Car seat recommendation?

TRS48 · December 2013

Any STMs recommend a particular type of car seat? I'm so overwhelmed looking at all of the options. I just want something safe that my babies can grow into, so we don't have to buy new ones as they get bigger. Also, I noticed some had reviews that people mentioned putting the car seat in a stroller? What's that about? Do you recommend ones like that? That seems like more work?

lizzybeth13 · December 2013

DH and I were just discussing this last night and talking about newborn seats (the ones with the handle that you can carry) vs the convertible ones that go from rear to front facing. Like PP, opinions and advice would be appreciated!

hupp0013 · December 2013

We have a Graco Snugride 35 as an infant carrier. That snapped into our stroller which was awesome. We We also have a Diono Radian r100. We love that car seat. It is smaller than a lot of the convertible car seats. It is rear facing until 5-40 lbs. It also goes forward facing and becomes a booster as well. I don't remember the forward facing weight restrictions, but it does go up to 100 lbs. I like it because it is considerably smaller than a lot of models, like the Britax marathon, and it has high safety ratings too.

Big+Lil · December 2013

I'd start with a newborn seat and then get the convertible seat. It's easier to tote a sleeping baby in the newborn seat.

allardr · December 2013

If you want birth to booster, one and done I recommend the Diono Radian that's the seat we have now and I love it! However, I recommend buying an infant seat that can go into a stroller, so often little ones fall asleep if I had to take her out of her carseat at every errand and wake DD that would be horrible. Plus the carseat is thus your "carrier" so you use handle and carry baby into store, put it in a shopping cart, etc. If you have convertible you'd have to baby wear or move LO from carseat into some sort of carrier. We did the Chicco Key Fit 30 (top rated on consumer reports the year we bought it) and at 1 switched her to the Diono. We plan to re-use the infant seat with our 2nd and buy another diono for that one around 1. (also note a lot of carseats go with different brand strollers, we got a used Graco stroller from friend, but our new Chicco seat still fit in it.)

Also if you have two cars the seat will be switched between infant seats are soooo much easier. Just buy two bases (though you don't even have to do that) and easy one car to the other. Convertible are much harder to switch.

biglewzer · December 2013

Big+Lil said:

I'd start with a newborn seat and then get the convertible seat. It's easier to tote a sleeping baby in the newborn seat.

You're going to want the portability of the newborn seat. I understand wanting to save the money, but it's really not worth the hassle in the beginning to start with the convertible.

lizzybeth13 · December 2013

Thanks ladies! That's what I thought but DH wasn't convinced.

TRS48 · December 2013

Wow! Thank you so much! I didn't even know a newborn carseat had a purpose other than fitting a newborn- you are all right, I won't want to wake a sleeping infant if I have to go into a store, etc. With twins, does anyone know if is there a stroller I can snap newborn carseats into, so I don't have to carry them both? And just to clarify, when would you recommend purchasing a baby-toddler (if thats a thing?) carseat? Can they stay in the newborn ones for up to a year? (I guess that would depend on their size, but in general, do they typically?) Thank you ladies so much and I am so relieved I am not the only one overwhelmed by all of this!

LyndseylovesHugh · December 2013

We had the graco sungride 35 for our infant seat and the Clek Foonf for our convertible and we loved both. I agree that it was so much more convenient to have an infant seat those first few months!

stella_blu · December 2013

I'll third the radian for a convertible seat. We weren't sure we wanted invest in them but the narrow footprint is so worth it if you plan to have more than one kid. We upgraded to two radians after I had an accident and needed to replace our convertible and I'm so glad we did and so happy with the timing of it as now we will be able to fit 3 kids across in our car. We have a Combi infant seat and both a single and double Combi stroller. I love that the seat has a rebound bar at baby's feet for extra safety and it also makes it easier to carry and maneuver. The strollers are light weight almost umbrella strollers but have reclining seats, sunshades and baskets. Highly recommend!

Big+Lil · December 2013

You can get a double Bob Revolution, and it would be a great stroller for the future.

Big+Lil · December 2013

https://www.hellobee.com/2013/05/14/double-strollers-for-twins/

allardr · December 2013

As for when they outgrow an infant seat, depends on the kid and the seat's weight limit. Honestly I wouldn't have minded a smaller weight limit after around 7-8months I wouldn't carry DD in it anyway. Though the other day I put DD in her infant seat in a friends car (easier to hook that one up) She's a peanut so at nearly 1.5 years she still fits height & weight though she's not as comfy in it.

