Stroller and car seat help!

Babydust08 · October 2010

Hi ladies. I am pregnant with my first and I know it's early, but DH and I would love to start our registry before the holidays, but I have NO idea where to start. Right now I'm focusing on researching car seats and strollers. I really like the Graco or Chicco (sp?) 30 and 35 since they will last longer. For strollers, do you all suggest a travel system or a full size stroller? What seems to be easier. TIA!

missesru · October 2010

I recommend picking up "Baby Bargains"... this will provide you a ton of reviews and recommendations on the right stroller/carseat for you.

We are going with the Graco Snugride 35 and have purchased the UppaBaby Vista stroller. We also got the adaptor for the carseat to snap into the stroller frame. This is perfect for us.

Babydust08 · October 2010

Thank you so much! I will pick up that book and I think you just answered my question too. I didn't know you could get an adaptor!

Edited to ask, does the adaptor you bought fit the uppa baby? Or did you have to get a different stroller frame?

bethCT · October 2010

I suggest not getting the 35 lb car seat - are you really willing to carry around a 30 lb baby in that bucket seat? DD is only 20 lbs and has been in the convertible seat for almost a year. Also, the 22 lbs Graco we had weighed 7 lbs - so I had to carry the weight of the baby plus 7 lbs - that got old fast!

slwprincess · October 2010

bethCT:
I suggest not getting the 35 lb car seat - are you really willing to carry around a 30 lb baby in that bucket seat? DD is only 20 lbs and has been in the convertible seat for almost a year. Also, the 22 lbs Graco we had weighed 7 lbs - so I had to carry the weight of the baby plus 7 lbs - that got old fast!

I have the opposite advice. I'd go for the bigger seat. If it's too heavy, you can always leave it in the car and take the baby out- just like a regular convertable carseat. But the in the chance that the baby is asleep and you don't want to wake him/her- it is so nice to have that option for a little longer! Plus, it's much easier to enjoy a meal out when your LO is strapped in that infant seat! Once they outgrow it and have to sit in a highchair- life becomes so much more stressful :-) And yes, get the Baby Bargains book. So helpful.

mishu917 · October 2010

I have the Orbit travel system because I really liked the unique features of orbit especially the car seat. I don't have a kid yet but so far I prefer the full size travel system, I personally like the bassinet that comes with them for a small baby. Some people have a snap and go too for their Graco infant seat, which is basically something to roll the car seat on with a basket underneath but much more compact than say a travel system. The Uppa Baby and Bugaboo can be bought with adaptors for the Graco car seats. For a cheaper but similar pram-like stroller, you can check out The First Years Wave Stroller, it comes with a convertible bassinet and stroller seat and is adaptable to the Graco infant seats. Also Britax has a new B-ready stroller which is supposed to be good for easily adapting to growing families. Britax also has great car seats that are easy to use!

LittleApple · October 2010

slwprincess:
bethCT:
I suggest not getting the 35 lb car seat - are you really willing to carry around a 30 lb baby in that bucket seat? DD is only 20 lbs and has been in the convertible seat for almost a year. Also, the 22 lbs Graco we had weighed 7 lbs - so I had to carry the weight of the baby plus 7 lbs - that got old fast!
I have the opposite advice. I'd go for the bigger seat. If it's too heavy, you can always leave it in the car and take the baby out- just like a regular convertable carseat. But the in the chance that the baby is asleep and you don't want to wake him/her- it is so nice to have that option for a little longer! Plus, it's much easier to enjoy a meal out when your LO is strapped in that infant seat! Once they outgrow it and have to sit in a highchair- life becomes so much more stressful :-) And yes, get the Baby Bargains book. So helpful.

I agree with this. DD used her Graco 32 infant seat until she was 14 months old. I stopped taking it out of the car when she was 9 months old unless she was sleeping. The whole "Nobody is going to lug around a 30lb baby" is true, but that doesn't mean you still can't use the car seat.

I would suggest getting a snap-n-go stroller frame first and then decide which stroller you like. But I will say that the Baby Jogger City Mini is an awesome lightweight stroller with all the bells and whistles.

darmca · October 2010

https://www.sears.ca/product/graco-glenforest-quattro-tour-travel-system/632-000289363-1775052

We're getting the Graco "Glenforest" Quattro Tour Travel System. The stroller's good up to 50lbs and the car seat up to 32. Like other have said, I probably won't be lifting the seat out of the car all that time (though who knows, I'm pretty strong and it's a very short walk from my spot in the driveway to the door of the house) but I'm hoping to be able to go from that car seat to a booster seat with our laws here in Canada. If it doesn't work that way, not a big deal, but may as well try.

