Product Spotlight: Car Seats

inthewoods23

Share your favorite car seats or tips and tricks when picking a car seat

zwink1

The best advice I got when car seat shopping, regardless of whether you're doing an infant seat or going straight to convertible, is to check reviews for the particular make/model of your vehicle before deciding on a particular seat.  Car seats come in all manner of shapes/sizes and some fit better in some cars than others.  Also something to factor in if you ultimately think you'll be driving with more than one seat in your car at a time.

Beyond that, all car seats sold in the US must meet minimum safety requirements, so installed properly, all are safe.  Some people will use that to say that all seats are the same level of safe.  In my opinion, that's not necessarily true, something that goes above and beyond the minimum requirement would arguably be safer than something that just meets it, but whether you spend $$ or $$$$, they're all required to meet the same standards.  

Personally, we went with the Chicco Keyfit 30 system for an infant seat for DS.  I've mentioned in a different thread that I thought an infant seat was important for our circumstances (daycare required one, but also he was a fall baby and I felt much safer carting him around in winter in the seat than carrying him).  I chose the key fit for its ease of use, convenience, and overall reviews.  I really liked it and will use it again for this baby (assuming that it hasn't expired in the meantime - I'm 98% sure it hasn't, lol).  

When he outgrew the infant seat, we moved him to a Graco 4ever convertible seat.  This thing is pretty incredible and we could've used it from the beginning with DS if we'd wanted to.  A little trickier than the keyfit to get the hang of installing and positioning it, but once it's in, it's super easy to readjust the harness height and seat recline.  

Because removing and reinstalling the Graco is a pretty big pain, we also purchased a super cheap seat for DS to use when we went on a flight last year and have kept that to use as the seat for the grandparents' cars if they happen to be taking DS anywhere.  

sjb2215

Very similar recommendations as @zwink1. We started with a graco snugride infant seat (don't remember the exact number) and then switched to the Graco 4ever. It is easy to adjust and it'll last until they're like 10 years old. We did go to our local ambulance garage and had a certified car seat technician install for us the first time just to see how tight it needed to be, which I'd recommend. I'd also suggest putting the convertible seat on your registry, we got it from family and then ended up buying a 2nd one for our other car

inthewoods23

Thanks @zwink1 I was wondering how much the car you drive really matters.

DH and I were just talking briefly about it yesterday that likely we will only need to transport baby in my vehicle and won't need more than 1 infant car seat base. Visiting family or going out we'll just take my car.

A couple questions I have so far:
I've only done a little research on car seats. What really is the difference between car seats that are... say $200-300 vs others that I've seen that are more like $500+?

And the seat covers that go under the car seats, would you guys recommend? We have leather seats and I just worry a car seat or base is going to dig into it and leave marks.

Do all infant car seats have the ability to secure them using the seat belt if you don't have a base for it? Or is that not the case for all?

runnergirl2018

@zwink1 hit a lot of the points
All car seats are technically safe but some may be more comfortable or have more bells and whistles or be easier to use than others. 
Seats are different sizes and this can really matter in your car -especially during the rear facing days. Definitely check reviews of people who have the same car as you.  We had to put seat behind my passenger seat and had to move it up som e - it was fine but can be tricky in some cars.  Also some seats can be placed in the middle seat and some cannot -you have to check the manufacturer recommendations and your car manual, if either says no than it's a no.

Find a certified car seat tech to show you all the things you need to know about installing and adjusting your seat as your child grows - thankfully i had a friend that met this criteria and even as an educated person I found it so helpful.  They can also help with the whole idea stage of finding a seat that will work best for your car and circumstances. Take into account how often the seat will need to be carried/moved and how easy or difficult it is to install given those circumstances.  Also easy of washing the fabric is important for blow outs or puking episodes.  

