February 2016 Moms

Car seats and strollers

OMG I am so overwhelmed!!! How does one even begin trying to choose a car seat and stroller?!? There are soooo many choices in style and options.... Help!!!!
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Re: Car seats and strollers

  • We wanted a car seat that snapped into the stroller. We also wanted a lightweight stroller so we went to the store and lifted and folded all the options and chose our favorite that worked for those parameters!
  • I was the same way. I gave up looking at reviews. I ended up with an Eddie Bauer travel set from target for one simple reason, it was half off on clearance. There is just too much out there. Decide the style you want (travel set, versus jogger, versus snap on) and just pick one. They are all safe or they wouldn't be able to be sold.
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  • I agree about going in and testing the strollers. We got a Chico travel system with ds and will use it again this time. I wanted something the was easy to use and wasn't fragile that I felt I would break it opening and closing. I looked at several others at babies r us but this was the easiet for me to use at the time.
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  • With my first I ended up with the eddie bauer travel system as well. This go around I am really looking for a carseat that reclines and keeps the babies head stable. Travel systems are great for infants. All in one carseats are completely out for me because I make a lot of walmart trips and love a carseat I can take and put into a cart. Having one little one already has made me realize all the fancy things are not always needed
  • I'm a FTM but saw a mother of three with the Doona car seat/stroller combo. I asked her if she liked it and she said it was her best baby purchase ever! After three kids I figured she was a good source and decided we are going to try it out. I like the idea that it folds into itself so I never have to worry about packing a stroller in the trunk. DH and I may still register for a jogging stroller bc he may want to exercise with the LO. I'll be content with just the Doona I think :)
  • Miss LilacMiss Lilac member
    edited August 2015
    Seriously, test drive the strollers. We went yesterday and I honestly could not believe the differences. We were between a Bob Revolution and an Uppababy Vista based on reviews but after actually pushing them it was the Bob hands down. We tried a bunch of other ones and some felt like a shopping cart with one jammed wheel, really irritating to handle.

    Edited for spelling.
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  • Car seats for littles website- safety checks and reviews on all car seats

    Nyc baby guy reviews lots of travel systems

    So you can rely on both of those places to give you good advice and then take the info and go to the store and try some out

  • My husband is a giant so we needed something tall and we travel a lot so something that folds up easily and we can use outdoors without tearing it up - stroller wise. We are getting the Baby Jogger City Versa Mini GT and the Chicco KeyFit 30 + adapter for the stroller.

    I looked at reviews and then decided I would seriously check out the top few and try not to get overwhelmed by the millions out there. Lucy's list is a good site to check out (correct me if I'm wrong!)
  • I used recommendations from the book Baby Bargains and loved everything. I got a Graco car seat and the Baby Jogger stroller and the got the piece that converted the baby higher to hold the Graco seat, though I didn't walk around with a stroller very much when my son was an infant. I really started using the stroller when he was big enough to sit in it on his own and pay attention to the world around him.
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  • VitaLunaVitaLuna member
    edited August 2015
    Strollers, take them for a test drive. We got a City Select because we liked the rear facing and future doubles option, but it's a PITA compared to others to fold/unload. We got a City Mini for my parents and it's SO much easier to use.

    For car seats, we narrowed to Chicco Keyfit 30 and Graco (the two top rated). We looked at both in the store and felt that the Chicco was more user friendly.

    I highly recommend the Chicco KeyFit Caddy if you go with that car seat. Absolute life saver for running errands those early months when I couldn't (c/s) or didn't want to drag along the big stroller.

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  • Keep and mind that car seat reviews are purely based on ease of use, comfort, & specialty features. ALL car seats are tested on a pass or fail scale (not a 1-10 scale) therefore ALL car seats are equally safe given they fit the child properly and are installed correctly.

    With that being said, I know for a fact the baby trend flex loc infant car seat does NOT fit most newborns as the harness height is too high. Many people who love this seat will try to argue that "their newborn fit great" and that "it's rated for 5-30lbs" but unless your 5lb newborn is 23" long...it ain't gonna fit correctly. My BFF had a 9lb 22in baby and he STILL didn't reach the lowest harness slot.
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  • Oh, also, I definitely would recommend a infant seat and not a convertible. I know some people love their convertibles, but the infant/bucket seat is so much easier to get a sleeping LO in and out of the car, or load up inside when it's raining or cold outside.

