Talk to me about your stroller and/or carseats

hmhiggin · September 2011

I'm in the process of trying to pick mine out. I'm not sure if I want a full on mega "travel system", infant seat + lightweight strolller, or a 3 in 1 type convertible seat. I took a look through the gear board and didnt get a whole lot of help.

Here are some questions that I have:
1. Will a convertible work for a newborn? I know they are rated for 5 lbs to 100ish, but does it truly work or is it just too big?
2. If it does work, and you got the convertible, that doesnt remove from the car, what did you do about a stroller for the first few months?
3. Also, if you got the convertible, what did you do about hubby's car?

I'm so overwhelmed at the moment, i've lost most of my questions.

If it makes a difference, these are the items im looking at for each option:

A) travel system: (its actually not a system, just matching) Graco SnugRide 35 +Quattro Tour deluxe stroller
b) infant seat + lightweight stroller: babytrend snap n go with as yet to be determined infant seat
c) convertible: Britax marathon 70

And $ is somewhatof an issue. Obviously I dont want to get an unsafe seat for my baby, but I'd like to do it the most economically way possible.

Whoo. Now my head hurts. Any advice would be appreciated.

SuperCuteBenz · September 2011

1.) Some convertibles do. The Britax used to not be a good choice for newborns but they now have an infant positioner that you can buy separately from your seat. You have to have that in order for it to fit your newborn. The First Years True Fit, and I believe the Graco My Ride 65 and Evenflo Triumph Advance are good choices as well.

2.) Most people that start out with a convertible use some sort of infant carrier like a Moby, Ergo, etc.

3.) You either buy two convertibles or switch it out as needed, which I would advise against unless you know you are going to install it correctly 100% of the time.

The only 3-N-1 seats that I would even consider would be the Graco Smart Seat ($$$) or the Evenflo Symphony, and I am not sure about how either of them fit newborns. You might be able to look for that info on www.carseatblog.com.

I would advise you to stay away from seats like the Alpha Omega Elite, Eddie Bauer and Graco Comfortsport because they are outgrown early on, even though the 1st two claim to be your last seat.

Honestly, I loved my infant seat, and I don't think I would ever bypass. The only reason I might would be because we are considering #3, and I gave my infant seat away, so I don't really want to spend $$$ on an infant seat when I likely won't have a 4th.

Also, you will likely need a convertible seat, and then a harnessed booster before getting a regular booster. It depends a lot on the size of your child. My DD is 3 1/2, 37" and 29lbs. She will fit into her Britax Marathon for quite a while yet, but she needs to be at least 4 AND 40lbs before she can move to a booster seat. So, she has quite a while left. Hopefully, she will go from her Marathon into a Frontier and that will be our last seat for her.

So, there still might be quite a few car seats in your future. Wink

** I would go with option B to start with.

katcarls · September 2011

I really liked the convenience of the infant seat and I didn't think it was a waste of money at all. If you get one that has higher height and weight limits you should be able to get at least 9 months use out of it, unless your LO is off the growth charts. We were able to use our Chicco Keyfit 30 for 13 months. I would avoid those 3 in 1 seats. They're not very good and they won't last as long as you think they will.

I would skip the travel system. Most of those strollers are very bulky and there are so many better options out there. Especially since a lot of strollers can be used with an infant carseat now. I used the Moby wrap a lot and I have the Inglesina Zippy stroller. It has all the features of a full size stroller but it's fairly lightweight and not crazy expensive. It also has an amazing one hand, standing fold. They haven't made many changes since the 2009 model and you can find new 2010s at a good price. My other top choice was the Baby Jogger City Mini.

gimmietimmies · September 2011

1. Yes, you can use a convertible for a newborn. Some work better than others for small infants, like Britax Marathon/Boulevard with the infant insert (sold seperately). Ask on car-seat.org if you want to go this route, post also with your year, make and model of vehicle. It has the highest harness height next to the Diono (Sunshine Kids) Radian and Evenflo Symphony, but the Radian doesn't fit young infants well (I'd say it would fit a 4-6month old better). I'm not sure about the Evenflo.

2. I did this with some of my kids, I had a stroller with ds that laid flat, and a stroller with dd 1 and dd2 that looked like a bassinet, then converted to a multi-recline seat. I rarely took dd3 and dd4 out in the stroller with the infant seat, I have a Phil and Teds, I put it in the infant position. I also use carriers, like the Ergo.

3. Hubby's car doesn't have it's own car seat. In the rare occasion that he needs it, I pull the seatsin our van out. Pre-5 kids, dh had a convertible in his car for ds, but he was 6 months old by then, and we've only just stocked up my car/van since dd1 came.

Your choice of the Snugride 35 is a good seat. Also look at the Chicco Keyfit 30, and the Britax Chaperone (I think the Britax free ride event is still on, have a look). Beyond dislike the Quattro. We had one that lasted 3 months before parts started breaking. Others on here like them, but I don't. Especially since owning different types of strollers.

B- is a good option. The only reason I don't like snap-and-go's is that infant seats are meant for travel in a car, not for long periods snapped in strollers. Or as nap devises, etc. Aside from putting their airways at a bad angle, their head is stuck in one position for long periods of time, increasing the risk of flat head (plagiocephaly).

C- is a fine option too. Shop around for sales. If you go this route, strollers you could try are the Quinney Zapp xtra (or Buzz, but it's more$$), Phil and Ted's Smart Buggy and Bassinet (or any of their others, but again $$), Peg Perego Skate (or Pliko P3), or BJ City Select with Bassinet (it would grow/shrink with your family). If your budget was tight, I'd consider any of these second hand.

Good luck, shopping will make your head spin. Go try some of these things out too.

hmhiggin · October 2011

Thanks ladies.

preggersin2011 · October 2011

if you do a convertible car seat, you need to make sure the stroller will lie flat!! you will need a convertible seat for both cars eventually too. Many of the strollers designed for a stroller system are for infants 6+months and are intended to have the infant carrier in use until 6months. I am going with an infant carrier since I live in a cold climate and i want to put a blanket over the baby, walk to the car, and snap & go in the car. Many people do the carrier since you can bring it into the grocery store and put the baby in the cart, leave the baby sleeping in the carrier & bring it into your home.

i would go with a custom made travel system if you want one. personally i was going to do an infant carrier & the snap n go stroller until around 6 months of age. I found a deal on the britax website and paid 199.99 with free shipping and no tax for the infant carrier & matching stroller.

My friend gave me her phil & ted's jogging stroller. you can put a newborn into it, and i think there is a way to convert it into a travel system too. ?

Talk to me about your stroller and/or carseats

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