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Car seats

800 views 32 replies 23 participants last post by  hottmama 
#1 ·
ok sorry if this has been addressed before but I'm not pulling up much doing google searches for MDC.

So...I'd like ideas for what to get in terms of a car seat. I'm thinking that an infant seat is good to have for those times you want to have something for babe to sleep in (like at a dinner at someone's house) and you can't sling him all the time and a stroller would be too inconvenient. OTOH babies outgrow those seats quickly. So I'm thinking that perhaps a convertible seat would be best from the get-go.

: I'm confused--any advice would be appreciated!
 
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#4 ·
My babe couldv'e used the bucket for her whole first year, but I hated that thing so much! I totally regret getting it. It doesn't fit in my car as well as a convertable because of that dang handle and we have the Evenflo triumph which is much cushier than that fabric cover plastic. I would just go right to the convertable...
 
#5 ·
The largest reason behind our getting a travel system with infant seat was learning that the convertable seats aren't curved right for supporting new babies' backs. I do like having the travel system with the stroller and all because my 3.5 month old son still frequently falls asleep in the car, and it is nice not to have to wake him up to go in stores etc. I don't like to leave him in it when he is awake, and more often than not he'll wake up in the store/mall/whatever and want held, but it is nice until he wakes up on his own. I just toss my sling in the bottom of the stroller, and when he wakes up, the stroller becomes a shopping cart/diaper bag holder =)
 
#7 ·
I liked having the bucket seat. It was nice if ds was sleeping when we got home because I could just set him in the kitchen and get my groceries put away. If a baby is sleeping.....let him sleep. My ds was only 5 1/2 months when we had to get a convertible....he weighed too much! I miss being able to take him into the house without disturbing him.

If you do get a convertible. Try to get one that goes up to 100 lbs. That way it saves you from having to buy yet another carseat.
 
#8 ·
I liked having the bucket for the same reasons the PP did. I also notice you are due in November but I'm not sure if you live somewhere that has a cold winter. The bucket was really helpful because I could get my babies strapped in and warm before bringing them outside and again when I had to go from the car inside. You shouldn't use bulky coats, jackets and multiple layers of clothing under the harness because the clothing will compress during an accident and may cause your child to get hurt.

You don't have to use them very long at all though. I saved the bucket from ds1 and used it with ds2. After I was done with it I passed it on to a friend since it had never been in an accident and was not past its expiration date.
 
#10 ·
I love my bucket. DD is 8.5 months and it is still working very nice for us. When she was a newborn, and fell asleep in the car it was nice to carry the carrier in the house and not disturb her. If we tried taking her out of the seat she would immediatly wake up. It was also nice to put her in the seat in the house and tuck blankets around her in the winter. That way she did not have to go into a cold seat and then be bundled. Also, if you bring the carrier in the house in the summer, you wont have to worry about the buckles burning your baby if they accidently touch the metal. It wont be hot from baking in the sun all day. The seat has not left the car in the last few months. Now that she is older, she wakes up regardless if we bring her in or the her in the carrier. I like the bucket, since you have the OPTION of using it as a carrier or not. Its also a lot cheaper than buying two carseats for two cars, since you can buy as many bases as you want, and leave them in the car, and keep the carrier in the house. One carrier can snap in to as many bases as you wish, in as many cars as you wish. So you can give your sitter or mother (if you have them baby sit) a base, and not worry about what they will do if they need to go somewhere when they have your baby. (you never know what can pop up in life!) Also... your partner never takes the car with the carseat in it, leaving you home bound for the day. You can buy a seperate cloth piece to give a little extra head support if you wish. I did that when my baby was a newborn. She was so tiny! My bucket is good for up to 24 lbs and I think 30 inches. At 7.5 months dd was 16 lbs and 27 inches, so we should get a year out of it. I love my bucket!
 
#11 ·
Even though I never use the bucket as a baby carrier away from home, I still think it's a great product. Especially since I seem to be a winter baby mama. Bundling and unbundling in the house is a really nice benefit. I wouldn't use the bucket at friends' houses or for going into stores (slings will be great in those situations. . . it's very easy to eat with a baby in a sling), but from house to car and back, it is fabulous.

If you do get a bucket, make sure you get one with the higher limitations, especially length-wise (get one that goes to 30"). We have the britax companion, and it is a really nice car seat (anti-rebound bar, side impact protection), and unless my next baby is significantly bigger than my first two, it will last us at least a year.

If you don't get a bucket, make sure you get a seat that fits little babies well. I highly recommend the britax boulevard since it comes with a great infant support cushion and the harness straps are so easily adjustable (and it has side impact protection and goes until 65 lbs.). Also, make sure the seat fits well in your car rear-facing, since some of the bigger convertible seats can be tricky to get the right rear-facing angle with, especially in smaller cars.

HTH!

Lex
 
#13 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by krisw
The largest reason behind our getting a travel system with infant seat was learning that the convertable seats aren't curved right for supporting new babies' backs. I do like having the travel system with the stroller and all because my 3.5 month old son still frequently falls asleep in the car, and it is nice not to have to wake him up to go in stores etc. I don't like to leave him in it when he is awake, and more often than not he'll wake up in the store/mall/whatever and want held, but it is nice until he wakes up on his own. I just toss my sling in the bottom of the stroller, and when he wakes up, the stroller becomes a shopping cart/diaper bag holder =)
This was me too when dd was younger.
 
