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March 2015 Moms
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Overwhelmed

benthasheabenthashea member
in March 2015 Moms
trying to decide on car seats/strollers, etc is so overwhelming for me!!! Is there an easy way to decide?? Please help!
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Re: Overwhelmed

  • BitsyBelle84BitsyBelle84 member
    For most baby items such as these I ask around for favorites from other parents, Google product reviews/safety ratings and consider our needs. Pick one item at a time and research/ ask around for opinions and as you pick an item move onto the next. For me at least I found it much less daunting than focusing on the whole list of what we needed to buy the first time.


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  • sunset30sunset30 member
    I'm with you - it is overwhelming how many choices are out there for baby gear. 

    My strategy is to do some research, figure out my priorities for features, talk to friends with kids on their preferences (as well as this board and the Baby Gear board) and finally go to the store to see and touch and test things in person. For research, check out the book Baby Bargains, the blog Lucie's List and checking Amazon reviews to help narrow down on your final choices.

    The good thing is that it doesn't seem that there is necessarily a right or wrong. All car seats must meet the same safety standards so its more about the convenience features and cost. 
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  • dottedwhearts777dottedwhearts777 member
    We spent a while at the baby story looking at every aspect of the stroller system. I figured out which were easier to detach when I lifted up the carseat... how compact they are when folded... it was fun and I think I made a good choice. I chose the whole system because buying them piece by piece looked a little pricier. I chose the graco francesca system :D
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  • honkytonk_kidhonkytonk_kid member
    I like using consumer reports (for ratings of things like ease of use, safety, value, etc) and amazon.com reviews.

    A way to make it easier is to realize it's not brain surgery. Just pick something with decent reviews and it will probably be fine. If not, sell it and try again.
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  • copperrosecopperrose member
    Honestly, it just takes a long time to decide what you want and then read reviews and recs. I second lucies list though I've never used it personally since it either wasn't around when I was buying for dd or I didn't know about it.

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  • kmvisiolikmvisioli member
    My mom's tip for car seats/infant carriers was to actually carry it around the store for a few minutes to get a feel for the handle in your arm. Strollers: decide how compact, lightweight, and agile you need it to be, and how sporty you want it (ie does your neighborhood have sidewalks, will you mostly use it indoors). Once you have an idea of what's important to you, just pick something in your price range - it's all relatively the same and just not that huge of a deal in the long run. Check product reviews once you pick one (before purchase) just to be sure it seems ok.
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  • Christina80xoxoChristina80xoxo member
    I just read reviews, but take most of my advice from friends and relatives who have used the products.
    Don't get overwhelmed , if you're a March mommy you still have time :)
    Baby shopping is fun ! :)
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  • strawberryannestrawberryanne member
    I looked for a system I liked that worked for our lifestyle (we're not going to move up to an SUV since we can't afford to get a new car at this time). Once I had a system I liked (the Chicco® Liteway™ Plus Stroller and Chicco® KeyFit® 30 Infant Car Seat) which worked better for my husband and I since it's lighter and more compact than systems we could get that were sold as a single package. Once we had an idea of what we needed to match our lifestyle I started looking around for reviews on multiple sites and watching videos of how it worked. Luckily, it turned out that my brother and sister-in-law had just bought these for their son born in June and loved it. Then, we went to Buy Buy Baby and actually tried it out. It took about 2-3 months of talking between each other and deciding on what we needed and wanted. If you're really unsure you may just want to look at your budget and then go to a baby store to try things out. It's going to take time and work though. 
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  • 2Swanns2Swanns member
    edited November 2014
    Decide on your must haves. For me, I wanted a rear facing option and be able to hold an infant straight away. I also wanted sturdy and 4 wheels (I don't like the three wheel look). Then I went to Buy Buy Baby and tested every single one out! :-) Price range was also a factor. I didn't want to spend more then $400. We settled on the City Versa.

    Good luck!
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  • BostonchelleBostonchelle member
    Online reviews are great but definitely go and try things out before you buy them- particularly strollers. You never know what is going to feel right to you, and you are the one who needs to use the stroller, car seat etc. If you are out and see a stroller or carseat that you like ask the mom/dad pushing the stroller what they think of it.
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  • lewispmlewispm member

    Go to the store and talk to a salesperson. Also, as PP mentioned, online reviews and recommendations from friends are great.

    I know at Buy Buy baby they have a "stroller/car seat expert" in store to help you make that decision. Not sure how much they really know, but the woman that helped us was very helpful and let us try out several strollers to see how easy they were to fold and unfold, how heavy they were, etc. We settled on the Chico keyfit travel system that comes with a car seat, base, and stroller. The car seat was great, but the stroller we only used for maybe 3 months tops and then we bought a more light weight one.

     IMO, the snap n go is best for the newborn stage since the car seat snaps in, but once the baby is old enough to use a regular stroller seat (approx. 3 months), lightweight umbrella strollers are the way to go.

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  • beatlesgal4beatlesgal4 member
    I really haven't even been to the website, but my mom (retired) sent me links to the BabyCenter Mom's Picks Awards for 2014 and it helped me to read the comments especially as to why so many preferred the items listed. That at least helped me narrow it down.
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  • coleybug13coleybug13 member
    I say go to the store and play with them, I had picked ones I LOVED online but when I got to the store I hated them! I took them off the shelves and played with them. Like for the carseats I carried them to make sure it was comfortable, made sure it sit well in the stroller (I hate when the car seat sits in a way that forces the baby almost straight up) etc. And for the strollers I pushed them around, folded and unfolded many times and even picked them up to see if it would be a pain in the ass to load into the trunk. I know I'll be alone plenty of times and I wanna have equipment I can easily use on my own even with a baby in one hand if need be. I found mine at babies r us and love it!
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  • sdion27sdion27 member
    Lucies list!!!
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