[MeredithMommy]

Ok, I am going crazy! I am so ready to get things ready for this babe. The no. 1 item on my list is the car seat. I either want the new graco safeseat $130, or the cosco scenera, which i found at our local dollar general store for $40, it is $50 at our walmart.

I am pretty sure that we will be using a midwife this time, so that is going to late up most of our "extra" money, so frugality is an issue.

OK, I am a compulsive list maker so here goes.

scenera pros:
*5-35 lbs rear facing, 20-40 lbs foward facing
*prob. use for 3 years or so
*save $90 by buying this seat instead of safeseat

scenera cons:
*I'm due in winter, so baby will freeze getting in and out
*big seat for newborn
*wake up sleeping babe to carry inside
*prob a less comfy seat for little babe

safeseat pros:
*easier in winter
*sized better for small babe
*easy to bring in sleeping babe
*prob more comfy for babe

safeseat cons:
*only to 30 lbs rearfacing, scenera is to 35
*prob have to buy a new seat at 15-18 mo old
*we dont really use it as baby bucket, unless we are carrying sleeping baby in from car to house, so baby stays asleep. we dont use it in stores, we use a sling instead.

what do you ladies think??? what kind of car seat are you planning on using???

Also, What do I do if dd (3years) and babe both fall asleep in their carseats. How do I get them both in the house? with the bucket seat it would be easy to carry little one into the house and go back out and get dd. So I guess that is a factor in deciding too.

 

[LizaBear]

We're going to be putting the baby in an Evenflo Intera - we need a THIN seat to fit 3 across in our car. Might need to move DD into one as well.

If space wasn't an issue, we'd either put the baby into a SafeSeat 1 or a Britax Marathon.

 

[riversong]

We're going to use our Graco bucket seat when the baby is small and switch to the Britax Roundabout when he/she outgrows the bucket. Dd is in a Roundabout. I never carried the bucket around with the baby inside because I felt it was so cumbersome, but it was nice for getting in and out of the house. I wouldn't worry much about the difference between riding rear facing up to 30 or 35 lbs. Dd is not 30 lbs yet and she faces forward because her legs would be squished up against the back seat.

I haven't researched either of the seats you're considering, but do you know if the cosco scenera meets the highest safety standards? I just wonder if it's less safe because it's so much cheaper. Maybe it's safe, but just not as comfortable?

 

[bc1995]

I vote get the safeseat. I have heard such good reviews on that seat.

My boys are 18 months apart, and I often found the scenero where they both fell asleep to be much easier when ds2 was still in his infant seat. I could just carry the seat in, set him down, and come back for ds1. When I moved ds2 to his Britax Wizard it became much harder to transfer both sleeping kids successfully.

 

[emdeecee_sierra]

Since it was on your lists, I have found that being able to carry in a sleeping babe still in the carseat is very important to me. A caution, though, if you ever do, place baby in sight and keep checking to make sure baby doesn't have problems with the straps and being choked. Uncountable times I have carried in one DC or another undisturbed in the carseat and allowed that baby to finish a nap. If I'd had to take them out, they would have awakened, the nap would have been too short, baby would have been upset and crabby and ..... and ... yeah, you get the idea LOL!

Our carseat was part of one of those sets where the seat fits into a stroller. Not knowing any better with DC#1, we let MIL buy us one (she was fixated that that be her gift to us; very generous). But we only used the stroller once in that capacity (DC had fallen asleep, I took out babe and carseat, put carseat in stroller, and was able to do the errand) and maybe a handful of times otherwise (without carseat). We eventually gave the stroller away. But now I use my sling- all around better, plus I don't have to have the stroller in the vehicle. Slings are just the best!

Sorry to ramble on with a tangent!

Good luck with your decision and have fun shopping for baby things!!!

 

[theboysmama]

The scenara is a perfectly good car seat w/ good safety ratings and it is really easy to clean. I use it for my rental business. I would recommend borrowing a bucket seat to use for the first couple of months. I don't feel that it is worth the investment to get a bucket seat as my boys both outgrew it around 3 or 4 months due to their length. By borrowing the seat you get the bennefit of knowing what kind of baby you have. Ds 2 would wake up every time I snapped the bucket seat in or out and I could actually transfer him into a sling a lot better.
Good luck

 

[Twilight]

I liked having a baby bucket for the reasons Sierratahoe mentioned - my kiddo would always fall asleep in the car, and it was really nice to be able to carry her into the store / restaurant in the bucket without disturbing her.

