Product Spotlight 2/1: Car Seats

swizzlemalarkey · February 2020

This weeks product spotlight is all about car seats!! Feel free to use the prompts or just type away! Links/photos welcome.
I snagged a schedule that's been used I think by a few BMBs now, but if you guys want to add/change anything let me know!!

This is a place for FTMs to ask questions about, S+TMs to share their prior experience with, and everyone to share what they're eyeing in the world of maternity, baby and postpartum products. Each week we'll spotlight a new category of product to help streamline and make it easier to look back and reference!

To view past Product Spotlights or the upcoming schedule, see here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fCSvGqefiQ7m-cqNEBzPuaIqF7BL2ost0Ta2sMjC-8w/edit?usp=sharing

For S+TMs (or FTMs that already have said item):

Individual (e.g., lifestyle) factors that might influence your choice:
Favorite car seat(s) (infant, convertible, etc):
Link/picture:
Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
What you like and don't like about it:
Any special features? (safety, convenience, etc)
Is there a car seat you don’t have but are considering? Why?:
Is there a car seat you've tried that you absolutely hate? Why?:
Additional thoughts on car seats?:

For FTMs:

Car seat(s) you're interested in:
Link/picture:
Cost (either actual dollar amount, or just $, $$, $$$, etc.):
Any questions for S+TMs?:

(template taken from August 2020)

macheno · February 2020

Individual (e.g., lifestyle) factors that might influence your choice: We need something easy to use and install that will fit in my car, and work with a double stroller
Favorite car seat(s) (infant, convertible, etc): It's not my favorite peasy, but we currently have a graco snugride 35 click connect carseat that we used for DS until he got too big. It's only a little over a year old.
What you like and don't like about it: I like that it's easy to attach to the stroller, and having lived in NYC I liked that you could use it in a car without a base- just a seatbelt. I wish the canopy was longer, because it was not that great at blocking the sun when outside with the baby.
Any special features? (safety, convenience, etc) I just need something that will fit the baby for a while before having to move up to a regular carseat. My family tends towards big babys (weight and height) so I want something to last more than a few months
Is there a car seat you don’t have but are considering? Why?: I like the graco, but a lot of the newer double strollers that I've been considering don't aren't compatible with graco. I don't want to have to buy a new one, but I also don't want to limit my stroller options
Additional thoughts on car seats?: I was considering just getting a convertible carseat, but I know I'll still need something to attach to the stroller so I figured we'd just wait on it.

swizzlemalarkey · February 2020

@macheno that's one of the ones I was looking at! I like that they're reasonably priced. I just can't justify spending a whole ton on an infant seat. It's hard having sooo many options. I obviously want a really safe seat that is convenient but I struggle with making decisions when there is a lot to choose from.

I have a mini cooper so I need a seat that can fit in that comfortably That car is tiny! Anyone have experience with car seats with little room in the back seat??

pghren · February 2020

More strollers are compatible with the Chicco seats. I have the Graco, so I doubt I'd replace it but ...

Louise_Belcher · February 2020

Main thoughts on carseats: The baby bucket seats are such a small period of time for most babies (6-9 mo for mine) that it is best to find a nice economical bucket seat and put more funds towards a convertible seat (or better yet register for it instead of a bucket seat). For us, this also meant not dictating which double stroller we purchased based on if it holds our baby seat because a stroller has a much longer life than a bucket seat and our long term needs outweighed our short term wants. Also, 4in1 seats are unlikely to fit well at every size especially as a booster, so do not assume that buying one means that is the last seat you will buy. Every time my kids have upgraded to the next level of seat the seat itself has gotten less bulky and easier to use. Non-negotiable musts for me are that the harness pull strap must have a loop at the end and it must have a no-rethread harness.

Seats we own:
Graco Snug Ride 35 Elite (Infant bucket) The bases were inexpensive for all the cars we had to put them in. We used a Graco Breaze for carting it around which was only slightly more expensive than a car seat frame stroller, but actually useful past the point of ditching the bucket seat.
Graco Extend2Fit (Convertable) Gives lots of room front to back and 50lb rear-facing limit. If turned ffing prior to 40lbs they can take up a good deal of space do to the recline. I prefer a ffing only seat anyway to get space back.
Graco Contender 65 (Convertable) Comfy and simple. Great everyday seat or back up.
Safety 1st Guide 65 (Convertable) HATE THIS SEAT WITH THE FIRE OF A THOUSAND ANGRY MOMS.
Graco Atlas 65 (Combination) Love these seats, so much more than just ffing the convertible seats. They take up significantly less room and make it so their little legs no longer can reach the back of my seat.
Graco Tranzitions (Combination) These take up even less room than the Atlas and are nice and low to the seat making it easy for the rider to get in themselves. Depending on the car I hear they can have a difficult install.
Cosco Scenera Next (Convertable) Although this is a convertible seat it is outgrown ffing before it is outgrown rfing, so it is basically just a rfing seat. It is really great for airline travel though. Inexpensive, small, lightweight, don't have to worry about it.

