the base but I like the ease of just popping it off/on the base. 

marbellie

Thanks @jackie_dunny for the link! Okay so as a FTM I didn't understand much about convertible car seats and the recommended timeline for rear facing. Basically you should keep your baby rear facing as long as possible for safety (not just 2 years old). If I had known that I would've bought an extend to fit car seat that's meant for extended rear facing because they have higher max height and weight limits.

We swapped our convertible with this Graco one since our son is super tall and it goes up to 49 inches for the max (rather than 32 inches which is common): https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/graco-reg-extend2fit-reg-convertible-car-seat/5213432 

artsiefartsie

@marbellie We LOVE the extend2fit with DS. He was rear facing until shortly after he turned 4 and finally hit the max.

Another good thing to keep in mind if you use the LATCH, with the bigger convertible carseats especially, is that the lower anchors often have a lower max weight than the rear facing requirements, so you may have to switch to the seat belt even before you switch to forward facing. 

ETA: that was all just a generic "you". I wasn't trying to come across as harping on @marbellie in particular 😆

marbellie

@artsiefartsie it's such a great seat! And half the cost of his first one (we didn't know what to look for so went with expensive 🤷🏾‍♀️). We're hoping to rear face him until 4 too! He's such a tall baby that we don't think we'll get to do 5 like some others.