carseat woes

aesf · February 2011

I know I am WAY over thinking this but I cannot for the life of me pick out a damn carseat. DHs parents are giving me one for my birthday (which i do not really want BUT I also don't want to pay 150 bucks for one myself or to turn 27. LIfes tough, suck it up) in t minus 9 hours and I am panicing over what is the best carseat.

its silly know. I cant stop.

What car seat did/do you want or have and why? P.S. Im going infant carrier

Jay_Cee · February 2011

We went with the Chicco Keyfit (we are actually getting the Cortina travel system, so the car seat only goes up to 22lbs vs the Keyfit 30).

We chose that one because it has really good ratings and is a very safe carseat. We also chose it because it fit perfectly in the back of my car without us having to move any of our front seats around (I'm 5'10" and my DH is almost 6'). We were concerned with the fit of a carseat and had read that there are many issues with fit and my car (Dodge Neon). The Keyfit was not even reviewed for my car, so we tried it out ourselves.

We don't have it yet, but I'm very excited about it and pleased about getting it in and out of the car (middle seat). The only drawback I can think of is that it is slightly heavier than the Graco Snugride 35, but that wasn't enough of a deterrent for me.

Good luck choosing!

lcunningham · February 2011

We went with the Graco Snugride32. It was great!! I would go onto consumer reports and read what they have to say to help you out.

Kristen61607 · February 2011

Jay_Cee:
We went with the Chicco Keyfit (we are actually getting the Cortina travel system, so the car seat only goes up to 22lbs vs the Keyfit 30).

We just picked out the same one yesterday. We picked it because it had a matching double stroller that both infant carriers fit into (for our twins) and the options were few and far between for this. The guy at BRU said the Chicco and Graco were similar in terms of safety, but the Chicco did rate a bit higher. Honestly I just liked the pattern better on the Chicco then the Graco!

LynnInLove1007 · February 2011

Baby Bargains is your friend. That book saved my sanity when I was registering.

Gracco and Chicco get the best safety and mom reviews.

soontobemrsdavis · February 2011

I have the Graco Snugriide 22. I was going to go with the 35, but the 22 was on sale with the snap and go for $35 so it was a no brainer. From what I hear getting the lighter one seems to work out better anyway.

Jay_Cee · February 2011

Kristen61607:
Jay_Cee:
We went with the Chicco Keyfit (we are actually getting the Cortina travel system, so the car seat only goes up to 22lbs vs the Keyfit 30).
We just picked out the same one yesterday. We picked it because it had a matching double stroller that both infant carriers fit into (for our twins) and the options were few and far between for this. The guy at BRU said the Chicco and Graco were similar in terms of safety, but the Chicco did rate a bit higher. Honestly I just liked the pattern better on the Chicco then the Graco!

Which pattern did you choose? We went with the Discovery since we have lots of green in our baby gear. I love it. I also really like the Miro (the yellow and gray one), but we decided against that pattern.

taylor1781 · February 2011

we're doing the chicco keyfit 30 (haven't decided on the pattern-maybe romance-nice and basic, eventhough i really like the extreme)

overall i just liked it a little better then the graco snugfit 35....i would go to a store that offers both and make your decision that way!

juicyfruit5 · February 2011

We just purchased the Chicco Cortina Travel System which comes with the Chicco Keyfit infant car seat (up to 22lbs I believe). It recieved great reviews from everything I've read (baby bargains, online, etc) and seems really solid and comfortable for the baby! I've read that the Keyfit 30 also got good reviews if you want to avoid a travel system.

Happy shopping!

e_uecker · February 2011

We got the Chicco Keyfit and i'm in love with it. In the store it just looked like such good qaulity. To me it was mainly in the car seat base. It gets really good reviews too. We actually went ahead and got the travel system. I've always hated the look of travel systems but it has good steering, moves easily, and isn't huge and bulky like others i've seen.

Kristin131 · February 2011

Jay_Cee:

We went with the Chicco Keyfit (we are actually getting the Cortina travel system, so the car seat only goes up to 22lbs vs the Keyfit 30).

We chose that one because it has really good ratings and is a very safe carseat. We also chose it because it fit perfectly in the back of my car without us having to move any of our front seats around (I'm 5'10" and my DH is almost 6'). We were concerned with the fit of a carseat and had read that there are many issues with fit and my car (Dodge Neon). The Keyfit was not even reviewed for my car, so we tried it out ourselves.