We have a Chicco KeyFit infant seat and like it.  Then we went with Britax for convertible carseat - we liked the features, safety, and the fact that they have a safety tested seat protector which only a few brands have.  We picked a nicer model for my car since I primairyl drive the kiddo around and a slightly lower model that is lower in weight for hubby's car - we wanted something a the time that was lighter weight to travel with, although in current days that may not have been as big of an issue.  I believe mine is the Marathon and hubby's is the Essentials.  Mine has more adjustments and is easier install and positions our son a little differently but we've been happy with both and they both fit well in my mazda SUV and hubby's telsa sedan 

runnergirl2018

@inthewoods23 as far as seat protectors go, only a few brands have theirs safety tested.  I know Britax is one of them and I can't recall the other, but a few years ago I only found 2 brands that did. Otherwise the 3rd party seat protectors are not considered safe to use because they are not safety /crash tested and your seat may move in unpredictable ways on the protector. 
And i'm pretty sure all seats can either be used via seat belt or latch if they have the latch feature -but that is dependent on if the seat has a latch feature and if your car has the system - someone please correct me if i'm wrong.
the price difference - brand/name recognition, comfort, and features.   our infant seat was part of a travel system so I don't remember the cost and our convertible carseat after that were both under $200, I think one of them was maybe under or around $150.  The more expensive one we have is frankly more comfortable, has more adjustements, and is easier to install but they both are decent and neither broke the bank  

Target has a trade in event in april and september to get a 20% off coupon on car seats and other baby gear - see if you can find someone with an old seat or booster seat laying around to trade in to get the coupon! 

sunshineandlemons

I would echo what @zwink1 said. We are also users of the Graco 4ever seat. The new ones now (which, thankfully at least my youngest has) allows the cover to be taken off completely without needing to uninstall the seat, which is huge for me. I believe the 4ever can also be used as an infant seat, but I’m not 100% sure on weight limits.

We also used the infant carrier and had a travel system so it popped right into our stroller. I was able to buy an extra base for my husband’s truck so there wasn’t a need for an extra car seat and we would just take the baby into daycare in the carrier and that would stay there. My husband does drop off and I do pick up so that was convenient. 

@inthewoods23 I don’t think there is any car seat manufacturer that will say a seat cover is safe, so all of the recommendations would be anecdotal, if you’re ok with that. We had looked at them for our first and there were some thick munchkin(?) brand ones that had reviews of the seat cover leaving marks and then there are thinner ones we found (Eddie Bauer maybe?) that I’m not sure would offer much protection for your seat other than water repellent. So, sorry, I didn’t really answer your question but I’ve done some research on them.

As for your question about the infant seats, I’m really not sure overall but for the most part, I’ve seen them with bases. I know for our Graco infant seat, it needed a base to be secured in the car. 

sunshineandlemons

@runnergirl2018 lol I must have been typing my response when you published yours. I had no idea the Britax ones had an approved seat cover- that’s a game changer! I’m not going to buy one for my girls but as we get new car seats for this baby, I’m definitely going to consider that one. I don’t worry so much about the marks even though both our cars have leather seats, it’s more about spills and food that can drop and be gross for me. 🤢 Which, in-town, we don’t eat in the car, but when we travel long distances, we’ll eat in the car. 

inthewoods23

@runnergirl2018 I was just on Graco's website and I didn't see a seat protector anywhere on their website but it looks like they might have had recommendations for some of the 3rd party ones. I did see on Maxi Cosi they have their own seat protector you can purchase.


Guh.... I guess I better make a list of things of requirements that need to have all the boxes checked for us to consider it. And I already know I'm going to have the stupid requirement of how it looks in general/what colors are available. Not that I'm like, it must come in blue or something like that. I'd want it to coordinate with our car which means nothing when you consider our cars are both white with white and black interior so everything would coordinate.

tuxielove93

Backing up what zwink said. Make sure your carseat actually fits in your car. The car seat I got at first did NOT fit in our focus. Like literally could not get it in the backseat. We had to go to BabiesRUs and try out carseats to find one that fit. Don't do that. It is no fun at 9 months pregnant to be wrestling with multiple car seats. 

I personally love our Graco Contender 65. I have two of them. They're compact but nice. I never felt like my infants were too tiny in the convertible. I could have fit three across in my Focus if I had to, but thankfully I have an amazing roomy CRV now. Plus my oldest has moved into a booster. 

