I had a Graco Snugride with DD, and I was really happy with it. We got the smaller one, rather than the Snugride 35. We had to move her up to a convertible sooner than we would have, but I liked that the smaller one was lighter and easier to carry around when she was little.
I don't have a Vista stroller, but I will give you advice based on friends' experiences: they are HEAVY and a PITA to lug in and out of the trunk. My friends mostly had Snap N Go's for their infant seats rather than dealing with the hassle of the big stroller at that stage. I also went that route, and was very happy. A Snap N Go is not very expensive, and IMHO, well worth the cost in terms of convenience.
Totally agree that it's heavy! But, I also have a 2 year old so I need a "double" which the vista can be with the addition of the rumble seat, or the piggy back board.
This thread is awesome. We absolutely have more research to do! One question for all the STMs- do you have just one? Or one in your hat and one in your DH? Or for the ones with the water bases do you have a base in each?
I'm nervous about taking them in and out of cars...
We had two bases, one for my car and one for his. We also bought two convertible car seats (Radian RXTs) because he does drop off and I pick up LO. We hope with the Radians that LO can use it until she's out of a booster (unless it's in an accident, of course.)
I have the same stroller and I love it. We used the Peg Perego car seat with my two youngest and I plan to buy a new one with this one. It was a great car seat with a great safety rating, however it was pretty heavy, add a kid and it definitely was a pain to lift.
I used a Chicco Key Fit 30 with DD with the Key Fit caddy stroller. LOVED IT. I could take the caddy out and fold /unfold with one hand and it was so wonderful to not disturb the baby. We had 2 bases, 1 for each car to make it easy. This baby will be using it.
For the convertible I had bought a Britax Marathon and didn't like it. Returned it and got the Diono Radian RXT which I love. It goes all the way to a backless booster and 120lbs so we won't have to buy another car seat. It has a good Rear facing weight limit since I plan to RF to 2+ years. Only downside is you do need the angle adjuster ($10) for rear facing in a sedan. DD moved to the convertible at 14 months.
We are still struggling with a stroller selection. DD either likes to be in a cart or running around so we just have a cheap BRU umbrella stroller for extended periods out. we had an expensive stroller given to us (hand me down) but it's so huge and heavy and takes up the whole damn trunk so i only use it for walks in the neighborhood. Now I'm looking for a double so it's a moot point anyway.
@misshosejockey - thanks for the tips! I'm going to run and check mine because it's in the middle and I didn't know to check the manual to make sure that's ok.
I haven't seen the mama&papa stroller mentioned anywhere yet! But I just saw a lady pushing one in the mall and I was semi stalking her. I finally asked her about it and she seems to like it quite a bit!
FTM here but we are going with the Chico Keyfit 30 for our infant car seat. After research it was one of our top choices and we had several friends confirm that they loved it. I registered for a full travel system to include the stroller. It is the Chicco Cortina SE 30 Travel system. It had an easy fold option that could be done one handed, was lightweight and had a very easy ability to have the stroller seat either fully reclined, upright or a variety of in between options. I thought it was fairly similar to some of the graco models with the main difference being the ease that you would adjust the stroller seat. We are also considering a BOB stroller for jogging as we have heard a lot of wonderful reviews and my MIL seems intent on buying us one.
Thanks @misshosejockey for all of the helpful information! Have you ever found certain car seats to work better with certain models of cars? A friend recently suggested that I conduct research on this but I was under the impression that all modern car seats were compatible with new (within a couple years old) cars.
@janda426 there are some newer convertibles that have bases, otherwise unless you use both cars a lot I wouldn't necessarily spend that much per car. Or look for deals- we got two graco nautiluses for $180 from Walmart.com, though that's a combination seat. For our 2 year old we have he safety 1st complete air in my cat, which was closer to $200 at the time and has a bit more padding and headwings and then a cheaper safety 1st convertible for my husband's truck that was around $100.
Everyone- check with your health insurance company. We get free car seats and boosters for each of our kids. we get the base model evenflo convertibles, which tend to be outgrown fast, but they were free and worked great for us as a spare or in families' cars.
Re: Convertible that goes to 22, 30, or 35 lbs... honestly we went with one that only held up to 22 lbs and we switched DS out of it long before he hit the limit for height because he was so tall! He would have graduated out of the others at the same time as well for the same reason. I have a tall skinny kid. Also once he hit 20 pounds there was no way I was going to haul him around in that seat at all anymore. I was taking him out each time anyway, so we just switched him to a convertible at about 6 months. I liked having the infant car seat for those first six months, but would not have used it after that, personally. So I will stick to my nice cheapy 22 lb max car seat rather than spend money on one that, in theory, you could use longer because for us we wouldn't.
Now, with convertibles, I went the cheap route originally and like my seat, but it doesn't work well in the car and we won't be able to use it with two in back. So I plan to spend a decent amount of money on a nice convertible that can also be a booster. That's where I'd rather my money go because he'll use it for 6 years, rather than 6 months.
B born 7/15/13, C born 3/2/15, #3 on the way May '17
I’m a modern man, a man for the millennium. Digital and smoke free. A diversified multi-cultural, post-modern deconstruction that is anatomically and ecologically incorrect. I’ve been up linked and downloaded, I’ve been inputted and outsourced, I know the upside of downsizing, I know the downside of upgrading. I’m a high-tech low-life. A cutting edge, state-of-the-art bi-coastal multi-tasker and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond! I’m new wave, but I’m old school and my inner child is outward bound. I’m a hot-wired, heat seeking, warm-hearted cool customer, voice activated and bio-degradable. I interface with my database, my database is in cyberspace, so I’m interactive, I’m hyperactive and from time to time I’m radioactive.