We don't have it yet, but I'm very excited about it and pleased about getting it in and out of the car (middle seat). The only drawback I can think of is that it is slightly heavier than the Graco Snugride 35, but that wasn't enough of a deterrent for me.

Good luck choosing!

This. We got the travel system. I personally love it and will be using it again for #2.

jdm7 · February 2011

Right now we're going with the Graco Alano FlipIt Travel System - Wilko. It could change between now and when the registry needs to be finalized, but that's what we liked in the store.

mama mand · February 2011

I've always used the Graco Snugride and it worked well, but DD is 6 so we need to get a new infant seat. We were leaning towards the Graco Snugride 30 this time bc we tried the 30 and the 35 out at BRU and the 35 was so much heavier. But, I am not thrilled with the patterns. Reading everyone else's posts, I need to look into the Chicco more before we make our decision.

KOscar · February 2011

Chicco Key Fit 30. I love it and recommend it to all my friends! The only con is that thing is heavy and there's no way I would be using it to the 30 lb limit. I honestly don't think anyone is keeping a 30 lbs kid in an infant seat though. Regardless I think this seat is the best.

GracieLou Freebush · February 2011

Graco Snugride 22. We were going to go with the 35 but found a deal on the 22.

The Chicco Keyfit 30 and the Graco Snugride 35 are the only two seats that get solid A's from Baby Bargains if that helps you narrow it down.

jillybean222 · February 2011

I have used the Graco SnugRide and the Chicco Keyfit 30. They both got good reviews in Consumer Reports. The Graco is a bit cheaper. I think the Graco comes in more patterns, if that is important to you. I am using the Chicco Keyfit 30 for #3. I went with that one b/c it has a narrower base than the Graco and I need to fit 3 carseats across my backseat.

Typically, I read reviews from real moms on Amazon and BRU websites when I am looking at a product. I narrow it down to a few based on safety and price but then go to the mommy experts who already own/have used the products.

ETA: Oh yeah, I forgot to say that I will never carry the infant seat until my child is 30 pounds - I will oust him/her once s/he can sit up on her own in a shopping cart. Those infant seats get heavy really fast. Both of my girls outgrew them b/c of their length before weight.

soon2beMrs.H · February 2011

We have the Graco infant safeseat from DD that we will use again. We loved it, but I really wanted the Chicco Keyfit 30. It was recalled just before my shower, so I made a switch on my registry. They were back on the shelves a few weeks later, but I got the Graco carseat as a shower gift. I'm the only one I know with the Graco but I know several people with the Chicco and they all love it. I would say either of those would be a good choice.

Kristen61607 · February 2011

Jay_Cee:
Kristen61607:
Jay_Cee:
We went with the Chicco Keyfit (we are actually getting the Cortina travel system, so the car seat only goes up to 22lbs vs the Keyfit 30).
We just picked out the same one yesterday. We picked it because it had a matching double stroller that both infant carriers fit into (for our twins) and the options were few and far between for this. The guy at BRU said the Chicco and Graco were similar in terms of safety, but the Chicco did rate a bit higher. Honestly I just liked the pattern better on the Chicco then the Graco!
Which pattern did you choose? We went with the Discovery since we have lots of green in our baby gear. I love it. I also really like the Miro (the yellow and gray one), but we decided against that pattern.

We got this stroller and these carseats - so the pattern is "cubes" i guess? There was only 2 strollers to pick from that could accommodate 2 carseats, and we liked this stroller better so then we just got the carseat that matches. I like the black/grey because it's neutral in case we have more kids (which we probably won't but oh well! lol!)

Jay_Cee · February 2011

Kristen61607:
We got this stroller and these carseats - so the pattern is "cubes" i guess? There was only 2 strollers to pick from that could accommodate 2 carseats, and we liked this stroller better so then we just got the carseat that matches. I like the black/grey because it's neutral in case we have more kids (which we probably won't but oh well! lol!)

I like it very much!

lissiealkie · February 2011

Price doesn't always equal quality or safety. Narrow your choices down and check the ratings online.

ShyVi826 · February 2011

We just bought a Graco SnugRide 35 (Logan) over the weekend. We were debating between that and the Chicco, but we liked the patterns on the Graco better, plus it is a little cheaper. Both have great safety ratings as well.

https://www.gracobaby.com/Products/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=1774951

Want a personalized experience?

carseat woes

Re: carseat woes

Choose Another Board

Search Boards