BRU trade-in: go to convertible at 6 months?

[staceychev]

DD is just about 6 months, and BRU is running this "bring us your old gear and we'll give you 25% off new gear" promotion. I figured I could bring her bucket car seat (which was DD1's and expires the end of this year anyway) and get a convertible? We moved DD1 to a convertible pretty quickly because she seemed uncomfortable, despite her small size, so we're definitely not in the "use it until the max weight" camp. But, are there any pitfalls I should know about it switching to a convertible at 6 months?

Also, I can't remember. Does a RF convertible recline less than a bucket? DD is sitting unassisted now and really hates laying back in the car seat. She keeps trying to sit up when I put her in the car seat.

[YayJennie]

We switched from an infant car seat to a convertible (britax boulevard) when my son was about 6 months. He was very big though (about 20 lbs at 6 months) and that was the main reason we did so. However, now that we've used the convertible both rear facing and forward facing, we bought another of the same model for baby #2! We'll probably use the infant car seat again for a bit, but I plan on putting baby #2 in the convertible even sooner because I like it better and I feel like the britax is safer than the graco bucket seat we have. The britax has an adjustable recline, but it sits pretty much straight up when it's RF (at least how it fits in our small 4 door sedan). It's not completely straight up, but I'd say less reclined than the bucket seat.

I don't know of any draw backs of switching to a convertible early, and honestly, if I wasn't having a November baby, I'd use the convertible right from the start with this one. But I think the bucket seat will be nice to keep baby warm going in and out in the freezing temperatures.

[OneWithTwo]

we've been in a convertible since bringing him home from the hospital. Why wouldn't it be ok at 6 months?

[Knitting Mama]

We just did this, and my daughter is 5 months. We had an older expired car seat someone had given to us, so we brought it in and got a Graco My Ride 65. And yes, she is less reclined than she was in the bucket. But even better, she is also in a more seated position as opposed to the C curve she was in in the bucket seat. I can't think of a single negative. I never lugged the bucket around because it was too darn heavy, and my daughter preferred being worn and seeing the world, so I don't feel like we lost anything in switching.

[ShwarmaQueen]

As long as the straps fit properly and it's rear-facing-

[sew_crafty_girl]

We just did the same as cecilias mama, only I got mine on sale at sears. The only thing I notice with the change is it's a bit trickier to lift her through the caravans doorway to get her into the seat so I'm glad I'm getting the practice at it now while she's only 14+ lbs.
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[staceychev]

OK--great reinforcement! Thanks Mamas! I'm a slinging mom, too, so the bucket stays in the car most of the time. I think the only drawback I can think of is that we have three convertibles for DD1 (age 5): my car, DH's car, and my mom's car. I don't know what we'll do with DD2 out of the bucket.

[laughingfox]

We have a Maxi Cosi Priori (I don't know if BRU sells them in stores, but they do online) and it has a great recline. We've been using it since birth. BRU will usually let you take the floor model seats out to your car to try them, so I'd suggest doing that and seeing what the recline is like in your car.
We also have a Britax in DH's car. It wouldn't fit DD2 from birth, and it was harder to get the recline right, but we do love it, too.

[Norasmomma]

DS has been in a convertible since 7 months, he hated the bucket, it made things so much better.

Couldn't you just get a cheaper convertible like a Scenara or something to move from DH's and your mom's car? I like having extra seats so that's what we do, I mainly have the kids, but my Dad and stepmom have a seat and DH does too. Their main seats are with me, the extra seats travel with the other cars.

[braidmama]

we've been using graco myride65 since ds left the hospital. its kind of a pain in the butt tbh because when they're rear facing (this one goes to 40 lbs rear facing which is good bc apparently some states are changing the rearfacing law to 2 years!) the front seat cannot be touching the carseat. we had it installed properly at the local police station- in ri they do it for free bc i guess a lot of them are installed wrong- and that's what they told us, anyway. they also said to use a rolled up towel under it (they do this even with the bucket seats) to stabalize it. i'm not really sure why this is important, i feel like the seats have been testing and have everything they need already. anyone else hear about this?

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Originally Posted by Liz.Furtado

we've been using graco myride65 since ds left the hospital. its kind of a pain in the butt tbh because when they're rear facing (this one goes to 40 lbs rear facing which is good bc apparently some states are changing the rearfacing law to 2 years!) the front seat cannot be touching the carseat. we had it installed properly at the local police station- in ri they do it for free bc i guess a lot of them are installed wrong- and that's what they told us, anyway. they also said to use a rolled up towel under it (they do this even with the bucket seats) to stabalize it. i'm not really sure why this is important, i feel like the seats have been testing and have everything they need already. anyone else hear about this?

Seats often need to be installed with a rolled up towel or pool noodle in order to get them at the proper angle. The angle of your car's back seat isn't always the right angle for the seat. All cars are different, and some need that little extra lift where part that you sit on meets the part that you lean against.

[BathrobeGoddess]

moved to family safety...

[sunflower.mama]

BRU almost always has 20% off baby gear coupons in the paper, or in it's online circular. So if you think you might have another baby someday, or have a friend who might need your bucket carseat...I'd probably do that instead of saving another 5%...

[TheGirls]

Originally Posted by sunflower.mama

BRU almost always has 20% off baby gear coupons in the paper, or in it's online circular. So if you think you might have another baby someday, or have a friend who might need your bucket carseat...I'd probably do that instead of saving another 5%...

I think the OP said the bucket was expiring in Dec. So it only has 3 months of usable life left...

A convertible is perfectly appropriate for a 6mo. Just make sure the lowest strap slot is below her shoulders. At 6mo, most seats will be. The recline is not really an issue, you can make it reclined up to 45 degrees with rolled towels/pool noodles, but at 6mo, your baby probably has decent head control and doesn't need the seat that reclined. My dd moved to slightly more upright convertible (maybe 40 degrees) at 5mo.

If I were shopping today at a BRU for a 6mo, I'd be looking at the MyRide or the Complete Air.

[Eresh]

DS outgrew his bucket by height not long after 6 months and I think the convertible worked really well. The downside, as you said, is you have to get new seats for all the vehicles you regularly use.

Some cheaper ideas --
You could solicit free expired / recalled baby items (car seats, cribs, etc) from relatives and friends for the BRU trade-in. There is no limit to the number of items you can trade in and the event runs through Sept 17 or 19, I believe.
Google Products is also great. If you plug in some car seat models you're interested in, you can find online retailers with great deals. Frequently Amazon, for example, has the same seat for less than BRU and right now most of their baby stuff is free shipping and free 365 day returns.

[staceychev]

All great info, mamas! Thank you!

[laughingfox]

Originally Posted by Eresh

Google Products is also great. If you plug in some car seat models you're interested in, you can find online retailers with great deals. Frequently Amazon, for example, has the same seat for less than BRU and right now most of their baby stuff is free shipping and free 365 day returns.

That is definitely good advice. I got my carseats from albeebaby.com and diapers.com for much less than any sale or special price I'd ever seen at BRU.

[just_lily]

By the time DD was 6mo I was definitely sick of the bucket. I did hold out for a few months though, because it was the dead of winter and we live in Canada. For us the only downside of convertable vs. bucket is not being able to bundle the baby in the carseat before going out to the car.