I do recommend just getting a convertible rather than screwing with the infant seat. It's bulky and extremely heavy and not safe to let the baby sleep in unless it's locked into the stroller or car. It also has such a limited life span. 

Oh and pretty much anything that doesn't come standard with the car seat is not safety approved. The mirrors are the one I would have loved to have, but in an accident they become projectiles. So as much as I wanted one, I never got one. 

@inthewoods23 I would honestly say goodbye to your backseat being nice anyway. The car seats do leave some pretty good marks but toddlers and babies are highly messy creatures who would have destroyed your car anyways. 

runnergirl2018

@inthewoods23 Correct - grace does not have any safety approved seat protectors. I think Maxi cost and Britax  are the only ones.  Although I also just looked this up just out of curiosity and found this informative: https://csftl.org/seat-protectors-at-a-glance/ In general this is a great website for car seat safety and https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats

Other random fact. - it’s not safe to like hang stuff from the car seat int he car to entertain baby because it can become dangerous in an accident.  And like someone else said, mirrors are also technically not safe although we did choose to use one and made sure it was well secured but still a risk. 

runnergirl2018

https://csftl.org/seat-protectors-at-a-glance/ @sunshineandlemons I just found this too, although it has not been updated in a while. But yes we picked Britax specifically for the approved seat protector.  There’s sitll indentations in the seat but frankly that’s gonna be there for a while anyways but it’s nice to keep other grimy stuff off the seat and is easier to clean

jellie603

I'll chime in and then follow with some questions!

We started off with the Graco Click Connect system because we were first time parents living in a rural and cold climate (with a Feb baby). We had a base in each of our cars as well as a spare that we would bring if grandparents would take him. Our stroller with that system was a Graco jogger with rubber wheels - we needed that because we were using it on dirt roads and uneven surfaces often. When he grew out of that seat we each got a Graco convertible - one for each car (don't ask me the model type haha). At that point, we still used the stroller from our system, just in seat mode vs. infant car seat mode. We found it very beneficial for each of us to have a seat at all times. There was one instance where we were overnight at family's for Thanksgiving and I was up early to work Black Friday. I left in my car, not thinking anything of it. I get to work and realize the only car seat we had was in my car and DS and MH were still with family. After that day, we have always had one in each car.

Questions for those who have 3 car seats.
I do like the systems - I know some think they aren't the best but it is just easier for us to click and go. Do you guys find the SnugFit seats to be slim enough to 2 of those and 1 high back/5-point seat in a row? 
Also, for those who have chosen a third row vehicle with your 3 car seats, how do you set it up? I'm over here trying to play out ever scenario in my head about needing to get everyone in and out. Does our 5 year old go in the third row and like exit the back, with the twins in the front? Do the twins do in the third row? I feel like that would only work if we had captains chairs. AHHH!

Edit: because early morning grammar

sunshineandlemons

@jellie603 I’ve got an Acadia with a third row. I’ve got my 5 yo back there already. We have captain seats in the middle row, but it would not be easy to either move the seat or crawl back there to put the baby in, so my 2yo and the baby will be in the middle row. If you don’t have captain seats, I’d still have your 5yo climb over. Or go through the back, whichever is easier.

gharmon412

Hey mamas! I have made a habit of finding Instagram accounts to follow for all my parenting questions... Sleeping, dieticians, gentle parenting, and car seats! I follow @safeintheseat and it's been extremely helpful to have a certified car seat safety consultant in my feed answering questions I didn't even know I had. She has classes and plane safety etc. Anyway if you need, her link is :::  https://instagram.com/safeintheseat?utm_medium=copy_link

moreamoozzarella

@gharmon412 I do this too! I would love to know what others are your favorites to add to my list. 

LJMoon6

I'm going to post this link again to the list/website I followed last time. It helped me so much to sort through all the different brands.
https://www.lucieslist.com/guides/best-infant-car-seats-strollers/
I can't add anything more than what other people have already said.