Its a little early, car seat recommendations?

GHBEA · September 2010

I want to research them and figured you newer moms would have recommendations.

We have NO baby stuff at all and will have to start fresh I'm not complaining because I like to shop.

nikkileigh11 · September 2010

I think we're going with the T-Tario (by Teutonia)- same as the Graco SnugRide 35, but you can custmoize the fabric, and the material is much more sturdy.

Possibly Brittax Marathon for next step up....

yesthisiskim · September 2010

My husband and I are going with the convertable Evenflow seats for our twins. We really love the fact that we don't have to buy an infant carrier and then a toddler seat. Check it out!

https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4132502

GenaBoBenaWife · September 2010

I've been looking at both the Graco Snugride and the Chicco Keyfit.

luvdv8 · September 2010

I love my SnugRide 35! In the beginning we borrowed out friend's stage one/two carseat and just HATED it- it was so impossible to adjust and I hated having to pull a sleeping baby out of the seat because it didn't have a stationary base. We went with the 35 because DD was a VERY big 6 month old and while she had hit the weight requirement for a forward facing we just weren't comfortable turning her forward at that age. Also, the SnugRide snapped right into our CityMini (with the attachment) so there was no more baby strapping and unstrapping.

She's now in a stage two 5-point forward facing and it converts to a stage 3 booster, so LO will be in the SnugRide from the start (thank god!)

Recommendation- bring your car to the store and try out the seats you're thinking about. Our old Subaru Forrester could only hold the rear-facing seats in the center of the backseat without making the driver uncomfortable.

Chickandtaco · September 2010

Chicco Keyfit 30 for sure! We have one from my son, and I just bought a 2nd one. It is one of the highest rated for saftety on consumer reports. Watch out on the infant car seats, some only go up to 20 or 22 pounds. Try to find one that goes up to 30 or else your baby may outgrow it long before they are a year old. I didn't have that problem but I have friends that did. It IS nice to have a baby carrier so that when they are that tiny you can move them in and out of the car and run errands or do whatever without having to take them out of the carseat. My son was in his Chicco Keyfit 30 until he was 14 months old! It holds up to 30 pounds or 30 inches tall.

As for a big kid carseat, any of the Britax ones are great and highly rated for safety. We went with the Britax Boulevard which can also be used for infants, weight is 5-65 pounds. I'm hoping this will be the only carseat he will need for the rest of his life!

Also if anyone is looking used, be careful. Carseats have expiration dates on them due to saftey regulations. I believe they are good for 7 years? Just check the date, as long as it doesn't expire during the timeframe you will need it then go for it. I found some STEALS on used carseats on cragslist. I got my 2nd Chicco Keyfit 30 plus two bases for $100 last week, it retails for about $280! Now we're ready for the twins!

Kmhsswim · September 2010

One thing to keep in mind with car seats is to keep it in the box until you are a little bit closer to your due date, especially if you are having twins!

My sister had two car seats ready to go and then her twins came a little bit early. The little girl was under 5 lbs and the hospital would not release her unless they had a car seat that was certified for under 5lbs (most run from 5-20 or 5-32). She ended up having to buy a brand new one from the hospital.

Chickandtaco · September 2010

Yikes! Never though about that!

The chicco keyfit 30 is rated for 4lbs to 30lbs! Hopefully we are in the clear!

Pecas13 · September 2010

We have a snugride 22 because I didn't want to haul around a 30 lb baby + a 15 lb carseat. Once DS hit the weight limits, I was happy to get a convertible carseat. He was able to sit in shopping carts, etc at that time, so I had no need for the carrier.

But...the straps on the 22 don't have an easy tightening mechanism like the 35, and I didn't even know that that was a feature until DS was older. I would probably like that better. We may borrow my sister's Chicco Keyfit 30 for the next one if this one is bothersome this time to us.

Steph1673 · September 2010

I think we are going with the Graco Snugride 35.

It has a good safety rating, will hold a larger baby longer, is compatible with almost anything and I really like the gender neutral "laguna bay" color they just came out with.

CanyonMama · September 2010

We were really happy w/ our Chicco KeyFit 30 for our first kid--and plan to use it w/ our second. It got very high marks from Consumer Reports--plus I just like how my son fit in it.

mom2atornado · September 2010

I have the Chicco keyfit for my dd and LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It has been a great carseat for her. She is 20 months and I just switched her over to the next step (Radian that we also love) She was a premie and it was a hit at the NICU. She got to come home in it, we didn't need to rent a special carseat since it can fit such a low weight. It is a little heavier than some if you carry it but it is so worth it.

MG7 · September 2010

We have the Snugride - I really liked it a lot. I was also able to find the snap n go stroller frame AND swing frame on craigslist so it was perfect for us. I never had a travel system just the frame and later a different stroller that was given to us.

weelass24 · September 2010

We had the Graco SungRide 32 (32 lbs or 30 inches). I loved it. I think the newest version is up to 35 lbs. The longer they are in the infant seat the better. For the convertable, we have the Graco MyRide 65, which is RF to 40 lbs and FF to 65.