I am not actually a ho for Graco, they just have really great sales and some great narrow options which helps when you are outfitting multiple cars on a budget. I am sure there are tons of other great options out there. Car Seats for The Littles has great reviews of basically every car seat that is on the market. https://csftl.org/

elsie42 · February 2020

We have both the Chicco infant seat (Keyfit 30) and the convertible (Nextfit Zip) and we love them both. They are very easy to install which was a big thing for me when choosing carseats. THEY ARE ALSO MACHINE WASHABLE. If I have one piece of advice it's get one that the cover is machine washable. (AFAIK the Britax ones are hand wash only and I have friends who hate this). The Keyfit cover is super easy to remove and since we have the "zip" version of the Nextfit that one is also easy. We've had enough carseat blowouts to make this an important thing for me, lol. Chicco aren't the cheapest seats ever but I find they do go on sale around Prime Day/Black Friday etc. I would definitely recommend them.

As a related note, I bought the Chicco caddy stroller for the Keyfit secondhand on Facbeook marketplace and it's also awesome. We traveled a lot for DD"s first year and we loved being able to click the carseat right into it in the airport. I see them listed online a lot so I would definitely recommend trying to buy secondhand if you can.

Louise_Belcher · February 2020

@elsie42 I forgot that some are not machine washable! So true that is a must! Hard pass on handwashing pee and vomit out of a cover.

boymommatwo · February 2020

I swear by Britax car seats. We have had the infant carriers and multiple convertible seats (for multiple cars) and love them. They all have been very easy to install. They aren’t the cheapest but aren’t the most expensive either. We are planning to get a Britax B Safe 35 infant carrier as our other one has expired. Our kids tend to be in the infant carrier for the first 12 months so the cost is worth it. Not sure if this one can be used without the base but it does come with a base and honestly it is so easy to click in and out of a base (makes life much easier). I know they are hand wash only but we haven’t really found that to be an issue (as a reason to not buy it).

Also, we already have a single and double BOB strollers and baby carrier attachments already (btw those carrier attachments can be expensive). These strollers definitely are not cheap but 100% worth the price. All my friends are jealous when they push our strollers (one handed, with turns in theme park crowds and off roading 😂). Sometimes you can get them second hand a little cheaper but usually still not cheap.

One thing we have this time which we didn’t have before is Britax waterproof seat liners. We got them when my oldest started potty training and they are a life saver. We will be using these to help with those blowout diapers 🤢

https://www.target.com/p/britax-b-safe-35-infant-car-seat/-/A-53968221?preselect=75572010#lnk=sametab

https://www.target.com/p/britax-seat-saver-waterproof-liner/-/A-14718826

raesky1111 · February 2020

FTM here and I'm pretty much settled on my car seat choice: I want the Graco Extend2Fit car seat, the 3 in 1 if it's available at the time of purchase. The extend to fit series has very high ratings and reviews, and the price it's asking is well worth it imo. Plus, it'll last for years upon years because it goes from rear to forward to booster seat.
I was eyeballing the travel system car seats because heck that's an attractive choice if it won't wake the baby, but ultimately I think I can live with a separate car seat and stroller option because if the baby's anything like me it's just gonna sleep all the time anyway 😅
Cost on Amazon is currently $250 for the 3 in 1, $170 for the 2 in 1

macheno · February 2020

@raesky1111 I have the Graco 4-ever Extend2fit for my 15mo and I really like it. I'm also glad I waited to get a bigger carseat until he was older. If you're on the fence about getting an infant carseat travel system, I would get one. My son is quite big (almost 10lbs and 22.5in long at birth), and he still fit in his infant carseat for up to 10mo.

You will get a lot of use out it more than you think. Also, if your spouse/partner has a car it's much easier to switch between than a larger carseat. You just need a second base to clip into. Moving large convertible carseats is a pain, and moving a sleeping baby is like moving an active grenade, haha.

chasingroygbiv · February 2020

So... we have the Chicco Keyfit 30 and I love everything about it except it’s a LUG to carry around. I’m not a very big person and I also have a horrible back, so by the time my babies are 4 mos I’m aching (literally) to switch seats. I usually hang on until 6 months, but it’s awful for me. I’m worried this go around because that would be prime negative temps time here, but I also don’t really like the idea of getting a new seat as this is our last baby.

If I had endless amounts of money, we would get the Nuna Pipa.