If it were me

I wouldn't choose. I would get them both. We have a Scenera (well, the predecessor to the Scenera) and have gotten a lot of use out of it. It is light and easy to install and easy to adjust - it is our "second car" seat and the one we take when traveling by air.

 

[wifeandmom]

I would not own a product made by Cosco. Period.

Their record for being FORCED to issue a recall due to safety issues is horrible. They are simply not a company that I would EVER trust to let consumers know that there is a problem with one of their products until they are FORCED to do so by the government.

That said, you will likely have to buy another seat well before 12-18 months if you go with the Safe Seat. Most babies simply aren't going to be happy to recline so far back (and sitting the seat 'up' more isn't an option, as it is then not properly installed) once they are able to sit up independantly themselves.

We bought the Safe Seat for when this baby is born. My other three were all in Snug Rides, as the Safe Seat wasn't manufactured 5 years ago. I *love* this seat and feel it is worth the money.

Once we are ready to move to a convertible seat, the baby will go into either one of our existing Marathons (my three older children are rapidly outgrowing their Marathons and will most likely need to go to the Parkway booster by the time the baby outgrows the Safe Seat) OR we will go with one of the newer Britax seats (Boulevard or Decathalon maybe?) depending on what the differences are between the newer versions and the Marathon when that time comes.

The Marathon can be used RF til 33 pounds, and considering I have one child who will be FIVE next month and just now weighs 36 pounds, I'm very comfortable with 33 as a RF limit. LOL I also like that the Marathon can be tethered RF, whereas none of the other car seat manufacturers allow this with their RF seats.

Coming back to add:

Now that I did the math on our existing Marathons, we will put the baby in a new seat, something by Britax, not sure what. Reason being we bought our 3 Marathons in January 2004, so by the time this baby is ready for a booster (not before December 2011 at 5 years old unless she's phyically outgrown the 5pt harness seat), the ones we have will be 8 years old at that point. Too old, so we'll just get her something new, likely between 8-12 months if I had to guess.

 

[toddlermama16]

The Scenera is a great seat. Good price, (esepcially when it goes on sale), fairly easy install, and an easy to use harness system. Also, the top slots are much higher than the majority of comparable convertible seats, allowing for longer use of the seat. I don't know how practial it would be for a newborn, though. I know it can be done, but you would have to use some rolled up blankets/towels to go along side of the baby to help keep them from slumping too badly. (Never use a snuzzler or any other type of insert, unless it came in the box with the carseat).

I would probably go with the SafeSeat, because of the higher weight/height limits, and the ease of use with a baby. You could always look for the Scenera on sale after a year or so, when baby outgrows the SafeSeat.

I always vote for Britax seats, (the big ones, the Marathon, Decathalon, and Boulevard), just because they last long, and when you divide the inital cost over the 5-6 years of use most kids get out of them, you usually come out ahead finacially. However, it's just not always an option to purchase one due to the cost.

 

[MidnightCommando]

"Never use a snuzzler or any other type of insert, unless it came in the box with the carseat"

I'm intrigued - why???

 

[Saramomofmany]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MidnightCommando "Never use a snuzzler or any other type of insert, unless it came in the box with the carseat" I'm intrigued - why???

From what I understand, unless the item came with the carseat they haven't been tested with that car seat and could make the car seat not function properly.

I highly recommend this website: http://www.car-seat.org/ It is a car seat forum and the people over there are lovely!! You can ask anything(and you don't even have to register if you don't want to), and they are very knowledgeable!!

Good luck. Sara

 

[Saramomofmany]

And for what it's worth, we chose the Graco safeseat for the baby due in December. WE actually got it at Target about a week ago and the Target I was at had them marked down to $110 ($20 savings over normal price).

After a lot of research, we did buy the Cosco scenera for our 2 year old so that he can go rear facing again. But with the high height/weight limits on the Safeseat, it's supposed to fit 97% of babies at age 1, so you wouldn't even have to deal with another car seat for possibly close to a year(depending on how your baby grows). And by then, who knows what might be available!!

