Should I skip the bucket? - Page 2

[GooeyRN]

Buy the bucket. DD would have fit in hers until about 14 months. They are great in cold weather so baby can be bundled while in the house. In the summer, metal clasps will not burn the baby. I am also a baby wearer, but its great to not disturb their sleep bringing them in the house. Once we put dd in a marithon, we were unable to kepp her asleep bringing her into the house. So that meant sometimes only a 15 minute nap and and a super cranky baby the rest of the day. We had a graco bucket for dd, and bought a britax companion bucket for ds. It is big and heavy, but they have a rebound bar making them very safe. Buy the bucket!

[OldFashionedGirl]

Originally Posted by DahliaRW

The radian is cheaper than the britax and the evenflo triumph advance is only 130.

$130 is still a lot for me to spend on a car seat. I realize you can't put a price on your child's safety, but, well, for me I guess you can.

[Drummer's Wife]

oh I wouldn't skip the infant/bucket seat for the first few months... baby will fit much better. worth the extra $ IMO.

[Theia]

WOW! This is awesome! I really appreciate all of the replies, I liked the milkshake too, there are so many things that I am naive about. Like I can hardly even conceive of this little one crying, its all so new to me. I am convinced though, I will get a bucket. The economy of safety is hard to really put a price on. So I will try to decide which brand to get.... there is a good second hand baby store in town, maybe I will score a good deal there. And thanks for letting me know about the RA. I will probably get a Marathon when it's time for the bucket to go.

[wendy1221]

Originally Posted by peace_laughing

WOW! This is awesome! I really appreciate all of the replies, I liked the milkshake too, there are so many things that I am naive about. Like I can hardly even conceive of this little one crying, its all so new to me. I am convinced though, I will get a bucket. The economy of safety is hard to really put a price on. So I will try to decide which brand to get.... there is a good second hand baby store in town, maybe I will score a good deal there. And thanks for letting me know about the RA. I will probably get a Marathon when it's time for the bucket to go.

I wouldn't get a used carseat unless you know the previous owner and can be 100% sure it was never in an accident.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by OldFashionedGirl

$130 is still a lot for me to spend on a car seat. I realize you can't put a price on your child's safety, but, well, for me I guess you can.

The thing is though that eventually you will have to purchase a higher weight seat. So start planning now.

-Angela

[lilyka]

Originally Posted by s_kristina

Or $10 a day if they outgrow that tiny seat by 3 months like mine did. That might still be a decent idea if you use the seat every day, but you can get a bucket much cheaper if you need one. Although based on not knowing any kids that could fit in a bucket at a year old I'd only go for the ones with a bigger shell and go to a higher weight. Even with the SS1 I would be surprised if my kids fit in it at a year old.

Obviously. Our carseat was about $60 and we used I for two kids so we hit at about $.25 a day but even if you really went crazy and went for top of the top of the line . . . .

So I will try to decide which brand to get.... there is a good second hand baby store in town, maybe I will score a good deal there.

If I had to choose between a used car seat and a cheaper model I would go with a cheaper model.

[dallaschildren]

This thread is back. Please be mindful of the MDC UA when posting and specifically refrain from taking direct issue with a member in the thread. Thank you.

Dallaschildren

[rootzdawta]

. . . I can't possibly imagine what was said in a carseat thread to get it pulled.

Anywho . . . another vote for the bucket and if I had to do it again, I'd probably do a Britax Marathon because when I combine the price of my son's car seat and the booster I will soon have to buy, it's cheaper to do the Britax.

[robinCBN]

bucket usefulness

Hi, I know you don't plan to use the bucket outside the car, we didn't either really, until we got home and our baby would only sleep in her bucket or on one of our laps... She slept in her bucket for the first week almost, and took naps in it forever. Most of the buckets rock, and our baby loved that rocking motion and not others like rocking chairs or baby swings. It is much easier to get the baby all set in the car seat inside and then carry her/him out to the car, and to bring her in while still in the car seat and get her out inside, or let her sleep if she fell asleep in the car. Sometimes even today when our child won't nap (she is 20 months and 27lbs) I am tempted to see if she will still fit in it for some rocking...

best for your arrival!

[Jane]

Around here, our hospitals have a bucket seat program - you can get one for $10. They are all certified to the same standard.

I've put newborns in cheap carseats and top-of-the-line ones. The expensive ones certainly have more features - easy to adjust and prettier, with up to date, girly or boyish fabrics. But there are some nice, cheap bucket seats with a 5 point harness.
I would seriously consider putting money away to get a nice convertible - don't buy it until you almost need to so the expiration date is as long as possible and getting a cheaper bucket seat.

