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Carseats!

post #1 of 25
6/30/07 at 2:37pm
Thread Starter 
I started a car seat thread in Life with a Babe in case anyone is interested.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=703404

What kind of car seats are you guys looking into?

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post #2 of 25
6/30/07 at 3:08pm
I'll probably get a graco safeseat. we had the snugride when dd was an infant and sold it with our travel system so we have to get a new one, doh! they've done some improvements with the new model, it goes to a higher height and weight so that is good (if the new one even likes the infant seat - catie never did!)
post #3 of 25
6/30/07 at 3:45pm
Lately I'm totally obsessive about carseat safety -- we just got our boys two Britax Regents which go up to 80lbs in a 5pt harness. It cost a fortune but after watching the Kyle Miller video on YouTube, I know it was an investment in their safety. We're also getting Sunshine Kids Radian 65 for backup seats, to use in dh's car. My dd is a Cosco Touriva. Not a great seat, but it's installed properly and when she gets too big for it, we'll get another Britax Regent.

For the new baby, I'd LOOOOOOVE a Graco SafeSeat, but we'll probably stick with our SnugRide.

I like having the baby close, so she will go in the second row, along with my 2yo dd. My 4yo boys are in the third row.

*Warning: that video is INCREDIBLY sad*
post #4 of 25
6/30/07 at 3:53pm
I'm getting a new recaro for the new babe. I'll use dd's old (but still good, not expired) comfortsport for the first year or so, and then get the Recaro, because it expires in 6 years, so if I get it when the new babe is 1, it'll last until s/he is 7, which is about when it will be outgrown. To me, it is the best of both worlds, a seat that will RF until 35 pounds, and then FF til 70, which is ALMOST as much as the regent, but all in one nice convertible seat.
post #5 of 25
6/30/07 at 3:56pm
We ordered a SafeSeat. DS was a big baby and grew out of his infant seat pretty quickly, so we think it will be nice to have an infant seat with higher limits.
post #6 of 25
6/30/07 at 4:11pm
we have a graco snugride and will probably get another alpha omega when he grows out of the infant seat. we have used the combiation with our other children and like the snugrides and the alpha omegas.
post #7 of 25
6/30/07 at 4:21pm
Thread Starter 
W/ my first 2 I used the Graco one w/ navy/white check and the little teddy bears on it. (Don't remember the model, but I'm sure we've all seen it!) It lasted till dd was 3 mos when we were in a minor car accident (narrowly missed a deer in the middle of the road as we crested a hill at night and hit the cement guard rails instead) when we got a Cosco convertible from a friend.

Do the baby buckets RF at a higher weight limit now? When ds was a baby it was 20 lbs and he was well over that much sooner! He had a convertible at about 6 mos.

I'd like for this one to be RF as long as possible.
post #8 of 25
6/30/07 at 5:05pm
I'll be using the Graco snugride that came with the travel system we got with dd. It's a MIL's right now so she can use it with my nephew, but he should be grown out of it by the time we need it back. I also have an Evenflo convertible carseat that we can use as an extra seat for either of them. Just about any of the infant bucket seats will be easy to use 'cause you just leave the base in and take the seat in and out. I'd just get an extra base for your extra car, I'd be cheaper than getting a whole other carseat.
post #9 of 25
6/30/07 at 5:06pm
We are getting the graco safeseat for both babies.
post #10 of 25
6/30/07 at 5:16pm
my sis bought a snugride for us already, and after that, i was pretty set on a blvd, but now the new recaros are looking really nice
post #11 of 25
6/30/07 at 5:50pm
Our 2yo is in a RF marathon (honda civic 2004 sedan) and babe will get her Snugride. When babe outgrows the snugride, Annabelle will get the regent or a radian and the marathon will go to the babe. If Annabelle is not 33# by then, plan B will be another Marathon for babe and Annabelle will stay in hers as the regent won't fit in the car.