The one thing people always complain about it how heavy the infant seat gets when the get bigger. Everyone assumes if they are in the seat, you should carry them in it. Don't. When your LO makes it too diffcult to carry, just leave the thing it the car.

ETA: I have a 2004 Toyota Corolla and both seats fit fine.

weelass24 · September 2010

Grace0609:
weelass24:

We had the Graco SungRide 32 (32 lbs or 30 inches). I loved it. I think the newest version is up to 35 lbs. The longer they are in the infant seat the better. For the convertable, we have the Graco MyRide 65, which is RF to 40 lbs and FF to 65.

The one thing people always complain about it how heavy the infant seat gets when the get bigger. Everyone assumes if they are in the seat, you should carry them in it. Don't. When your LO makes it too diffcult to carry, just leave the thing it the car.

ETA: I have a 2004 Toyota Corolla and both seats fit fine.

I'm just curious, what makes you say that? I found that my son fit better in his convertible car seat than in the Infant Carrier, and I had to readjust the base at least 2 or 3 times a week with the infant carrier, and haven't had to once with the convertible. I have never heard of any safety benefit to leaving a baby in an infant carrier for longer, so I am just curious as to why you feel that way?

Because it is safer. They sit lower and are more protected from side impact in the infant carrier.

Why did you have to readjust the base?

GHBEA · September 2010

QUOTE" Recommendation- bring your car to the store and try out the seats you're thinking about. Our old Subaru Forrester could only hold the rear-facing seats in the center of the backseat without making the driver uncomfortable."

Thanks for this tip my DH is over 6 foot and has to put the seat all the way back. He wants to get a bigger vehicle for this very reason and with Little Bean coming its even got him thinking more about something else.

Thanks for all the recomendations it has helped a lot.

RunningGal900 · September 2010

weelass24:
Grace0609:
weelass24:

We had the Graco SungRide 32 (32 lbs or 30 inches). I loved it. I think the newest version is up to 35 lbs. The longer they are in the infant seat the better. For the convertable, we have the Graco MyRide 65, which is RF to 40 lbs and FF to 65.

The one thing people always complain about it how heavy the infant seat gets when the get bigger. Everyone assumes if they are in the seat, you should carry them in it. Don't. When your LO makes it too diffcult to carry, just leave the thing it the car.

ETA: I have a 2004 Toyota Corolla and both seats fit fine.

I'm just curious, what makes you say that? I found that my son fit better in his convertible car seat than in the Infant Carrier, and I had to readjust the base at least 2 or 3 times a week with the infant carrier, and haven't had to once with the convertible. I have never heard of any safety benefit to leaving a baby in an infant carrier for longer, so I am just curious as to why you feel that way?

Because it is safer. They sit lower and are more protected from side impact in the infant carrier.

Why did you have to readjust the base?

I'm not a mom yet, but everything I've read agrees with this - to keep them in their infant seats as long as possible.

That being said, we're going with the Graco Snugride 35 or the Chicco Keyfit. We haven't looked in person yet so that will be the determining factor, but all my research suggests these are two of the best infant seats.

MrsCali_Bride · September 2010

We have a Graco Infant SafeSeat from our son and we're planning to buy another one for the second baby. The SafeSeat holds babies up to 30 lbs and 32 inches and we were able to keep our son in it for 14.5 months. The only reason why we switched him to a different seat at that point was because he was about to hit the height limit. I'm hoping to keep the twins in their seats for at least that long, if possible. The seat is a bit on the big side but we didn't have any issues fitting it into our car. We're going to get a double snap n' go for the twins and buy a regular double stroller when they're bigger.

weelass24 · September 2010

Grace0609:
. I have never in my life heard that or read that, I'll have to look into it, since part of my job is to council parents on safety for kids! I had to readjust the base all the time b/c we put the seat in the center seat in our 4 door Civic (used the seatbelt, b/c there is no LATCH in center seat), and everytime you would take the car seat out of the base there was torque on the seat b/c you have to kind of turn it sideways to lift it out of there in our small backseat.

I'd put in behind the passenger's side seat and see how it goes. I've always had it on the far side from me. I originally had it installed by a friend who is a police officer trained in car seat safety and intallation. He said it was totally fine over there.

Gatorney · September 2010

We are planning to get a carrier/stroller combo by BabyTrend. DH actually did the research, and it had 1st place safety ratings. DH wants a jogger to take LO with him running in the AM (assuming LO wakes up with him), and this one of the few that the jogger isn't ridiculously expensive and you can use it with the carrier. Even though it means buying a seperate seats later for forward facing, we'd rather not have to strap a sleeping baby in and out of a seat in the car, and the stroller will be good for LO until she/he is 3 or possibly longer.

tashaobrien · September 2010

I haven't really looked into car seats. I told DH this and choosing the baby monitor would be his job since he's a tech geek and would have a better idea of what all the fancy details mean.

I actually posted on the Babies: 0-3 and 3-6 months board a few weeks ago asking them to recommend their breast pump (for when I go back to work). The responses were very helpful.

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Its a little early, car seat recommendations?

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