#16 ·
we had a winter baby so we had decided on a bucket for the warmth factor like some other posters mentioned. when we switched to a convertible at 4 mos because dd was so tall i still thought she looked really small for the convertible even though they say you can start using them with a baby as small as 5 lbs. i would have never put dd in the convertible when she was first born (and weighed in at 7lbs. 13oz.) even with the straps adjusted at their shortest and tightest setting it was big 4 mos later when she was 16lbs and 27 in long. maybe it was just our seat but the convertible didn't seem very "convertible" for newborns.
 
#17 ·
Infant seats are not safer for babies than convertibles, They are both the same as long as they fall within the weight limits for convertibles, more than five pounds. The expense of three car seats over a child's life was a major factor in us not getting a bucket, plus I preferred using a sling over a bucket. I just got a better convertible, that cost more money. Especially when seeing a baby cry in a bucket and it was obvious the baby had no idea where mom was, while with a sling my baby knew I was right there the entire time. It was more convienient for me to have my baby in a sling when they weren't in the car, one less piece of stuff to carry around. I liked having my baby with me when I went to restaurants, instead of putthing them on a chair, or on the floor. I guess I just like my baby very close.
 
#18 ·
While a marathon is a much bigger car seat than a bucket, I don't get how others think its not convertible for an infant? As long as the straps are adjusted properly, whats the difference? A smaller car seat may LOOK more snug on an infant, but it doesn't make it safer, not to mention there is the boulevard and decathalon now, nice car seats if you ask me. I intend to get one of those for the next baby.
 
#19 ·
:

It seems like those who didn't use the bucket relied on slings....as much as I would love to do this, I'm thinking that it would be next to impossible for me. I have back problems so I'm anticipating having difficulty with slinging for extended periods of time. Also with our frequent visits to family member's houses etc. I wouldn't trust putting baby down anywhere with other kids running about. I'm not sure where else I could put the baby besides a car seat (a stroller would be way too big and bulky to lug into someone's house I think). Perhaps I could keep a portable seat (like a bouncer, swing, or something) in the car and just carry that rather than a bucket seat if I opt for a convertible? Has anyone done this?

OT: Those who do rely on the sling, how the heck do you do it? Like if you are at a dinner at someone's house for a few hours do you just keep the baby with you all the time, or trade with your partner, or what? I'd really like to just stay simple and not worry about all these carriers and whatnot but I don't know how I'd do it!
 
#20 ·
Well I'd have to say that I love my bucket. I'm personally not much of a sling wearer.
I would highly reccommend the new Graco Safeseat it goes up to 30lbs and 32" long. I bought the carseat for dd and it's totally awesome. My ds was 20lbs at 3mos so I had to stop using my other bucket really young. I also got the matching stroller as a shower gift as the these new carseats are not compatible with the older strollers since they are bigger buckets.
I love it and would highly reccommend it.
I didn't think dd would get so big so fast. She was 7lbs 12 oz at birth but now a week before she turns 4mos she's 20lbs, 25.5" and exclussively bf.
So at this stage in the game where she can't sit up yet and too heavy to carry all the time I'm glad I got this newer stroller
vicky
 
#21 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by GooeyRN
Also, if you bring the carrier in the house in the summer, you wont have to worry about the buckles burning your baby if they accidently touch the metal. It wont be hot from baking in the sun all day.
Aha! This might be an important point for us as we live in florida and man it is sooooooo hot here almost year round! OTOH with a november babe it wouldn't be as hot in those early months when we'd use the bucket.
 
#23 ·
I would think that wearing a baby in a sling is a heck of a lot easier on a person's back than lugging around a bucket.

My seat does not have metal buckles, I mean, what seat does?

And how do I use the sling all the time? Frankly my baby wanted to be close to me, so putting him in a corner somewhere wasn't an option. He slept better with me, than on any device. I lived the AP principles with my baby and kept him close to me, whether in my arms, in a sling, or nursing. If my partner was with me, sure he would go with her part of the time as well. Honestly the time that a baby can sit in a car seat bucket is SO very limited anyway, its not like we are talking some really long period of time. What do people do when their babies aren't in buckets? They hold them mostly
Later they can let them explore of course, but you still end up holding them. I mean half the time I have to nurse the baby and one can't do that in a bucket anyway, which is why I preferrred the sling, less stuff (also certainly less bulky), I could just nurse him in a sling.
 
#25 ·
The bucket is good if you want to let your baby sleep if she falls alseep in the car. You can easily carry the baby out and let her finish her nap. I also reccomend the Graco Snugride. COnvertible seats are SOO big. Little newborns just drown in them. They also tend to sit more upright, which I don't like for newborn babes.

I say spend the extra money on both an infant seat.
 
#26 ·
i never liked the idea of babies being lugged around in a carseat.....so artificial. (see mothering last issue)

so i went with a convertible that goes to 65 lbs. it was $250 but if i were to buy a bucket, regular and booster seats it would have cost me 2-3 times as much.

to be honest sometimes i wished i had a bucket because i hated to wake dd up....but that phase goes by SOOO quickly and personally i think i would have become more lazy and complacent with my parenting. i was against even buying a swing or bouncer seat but thats just me.

good luck!
 
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