Car Seat!!

mrsb8244 · December 2015

Hello everyone! FTM here and I am struggling in the car seat department. I have the book Baby Bargains which has been amazing with rating any and everything you need along with telling you what you can skip buying. I think I have it narrowed down to these three seats:

-Britax B-Safe 35 Elite
-Chico KeyFit 30
-Graco Snugride 35 or 40

Anyone have any input on car seats? My car is small (Honda Civic- 4 door) if that makes a difference as well

Huskerfanz · December 2015

You really can't go wrong with those. We had the Britax and liked it. Are you doing a travel system? Do you prefer one of those strollers? I think Babies R Us let's you take them to the parking lot if you want to try then in your car.

DeePaddy24 · December 2015

Also a FTM but we got the Britax B-Safe 35 Elite* (stumbled upon an awesome deal), & I couldn't be happier. Based on all the research I was doing, it was my top pick for sure.

*ETA: We got the full travel system - $150 off at Babies R Us until the 17th (in Canada, anyway)

fishwife799 · December 2015

If budget is a concern for you (I'm assuming because of the book) I would actually skip the bucket seat all together and go straight to a convertible seat. You will eventually have to buy one since baby will likely outgrow the bucket seat before they are ready to front face so it really saves you the extra step.
Also if you are in Facebook check out the car seats for the littles page. They are awesome for recs.

mrsb8244 · December 2015

@huskerfamily I think we are leaning towards a travel system

@DeePaddy24 I'll have to check Babies R Us in the US! Thank you

@fishwife799 my parents are buying the car seat for us. Budget is on our mind but I have the book because my best friend bought it for us as soon as she found out, she said her SIL loved it. We tried to buy a convertible seat on black Friday and Target's website messed up and thought it was in stock but it really wasn't. My cousin added me to that Facebook page and I have learned so much! They are amazing!

ETA: wasn't done typing...oops!

purplefan1 · December 2015

FTM as well as we got the Chicco Bravo travel system and keyfit car seat to go with it. I've been liking it for awhile and was so excited to finally get it.

Wyattnash00 · December 2015

For my shower I registered for 2 car seats, best thing ever! I big ticket items as gifts:) got the snugride 35 along with the snap and go stroller, that might be a 'travel system'? But my DS was in that car seat for 10 months, and with a newborn it's just so easy to snap in and snap out of the car. We got the britax for our 2nd car seat which works out perfect as we have the snugride for this baby.

sthomas1222 · December 2015

The best car seat is the one that fits your baby, fits your car, fits your budget, & you can install correctly every time. Go to BRU & play with those seats. They'll let you take them to your car. CPST here

Marisac888 · December 2015

We have the britax bsafe 35 elite and it is great! I am currently using it for my. 9 month old and plan on using it for our next in June!

MDKC14 · December 2015

We bought a travel system with bucket seat and it was a great idea to use for the convenience aspect. If baby was asleep it was so easy to just take the seat out and snap on to the stroller when out and about. But if you plan to babywear or aren't so worried about that then going straight to a convertible will be fine. I've heard great things about all of those seats but be sure to try and fit it in your car first before buying if at all possible. You'd be surprised at how much space convertibles take up when they have to be fully reclined rear facing.

wbwells · December 2015

We're getting chicco key fit 30, and then the baby jogger city deluxe stroller with the adaptor so it fits in from the get go, and then will also be a normal stroller for us down the road, and can add a second seat/carseat for whenever we add a second baby. my deciding factor was looking at how the seats sit when they're totally level (not on the floor of the store), and looking at how much the Graco seems to have the baby sitting up. Obviously it's safe since they all pass the same tests, but I like how the Chicco seat lets the baby lay down a little more. I also used it when nannying and loved it

lm45678 · December 2015

wbwells said:
We're getting chicco key fit 30, and then the baby jogger city deluxe stroller with the adaptor so it fits in from the get go, and then will also be a normal stroller for us down the road, and can add a second seat/carseat for whenever we add a second baby. my deciding factor was looking at how the seats sit when they're totally level (not on the floor of the store), and looking at how much the Graco seems to have the baby sitting up. Obviously it's safe since they all pass the same tests, but I like how the Chicco seat lets the baby lay down a little more. I also used it when nannying and loved it

We did the same thing- got a car seat that fits right into our stroller and the stroller that will convert to a double. It was more expensive, but we want kids close in age so I figure we'll save money in the long run.

I have heard great things about the Britax travel system (both my cousin and SIL use it) if having a second child isn't on your radar.

mrsb8244 · December 2015

Thank you all so much

you all are wonderful!

vulpini · December 2015

Your kid will be too tall for any bucket seat looooong before 30 pounds, so don't bother paying extra for the 40. The biggest challenge with a small car (I have a Corolla) is getting a good fit rear facing without losing all use of the front passenger seat. Go with the one that fits best. Car Seats for the Littles is a great source of reviews and comparisons.

