I struggled with whether or not to get an infant seat again too or not, but in the end I did. I got a clearance Combi Centre shipped to Alaska for under $90, so that's why I ended up getting a bucket. I wouldn't spend over $100 on a bucket though. I know Britax has the reputation as being the best car seats and both of my older kids ride in them now (DD in the Boulevard and DS in the Regent) but the more research I did on car seats the more I realized there are other great seats available. Especially in the infant seat market and some cost a lot less.
I think that the cold weather was the deciding factor for me. I do wear my babies, so really wearing the new one will leave me more hands free to take care of my other two than carrying the infant bucket, but since we're having winter babies, putting them into nice warm seats inside makes sense to me.
But as a car seat tech, I have to say that bundling a baby too much in a car seat or using anything that goes behind the baby or the straps are not recommended. As a matter of fact most instruction manuals specifically say not to use after market products. I use light fleece snowsuits then tuck blankets around the baby after it's strapped in snuggly then through a blanket over the whole seat. Then I can remove blankets as needed in the car. Or you can use a shower cap type of infant seat cover. In my classes to become a certified car seat tech (child passenger safety tech-actually) I found out that there are no Federal regulations on after market products (head supports, toys that attach to the seats, Bundle Me's, etc) so even if the package says that it's crash tested they really don't have any standard to compare it too. Only actual car seats and vehicles have Federal regulations. Ok, I'm rambling! Sorry, I've made so many car seat mistakes with my kids, that I kind of got sucked into doing tons of research and then became a tech so I can volunteer at car seat checks. It's something I'm very passionate about.
lisalulu-check your manual, I'm pretty sure that your snugride lets you leave the handle up in the car. Most recent snugrides allow you to leave the handle in positions A D or E in the car (all the way up or down). My new infant seat says you have to leave the handle up in the car!
So Gina, if your still reading all this! I would look at other options if you decide to get an infant seat and save yourself the extra $100 over the Britax seat. Maybe look at one of the Graco Safeseats or new Chicco Keyfits that go to up to 30 pounds, so you get more use out of the infant seat if you have bigger babies.
And please, everyone have your seats checks by a car seat tech! It really is true that almost all seats we seat at checks are installed incorrectly. A very common mistake is using latch in the center when it's not allowed. Most passenger cars have latch only on the two outboard seats, but parents "borrow" one anchor from each outside seat to use latch in the center.
I hope this helps and isn't more confusing!
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You might want to ask whoever organizes the shower to include a note like "please include a gift reciept in case more than one guest brings the same gift" Then you could return it even if it's not on your registry and get store credit. You'll do fine if you have a convertible from the get-go and carry the baby while out and about. The baby will probably like it better anyway!
) then if we're in need of a bucket he can go to the store or borrow from our friend whose is only a year old.
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: Having to install the bucket seat for the baby would be a nice excuse to have both seats properly checked!