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  • IMO you get what you pay for in the stroller/ car seat department. If a stroller is inexpensive there might be a reason. Being a second time mom we will be splurging on our double stroller to get the quality we want and so it lasts more than 6 months.
  • Chicco has a lightway plus umbrella stroller now. It works just like a caddy for the infant seat and when you're ready you turn it into a regular umbrella stroller. We got that and the matching Keyfit30 with DD and still use it and it's so much smaller than other travel systems. We also have a Baby Jogger City Elite which I love . I want the tandem double Baby Jogger this time.
    I agree with pp poster its best to go to a store and try them out. I know at BuyBuy Baby they have tons of strollers you can push around and they let you test the display car seats in your car
  • Car seats - we check a website that j can't remember off the top of my head. It has the car seats and boosters listed from best to worst, as far as safety is concerned.

    Stroller- we had to go with a tandem double stroller because my children were so close in age. Now that the other 2 walk, I will probably just buy a small umbrella stroller. I usually baby wear almost everywhere.

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  • I looked at ratings. One of the best is a graco quick connect 30 which you can buy at walmart. I liked it but i might get a britax travel system because my dad maybe able to get us it. Which has a nunber one rating stroller from google. I just want something safe for the baby to be in forget cute patterns. You gotta also test the carrier with triangles in them, some peoples hands dont fit it them. Thats what made me forget about baby trend expidition :( i loved it!


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  • Do not get an convertible car seat for your infant!
  • eshook2 said:

    Do not get an convertible car seat for your infant!

    Is there a reason you feel this way?
  • SgtLou2SgtLou2 member
    edited August 2015
    @eshook2, I agree with @ashton2190. You will not want a convertible car seat with a newborn. The car seat pretty much always remains in the car, so you have to put baby in and out of the seat at the car. You will discover that your baby will be asleep a lot of the time when you get home and you will not want to wake them to get them out of the car. Also, it's nice to put infants into a car seat inside while its warm and you have protection from the weather and you can really take your time to get them into the seat properly. Then you just carry them out in their seat and snap them into the car in 2 seconds. I actually just moved DD out of her infant seat to a convertible seat... I miss the ease of the infant seat already!!

    As for infant car seats... We researched the heck out of car seats for DD... It's the only thing that we put real effort into. First, we reviewed consumer reports for safety & ease of use. We talked to friends. We made a list of our top 3-5 choices. Then we went online to Amazon, babies r us, target, etc and looked at reviews. That's where you get the best results. I have a CRV, but my husband has a smaller car. So, we looked at comments regarding how our choices fit into various sized cars. Then, we went and played with our top choice (or two) at the store. We looked at how the base attached in the car, how the seat snapped in and released, and how to adjust the harness. We also played with the stroller system and snapped the car seat into the stroller. Practiced folding and unfolding the stroller. Made sure that it would all fit in my husband's car (strollers can be huge even when folded up!). Anyway, we went with the Chicco Keyfit system. In hind site, we may not have chosen to buy the stroller. Once DD was old/big enough to sit in the stroller w/o the carseat, we used an umbrella stiller most of the time. I might have been better off with buying the Chicco version of the snap n go and an umbrella stroller. But consider your car sizes and the storage area that you have in your house for a giant stroller.

    Edit: to correct link to users that i was addressing. I make too many typos late at night!!
  • To be honest I mostly chose my carseat based on how it looked and the weight limit. I knew they all passed the same safety ratings so that didn't phase me. I used the Safety First Onboard 35, it holds up to 35 pounds and is neutral colored. I didn't realize it at the time but the sucker is heavy! My sister had a baby 4 months after me and when I picked up her carseat I realized just how heavy mine was. It wasn't a huge deal, most the time I just lugged it from the house to the car and then car to snap and go. I kept my son in this seat until around a year when he got way too heavy to carry around. It's a good thing I chose a high weight limit because he was always on the high end of height and weight.

