FTM Picking out a Car Seat - Questions

sundaesprinkles

Hi, I'm a FTM and new to this board. I'm trying to at least start considering what kind of car seat to get. It's pretty overwhelming, but I'm consulting my Baby Bargains book to help me out. I know I want to start out with an infant seat, so that's what I've been looking at. From looking over Baby Bargains, it seems the best choices are the Britax B-Safe or Chaperone, Chicco Keyfit 30, First Years Via, Graco SnugRide, or Peg Perego Primo Viaggio.

As I've been researching I noticed that the Britax Chaperone has an anti rebound bar. I'm not sure if any of the other seats I'm considering have one, but I don't think they do. From what I've seen the anti rebound bar is something they've had in Europe for awhile but is just getting over here. I'm just wondering what your opinions are about it--is it a must have for you? Also if any of you have any comments about the different infant seats I've mentioned I'd love to hear them. Thanks!

SkyRunner

We actually used a Britax Chaperone for DS. I had done lots of research and found this to be the best infant carrier. It is very sturdy and safe, however it does weigh quite a bit. We will use it again for my DD. I'd recommend it, Britax is great quality. They have free ride events where you can purchase and item and get a second one for free. I did this on Amazon. Oh and we used it with the Britax B Ready stroller. We get asked about it a lot when we are out and about as it looks rather stylish. Our main reason to go with it was that it can be used as double stroller as we knew we'd want our kids close together. HTH

MLF135

We have a Graco Snugride 35, and while I love the seat and will be using it again for #2, if I were to do it again I would get the snugride 30...I've heard it is lighter and realistically you will not be carrying around LO in an infant seat at 35lbs. 

All of the seats you mentioned are good seats, just keep in mind the weight of the seat, I think thats the second most important thing, next to safety obviously.

 

gimmietimmies

Pick out the seat that fits your car best and works for what you need, easy to use, and either short term or long term (meaning, when will you plan on moving to a convertible). To be honest, the weight of the seat means nothing, all the infant seats are maybe a two pound difference and once lo hits 15 lbs or so, they are awkward and uncomfortable to carry. Just don't plan on carrying it, use the stroller and click it in or take lo out of the seat. For the short amount of time you will actually be carrying it, it's not worth worrying about. 

Now, the Chaperone is a good seat, buy both it and the bigger Snugrides take up more room rf than most convertibles. Make sure it's going to fit. Ask on car-seat.org which is the best fit, they will be able to best answer that. The car seat lady also has good picks of fit on her website as well. 

ellewoodsSC

Those are all good choices.  Also consider the weight of the bucket seat alone (minus the base) because the lightest ones are The Keyfit and the Snug Ride30 and those babies get really heavy to carry around very quickly.

Also I believe this is the first year Graco introduced an extended use infant seat in the Snugride ClickConnect 40, which should get your child rearfacing in one seat until the recommended 2 years of age.

We have the chicco keyfit 30 which we used for about 11 months and I think it's ok. We'll use it for baby #2, although I think the Snugride looks like it has a more roomy fit.  The anti-rebound bar on the chaperone is a good idea, because when you attach a conventional seat, there is a lot of mobility at the opposite end, but seats without rebound bars have been tested and proven to be reliable.  

If you like the nitty gritty details from experts on these seats, I recommend you visit the car-seat.org and their blog site carseatblog.com for really great reviews and specs.

SunAndRain

We are using the CHicco keyfit 30 and love it.  That said, there is no way DD will make it to a year in that (or any) infant car seat.  I am SO glad I didn't spend >$200 on an infant car seat.  She is very comfy in that seat.  It is the best selling (though not the cheapest) which I think speaks to its value.

We JUST purchased two convertible car seats (Britax Pavilion and Recaro ProRide) for our two cars and did buy pricier models because of the added safety features.  But these are seats we expect to get at least 4 years use out of.

I'm so glad I didn't go with the pricey Britax or Peg Perego infant car seats.  And I'm not a big fan of Graco anyway, though it price was a consideration I would have felt comfortable with the SnugRide.

Elsa1984

SkyRunner:

We actually used a Britax Chaperone for DS. I had done lots of research and found this to be the best infant carrier. It is very sturdy and safe, however it does weigh quite a bit. We will use it again for my DD. I'd recommend it, Britax is great quality. They have free ride events where you can purchase and item and get a second one for free. I did this on Amazon. Oh and we used it with the Britax B Ready stroller. We get asked about it a lot when we are out and about as it looks rather stylish. Our main reason to go with it was that it can be used as double stroller as we knew we'd want our kids close together. HTH

This. We have both the Chaperone and BReady. I really like the Chaperone, and bought it because not only did it got on the BReady but also went to a higher weight. Turns out, my 19lb daughter no longer fits in it height wise and she is below average for height. So she would have never made it close to the weight limit on the Chaperone anyway. Not a big deal, as she is almost 13mo and we are switching her to a convertible seat anyway. That being said, due to the rebound bar on the Chaperone, the base is longer and the carseat will be longer when in the car. So it doesn't fit in all vehicles.

emsrdh03

MLF135:

We have a Graco Snugride 35, and while I love the seat and will be using it again for #2, if I were to do it again I would get the snugride 30...I've heard it is lighter and realistically you will not be carrying around LO in an infant seat at 35lbs. 

 

 

what she said. My 2 year still doesn't weigh 35 pounds but outgrew it by height around 6-9 months. The snug ride 30 would have worked fine  and been far less heavy/bulky. 

SuperCuteBenz

Unless you have a HUGE kid, they should easily make it to a year in most infant seats. The exception might be the seats with the 22lbs/29" limits. I previously had a Safe Seat, and my kids made it to 15 months and 24 months no problem.

I don't understand making a big deal out of the weight of the seat, because you might as well leave it in the car at that point anyway. No different than a convertible seat. Plus, then you still have the option of taking the seat out when they are sleeping, which you can't do with a convertible.

I bought a Graco Snugride 30 for our potential baby #3, because I have to do a 3 across situation and the base is more narrow than the 35. I would prefer the 35 though for the higher height limit and the built in lock offs.