second thoughts: higher weight (i.e. heavier) car seat

Persa · September 2010

I was planning to get a Chicco Keyfit 30 because my husband and I are tall-ish (I'm 5'8, he's 6') and I thought it might be good to have the higher height limit.

I was just planning to get an extra base for my mom's car, since she's going to be taking care of the baby, but now I'm worried the heavier car seat might be too hard for my mother to get in and out of the car. She's already got back issues and while I don't think she's going to be carrying it too much (versus just taking it out of the car), I wonder if I should just get the lighter weight Graco or Keyfit.

Any thoughts?

lindseyenderson · September 2010

I personally have the Graco Snugride 22 and love it! Once it was too heavy to carry I kept it in the car, but that didn't happen as early as it would have with the Chicco- it was so worth it for me to have the portability for a long as possible. Either way you'll have to switch to a convertible at some point, just depend on how fast your baby grow out of the 22 if you get it.

MarcyIam · September 2010

I have the 32 and like it - Ryan would have outgrown the regular too quickly. I still carry it around with no problems and DH can carry it shorter distances (he has back, shoulder and knee problems). But if he's having a bad day, he just leaves it in the car and carries Ryan.

Either way, I'm thinking if your mom has back problems, either seat with a baby in it will hurt her. So just depends on how quickly you want to switch from infant to convertible seat.

teeah22 · September 2010

To me the only purpose of the infant seat is the convenience of being able to move the baby around easily. Once it gets too heavy, a convertible (which you'll need anyway) is easier to get the baby in and out of. The lighter your seat, the longer you'll feel comfortable carrying it. I stopped using ours (regular Snugride) long before he reached height or weight capacity just because it was too heavy with the baby in it to lug around anymore. If I was going to be taking him in and out of a car seat, I liked the convertible much better for that than the infant seat.

belizeitornot · September 2010

Part of our decision was not only getting it in and out of the car, but also into our house. We have a massive flight of stairs from the street to the front door - no way was I going to carry a 10-12lb car seat PLUS baby in the middle of winter up those stairs. So we decided to register for the Snugride 22 instead of the 32 or 35. Neither DH nor I are large (tall or heavy-set) so odds are we'll be able to have our daughter in that seat until we just can't fathom carrying her in it any more and then we'll switch to a convertible.

I think people sometimes forget it's not just the getting it out of the car and onto a stroller - there will be times when you need to carry just the seat with your kid in it! If you think your mom would have trouble with that, go with a lighter seat.

Coleslawcat · September 2010

If you like the Keyfit best just get the Keyfit 30. It weighs the same and is the same size as the Keyfit 22. It is heavier than the Graco 22, but not as big as the Graco 32/35. If your mom doesn't want to take the seat out of the car she can leave it in and just take the baby out, but it gives you the option.

I just checked and the weight difference between a Snugride 22 and the Chicco Keyfits is about 1.5 pounds in case you were wondering.

Bride2bMO · September 2010

I have the graco 22. I've stopped carrying seat out of car at just 2 months. Kiddo is 14+ lbs. I just pop him in the ergo, much easier, especially if carrying in groceries, or holding toddler's hand. So I'll probably just switch to convertible soon.

ecu1995 · September 2010

I have the Graco 35 and when I was pregnant and had pregnancy brain I thought it would be a great idea b/c it would last us longer. Well, now that my 4month old is 17lbs, it is AWFUL to take him in and out in the seat...I leave it in the car and just take him in and out and carry him in my Beco. The thing weighs a ton!!

SL122 · September 2010

I really don't understand people complaining about the weight of the seat when the baby is 4 or months...just stop carrying the seat! A heavier weight and height limit buy you several more months to research and choose a convertible carseat. It's also great if you have two cars - leave the infant seat permanently in one car, buy a convertible for the other. You are going to be buying an infant seat anyway, most likely - you might as well spend the extra $20-30 to get one that will last longer (that is how much more our seat was than the regular one, anyway).

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second thoughts: higher weight (i.e. heavier) car seat

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