    For a stroller I used the snap and go but after this I love my umbrella stroller. My mom gave me her $20 umbrella stroller while I shopped for one that I wanted, I couldn't find one that folded up easy and was light weight and not a million dollars. During this time I found I actually really liked the umbrella stroller and decided not to buy another. I have no idae what to get for two. I haven't found any that hold a newborn and a toddler that isn't large and clunky.  My top runner right now is the Joovy Caboose but I'm not a huge fan of how the older kid is in the back facing backwards.. 
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  • Now that we know we are having a girl I have picked out a really cute set... All I can say is stay away from Baby Trend brand. I went to Babies R Us and the manager there told me that they were poorly assembled and a lot of parents were returning them.
  • We bought a Chicco Keyfit car seat with the adapter for the Baby Jogger City Mini GT. We love that the keyfit is highest rated on consumer reports. And the City Mini GT is easy, sleek and fits our outdoorsy lifestyle.
  • I was just researching seats last night. Does anyone have a Recaro infant seat? Looking for some opinions on that.
  • eshook2 said:

    Do not get an convertible car seat for your infant!

    Is there a reason you feel this way?
    Besides that babies sleep most of the time, and fall asleep in the car all of the time so it's way easier to keep them sleeping.

    Imagine going to the store... You have to take them out of the car seat in the rain, snow, whatever and either wear them or carry them because you can't take a convertible out and bring it in every time.
    Buckets also seem to recline more which is better for an infant- convertibles have recline and they are just as safe with the safety ratings and checks. Buckets simply seem so much more realistic for a 3 day old baby.

    I already have to take my toddler out and carry her etc I'm going to enjoy my infant in a bucket
  • Monkeybutt80Monkeybutt80 member
    edited August 2015
    I remember how stressful it was last time picking out a carseat and stroller and all that stuff as a FTM with no experience. I think I spent months researching. I found the carseat blog pretty helpful. 
    I went with Chicco Keyfit 30 and we were very happy with it. My first is now in a convertible carseat ( Peg Perego convertible -- love love love it), so we will reuse Chicco Keyfit30 for my second (should probably check the expiration date). 
    Stroller wise, we are in the suburbs, no bumpy city sidewalks, and I don't jog or run with strollers, so we got an uppababy cruz which we were super happy with for its huge sun canopy, and large storage compartment underneath. But for someone who likes to jog with the stroller, or take it on a lot of bumpy sidewalks, I know many who love their Baby Jogger City Mini strollers.  

    For our toddler, we now have uppababy g-lite, which is their lightweight stroller, and we have been happy with that also. For now, we don't really plan to get a double stroller, but we will see how things go once she is born. 


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  • This is all confusing to me. I was at target looking yesterday and fell in love with the Eddie Bauer infant car seat- does anyOne have opinions on this? The stroller you could purchase with this does have the regular seat as child gets older
    Green seat is Eddie B--- Could not delete other image cuz mobile is dumb, but I like that seat as well.
  • I remember how stressful it was last time picking out a carseat and stroller and all that stuff as a FTM with no experience. I think I spent months researching. I found the carseat blog pretty helpful. 
    I went with Chicco Keyfit 30 and we were very happy with it. My first is now in a convertible carseat ( Peg Perego convertible -- love love love it), so we will reuse Chicco Keyfit30 for my second (should probably check the expiration date). 
    Stroller wise, we are in the suburbs, no bumpy city sidewalks, and I don't jog or run with strollers, so we got an uppababy cruz which we were super happy with for its huge sun canopy, and large storage compartment underneath. But for someone who likes to jog with the stroller, or take it on a lot of bumpy sidewalks, I know many who love their Baby Jogger City Mini strollers.  

    For our toddler, we now have uppababy g-lite, which is their lightweight stroller, and we have been happy with that also. For now, we don't really plan to get a double stroller, but we will see how things go once she is born. 


    I've got a Peg Perego infant car seat that's compatible with the stroller we're getting. Glad to hear even the convertible one is so great!
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  • As a mother of three and car seat tech, I've worked with a few different brands of seats and vehicles. Besides price a couple things to consider is vehicle type and passenger number /size and how long you want to use it for, must have features (besides color because color doesn't help fit baby/vehicle properly or make it easier to use). All car seats have to pass the same safety standards, some companies go above with the testing and also have nicer fabrics and more ease of use features which is where the added costs come in. That being said out of all I have used, my favorite for fitting small newborns and super ease of use has been the Chicco key fit. Although they are coming out with many seats that a becoming more user friendly.