We found this Graco infant seat + stroller combo at BRU and liked it a lot. Car seat was pretty light, and I'm a wimp so the lighter the better. Haven't made the purchase yet, still doing some research, but was happy to see that it has a ton of good reviews.
Something to consider on car seats if you're planning on having more than one kid is the amount of space a seat can take up. We plan on having 3+ kids so eventually we'll have three across DH's backseat. Some seats, such as the chicco keyfit 30 and diono radian are more narrow and likely to fit three across than others. Just an idea to plan ahead. Luckily by the time I heard about this, we already owned the keyfit and was researching the convertibles.
This! We can fit two car seats in the back of my escape no problem, but 3? Were in trouble. I love the idea of the radian/diono but I've checked it out and they're not what they're advertised to be IMO. they're insanely heavy (which wouldn't be an issue if they didn't tout how they fold and are super easy to carry we a little strap), installation with the seatbelt can be a pain, and they're massively tall. I love how narrow they are so they are perfect for 3 across but I'm not forking over $300+ Each for 3 car seats.
Also check out how much space a seat will take up front to back. With rear facing until at least age 2 a seat can be a pain if it's so big you can barely move the front seats back.
Lmsq1611 We were advised in our class that every car is different. As discussed above using multiple seats, or installing in an SUV vs a sedan can have a much different fit in the vehicle. Many retailers Babies R Us, Walmart etc. will allow you to take the seat out to your car and install it prior to purchase. I highly recommend doing this since it will save you having to go back and exchange a seat or having hubby sit with his knees in his chest b/c the car seat is taking up too much room.
Another great thing about testing out the seat before purchase is that it gives you a better idea on how easy installation may be. For some this doesn't matter because they will set it and forget it, but other may change daily or weekly depending on who is doind transport duty in the house. Hope that helps with what you were looking for. I have a 2007 Toy 4Runner and hubby a 2003 (same body style) so when I was in the class I tried out everything they has in my car and the chicco fits great.
Re: Which car seat?
For the convertible I had bought a Britax Marathon and didn't like it. Returned it and got the Diono Radian RXT which I love. It goes all the way to a backless booster and 120lbs so we won't have to buy another car seat. It has a good Rear facing weight limit since I plan to RF to 2+ years. Only downside is you do need the angle adjuster ($10) for rear facing in a sedan. DD moved to the convertible at 14 months.
We are still struggling with a stroller selection. DD either likes to be in a cart or running around so we just have a cheap BRU umbrella stroller for extended periods out. we had an expensive stroller given to us (hand me down) but it's so huge and heavy and takes up the whole damn trunk so i only use it for walks in the neighborhood. Now I'm looking for a double so it's a moot point anyway.
@misshosejockey - thanks for the tips! I'm going to run and check mine because it's in the middle and I didn't know to check the manual to make sure that's ok.
Anyone tried one of these?
Thanks @misshosejockey for all of the helpful information! Have you ever found certain car seats to work better with certain models of cars? A friend recently suggested that I conduct research on this but I was under the impression that all modern car seats were compatible with new (within a couple years old) cars.
B born 7/15/13, C born 3/2/15, #3 on the way May '17
I’m a modern man, a man for the millennium. Digital and smoke free. A diversified multi-cultural, post-modern deconstruction that is anatomically and ecologically incorrect. I’ve been up linked and downloaded, I’ve been inputted and outsourced, I know the upside of downsizing, I know the downside of upgrading. I’m a high-tech low-life. A cutting edge, state-of-the-art bi-coastal multi-tasker and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond! I’m new wave, but I’m old school and my inner child is outward bound. I’m a hot-wired, heat seeking, warm-hearted cool customer, voice activated and bio-degradable. I interface with my database, my database is in cyberspace, so I’m interactive, I’m hyperactive and from time to time I’m radioactive.
https://www.gracobaby.com/products/pages/aire3-click-connect-travel-system-poseidon.aspx
This! We can fit two car seats in the back of my escape no problem, but 3? Were in trouble. I love the idea of the radian/diono but I've checked it out and they're not what they're advertised to be IMO. they're insanely heavy (which wouldn't be an issue if they didn't tout how they fold and are super easy to carry we a little strap), installation with the seatbelt can be a pain, and they're massively tall. I love how narrow they are so they are perfect for 3 across but I'm not forking over $300+ Each for 3 car seats.
Lmsq1611 We were advised in our class that every car is different. As discussed above using multiple seats, or installing in an SUV vs a sedan can have a much different fit in the vehicle. Many retailers Babies R Us, Walmart etc. will allow you to take the seat out to your car and install it prior to purchase. I highly recommend doing this since it will save you having to go back and exchange a seat or having hubby sit with his knees in his chest b/c the car seat is taking up too much room.
Another great thing about testing out the seat before purchase is that it gives you a better idea on how easy installation may be. For some this doesn't matter because they will set it and forget it, but other may change daily or weekly depending on who is doind transport duty in the house. Hope that helps with what you were looking for. I have a 2007 Toy 4Runner and hubby a 2003 (same body style) so when I was in the class I tried out everything they has in my car and the chicco fits great.