Hey I am visiting from Jan 2015 and 1st trimester and my hubby and i are looking at carseats and I was wondering which ones are the best long lasting ones that arent 200$ I am trying to spend max like 120-140.
Car seats have expiration dates. Most of the are 6 years from the time of manufacture (which means maybe 5-5.5 years by the time you buy it). You never want to use a seat past its expiration date. As long as you care for the seat and aren't in any accidents, then they should last that long.
For infants, you have two choices:
1. An infant seat. Most of these are good for babies up to about 25-30 pounds. These are the bucket seats with handles. Most will "snap" into small stroller frames. We have a Chicco KeyFit30 seat, and it snaps into a KeyFit Caddy frame. Very light-weight. When we go somewhere, we just click the seat into a base that stays in the car (we have a base in each car). We just transfer the seat from the car to the stroller frame. Many larger strollers have adapters that can accept an infant seat as well. The upside is that baby can stay strapped into the seat the whole time. If you get home and baby is sleeping, leave him in the seat! Downside is that baby will outgrow the seat in probably a year, maybe less (most outgrow based on height before weight).
2. A convertible seat. These are good for babies as small as 5-ish pounds up to 60-65 pounds. So you can use it rear-facing for an infant, then flip it around to forward facing as the child grows. Upside is that one seat will last a lot longer. Downside is that it stays in the car, so you have to strap them in each time (which is a little challenging for a tiny squishy baby at first, but totally do-able).
Both types of seat have to meet minimum safety standards, so any seat you buy will be safe (always buy seats new and not used, and be careful of expiration dates). A $50 seat is just as safe as a $200 seat. It might not have as nice of fabric, or as many features, or might weigh less/more, or be harder to install, or maybe it won't fit as well in your vehicle. These are all factors to consider when buying a seat. More expensive isn't always "better."
@Avion22 nailed it Infant seats (if you go that route) are really a matter of preference so buy what you'd like. Just avoid Baby Trend and the Graco Snugride22 (only the 22) because neither of those fits newborns well. If you opt not to start with a convertible and need to buy one later, check out the FB group Car Seats for the Littles. Convertibles are a harder decision to make because once your baby is here you should factor in their height and weight curve and because they're bigger, they won't all work in all cars. That FB group is manned by certified car seat techs and filled with tons of advocates who are great with recommendations based on specific criteria.
Do all your research now but hold of on buying a seat for a while. You don't want lose time off the expiration date with it just sitting around your house.
I second checking out Carseats For the Littles. They are amazing.
I use a Graco Snugride 35 and I love it! I'll probably buy another for the next baby that comes along and stick with the Graco brand when this LO moves into a convertible. Before you buy one you might want to ask the store employees if they'll let you see how it fits in your car. It'd suck to buy one just to find out it's an awful fit just before the baby is born and then scramble to find a new one. Good luck!
Re: car seats