2 sets of car seats?

Arielle27 · July 2013

Mobile: two sets of car seats?

Just wondering how many people here with more than one family car have car seats in both/all of them?

We are expecting number three. So far we have car seats only in one car. I'd like to have them in the second car for emergencies etc., but that would be quite an expense. Also, my husband's car couldn't fit three unless we bought the special, very pricey brands made for this purpose... So it would probably just be one infant and one ff toddler seat...

Worth it?

LC122 · July 2013

You tell us. How often have you needed to switch which car the kids are in?
I know one family that has two sets but it is because one parent does drop off and the other does pick up.
Also, are grandparents nearby? Having an extra seat to be able to put in a grandparents car might not be bad if they ever take the kids.
How often do you "divide and conquer" with the kids, you take one to the grocery and hubby takes the other to the doctor's appointment?
I think it's more of a lifestyle question. What are your needs and what can you afford? You can look for used but certified to have never been in an accident car seats at Consignment sales, but car seats are one of the things most people will tell you not to buy used.

ebp913 · July 2013

LC122:
You tell us. How often have you needed to switch which car the kids are in? I know one family that has two sets but it is because one parent does drop off and the other does pick up. Also, are grandparents nearby? Having an extra seat to be able to put in a grandparents car might not be bad if they ever take the kids. How often do you "divide and conquer" with the kids, you take one to the grocery and hubby takes the other to the doctor's appointment? I think it's more of a lifestyle question. What are your needs and what can you afford? You can look for used but certified to have never been in an accident car seats at Consignment sales, but car seats are one of the things most people will tell you not to buy used.

Please don't buy used seats. You never know what that seat has been though. You can get safe and new seats for under $100 each. The Cosco Apt ($80) and Scenera ($40) are both inexpensive options. I would look at those. You could probably get seats for your 2 older ones for under $100 or $150 bucks and then put the new baby in the infant bucket which can move between cars.

We have seats in both cars because we both drive the kids a lot and we switch cars often based on needs so only having 1 set isn't an option.

Arielle27 · July 2013

So that's the thing. I do all the driving now, but there have been several times in the past where I had to drive literally for hours in traffic to get to the kids even though my husband was closer because he didn't have car seats.

Truthfully, my husband usually rides a motorcycle and the second car is only used in bad weather, when we have guests we have a lot of guests, mostly from abroad, at least every other month and when we have a babysitter/nanny who needs to drive the kids somewhere when I'm working out of the house or at an appointment.

In short, it's been 'fine' so far, but I worry with the third coming and the kids getting a bit older and going to separate schools that it might become more difficult to coordinate.

As for cost, if it weren't an issue, I wouldn't be asking the question! ;. We did get a great deal on a 2nd hand car seat for 25 dollars a while back, but it's a few years old and not a model made any more so we haven't yet figured out how to install it, and it now makes me a bit worried to use it since it is older but not to expiration date and we can't find a manual to go with it.

drcolleen · July 2013

My DD1 is older, but we have 2 car seats in each car, though by the time we needed to move DD2 out of her infant carrier at 15 mo (our girls are little) we moved DD1 into a booster with a back for DH's car not our minivan, so that was cheeper for us. We will put the infant bases in both cars when DS comes. That being said, DH is home most days with the kids and on days he teaches he now brings them to a sitter (no nanny at the moment) so DH has always gone out with the kid(s) by himself.

BonitaKaz · July 2013

We actually have 3 sets of carseats. One set for my car, one for DH's and one set for my aunts car (she watches them during the day).

ebp913 · July 2013

Arielle27:
So that's the thing. I do all the driving now, but there have been several times in the past where I had to drive literally for hours in traffic to get to the kids even though my husband was closer because he didn't have car seats. Truthfully, my husband usually rides a motorcycle and the second car is only used in bad weather, when we have guests we have a lot of guests, mostly from abroad, at least every other month and when we have a babysitter/nanny who needs to drive the kids somewhere when I'm working out of the house or at an appointment. In short, it's been 'fine' so far, but I worry with the third coming and the kids getting a bit older and going to separate schools that it might become more difficult to coordinate. As for cost, if it weren't an issue, I wouldn't be asking the question! ;. We did get a great deal on a 2nd hand car seat for 25 dollars a while back, but it's a few years old and not a model made any more so we haven't yet figured out how to install it, and it now makes me a bit worried to use it since it is older but not to expiration date and we can't find a manual to go with it.

