Convertible or Infant Car Seat?

jackieb3858

I am registering for car seats and was unsure of which to choose. The infants seem better for the first few months, but I hate to have to get 2 new ones in less than a year. Has anyone used convertible car seats from the beginning?

groovygrl

I dont think too many ppl do convertibles first, b/c even though they say they can fit a newborn, there are a lot of arguments about this (I saw one on some board on here that got kinda heated...), and multiples tend to be on the smaller side anyway so that makes it worse.  Plus from a practical standpoint, I can't imagine taking the little ones in & out of the car seat all the time, esp if they're sleeping. Even though I very rarely carried both carriers at the same time, the portability factor was huge, from house to car, car to stroller/destination, etc...

GL! 

Trixie6717

Get the infant seats and a double snap n go. You won't regret it.

We used ours for 9 months. I pushed it to the max because of the convenience. I'm so sad to give them up!

macchiatto

I would definitely get infant seats to start with! They'll last you anywhere from 6-12 months (even longer for some people if you have petite LOs!) and are very convenient, especially with multiples! We combined the 10% registry completion coupon with the 10% multiples discount with a 15% off one item and a 20% off one item coupon to get our $100 Snugrides at BRU for $63 and $68, respectively ... then resold them 8 months later for $35 each. DEFINITELY worth it, and I'm a tightwad!

TinyTeacher

I'm doing convertibles from the very beginning. We registered for convertible carseats that hold babies from 4 lbs and up.  I got some extra head supporters in addition to the newborn padding it comes with. My stroller also works for newborns, so I can take them straight from carseat to stroller.

Everyone tried to convince me that it's a bad idea, but honestly I think that those infant carrier things are terrible.  They're heavy as sh!t, they look hideously ugly on strollers (DSNG, travel systems, etc), and moms who have them often leave their babies in them for long periods of time out of sheer convenience. I don't think it's good for a baby to be stuck in their carseat half the day.

Maybe if I was doing this on my own I would feel differently and opt for the infant carriers out of convenience. However, I have a mom and MIL who don't work within 15 minutes of me, so I have no intentions of running errands alone with 2 babies until they are a good bit older. And when I do take them somewhere alone, I guess I will just have to deal with the fact that they might wake up when I transfer them from carseat to stroller- that seems to be people's main argument as to why you HAVE TO HAVE ONE.

 Not a popular opinion around here, but I vote skip the infant carriers and get highly-rated convertibles and a quality stroller from the get-go.

boshi799

TinyTeacher:

I'm doing convertibles from the very beginning. We registered for convertible carseats that hold babies from 4 lbs and up.  I got some extra head supporters in addition to the newborn padding it comes with. My stroller also works for newborns, so I can take them straight from carseat to stroller.

Everyone tried to convince me that it's a bad idea, but honestly I think that those infant carrier things are terrible.  They're heavy as sh!t, they look hideously ugly on strollers (DSNG, travel systems, etc), and moms who have them often leave their babies in them for long periods of time out of sheer convenience. I don't think it's good for a baby to be stuck in their carseat half the day.

Maybe if I was doing this on my own I would feel differently and opt for the infant carriers out of convenience. However, I have a mom and MIL who don't work within 15 minutes of me, so I have no intentions of running errands alone with 2 babies until they are a good bit older. And when I do take them somewhere alone, I guess I will just have to deal with the fact that they might wake up when I transfer them from carseat to stroller- that seems to be people's main argument as to why you HAVE TO HAVE ONE.

 Not a popular opinion around here, but I vote skip the infant carriers and get highly-rated convertibles and a quality stroller from the get-go.

It sounds like you already made your mind up, but if so many experienced moms are telling you to go with the infant seat then maybe they are on to something. Not trying to be snarky, but seriously I cannot imagine putting newborns, especially twins who will be smaller, in a convertible seat.

Besides the convenience, infant seats are just safer for newborns. Forget about the cost or convenience, it was about safety for me.

dtwmco

MrsLee04:

boshi799:

It sounds like you already made your mind up, but if so many experienced moms are telling you to go with the infant seat then maybe they are on to something. Not trying to be snarky, but seriously I cannot imagine putting newborns, especially twins who will be smaller, in a convertible seat.

Besides the convenience, infant seats are just safer for newborns. Forget about the cost or convenience, it was about safety for me.

Ditto.  I hate to pull the "you'll see..." card, but.....well, you will.  I never found the infant seats heavy, and frankly I don't give a crap if they look ugly on a stroller.  Convenience and safety were #1 for me, not appearances.  I've been there, done that, so I can say with experience I was really, really sad to let go of the infant seats....they were awesome!  Convertible seats just aren't convenient....they're just necessary eventually.  And my babies didn't spend half their days in their infant seats.  That's just silly.

Ditto again!  

My babies don't spend half their days in their infant seats, either.  It's just so much more helpful when by myself.  I have relatives nearby, too, but they aren't always available when I need to head out with the babies.  Transferring into a stroller isn't always an option for me, either.  Even just taking the babies into a restaurant is/was difficult and the seats are a lifesaver.  Plus in the wintertime when they can't wear coats in their seats, a bundle me or something similar (we us a kiddopotamus cozy coverup thing) is much easier than putting on a jacket after taking them out of their seats.