I'd say if you want average/typical 1 year you'd want to have another seat ready.

glitterclaws · December 2013

stella_blu said:
I'll third the radian for a convertible seat. We weren't sure we wanted invest in them but the narrow footprint is so worth it if you plan to have more than one kid. We upgraded to two radians after I had an accident and needed to replace our convertible and I'm so glad we did and so happy with the timing of it as now we will be able to fit 3 kids across in our car. We have a Combi infant seat and both a single and double Combi stroller. I love that the seat has a rebound bar at baby's feet for extra safety and it also makes it easier to carry and maneuver. The strollers are light weight almost umbrella strollers but have reclining seats, sunshades and baskets. Highly recommend!

Does the combi stoller work with an infant seat or did you prefer a stroller that didn't? I like the look of the combi but in my quick google search they looked to not hold he infant carrier.

I had a friend recommend staying away from the travel systems because they are just so heavy. Does anyone know if there are other options out there that hold the infant seat?

biglewzer · December 2013

I changed my daughter around 7 or 8 months. I really can't remember making the switch. I think we just stopped using the infant to carry her out of the car and thought, "why not?" and switched her out.

biglewzer · December 2013

csmith0085 said:

I'll third the radian for a convertible seat. We weren't sure we wanted invest in them but the narrow footprint is so worth it if you plan to have more than one kid. We upgraded to two radians after I had an accident and needed to replace our convertible and I'm so glad we did and so happy with the timing of it as now we will be able to fit 3 kids across in our car. We have a Combi infant seat and both a single and double Combi stroller. I love that the seat has a rebound bar at baby's feet for extra safety and it also makes it easier to carry and maneuver. The strollers are light weight almost umbrella strollers but have reclining seats, sunshades and baskets. Highly recommend!
Does the combi stoller work with an infant seat or did you prefer a stroller that didn't? I like the look of the combi but in my quick google search they looked to not hold he infant carrier. I had a friend recommend staying away from the travel systems because they are just so heavy. Does anyone know if there are other options out there that hold the infant seat?

Almost all strollers sell an attachment bar for infant car seats. I had a City Mini and a Bob Revolution stroller and both had bars that fit my Peg Perego infant carseat. Different attachment bars for different brand carseats so you're not limited.

glitterclaws · December 2013

@biglewzer - thanks for the clarification! That makes a lot of sense.

biglewzer · December 2013

csmith0085 said:

@biglewzer - thanks for the clarification! That makes a lot of sense.

It's all really confusing and annoying. I liked shopping at BuyBuyBaby over BRU because the staff really took the time to walk me through all the products and differences. I also took my cousin who is a father of 3 and he helped me weed through everything.

stella_blu · December 2013

csmith0085 said:

stella_blu said:
I'll third the radian for a convertible seat. We weren't sure we wanted invest in them but the narrow footprint is so worth it if you plan to have more than one kid. We upgraded to two radians after I had an accident and needed to replace our convertible and I'm so glad we did and so happy with the timing of it as now we will be able to fit 3 kids across in our car. We have a Combi infant seat and both a single and double Combi stroller. I love that the seat has a rebound bar at baby's feet for extra safety and it also makes it easier to carry and maneuver. The strollers are light weight almost umbrella strollers but have reclining seats, sunshades and baskets. Highly recommend!
Does the combi stoller work with an infant seat or did you prefer a stroller that didn't? I like the look of the combi but in my quick google search they looked to not hold he infant carrier.

I had a friend recommend staying away from the travel systems because they are just so heavy. Does anyone know if there are other options out there that hold the infant seat?

My strollers both fit the car seat. I was also warned about how bulky travel systems could be so this was a really great fit for us.

sparks2987 · December 2013

Travel system is awesome with a newborn. Easy to get in/out of the car if they are sleeping. We use the travel system stroller for long trips because it holds more of dd's stuff in the basket underneath, we bought a small canopy stroller for 10$ at Wal-Mart for when u need light quick and easy to pop up. Dd started sitting in it about 5 months for walking the dogs and going to the zoo.

As far as how long you will use a newborn carseat, dd is almost 2 and still under the weight limit for the newborn carseat, we switched at 1 year to convertible carseat.

Kristy917 · December 2013

I would def start with a newborn seat. They sleep so much that it's easy to transfur them into the stroller and still get stuff done. For a convertible car seat we have the britax marathon and I love it!

DelilahSun · December 2013

Both used a Peg Perego Primo Viaggio infant seat, and then they transitioned into Britax Pavilions.