NYTino24 · February 2020

I’m gonna go a little rogue and do a free form response. I got a cheap Graco Click Connect system with a SnugRide 30 for our son. My main reasons for getting it were lightweight (I’ve had two shoulder surgeries), easy fold and unfold, fit in my Civic trunk, and cheap (got it on Target baby clearance - always in January / Feb and July plus I was able to keep rolling gift cards from their spend $100 get ___ in gift cards baby deal). I thought we’d have two close in age and would upgrade the stroller to a double. Life had other plans and I was going to stick with the Graco for another since our son will be approaching 3. The downfall to that seat is that it only goes up to 30 inches and he was almost 22 at birth, which was shocking to us considering my husband and I were tiny babies and kids. The SnugRide 35 goes to 35 inches, but it all worked out because he was getting heavy with my shoulder issues and it was warmer (spring) since he was a late November baby. He was around 4-5 months when I put him in the convertible. Some people keep them in the infant seat until 12 months, especially if they have sleepy babies that they want to keep sleeping as they are brought into the house (and our son always woke when the car stopped). He also had great head control, so I was able to carry him or baby wear into stores or put him directly into the stroller sitting up. Just think about what the weather will be like when you switch to a convertible seat! Also, keep in mind the vehicle(s) you have. We got two different convertible seats for my husband’s truck and my car because we knew we would both be transporting him often and didn’t want to switch. He has the Chicco Next Fit (goes to 65 lbs/ 6 years) and I have the Graco 4Ever All-in-One Extend-to-Fit (goes to 110 lbs. / 10 years). I like mine better and it will last longer.

For the triplets, I have no idea what we will do! I’m on the hunt now and we haven’t decided for sure what minivan we will get, but it will likely be the Honda Odyssey.

swizzlemalarkey · February 2020

@NYTino24 I love how much room minivans have!

I was at work the other day and this family came in and this little girl was busting out of her infant seat. Like her head was to the top and her legs were sticking out. I was so surprised because I’ve never seen a child that big in an infant seat before. I guess she was still within the range? Looked heavy tho, probably why dad was carrying & mom had another bump. I hope to get decent use out of an infant seat just due to the fact we will probably have to buy two convertibles and I’m worried about money. Do you guys register for all your seats or just the first one you’ll use?

pghren · February 2020

@greyl register for both! If someone gets it, great! It's a sneaky big expense that comes to call just when you think you are done buying gear. Plus it will keep it easy for you to look up and qualify for completion discounts.

If you have a big car, the Chicco next fit zip is super cozy, but otherwise when it needs to be cleaned we end up taking off more than the zip portion anyway (though that feature actually makes for a really easy belt install) It's bulky and heavy. We went from having a car to relying on public transport and ride shares, and lugging that thing is no joke. It definitely limits our options.

Before we found out we were expecting, we were thinking of splurging/asking for a 2nd bday present to get the Pico travel carseat, but I'm not sure anymore if it makes sense.

rocketmom88 · February 2020

@NYTino24 We bought a new honda odyssey and I LOVE it! Life is so much easier.

NYTino24 · February 2020

@rockermom88 I was shocked at how nice they were when my sister got one a few years ago!!
@greyl Their head needs to be at least an inch from the top of the seat. I hate how people are so dangerous with their kids sometimes!

swizzlemalarkey · February 2020

@NYTino24 right?? I was so shocked to see that. It’s Scary.

starlynn91 · February 2020

@rocketmom88 - I swore I was never gonna drive a minivan, but as a soon to be mom of 4, it was inevitable. That being said, I still HATE how much I LOVE my Honda Odssey!!!

readytobemama · February 2020

@starlynn91 about not ever owning a minivan- this is my husband totally!

we don't need it quite yet but it will be an interesting conversation trying to accept it someday

linz36 · February 2020

I forget who posted about infant seats above but....

My twins are 15 months and still in theirs, comfortably...and they are tall. We have the graco snugfit 35 or something like that and we love them.

https://www.amazon.com/Graco-SnugRide-Infant-Seat-Pierce/dp/B01MTM3I9M?th=1

macheno · February 2020

@starlynn91 my sister has an odyssey and was sooo not a minivan person. Now, you would have to pry those keys from her cold dead hands before she would give it up.

@linz36 that was me. DS was in his infant carseat until almost 1yo. He still meets the weight requirements, but got too tall for it. We have the snugride 35 click connect.

boymommatwo · February 2020

@NYTino24 another lover here of my Honda Odyssey 😊

Louise_Belcher · February 2020

@greyl Definitely register for both!
@raesky1111 I would do the 2in1 because a booster is less expensive than the difference between the two seats and a separate booster will better fit a booster sized child.

I am loving the Odyssey love! I am currently shopping for a minivan and am between the Odyssey and the Sienna. Odyssey seems to have features I want, but Sienna comes in AWD. I am impressed with how long some of your LOs were able to use the bucket. Ours were fully outgrown by height by 9mo and were uncomfortable in them prior to that. As non-giants, H and I make giant babies.

beaandthebabes · February 2020

Super late noticing this thread!
We have a Britax B Safe travel system and I love it. We will definitely be using it for this little one because the convenience of the bucket clicking right into the stroller is so great when they are teeny tiny. DS moved on to his big boy seat which is a Graco 4ever at like 18 months (He is a mini toddler so he fit in the bucket for ages. He is 2 and is only 21lbs) and he is obsessed with it. It saved our sanity big time when we did our road trip from NE to TX.

Product Spotlight 2/1: Car Seats

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