If I had only one baby, I might feel differently since it's "easy" to just carry around one baby in your arms or in a sling, but I think with two it makes a lot of sense to have the infant seats.  We still use them at 11 months old (although we most often transfer them into a stroller without their seats or if  I'm with DH we just carry them into somewhere).  VERY heavy, but sometimes it's the best option since they still fit in them...

TinyTeacher

haha. See, OP? A very unpopular opinion.

If convertibles weren't safe for newborns, they wouldn't pass the safety standards, which are more strict than ever before.  

If I go to BRU and buy infant carriers after my twins are born, I'll let you know. Until then, I'm going to with the convertibles. Alert the press!

boshi799

Tiny Teacher - what are you going to do if say, you want to go to a restaurant with your newborn? And what stroller do you have that is ok for newborns? Just curious and just trying to change your mind because I PROMISE you are going to regret your decision. My babies were 6 punds each and STILL were absolutley swimming in the infant seat.

And yes, it the convertible may pass the test for newborns, but the infant seats are WAY safer. Quote me on that one.

macchiatto

boshi799:

Tiny Teacher - what are you going to do if say, you want to go to a restaurant with your newborn? And what stroller do you have that is ok for newborns? Just curious and just trying to change your mind because I PROMISE you are going to regret your decision. My babies were 6 punds each and STILL were absolutley swimming in the infant seat.

And yes, it the convertible may pass the test for newborns, but the infant seats are WAY safer. Quote me on that one.

 

Yup.

Also, you pointed out that both grandmas don't work and live within 15 minutes so you won't be taking your LOs out alone for months ... well the OP never said that's her situation so why would you urge her to make the same choice you're making when you have a luxury that VERY few people have?

mollymay38

Infant car seats are just so convenient because you can snap them in the stroller.  Doctor's appts, grocery store trips, errands....it made it possible to bring baby. I am not sure how I would have maneuvered it (especially in the Chicago winter....the Bundle Me made it even easier). Yes, DD outgrew her seat very early. She was in a convertible car seat exclusively by 5 months. But I can't imagine putting a tiny newborn in a convertible seat.

groovygrl

To each her own but one other thing I want to add is if you happen to be doing daycare, the convertibles would be a huge PITA b/c most daycares (I believe) require you to bring your kids in, they can't help outside due to liability, so you'd have to get htem out, strap in stroller, etc every time you drop off & pick up. I'm actually dreading when mine start using the convertibles but can't walk yet for that reason, drop off & pick up are goign to be even more drama than they already are with 2 kids that can't walk. 

TinyTeacher

boshi799:

Tiny Teacher - what are you going to do if say, you want to go to a restaurant with your newborn? And what stroller do you have that is ok for newborns? Just curious and just trying to change your mind because I PROMISE you are going to regret your decision. My babies were 6 punds each and STILL were absolutley swimming in the infant seat.

And yes, it the convertible may pass the test for newborns, but the infant seats are WAY safer. Quote me on that one.

 

Holy crap, lady.  I just told you I will have no plans to go to a restaurant alone with my babies.  

And, I didn't assume the OP has the luxury of two moms around to help full-time. I was simply explaining why the convertible carseats will work for ME. 

We don't all have to agree. I can have my opinions and you can have yours. Get over it. WTF do you care if some complete stranger decides to put her twins in convertibles anyway?

MrsSweetpeaMagee

TinyTeacher, I am not sure that boshi was saying you would be alone in the restaurant, but whether or not you were going to hold them the whole time in the restaurant because infants can't sit up in the child seats at a restaurant.

 

I had to bring Keaghan home in a car bed and switching him in and out of the seat to the sling or holding him everywhere we went for those 2 weeks while he was in the car bed was hard, even with the help from my husband, so when he was able to go into the infant car seat and not needing to be switched out everytime was soooo nice! Especially when I started taking them out by myself.   

Trixie6717

groovygrl:

To each her own but one other thing I want to add is if you happen to be doing daycare, the convertibles would be a huge PITA b/c most daycares (I believe) require you to bring your kids in, they can't help outside due to liability, so you'd have to get htem out, strap in stroller, etc every time you drop off & pick up. I'm actually dreading when mine start using the convertibles but can't walk yet for that reason, drop off & pick up are goign to be even more drama than they already are with 2 kids that can't walk. 

This is the exact reason I have pushed my guys to the limit on the infant seats. We installed convertibles this weekend and I am DREADING tomorrow morning already. As if my mornings are not hectic enough...now I have to add at least 15 minutes just for loading and unloading time. UGH.

mlkwmu

we got the infant car seats only because we thought with twins it would be easier in the long run to just be able to take the car seat with us when we go places rather than having to unstrap the babies.  Plus the car seats will fit in with the stroller that we're getting.

Things will just be much easier for me if I'm by myself w/2 babies.