Liz
post #12 of 25
6/30/07 at 5:55pm
Britax Boulevard, lasts up to 6 years from DOM, so no need for an infant carseat then a convertible.
post #13 of 25
7/1/07 at 12:01am
we have britax marathon for dd2 and a booster for dd1... I really like the way new babies fit in the infant seats best even though they are used for such a short time. I bought the britax companion on ebay new for about $70 less than eny other place I could find it. I really like the seat...

peace
jen
post #14 of 25
7/1/07 at 12:22am
We like the Britax Companion too. We still have ours from DD, and will use it again. I agree with Jen; the infants look so much more secure in that than a convertible seat.
We have a Britax Wizard and Boulevard for DD too, and will buy another Boulevard when/if we need a third convertible seat (for a second vehicle).
post #15 of 25
7/1/07 at 12:25am
In most convertible seats, kid can stay rear-facing til 35lbs -- meaning one of my 4yo could still be rear-facing. I plan to keep the new kid RF as long as possible.
post #16 of 25
7/1/07 at 12:58am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by YumaDoula View Post
In most convertible seats, kid can stay rear-facing til 35lbs -- meaning one of my 4yo could still be rear-facing. I plan to keep the new kid RF as long as possible.
What baout the infant seats, those known as baby buckets?
post #17 of 25
7/1/07 at 3:01am
Oooh, right up my alley! (Former certified car seat tech.)

Justthatgirl, most of the infant seats still go to only 20-22lbs, BUT newer seats like the Graco SafeSeat Step1 go to 30lbs! There's also one by Chicco, I believe, that goes up to 30lbs. These are also taller seats, so they accomodate up to 30", I believe - though that's never a firm measurement (go by where the child's head is in relation to the top of the seat).

We have the Britax Companion from DS2. It goes to 22lbs and 30" - and the extra inches meant we could use it until DS was 18 months old!! Yeah, I make 'em skinny! DS1 had outgrown an Evenflo infant seat at 5 months but only by height and was also not 20lbs before 1 year, so I knew the extra height allowance would really help us, and it sure did! I have pics of DS at about 17-18 months in the SafeSeat, and he had room to grow! Not a ton - not enough to, say, buy the seat at that juncture, but it clearly will fit for a LONG time! I definitely think it's a good investment!

Convertible seats will go to 30-33lbs generally and a few to 35 - so check your manual to be sure!

I have heard the rumours of the upcoming Recaro convertibles and have been VERY interested, but hadn't seen the latest on them! I love the fit of the Young Sport for my DS, but couldn't justify a 40lb harness seat for him (he's in a Marathon now, nearly outgrown it, at 5yrs3mo and 75%ile for height). So I'm really excited to see how these new seats do! The hard part will be finding someone who carries them in stores. : But thankfully it looks like it's not too much longer to wait! So, yeah, um, thanks for giving me something fun to do when what I really need to be doing is PACKING!
post #18 of 25
7/1/07 at 12:58pm
Thread Starter 
Glad we could throw a little sunshine your way, Heather!

So, as a former car seat tech, for someone on a budget, what would you recommend? I'm really eyeballing that Chicco mostly because it's so lightweight, apparently, and the size limit is heavier than the others I've seen.

DS was 9lb 8oz at birth and we had a Graco for him (the one w/ the little navy/white checkers and teddy bears) and LORD was it heavy!
post #19 of 25
7/1/07 at 1:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Justthatgirl View Post
Glad we could throw a little sunshine your way, Heather!

So, as a former car seat tech, for someone on a budget, what would you recommend? I'm really eyeballing that Chicco mostly because it's so lightweight, apparently, and the size limit is heavier than the others I've seen.

DS was 9lb 8oz at birth and we had a Graco for him (the one w/ the little navy/white checkers and teddy bears) and LORD was it heavy!
Just use the carseat as a carseat, take baby out and put them in a sling. You run the risk of damaging a joint by lugging that carseat around with bebe in it.
post #20 of 25
7/1/07 at 2:07pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by firstkid4me View Post
Just use the carseat as a carseat, take baby out and put them in a sling. You run the risk of damaging a joint by lugging that carseat around with bebe in it.
I want to be able to use it as a baby carrier, too. We eat out a lot and eating w/ an infant in my arms (even in my sling) is too cumbersome for me. Additionally, if we're at church and one of us is holding/slinging the sleeping baby then that leaves only 1 parent to work w/ the 2 older ones, one of whom has autism and is quite a handful. On top of all that, I've been in 5 car accidents (none my fault!) and have some major back trouble, so slinging or using a mei tai is not a long-lasting event for me, unfortunately. I need to know I have the option of putting the baby down for a little while.

I did sling dd much of the time when she was an infant (after only 3 accidents), but it was just too hard, even when dh was w/ me and could focus solely on ds, so I ended up putting her in the carrier frequently when we'd go out as a family. That way we could tag-team ds. Now we have to tag-team both.

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