Good luck. Sara

 

[toddlermama16]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saramomofmany From what I understand, unless the item came with the carseat they haven't been tested with that car seat and could make the car seat not function properly. I highly recommend this website: http://www.car-seat.org/ It is a car seat forum and the people over there are lovely!! You can ask anything(and you don't even have to register if you don't want to), and they are very knowledgeable!! Good luck. Sara

Yes! ITA with everything Sara said. The big problem with the Snuzzlers and most of the car seat buntings is that they can compress in an accident, and leave the child with way too loose straps. The child could then be easily ejected from the carseat. There are no offical government testing standards for after market products, so even products that claim to be "crash-tested" can still be unsafe. Also, with some seats, any after market product added to the seat can null and void the warranty, (thus releasing the manufacturer from any liability if death/injury accured while using their product).

One great new infant seat available is the Chicco Key Fit. It has a build in "snuzzler"/infant pad, which is perfectly safe to use because it has been crash-tested with the carseat by the manufacturer. This is a great seat for smaller babies. Also, the harness clip isn't quite as large as the Graco's, and fits better on smaller babes.

If you find your child is slumping in the bucket seat, just roll of two receiving blankets and place on either side of him/her. This allows the carseat to still be used correctly, but provides a little extra support. (Ditto for using a blanket as a head roll, to prevent that infant head-flop.)

 

[carmel23]

Just to post this in here even though it isn't really on topic but Britax is making a seat for Fischer Price called Safe Voyage--it looks just like the roundabout but a bit cheaper! I'm going to check one out--we need to fit three (two car seats and a booster) across and I'm not sure how this will work

: ...

But I really like Brtiax--they're like the only seat I can put in and out and it is snug as a bug. So hopefully we can fit another one in...

 

[sbm1001]

My personal preference is to use a carrier seat for the first 4-6 mo. & then transition them into a rear-facing seat. Babies sleep alot & mine LOVE to sleep in their carseats for some reason, so I prefer to just let them sleep instead of waking them to get them out of the car. I think it's great for keeping them warm, too, because as you mentioned we're having them in the winter (something I've never dealt with before so I didn't even think about this).

You could try looking at some second hand baby shops in your area for a seat you like/want. It'll be a big savings on that initial cost to you. I hope you're able to find what you're looking for at a great price!

Shannon

 

[Fuamami]

I think you'd be glad you bought the baby bucket. I had one with my first, and I also swore I'd never tote her around in it. Well, it turned out to be very convenient, both when they fall asleep in the car and when you want to bring them in, and in stores. I didn't shop a lot, no more than twice a week, but she could often sleep through it in her bucket. And if you have to go buy bras or try on clothes, load heavy stuff at Lowe's, you'll be very glad you have the bucket.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who's going to be trying to get two carseats and a booster in!

 

[Saramomofmany]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbm1001 You could try looking at some second hand baby shops in your area for a seat you like/want. It'll be a big savings on that initial cost to you. I hope you're able to find what you're looking for at a great price! Shannon

Oh, please don't buy a car seat second hand.

: You have no idea if the car seat has been in an accident(which could compromise the safety of your car seat). I don't think saving a few bucks is worth your child's safety in my opinion!!

Good luck, Sara

 

[Cathi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by natensarah I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who's going to be trying to get two carseats and a booster in!

Me too! Although we have yet to figure out a combo that will work in either our Blazer or Corolla

I'm stumped! Please don't tell me I need to buy a minivan

 

[Fuamami]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cathi Me too! Although we have yet to figure out a combo that will work in either our Blazer or Corolla I'm stumped! Please don't tell me I need to buy a minivan

Resist the minivan! We have an Escort Wagon, but we're looking at a 1979 Mercedes this weekend. Diesel!

 

[toddlermama16]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saramomofmany Oh, please don't buy a car seat second hand. : You have no idea if the car seat has been in an accident(which could compromise the safety of your car seat).

Yep, the risk of a second hand car seat just isn't worth it. A less expensive seat like the Scenera is always better than a more expensive seat of questionable background. Damage to a car seat is not always visable to the naked eye, and could cause the seat to not protect during an accident.