Emztron500 · December 2015

I also drive a 4-door civic. I bought a travel system that seemed nice enough without a second thought. Then we never used the front passenger seat again because it had to be pushed all the way up to fit the carseat behind it. Civics have a little more backseat room than most small cars (I had to put the carseat in my friend's Cruze once and YIKES) but it's still pretty limited. Likely you will find you just have to go to the store, try everything, and then just buy whatever fits! But the good news is any carseat is equally safe and it's all good. Like @vulpini mentioned, your child will likely outgrow a bucket seat height-wise long before 30 lbs (mine was about 19 lbs when she hit the height limit) and you won't want to lug around a bucket anymore at that point anyway, so don't stress the max weight. I bought a Clek Fllo when my daughter was 12 months and outgrew the bucket, and it fits much more comfortably in my Civic anyway. We can ride shotgun again!

NLewis1 · December 2015

I have a mid size suv (Cadillac SRX) and had the Chicco keyfit 30 with my son - I STILL had to push my passenger seat way forward to fit the seat. But since we only used it until he was 9 months before we got a convertible, it wasn't a huge issue for us

samsonator · December 2015

Are there convertibles you can use with newborns so you only have to buy one, or no?

Emztron500 · December 2015

samsonator said:

Are there convertibles you can use with newborns so you only have to buy one, or no?

Yes, there absolutely are. Some people just like the convenience of a bucket though. To be honest with my first I got severe tendonitis within the first month of her life from various repetitive stress things with a newborn and had to completely stop taking the bucket out of the car anyway; this time around we will go straight to a convertible.

NLewis1 · December 2015

Emztron500 said:

samsonator said:

Are there convertibles you can use with newborns so you only have to buy one, or no?

Yes, there absolutely are. Some people just like the convenience of a bucket though. To be honest with my first I got severe tendonitis within the first month of her life from various repetitive stress things with a newborn and had to completely stop taking the bucket out of the car anyway; this time around we will go straight to a convertible.

Just to clarify, OP - you can't take a convertible off and on a base like you can a bucket seat. I didn't know this until I got my convertible and installed it and realized there wasn't a detachable base, so instead of popping the bucket off the base and taking the whole thing (with baby in it) somewhere, you have to take baby in and out of the caraway every time you run into the store real fast for milk or whatever. This is why a lot of moms (and dads!) start with a bucket until their baby is too heavy to carry like that!

samsonator · December 2015

NLewis1 said:

Emztron500 said:

samsonator said:

Are there convertibles you can use with newborns so you only have to buy one, or no?

Yes, there absolutely are. Some people just like the convenience of a bucket though. To be honest with my first I got severe tendonitis within the first month of her life from various repetitive stress things with a newborn and had to completely stop taking the bucket out of the car anyway; this time around we will go straight to a convertible.

Just to clarify, OP - you can't take a convertible off and on a base like you can a bucket seat. I didn't know this until I got my convertible and installed it and realized there wasn't a detachable base, so instead of popping the bucket off the base and taking the whole thing (with baby in it) somewhere, you have to take baby in and out of the caraway every time you run into the store real fast for milk or whatever. This is why a lot of moms (and dads!) start with a bucket until their baby is too heavy to carry like that!

Oh that makes sense, too. Me and DH were going to get two carseats right away so we don't have to switch between our cars, but maybe we will get one bucket and one convertible to start (and then get another convertible for the other car as baby gets older). The other option is to get 2 convertibles and a baby wearer, although I haven't looked into the latter at all yet.

VikingGirl12 · December 2015

I second getting a baby carrier/bucket seat even though convertables work for newborns unless under 5lb (I think there are some convertibles that work for premies too though).
There were so many times when DS was asleep but we wanted to take him into a restaurant or store or whatever without waking him up. (As long as you're watching them sleep in the carrier.. Carriers arent a safe place for baby to sleep without being watched). Or when we took him to church for the first time but didn't want everyone all over him so we left him in his carrier. I was so upset when DS got too heavy for me to carry him in it anymore.

chelseay416 · December 2015

Not sure if any of you use zulily but the Chicco key fit 30 is on sale through them for the next two days. I think I got it for 179 instead of 230. Worth a look if thats the one you're thinking of getting!

AmberLiz99 · December 2015

We had the Graco snugride with our first two, and it was great. No complaints. The Chico is smaller though (not as wide)

rkrichey · December 2015

We've used the Chico key fit 30 and it was great. No complaints. When we were researching (about 3 years ago) it was the smallest one we could find. My husband had a small car at the time.

RNMegan0711 · December 2015

We went to go look at car seat travel systems today at babies r us and we really liked this one (Graco modes TS Downton") for a few different reasons. First, the ability to easily use the bucket seat click and connect from base to stroller etc. also, this stroller allows you to turn the seat front facing or normal or lay the baby down almost flat! Loved that! Not to mention it had a hugeeee storage compartment underneath and it was ridiculously easily to fold up with a click of a button on the handle. Anyone have any experience with this specific stroller travel system? I'd love to hear from someone who's had experience with it! I posted a pic of the model number from the store.