Car Seat Woes

cseley321 · June 2015

Just to whine a bit, I had my heart set on a Chicco Keyfit 30 infant cat seat with the travel system stroller. I found one on Craigslist for a great price, checked it out and it was perfect. So then I go to stuff it in my trunk.... It wouldn't fit!!

After I found out I was pregnant and made it past the first trimester, I traded in my beloved Mustang GT for a sports sedan. I researched the car seats and found the ones that would fit in the car, but never thought twice about the stroller fitting.. Now I'm going have to start from scratch on figuring out what will fit and not be unreasonable. It seems like if you go retail and buy everything separately, you end up paying 100-200 extra for not doing the travel system. Oh well....

If anyone has any recommendations on smaller strollers that fit the keyfit 30, it would be appreciated! I will have to try and research this all out again I guess!

emmacake08 · June 2015

You can get just the frames that the car seat clicks into. They're pretty cheap and fold down pretty small.

kedbach · June 2015

My husband and I are thinking about trading in his truck for something else- so we have to take the carseat, stroller, his golf clubs, and potentially the pack and play with us to all dealerships to cross things off the list!! I feel your pain @Crystal321 !

Miz_Liz · June 2015

Just an FYI (not to add to your headaches), not sure if you were talking about buying the whole thing (seat and stroller) on Craigslist, or just the stroller, but a carseat is something you should NEVER buy used unless it is someone you trust 20000% that they have never been in an accident, etc. - you also need to check the dates of the seat to make sure it is not expired. Car seats should really be one of the few things you don't get second hand.

cseley321 · June 2015

Yeah liz, me and my husband were going back and forth on that last night and he insisted that I at least check it out. I'd much rather go retail

Miz_Liz · July 2015

Crystal321 said:

Yeah liz, me and my husband were going back and forth on that last night and he insisted that I at least check it out. I'd much rather go retail

Definitely do some research - it is sooooo risky to get a used carseat. I know they are really expensive, but it is literally your child's life when it comes to a carseat. You can use coupons at many stores (BRU, Buy Buy Baby, etc.) that will help bring that cost down some. Trust me, I am a huge proponent of buying used if you are in a tight spot financially, but not when it comes to the carseat.

kclg10 · July 2015

Crystal321 said:
Yeah liz, me and my husband were going back and forth on that last night and he insisted that I at least check it out. I'd much rather go retail

You don't know how someone washed the seat/harness or if they rethreaded the harness incorrectly. Most car seat manufactures don't allow certain type of detergents and harnesses should never be submerged in water. If you are looking for a used car seat due to finances I recommend contacting safe riders. They offer a 1 hour car seat safety class and offer free convertible car seats.

-cpst

cseley321 · July 2015

Yeah, i'll probably just pick one up retail. We have a convertible car seat we got from the store, but i was wanting the infant one as well for the carrier for when she's smaller.

Saratiff · July 2015

Sooo in cases like this I just go buy what I want aka go to the store buy the infant seat. Then when DH asks me about I just tell him it was a non negotiable safety item and it was on sale (even when it's not). It's always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission and because it has to do with our child's safety... I would risk it. My husband is incredibly frugal and sometimes a women's gotta do what a women's gotta do.

I know that sounds bad but I stick to our budget every month. I only do this once in a blue moon and he always forgives me :-)

Ambermom043 · July 2015

Saratiff said:
Sooo in cases like this I just go buy what I want aka go to the store buy the infant seat. Then when DH asks me about I just tell him it was a non negotiable safety item and it was on sale (even when it's not). It's always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission and because it has to do with our child's safety... I would risk it. My husband is incredibly frugal and sometimes a women's gotta do what a women's gotta do.

I know that sounds bad but I stick to our budget every month. I only do this once in a blue moon and he always forgives me :-)

I do the same thing! Sometimes husbands just don't understand.. Especially frugal husbands. I just give him that look and he never gets mad!:3 I only do it sometimes, and when it's necessary. He usually sees the importance and agrees with me IF he doesn't watch me pay for it, lol.

Saratiff · July 2015

@Ambermom043 lol phew I thought I was going to get flamed so bad for that

lethanne · July 2015

emmacake08 said:
You can get just the frames that the car seat clicks into. They're pretty cheap and fold down pretty small.

These are fantastic, I bought one with our first. Easy to manage by myself and folds and fits nicely in any trunk. I would definitely encourage this option!

daniellepanda · July 2015

There is a lot of strollers that can fit I keyfit 30 seat without it being the stroller with the travel system sold together

A lot of stroller companies make adapters for several different brand car seats so that they will work with their strollers! I'm sure you can find one that will work with your car.
As PP mentioned a car seat you never want to buy used, unless it is unexpired and given to you by a family member or close friend that you trust 110% so that you know for certain it was never in an accident. Check babies r us for their monthly 15-20% off coupons that work on car seats. That is when we purchased our keyfit. In addition we applied for the toys r us credit card, and even though we didn't get the credit card they give you an additional % off just for applying for your purchase that day! Long story short our keyfit was only $160 instead of $249 at babies r us with all the discounts.

rashelburne · July 2015

If you're in the US, see if your insurance co will give you a car seat. We don't have this overly amazing insurance policy, but our insurance still has a great program for baby safety which includes a free convertible car seat along with other awesome stuff. With my first, we didn't care for the one they gave us (we went to the store to look at it before opening the box) and Babies R Us gave us store credit for it and we exchanged it for one we liked. That may help financially! Please don't buy used from a stranger!!!

cosplaymom · July 2015

I use the Chicco Liteway stroller. It's small and handy and converts to an umbrella stroller.

buckleyk · July 2015

cosplaymom said:
I use the Chicco Liteway stroller. It's small and handy and converts to an umbrella stroller.

That's exactly what I was going to suggest!

heath3er · July 2015

It's your babies life. I rather spend a few extra dollars then risk his or her life. You never know how someone treated their car seat, accident, heat damage and etc.

Family only..

rdittert · July 2015

Chicco liteway accepts the key fit infant seat and then converts into an umbrella type stroller once they grow out of the infant seat. Probably $150 new if you use a coupon at buy buy baby. Fits pretty well in my tiny car

SassetteSmurfling · July 2015

kedbach said:
My husband and I are thinking about trading in his truck for something else- so we have to take the carseat, stroller, his golf clubs, and potentially the pack and play with us to all dealerships to cross things off the list!! I feel your pain @Crystal321 !

I'm so glad I'm not the only crazy person to do this! After we had DS I traded in my jeep for something bigger. I literally wheeled my double stroller through the whole lot checking to see which cars it fit in before I even really looked or test drove the car! My husband was like "you're going to make $40,000 car purchased based on a $300 stroller.... " yup!

kedbach · July 2015

Haha it's important! I have a smaller BMW and he has a Silverado, the two extremes... We need a happy medium, because I definitely can't lift baby into his truck!!! I'd hate to buy something then regret it because nothing fits!

cseley321 · July 2015

I ended up getting the keyfit and city mini. The city mini stroller fits perfectly and still leaves plenty of room. And yes I went retail on the keyfit

thank you ladies for all of the tips!

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