[lilyka]

Originally Posted by robinCBN

HSometimes even today when our child won't nap (she is 20 months and 27lbs) I am tempted to see if she will still fit in it for some rocking...

best for your arrival!

Our bucket became a rocking recliner at one point. My dd and her friend would sit in them and watch movies. They were probably a little over 2 at the time

[Theia]

Concerning buying a used seat, I read somewhere that if there is an auto accident, the carseat involved is taken by law enforcement. Is this not true in every state? That was what was giving me comfort about trying to buy used.

I'm new in the town/state I live in and haven't had a chance to make many friends yet, so getting one that way isn't much of an option. I am also birthing at home, so I doubt that the hospital would hand one out to me, if they have such a program. <sigh>

But I like all the stories and other uses that have been found for buckets. Thanks.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by peace_laughing

Concerning buying a used seat, I read somewhere that if there is an auto accident, the carseat involved is taken by law enforcement. Is this not true in every state? That was what was giving me comfort about trying to buy used.

Absolutely not true at all here. Never heard that.

-Angela

[Theia]

Just looking around the different sites, if I can get a good deal on the britax companion, I'd buy it I think. So, is $150 with free shipping about as low as anyone has seen it? This is at albee baby. I know it's not $60 like some of the other buckets, but I like that britax seems to be more on top of things like voluntary recalls and such. And I also like the stabilizing bar.

[Charmie981]

I my roundabout. We drove our 9pound, 12 ounce, 23" DS home from the birth center in it and he still rides in it in DH's truck, at 4.5 yo, 34 pounds and 41". Since he is AT the height limit and it's very close to its expiration date (DS1 rode in it for a few months before DS2 was born), it's in DH's truck until we buy him something else. We definitely got our $200.00 out of it, though. That said, I know a baby who was a couple of inches or pounds smaller would NOT have fit in it.

For the September baby, we will opt for a Roundabout or a Marathon and borrow a bucket just in case I have the little 7 pound girl I've always dreamed of.

IME, though they have redone the triumphs lately to accommodate larger children, the Triumph seats are wide, and have wide set harness straps. Everyone I know with one, the straps are always falling off of baby's shoulders, which of course doesn't bother my friends, but drives me INSANE. I would certainly opt for a roundabout or marathon over a Triumph.

[moonlitemama]

It sounds like you've already decided to go with the bucket. I'm surprised - I don't think I saw a single person say to skip it. So, I will chime in. I borrowed buckets for my first two...they outgrew them around 4 months. With number 3 I decided to skip the bucket and use a convertible that my eldest had just outgrown (a Britax Wizard; predecessor to the Boulevard). He was 9lbs and 22 inches and fit in the seat well. He was even a winter baby. I wore him all the time and really didn't miss the bucket. (Especially with two older children, it was great to have my hands free, rather than carrying a bucket.) You really get the hang of scooping them in and out of the seat and into/out of the sling or whatever. Often they'll sleep through it or settle quickly. If you're already planning to wear your baby, I don't think you'll "miss" having a bucket (of course, you can't miss what you haven't had).

If you do go for a bucket, for $150 price range, I'd probably look at the Graco SafeSeat ($130) rather than the Britax Companion. You'll get more use out of the SafeSeat (30lbs rather than 22lbs). (However, I just saw the Companion in Unity Blue on the BRU site for $95.)

Good luck with your choice!

[aja-belly]

we had buckets for both of mine but they hardly got any use. one was bought from a friend and the other was purchased while we were out of state waiting for dd to be born. my kids both fit fine in an evenflo triumph at 2 weeks. we didn't try before that for ds because that was the first time we left the house and with dd we didn't get home until she was 2 weeks old. the only big bonus for the bucket imo is that we could bring it in with us easily rather than leaving it in a hot car. my kids NEVER slept in the seat after the car stopped, and dd would have been pissed off royally if we picked up her seat when we got somewhere instead of picking her up immediately. doing it again i don't think we would bother with a bucket, but you never know, we might have a baby someday that sleeps so soundly in the carseat that stopping the car and taking the seat out doesn't wake them.

[Julia'sMom]

I didn't read all the responses, but I would definately get the bucket. We had both a convertible and a bucket, one for each car. My dd will NEVER stay asleep to be transferred from the convertible seat, but is fine in the bucket. Also, since she's so petite she's still in the bucket at 18 months. : I'm just now shopping around for a replacement seat.

[wendy1221]

I really liked my Britax Companion, but if the Safeseat had been out when I got it, I would have gotten the Safeseat instead. The baby will fit in it a lot longer, so it's more cost effective. It has EPS foam and a 5pt harness. The baby will fit into it for closer to a year, so you will be able to get a seat at that point that is a convertible that goes to 65lbs, and your child will be more likely to get full use out of it before it expires.