What kind of car seats does everyone plan to use?

[mommycaroline]

We had a bucket seat, which I purchased used, for DD. Since her birth, I'm so much more informed, and that seat is definitely not going to be used for this babe. DD cried and cried in that seat, and never stopped until we bought her a Britax Roundabout at about 4 months. Didn't totally solve the problem, but sure made car rides more pleasant.

Our current plan is to buy a Marathon or Wizard (both Britax seats) for DD, and put our new baby in the old Roundabout. But, I'm a little concerned about the RA being too large for a newborn. This one bulletin board I frequent says it's just fine, but I keep looking at newborns and thinking they'd be swimming in an RA.

Should we splurge and buy an infant seat? It seems like such a waste, since it's only necessary for just a couple of months, but safety is so important. I just can't decide. What is everyone else doing?

Oh, and I'm planning on buying the Marathon or Wizard (whichever one I finally decide on) at Babyage.com They're having a sale right now, until tomorrow, where the Marathon is $219 and the Wizard is $239 but if you use the coupon code EBATES and you go to their site through ebates.com you get 10% off a purchase over $100 and a 4% rebate from Ebates, which is a pretty sizable discount on an already good price.

[alegna]

Well, originally we planned to just get a Marathon, Roundabout or Wizard and use it from newborn on, but someone here (sorry, don't remember who- it was awhile back) went on at some length about how newborns just aren't so safe in convertible seats. SO... we went ahead and got a Britax Companion (for only $150, I have to brag) AND a Wizard (for about $240) We have more $$ right now (well actually a few months ago) than we will when we need the Wizard, so I wanted to go ahead and have it on hand. It came down to the fact that we weren't buying most big ticket baby items and we just couldn't bring ourselves to choose a carseat based on price alone. I really like the Companion- it has some safety features that no other infant seat does and we decided on the Wizard for two reasons- 1. the side impact protection and 2. the knob to adjust the straps (without re-threading them)

So- there you have it We were a little concerned about fitting the Wizard in our Honda Civic rear-facing, so we tried it out at the store- no problem at all. Fits great and goes in easy and super secure.

-Angela

[kimberlylibby]

We use a Graco Infant carseat for when they're itty bitty. It does pop on our stroller, but I don't know if I ever used it with Libby or not?? Thinking.... maybe a few times in the very beginning when I couldn't carry the carseat post c/s??

And then she was WAY too long for it at around 4 months so I switched her to a rear-facing convertible. I hate it though. It was my nephew's (he's 2 1/2) and they didn't like it so they gave it to me. It has good safety ratings, but I just don't like it. It's an Evenflo.

I'm not sure what we will do when it is time for this baby to turn forward facing.... we'd thought about getting 2 Britax nice carseats, but if we do end up moving to Hong Kong, we won't need ANY, so that would be pointless, kwim? Cause we'd move when this baby is around 1 yr old.

Not sure not sure.

Kimberly

[Jlcampbellkidz]

We have a Graco infant seat that we used with DD. I also plan on getting the Britax Wizard. We used the infant seat for a few months then it became so hard for me to cary her up the 3 flights of stairs at our apartment in that infant seat. I started using the Graco convertable that we had. Breaunna is still in that Graco convertable and will be for several more years so I am looking forward to using the Wizard with this new baby and just having the sling available for Grocery shopping and anywhere else we go.

[frognladybugmama]

well, i bought a century celestia (graco bought out century, no clue what the new name is...) when i was pg w/ shelby and used it about 4mos, so we'll be using it again this time...i found it on sale from 119 down to 40! it was the floor model w/ no box/instrux's but i just called graco and got them anyways, once he outgrows it - ideally i'd like to switch him to the convertible shelby's in and buy her a 5pt booster, but we'll see...the convertible shelby's in will be 5yrs old this fall and we bought it new and evenflo doesn't see a problem w/ it since it's not been wrecked till 7yrs, but i don't know how i feel about it yet...either way, we'll be buying 1 or 2 new seats sometime...

[LizaBear]

We'll be using the infant carrier / seat that we had with Boo - it snaps onto a base in the car, and hooks onto the stroller as well.

I like it because I don't have to wake a sleeping baby if we're getting out of the car (if baby is already awake - into the sling they go )

It's Graco and came with the stroller.

After that - we'll need another convertible seat.

[MamaDaednu]

We'll be using the Graco baby bucket that we used for Sid. I can't bring myself to buy a new one since that one still looks brand new.
But if I had a choice I'd buy a Britax bucket. I find the bucket very useful for bringing into restaurants. And Britax is *excellent* for not having straps twist. I'll be grumbling again about the straps getting all twisty on the Graco.
Then when the babe outgrows that I'll buy Sid a bigger seat and put the babe in the Roundabout he's currently in. The timing of the two should coincide perfectly.

~Daednu

[TerriKay]

We have a Graco infant seat (Snugride) which snaps onto the stroller for a travel system. It should be perfect for dd's soccer season this fall. We are still looking at which convertible we are going to get when he outgrows this one. DD was in her infant for about 4 months (could have gone a little longer but we were heading out on a 1000 mile road trip and I wanted her to be comfy). I figure that this one should last about as long, which will put us right at Christmas. I don't know what we are going to switch to yet, but I do know already that it is going to be one of his xmas presents. (Besides, at 4 months, he'll never know the difference.)

