And for me this part wasn't even a concern. I use a Phil & Ted's double buggy, it's a inline stroller and it came with an infant carrier. Here's a link.
http://philandteds.com/us/Products/Push/classic#Features
and I totally forgot, it comes with an adapter for 2 different kinds of infant car seats (can't remember the brands)
And for me this part wasn't even a concern. I use a Phil & Ted's double buggy, it's a inline stroller and it came with an infant carrier. Here's a link.
http://philandteds.com/us/Products/Push/classic#Features
and I totally forgot, it comes with an adapter for 2 different kinds of infant car seats (can't remember the brands)
I personally hate the design and the price is not right for my family. But, to each their own. I know my kids would have been annoyed being down low and behind like that. I do have a sit and stand double stroller (converts to sit and stand) where I put the older kid in the back, but they can still see fine around. They aren't down and behind.
I personally hate the design and the price is not right for my family. But, to each their own. I know my kids would have been annoyed being down low and behind like that. I do have a sit and stand double stroller (converts to sit and stand) where I put the older kid in the back, but they can still see fine around. They aren't down and behind.
We LOVE this stroller!! We've had it since 2010 (I think, early in the year before L was born) and it is BY far my favorite stroller!!! It was expensive, but it also doesn't have all the plastic pieces and cheap material that some of the others have. Also, I was having a problem with one of the intertubes keeping air so P&T's customer service sent me 2 FREE replacements!!! And THAT is the only issue we've ever had with it!! It fits our kids, and the younger never minded sitting in the back of it. When I bought it as a "doubles kit" it came free with a peanut bassinet that could be used and it's set up so the infant can lay down in it while the bigger kid sits in the seat attached to the front (the seat that goes behind). It's such a GREAT set up. Occasionally we see someone else with one and I love that, and random people stop me and tell me what a GREAT looking stroller I have and ask a lot of questions about it. I probably paid $450 for it with the doubles kit but the other less expensive ones cost $200 and get wobbly after a while and are just not the quality that the Phil & Ted's is. If we had the money I would UP grade to the new one and sell this one LOL
If it were me, I'd just pick whatever was cheaper if you like them all. :) Unless you can think of a compelling reason to spend more on one of them.
Don't forget to make sure the seat you choose goes with the kind of stroller you may want to use with it.
Good tip! That is actually how I even narrowed down to these three in the first place. We plan to use a BOB and it has infant carseat adapters for certain models of those three brands: Britax, Graco, and Chicco
I hesitate to post, but feel it is useful for all of us on this discussion board to share our opinions and perhaps reflect on some that our different than our own. So...
We are talking about car seats right? So why plan on using it as a baby bucket or worry about how easy it is to carry. Because of how baby's are positioned in carseats there is a scary tendency for them to slump and close their airways, there is also evidence the straps can compress their little chests causing breathing difficulties. Car seats are safe in cars (with monitoring), but babies in carseats out of cars have died due to poor positioning. There is an active thread on the babywearer.com right now where an experienced mom found her newborn blue in his carseat. There have also been deaths and injuries due to carseats falling from shopping carts or while being carried. I also know people who have sustained back and shoulder injuries from lugging around their babies in carseats.
My kids have NEVER been in their carseats outside of a car. Sure it is a royal PITA to insert/remove a baby who just fell asleep. And with kids 16months apart was a logistical nightmare. But I babywear (all the time, it is my parenting passion) and have a stroller that reclines and is great for little babies.
Car seats are for cars and I think we should all rethink using them as anything else.
I hesitate to post, but feel it is useful for all of us on this discussion board to share our opinions and perhaps reflect on some that our different than our own. So...
We are talking about car seats right? So why plan on using it as a baby bucket or worry about how easy it is to carry. Because of how baby's are positioned in carseats there is a scary tendency for them to slump and close their airways, there is also evidence the straps can compress their little chests causing breathing difficulties. Car seats are safe in cars (with monitoring), but babies in carseats out of cars have died due to poor positioning. There is an active thread on the babywearer.com right now where an experienced mom found her newborn blue in his carseat. There have also been deaths and injuries due to carseats falling from shopping carts or while being carried. I also know people who have sustained back and shoulder injuries from lugging around their babies in carseats.
My kids have NEVER been in their carseats outside of a car. Sure it is a royal PITA to insert/remove a baby who just fell asleep. And with kids 16months apart was a logistical nightmare. But I babywear (all the time, it is my parenting passion) and have a stroller that reclines and is great for little babies.
Car seats are for cars and I think we should all rethink using them as anything else.
This is my opinion as well. Though I did use bucket seats with my first two I really never took them out of the car and had I done more research wouldn't have used a bucket seat. I am kinda a stickler about car seats and even though it is way out of our budget plan on getting the Diono Radian convertable seat. Since I keep my kids rear facing for at least two years and then in car seats until they're 6 I want a really high quality car seat. I will have three seats in our car, an infant seat, a child carseat, and a booster.