    I also suggest getting in touch with a local car seat tech to make sure everything is installed correctly and can answer future questions but also check on your other kiddos also!
  • eshook2 said:

    Do not get an convertible car seat for your infant!

    Is there a reason you feel this way?

    In addition to what everyone has said and what I said above your comment... I will add that while the convertible would've fit my LO, I wouldn't not have felt comfortable with the fit and being able to secure baby easily/properly every time with a convertible. The infant bucket seat just fits their bodies so much easier, and is more user friendly when they're tiny.

    Infant bucket seats can last a long time, too. My LO was well over 18 months when we switched from her Chicco Keyfit 30 bucket seat to her Chicco NextFit convertible.

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  • @ChristinaD811 the December 15 bmb has a really good thread on car seats as well. I'm mobile so I can't link. Seems like they majority favor the Chicco Keyfit 30
  • The base exchange here where we live has this set on sale for a great price as part of a end of Summer sale. It's Cosco Ikat dots. I didn't buy it today because I wanted to test drive some, which I did today, but I'm really thinking about going to get it tomorrow. FTM here so if any one has any reviews on it please fill me in!
  • What helped us with baby #1 is to prioritize what is important to you. My two was weight and ease of breaking down the stroller.

    I ended up with the Britax B Agile and B Safe travel system. For the car seat, I wanted to take her in a restaurant without disturbing her sleep.

    Now if anyone has any tips on a double stroller, that would be awesome!
  • robinj716 said:
    I was just researching seats last night. Does anyone have a Recaro infant seat? Looking for some opinions on that.
    My SO keeps mentioning Recaro infant seats.  My only qualm with them so far is that as far as I can tell, they can only snap into the Recaro Denali stroller. Which I'm not sure if I'd like or not. I like that some of the other brands can snap into more stroller options. I'm a FTM and very early on in the process of researching, but that's what I've found so far!
  • pbtoast said:


    robinj716 said:

    I was just researching seats last night. Does anyone have a Recaro infant seat? Looking for some opinions on that.

    My SO keeps mentioning Recaro infant seats.  My only qualm with them so far is that as far as I can tell, they can only snap into the Recaro Denali stroller. Which I'm not sure if I'd like or not. I like that some of the other brands can snap into more stroller options. I'm a FTM and very early on in the process of researching, but that's what I've found so far!


    My SO is a car guy, so he keeps begging for the baby Recaro. I like the infant seat, but like you said it is limited to the one stroller, which you can only order online, so we can't even test it first to see if we like it.
  • pbtoastpbtoast member
    edited September 2015

    @robinj716, haha, yep, my SO is a car guy too. He told me a while ago we *HAD* to get a Recaro car seat, and I could see why he thought so after reading about them. I agree with you- I can't imagine buying a stroller without testing it out and I definitely want a stroller that the car seat can fit into for the first few months. Even as a FTM I know that I don't want to pick up a sleeping baby out of a car seat if I can help it! I looked at the stroller for a while to see if it would be worth the risk of just getting it and hoping it's ok, but it doesn't seem like that great of a stroller to me with my VERY limited experience. On the other hand, we're living in the suburbs so it's not like I'm going to be pushing the stroller miles at a time or over rough terrain. We'll see. I'm leaning more toward a Chicco KeyFit now after reading this thread and doing some research, or maybe an UPPAbaby Mesa. There are just so many options- so overwhelming! 

    ETA: Maybe we'll do one of the above-mentioned infant car seats/strollers then get a Recaro convertible seat when baby is a little bigger. Compromise. ;)  

  • @robinj716 I don't know about the Recaro infant seat but my sister has the convertible and it is soo big and awkward. That being said my friend has one too and got rear ended pretty badly and her little boy was 100% ok
    @Monkeybutt80 and @Miss Lilac I love my peg perego convertible! Way easier to use and slimmer then my Britax Or my moms graco or mil's chicco next fit
  • Lurking from March '16.
    We actually ordered the Recaro infant seat during Amazon Prime Day and I wasn't too impressed when the seat arrived. The major issue was the foam padding was not attached to the plastic base. The glue must of melted or something. The minor issue was with the seat cover. It was almost impossible to secure to the base and I imaging the problem would only get worse when you add in a wiggly baby. Needless to say we returned the seat.
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