[magemom]

I am looking at toddler seats for ds3 and using his convertable from DH's car for this baby. I sold our infant seat about 2 years ago and don't think I will get another. Since the toddler seat is going in DH's car it needs to be narrower than most of the other toddler seats so 3 can fit back there. i hope to get this straight by July 24.

[SamuraiEarthMama]

i'm saving up for a britax roundabout, starting from infancy. i'm a member of consumer reports, and their website gave it the thumbs up for all ages.

i figure if the newborn really looks tiny in there, i can tuck a rolled up receiving blanket on each side.

k

[naturegirl]

I am using a Britax Roundabout too. It does look big for a newborn so I also bought a head cushion thing that goes around his/her whole head to offer more support. For 10 bucks I think it was worth it and I think it will work well. (It seems to work well for the teddy bear in there now )

Cheryl

[MamaDaednu]

It is quite darn big for a newborn and I like the portability of a baby bucket. Good for the winters so babe doesn't get put into a cold seat (even though the winters here are quite temperate).
I bought my roundabout on Ebay. Great prices for brand new car seats.

~Daednu

[mommycaroline]

Well, we broke down and bought a travel system. Graco's Sterling System, comes with the Snug Ride 5 pt harness.

I have such prejudices against these, really. I hate seeing people carting their babes around in a bucket. So detached, so lonely for the kiddo, and bad for their heads! But, there are times that you just *need* a place to put a tiny one, and I'm thinking that will happen more now that we'll have two.

I had really hoped to use our Roundabout for the newborn, but I've been reading a lot that says they're really not a good choice. The harness height from rump to harness slot is 10 inches, and for a proper fit, the baby's shoulders need to be at or above the harness slots. Now, DD was a pretty big girl, 20 1/2 inches, but I really doubt she was all of 10 inches from rump to shoulder, so she would have been too tiny. And, I remember how little she seemed when we finally got the RA, and she was over 6 months!

So, we'll use the infant seat until this babe outgrows it, sometime in a year or so, and maybe by then, DD will be ready for a booster, rather than a Marathon or Wizard. We'll see.

I hate that this choice HAS to be made before you even meet your baby. They don't let you leave the hospital without a safe car seat, which is wise, but man it makes planning tough!

[MamaDaednu]

Hey Caroline it looks like we have the same spacing between our kiddies. That's cool.

~Daednu

[Jillybean]

we have an infant seat that detaches from the base that was given to us so we'll be using that at first. The IL's also want to get us something that we need, which isn't much, so we picked out a car seat. Its actually a 3-in-1; rear-facing, forward facing and booster. (um, graco maybe? Alpha Omega something) so we could use it from the very begining if we wanted but I think a tiny baby would get lost in it. But, I really like the idea of not having to buy another carseat for this baby, ds is on his third (a forward facing/ booster convertible).

[sylvi76]

Just bought the Graco SnugRide. It fits on the universal Kolcraft, which is what we opted for instead of the bulkier travel systems.

[rochellep3]

I mostly used a Britax with the first two kids. I did have a bucket for the other car(the cheapest 5 point I could find), but it was so thrashed after going through 2 kids that I got rid of it when ds outgrew it. I contemplated getting a new carseat, but ended up buying a new cover and harness for the britax (roundabout). I have to say, this is my first purchase where I have given into my feelings that this is probably a girl...I bought the "popsicle" seat cover, which is about as girly as it gets. Well, we shall see! And if not, they sell really well on ebay!

I may still cave and buy an infant seat after the baby gets here, but with three kids, it's just not the issue it used to be!

Rochelle
Mommy to Meg 5/00, Peter 6/02, #3 due 8/04

[girlfactory]

The free kind LOL.
A friend is bringing her carseat to me in a week...........i don't know yet what kind it is other than no cost to me

[bwylde]

Originally Posted by LizaBear

We'll be using the infant carrier / seat that we had with Boo - it snaps onto a base in the car, and hooks onto the stroller as well.

I like it because I don't have to wake a sleeping baby if we're getting out of the car (if baby is already awake - into the sling they go )

It's Graco and came with the stroller.

After that - we'll need another convertible seat.

This is pretty much our situation (except we don't have the stroller). I figure I have at least a few months to find a convertable seat so I can watch the sales. DS outgrew his infant seat by the time he was 3-4 months old.

[polyphany]

The Baby Trend Latch Loc

Hey Caroline, I think you're babe should be fine in the RA since you said you tend to have big babies. Yes babe will probably swim in it at first, but maybe you could just use your current infant seat for a few weeks and then switch. I don't see a reason to buy another infant seat.

We got the Baby Trend Latch Loc for baby boy, because I have small babies and my beloved FP SIV is being used by the 5th or 6th baby to have it passed down to, so we went ahead and bought a new infant seat. We should be able to use it for 6-9 months, and then we already have two RAs that we'll be using, one for Kymera and the other for Raiden. Right now Kymera is in the RAs, and it's nice to just be able to swap seats when the cover gets dirty, but I already have one extra cover and plan to get another for easy, fast cover changes. We'll probably go with an Ultra or Platinum Cargo for Kymera once she outgrows the RA since she's such a lightweight and will definately outgrow the RA by height rather than weight. If Raiden turns out to be a BIG boy we'll probably get a Wizard or a Husky for Kymera and then pass it down to Raiden when he's too heavy for the RA and get Kymera a dedicated booster.