I've never had a problem with a bucket seat, but I understand the concerns. I already have a convertible seat, so I'm considering if I want to buy another bucket seat or not. I use my baby carrier a lot anyway. Last time I only used the bucket for the first 3 months and the sold it on craigslist. I actually bought it for $25 and sold it for $25. LOL And it was in excellent shape.
Wow, what great discussions. I am going to take the plunge and buy my 4yo a Diona Radian RXT convertible car seat. Amazon has them for $264. Has anyone seen them for a better price? I am not sure what to do about the infant seat. Chicco Key 30 fit I guess, I don't let the baby sleep in them, its just easy to have the bases in each car and getting them quickly inside.
We have settled on the Chicco Keyfit 30 as our infant car seat!
We're going with the Safety 1st On Board Air 35. It had the highest crash test ratings by Consumer Reports in the "Infant Car Seat - over 22lbs capacity" category. Safety 1st and Britax models were the only ones with "Excellent" for crash test. Chicco models were "Very Good" and Graco models "Good".
Chicco did have the highest overall score, however, but they include ease of use in the rating. DH and I felt that safety trumped ease of clicking the seat in and out .... so here's to hoping the car seat doesn't make me cuss too much. ;)
Something that nobody has mentioned - I found several dire warnings about purchasing used seats, because there is no way to be sure they have not been in a crash previously. Most of the manufacturers websites I read stated that the seats need to be replaced after any kind of crash, regardless of if the seat was visibly damaged or not. The second hand stores around here won't even take carseats for this reason.
Some may not like it, but second hand car seats from honest looking people work for some. The last one I got came from a very nice looking family all packed in their van and was in excellent condition. I guess, I would base my decision on the appearance of the seller. I know that may not be look upon happily by all, but some people don't have a lot of money. Seems like a waste to just throw a perfectly good car seat in a trash bin. I don't think the majority of people are such jerks that they would sell their used car seat that has been in an accident.
I agree with DayisComing. if you find someone that looks like they're being honest with you and has a reasonably priced carseat, trust your instincts!! I've actually sold all of our old carseats on CraigsList when we're done with them or needed to move on to bigger ones. I had 3 Maxi Cosi Priori seats and sold all 3 of them on CL when we moved to the Britax Pavillion G70 in Sept. I ONLY changed to them because they go to 40lbs and the child can't be more than 2" higher than the seat and he was 39lbs and already 2" higher. I will likely sell the Chicco Key Fit 30 after this baby has outgrown too.
One thing I would consider/recommend is each company should have an "expiry" date on their website or on the seat itself and you should dispose of them at that date because the materials can and will wear down over time making them less functional and safe. 5 years is the limit on some and 7 or 8 years is the limit on some.
We went to a Car Seat Safety Class today, taught by a car seat tech with national certification, etc. Thought I'd share what I learned!
Bucket infant seat vs. convertible seat - both are equally effective as long as they're rear-facing. The convertible seat becomes less safe once it's turned around. She said that the bucket seat is great for portability, and as part of a travel system, but a RF convertible seat is absolutely fine for a newborn, as long as it's rated for that weight. (I was totally surprised). The RF convertible carseats have the ability to recline, so that's the necessary part for a newborn, to make sure the head is tilted back with ample angle for an open airway. She said most if not all have an insert for small infants, but if for some bizarre reason it doesn't, you can used rolled receiving blankets on either side of the baby's head for additional support.
Weight limit of infant bucket seats - 22lb, 30lb, or 35lb really doesn't matter. None is more safe than the other. It's about what's convenient for the parents. She said that she can't imagine anyone wanting to tote around a 35lb infant in a bucket seat, but if you just want to be able to postpone buying the convertible seat for longer that's fine.
Rear-facing length - as long as the kid can stand it, minimum of two years. We watched these awful (yet informative) accident videos, and as horrid as they were, they proved the point that a 20lb infant does not have the muscle tone to handle a crash when they are forward-facing. Their feet can touch the back of the back seat, it causes no problems (again a surprise).
Safety-rating - if it's on the market, it meets minimum safety standards, which is front and rear impact crashes. They do not routinely test side impact. If a manufacturer states that it's better for side-crashes, there's no way to verify that really. If money is an issue, it's more important to have a seat installed properly and used consistently and correctly than to pay for one that independently claims better safety. She said that you can call the fire department or police department and they usually have a certified technician who can check your installation and usage, as well as perform periodic checks to see if the seat or base is getting stress marks, or starting to weaken in any way. She reiterated not getting second-hand car seats unless you personally know the seller.
Other bits - Babies should not have on thick layers of clothing (jackets and sweaters) on when strapped in the car seat, as it creates too much slack in the harness. Aftermarket car seat additions (padding for straps, cushier head inserts) are okay as long as they do not alter the function of the harness; some strap pads are so long they cause the harness clip to slide down to the infants waist. They need to be short so the clip holding the right and left strap together is armpit level across the breastbone.
We thought the class was pretty great. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the information, Tiger!
Thanks for sharing, Tiger. I've been debating infant vs. convertible seats and not really finding anything that says an infant seat is better. Definitely leaning towards a convertible at this point!
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