I would get an extra set of seats. The cheapest seats are the Cosco brand which is sold at Walmart. I would do those and get rid of the used one you bought. It really is very unsafe to use a used seat. I only tell you this because you will be beyond upset if you get in an accident and the seat fails!

kagl08 · July 2013

ebp913:
Arielle27:
So that's the thing. I do all the driving now, but there have been several times in the past where I had to drive literally for hours in traffic to get to the kids even though my husband was closer because he didn't have car seats. Truthfully, my husband usually rides a motorcycle and the second car is only used in bad weather, when we have guests we have a lot of guests, mostly from abroad, at least every other month and when we have a babysitter/nanny who needs to drive the kids somewhere when I'm working out of the house or at an appointment. In short, it's been 'fine' so far, but I worry with the third coming and the kids getting a bit older and going to separate schools that it might become more difficult to coordinate. As for cost, if it weren't an issue, I wouldn't be asking the question! ;. We did get a great deal on a 2nd hand car seat for 25 dollars a while back, but it's a few years old and not a model made any more so we haven't yet figured out how to install it, and it now makes me a bit worried to use it since it is older but not to expiration date and we can't find a manual to go with it.
I would get an extra set of seats. The cheapest seats are the Cosco brand which is sold at Walmart. I would do those and get rid of the used one you bought. It really is very unsafe to use a used seat. I only tell you this because you will be beyond upset if you get in an accident and the seat fails!

ITA. The Costco seats are about $30-40 each. Car seats are the only thing we will not buy used and will absolutely spend the money on no matter what.

We have only 1 set of car seats for the kids. But I SAH with them, and my DH works over 1 hr away and is barely home when they are awake during the week. If I go somewhere without kids, I leave the car with the car seats in it and take DH's seat. My mom does have 1 Costco seat and we love it! She plans to get a 2nd one for my DS. They are really good seats, especially for money.

luvmyducks · July 2013

We have 2 carseats in both cars. If/When we have a 3rd and need a 3rd carseat, I'm not quite sure what we will do....

WhitWed · July 2013

Just had our second child and plan to get sets for both cars. DD is in a convertible seat and DS is in an infant one. We already have two infant seats and one convertible so right now we just need a second convertible to be able to have sets in both cars. This way DH can drop them off at daycare later in the morning and I can pick them up in the early afternoon. With the way our work hours are, this is the best way for us to maximize time with them and minimize hours at daycare. It also helps if one of us was out of town for business, stuck in traffic, or had to stay late for work; we never have to worry about swapping out seats or having the right vehicle. It works for us and I think will be worth it.

Monsieur_et_Madame_Ha · July 2013

We have sets for both cars. Sure it's an extra expense, but I feel it's worth it.

Arielle27 · July 2013

Thanks for all the input! Sorry for the late response... With all the updates and changed to the forums, I didn't actually see that there were more responses.

You've all confirmed my thoughts about the used car seat... And I guess I'll wait and see wih my husband's new work location/schedule and the new baby how often we'll need the extra seats...

daisy662 · July 2013

We would not be able to do it with only one set. Just not worth the aggravation in my opinion. We will have a set in each car and likely will buy a 3rd set when #2 arrives for my mom who will be moving here (she now lives 4 hours away). I agree with pp's that carseats are not something to cheap out on or get used. They are so important. We bought really good ones with high ratings and I wouldn't have done it any other way.

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