It also folds down like a dream, put your hand on the middle of the pushing handle and roll it all the way around and it collapses flat before your eyes.

RileyGrace · October 2010

darmca:

I'm hoping to be able to go from that car seat to a booster seat with our laws here in Canada. If it doesn't work that way, not a big deal, but may as well try.

Just an FYI - you definitely won't be able to go from the infant seat straight to a booster. Even if your kid fits the weight limit of the carseat, they will outgrow the height limit of an infant seat long before they are big enough for a booster. You will definitely still have a forward facing convertible seat at approx the one year mark.

Not a big deal or anything, just wanted to make sure you knew that you definitely won't go straight to a booster.

mlatiolais · October 2010

We are going with the Chicco Cortina travel system. The Chicco Keyfit infant seat that comes with it is one of the safest on the market, and the whole travel system is Consumer Reports top rated. With safety followed by price (spending 600 on a stroller is just not practical for us), being our main criteria it ended up being easy for us.

darmca · October 2010

RileyGrace:
darmca:

I'm hoping to be able to go from that car seat to a booster seat with our laws here in Canada. If it doesn't work that way, not a big deal, but may as well try.

Just an FYI - you definitely won't be able to go from the infant seat straight to a booster. Even if your kid fits the weight limit of the carseat, they will outgrow the height limit of an infant seat long before they are big enough for a booster. You will definitely still have a forward facing convertible seat at approx the one year mark.

Not a big deal or anything, just wanted to make sure you knew that you definitely won't go straight to a booster.

Thanks, this is my first and I'm slightly clueless :P It's good up to 32 inches. I'll see what happens, we're hoping to have a second child pretty quick after the first so maybe when one outgrows it the other will be born (and hopefully it won't be expired yet)

vlewis84 · October 2010

We got the Graco 35 and the Metrolite stroller in the Laguna pattern.

jquirke9881 · October 2010

Baby Bargains is a great book for all baby gear. I have a Graco car seat and I like it. We chose not to do a travel system but that is really a personal preference. You should go to a baby store and try the strollers out. We ended up getting the Snap and Go to use with the car seat and I also got a jogging stroller (which the car seat also attaches to).

SL122 · October 2010

bethCT:
I suggest not getting the 35 lb car seat - are you really willing to carry around a 30 lb baby in that bucket seat? DD is only 20 lbs and has been in the convertible seat for almost a year. Also, the 22 lbs Graco we had weighed 7 lbs - so I had to carry the weight of the baby plus 7 lbs - that got old fast!

This advice is so confounding. Why on earth do people think you HAVE to carry the infant seat around? Once it got too heavy, I stopped carrying it and left it in the car. We eventually bought a convertible carseat for one car, and we leave the infant seat (Snugride 35) in the other car. Now we can decide if we love the convertible seat we got, and we get to spread out the two $300 convertible carseat purchases. Whenever anyone says, "Do you really want to carry around a 30 pound child in a bucket seat" I think they're an idiot. There is no rule that the seat cannot stay in the car.

For us, my child would have outgrown a regular seat by length (not weight) by 6 months. The seat that allowed a taller child was the better option. If your family is shorter and you expect a shorter child, the Snugride 22 might be a better option. But don't let the weight requirement be your decision. You can leave the seat in the car - shocking, I know!

kelbrian · October 2010

RileyGrace:
darmca:

I'm hoping to be able to go from that car seat to a booster seat with our laws here in Canada. If it doesn't work that way, not a big deal, but may as well try.

Just an FYI - you definitely won't be able to go from the infant seat straight to a booster. Even if your kid fits the weight limit of the carseat, they will outgrow the height limit of an infant seat long before they are big enough for a booster. You will definitely still have a forward facing convertible seat at approx the one year mark.

Not a big deal or anything, just wanted to make sure you knew that you definitely won't go straight to a booster.

Well, at the one year mark, your baby can and should still be rear facing, as long as they are still meeting the rear facing requirements for their seat. My DD rear faced to age two and I still rear face her when we use our Britax (we don't own a car, Britax is used for short trips, Cosco Scenera for going out of town because it is lighter but it is hard to install rear facing for me).

And yeah, kids should be in a five point harness car seat until age four. Check state laws.

distraction · October 2010

Mlatch:
We are going with the Chicco Cortina travel system. The Chicco Keyfit infant seat that comes with it is one of the safest on the market, and the whole travel system is Consumer Reports top rated. With safety followed by price (spending 600 on a stroller is just not practical for us), being our main criteria it ended up being easy for us.

This. We did the Chicco, it was the easiest for me to open and close (travel system stroller). Truly is 1-handed..

Stroller and car seat help!

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