Car seat base?

smilelari · May 2009

This may be a dumb question

All the infant car seats have extra bases available so that you can use the same seat easily in multiple cars. Just doing a quick search, it doesn't look like the same is true for convertible car seats. Am I not looking in the right place? Do you have to buy a separate seat for each car when using a convertible? (We're looking at the Britax Roundabout specifically)

JCM083009 · May 2009

I don't think convertibles have bases, so it wouldn't apply. Infant seats have bases so you can take the carrier in and out, but that doesn't matter for a convertible car seat, so yes, you'd need two if you want one for each car. We have a Recaro convertible and it's all one piece.

KatieTheMagnificent · May 2009

Convertibles don't have bases.

MrsBeckO · May 2009

DItto JCM -- convertibles don't have bases.. if you move the seat from one car to another you unstrap and move the whole thing.?

smilelari · May 2009

Well crap.

It seems pretty impractical to only have one designated kid toting car, so I guess it's 2 car seats for us.

smilelari · May 2009

MrsBeckO:
DItto JCM -- convertibles don't have bases.. if you move the seat from one car to another you unstrap and move the whole thing.

Is that difficult to do?

JCM083009 · May 2009

smilelari:
Well crap.
It seems pretty impractical to only have one designated kid toting car, so I guess it's 2 car seats for us.

I think they're much easier to move from car to car though. So you could just take the whole thing out and put it in the other car.

MrsBeckO · May 2009

smilelari:
MrsBeckO:
DItto JCM -- convertibles don't have bases.. if you move the seat from one car to another you unstrap and move the whole thing.
Is that difficult to do?

No, not once you get the hang of installing car seats in general. We move my niece's car seat from my car to my mother's car every week (I watch her during the week) and it only takes a few minutes.?

MrsBeckO · May 2009

Are you starting out with the convertible seat? And if so, will your LO be in daycare with one parent doing drop off and the other doing pick up?

If so, I would really want to get 2. Having to move it after every single drop off/pick up would be a PITA, but moving it every once in a while is no big deal.

Also, the daycare may not have space for you to leave the seat there during the day. KWIM??

JCM083009 · May 2009

cmeon_the_water:

As an aside, most infant seats don't need bases at all- they're simply a convenience.

How would you safely install an infant seat without a base?

MrsBeckO · May 2009

JCM083009:
cmeon_the_water:

As an aside, most infant seats don't need bases at all- they're simply a convenience.?
How would you safely install an infant seat without a base?

Using the seat belt. There are instructions for both seat belt use and LATCH/base use for both Graco and Chicco.

We'll be using the base for sure, though. Seems safer/more secure and much much easier.?

JCM083009 · May 2009

MrsBeckO:
JCM083009:
cmeon_the_water:

As an aside, most infant seats don't need bases at all- they're simply a convenience.
How would you safely install an infant seat without a base?
Using the seat belt. There are instructions for both seat belt use and LATCH/base use for both Graco and Chicco.
We'll be using the base for sure, though. Seems safer/more secure and much much easier.

ah! I always wondered what that meant, never put two and two together.:)

smilelari · May 2009

MrsBeckO:
Are you starting out with the convertible seat? And if so, will your LO be in daycare with one parent doing drop off and the other doing pick up?
If so, I would really want to get 2. Having to move it after every single drop off/pick up would be a PITA, but moving it every once in a while is no big deal.
Also, the daycare may not have space for you to leave the seat there during the day. KWIM?

We will start with an infant seat, but yes it is likely that some days a different person will drop off than pick up

But DH and I work together. We could swap in the parking lot at work if need be

JCM083009 · May 2009

cmeon_the_water:
Actually, it's no safer to use a base- it's much more common to have an infant seat fail to properly attach to a base than a seatbelt fail. And, it's definitely not difficult at all to install them with a seatbelt once you know what you're doing (though, some seatbelts make this more difficult- older ones particularly). Definitely better than buying an extra base that will only be used once in a bluemoon, and great for travel purposes (who wants to lug around a carseat base?

Good to know! We probably won't need to use a car seat in DH's car much so I didn't want to buy an extra base for very little use. Now I now, in a pinch we can still safely make it work!

bim38106 · May 2009

smilelari:
MrsBeckO:
DItto JCM -- convertibles don't have bases.. if you move the seat from one car to another you unstrap and move the whole thing.
Is that difficult to do?

Britax is very easy to install/uninstall! That said, I think it's still much easier to just have 2 (if you're going to be using both cars often, otherwise, 1 should be fine). I've heard from friends that other brands are very difficult/time consuming to install. I had a friend install hers in my car and it took her 30 minutes! She's done it a few times before too, I think it was a Graco. We have a Britax Marathon and a Roundabout and both I can install in less then 5 minutes.

karin&ben · May 2009

smilelari:
MrsBeckO:
DItto JCM -- convertibles don't have bases.. if you move the seat from one car to another you unstrap and move the whole thing.
Is that difficult to do?

I have a Roundabout (love it) and it's very easy to move between cars.

karelaorange · May 2009

cmeon_the_water:
Actually, it's no safer to use a base- it's much more common to have an infant seat fail to properly attach to a base than a seatbelt fail. And, it's definitely not difficult at all to install them with a seatbelt once you know what you're doing (though, some seatbelts make this more difficult- older ones particularly). Definitely better than buying an extra base that will only be used once in a bluemoon, and great for travel purposes (who wants to lug around a carseat base?

Ditto this. In the recent Chicago Tribune study, flying off the base was the most common reason for infant seat failure. That being said, the Chicco Keyfit stayed on its base, which is why we're going with this one.

shunt1983 · May 2009

You dont need a base you can get one I suppose you can get one. ?I have Britax marathon no base. ?Only the infants and thats to make it easier.

shunt1983 · May 2009

Once they are fowards facing much easier to move but you can get one more expensive the britax and then I found a second one alpha at marshalls for about 90 bucks its easier for us. ?(it was 180 originally)Plus we are having a second child so eventually, I would had to buy. ?But this is not the same for everyone.?

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