[Deleted User] · December 2013

We used a Chicco Keyfit 30 for the infant seat and moved to the Britax Marathon convertible around 7 months. DS could have fit in the infant seat longer but I no longer took the seat in and out of the car and he was more comfortable in the convertible at that point.

TRS48 · December 2013

Thank you ladies so much!!! There is so much great info here, I have a lot of researching to do.

I really appreciate your help!

Kohler2009 · December 2013

The first time around we got the Graco SnugRide 22. DS was big so he outgrew it at about 6 months and he has been in his Britax Boulevard ever since. I am looking to get another SnugRide 22 for twin #2 to keep things consistent. Definitely factor weight into your decision....you are going to want a light seat because babies get heavy fast

Ylvelill · December 2013

Having twins too. Currently looking to get infant seats either the chicco or the Greco and then a snap and go. They are lighter and can often be bought used. Then when they hit a year or so and we dump the car seats we will spring for a real stroller.

pantherRN · December 2013

The only other advice I have is make sure that whatever infant seat you get can accommodate a preemie if you are having twins.

Ylvelill · December 2013

Yeah that is a must have

we are expecting to be about 3-4 weeks early.

abchittam · December 2013

We used this stroller with our Graco Snugride. It is a lot lighter than the travel systems, but I'm not sure if it will hold as much storage-wise. I loved it and even had a few people stop me and ask about it because they liked that it was simple and petite. It fit in the back of my car well. Then when DS outgrew the newborn seat, we swapped to a Jeep brand umbrella stroller. It's like a mid-sized stroller, with the pockets underneath and the cup holders up top.

I agree with everyone else about wanting the convenience of a newborn carrier. Much easier to tote sleeping baby!

and you will need to put baby somewhere if you take them grocery shopping or anywhere with a buggy.…

And extra bases are definitely worth it! I stumbled across an AMAZING deal where I got 3 extras for a total of $5. So we had 5 total and it was soooo nice! There was one for me, one for hubby, one for my mom, one for my MIL, and one extra that I kept in my trunk. My mom and MIL kept DS while I worked during the week so it was nice to just take baby in car seat and leave him. Didn't have to worry about swapping the base. And the one in my trunk came in handy when any other person kept him (like when mom and MIL were sick/busy). I wouldn't suggest buying so many, as they cost about $60 each. But it our case, it was so worth it considering our schedules and the deal that I got.

Here is the link to the stroller base and a pic.

https://mobile.walmart.com/m/phoenix#ip/Graco-Snugride-Seat-Stroller-Frame/4433210

lindslalala · December 2013

TRS48 said:
Wow! Thank you so much! I didn't even know a newborn carseat had a purpose other than fitting a newborn- you are all right, I won't want to wake a sleeping infant if I have to go into a store, etc. With twins, does anyone know if is there a stroller I can snap newborn carseats into, so I don't have to carry them both? And just to clarify, when would you recommend purchasing a baby-toddler (if thats a thing?) carseat? Can they stay in the newborn ones for up to a year? (I guess that would depend on their size, but in general, do they typically?) Thank you ladies so much and I am so relieved I am not the only one overwhelmed by all of this!

DS moved to a convertible car seat at 7 months. He's very tall for his age though and outgrew his newborn seat height wise, not weight wise.

singingirl96 · December 2013

We skipped the travel systems and just got an infant carrier carseat (Graco Snugride 30) and a snap n go frame. Since you're having twins, you can get a double snap and go frame that'll hold both carriers.
Then, when they're 7 months or so and they're too big for the carrier, switch to a convertible car seat. We have an Evenflo Symphony and love it. We have one in each of our two cars.
As far as stroller, we wanted something lightweight that folded as small as possible, so we went with a mclaren. They make double mclarens too.

rboisvert · December 2013

We don't live anywhere where we walk a lot so we used a baby carrier a lot so we didn't need an infant seat to snap into a stroller frame. We love our Evenflo convertible seat. I'll never remember the model but it's the only one they make that tightens down with a knob on each side instead of the strap in the middle. We love it and will be buying a second for baby 2. They are about $150 but they are always on sale at BRU I think we paid about $100 a piece for each of the 3 we've bought (our cars and 1 grandparent car).

acciovino · December 2013

We had the Chicco KeyFit travel system for DD as it was very high rated. The Chicco carseat was nice but the stroller was really bulky and heavy. I think this time we will get a different infant seat and get a snap and go stroller.

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