Car seat question

Parentberries
1

It’s still very early in the pregnancy but DH and I have been trying to figure out what type of car seat we’ll need to get. We are really new to this and have found it to be overwhelming. There’s different brands, different styles, different padding, different straps…all of them claim to be “the best” and there doesn’t seem to be a clear indication of how to figure out which is best for us.

I guess my biggest question right now is: convertible vs infant seat. My state doesn’t really have updated laws, though several bordering states have issued recommendations that a child be rear facing for at least two years and as long as they still fit the height/weight requirements listed on the seat. That makes it seem like the convertible one would be a good option: they can stay in it longer and the ones we’ve seen have the adjustable straps and removable infant padding, or whatever you call it. The downside: I’ve seen some stories online where women claim they weren’t able to leave the hospital with one?

[name_u]Infant[/name_u] seat positives seem to be that you can use the carrying handle and just take the seat with you. With a convertible one, we’d either have to carry the baby in our arms or in a wrap. Not the biggest deal, I suppose. It probably wouldn’t be as heavy as lugging the infant seat around.

Clearly, I am lost. Help me please :frowning: if it matters, we own a four-door car and it has car seat anchors and three seats in the back. Pretty spacious, so there shouldn’t be major space issues.

2

We used the infant one for all of ours until they grew out of it (after a year) and then switched them to the convertible ones. If you do end up using the infant one I would suggest getting a stroller that’s meant to carry the car seat, so you don’t have to worry about lugging it around

3

We have a Graco click connect infant car seat and used it for our girls up until about 10 months or so. It’s super convenient to be able to just grab the car seat and not wake or mess with baby especially when it’s cold out. We also got a Graco click connect stroller that has the hood that can completely cover baby when it’s raining, windy, or too sunny. The only reason we switched at 10 months to a bigger car seat is because baby got too heavy to carry in the car seat. You have time to wait for sales, use coupons, or my favorite is bringing in an old car seat to trade in for a discount (we got an old car seat left for the trash and brought it to Target for about 20% off a new one. Target does this deal a couple times a year.) Buying a convertible is cheaper but I prefer the convenience of the infant seat.

4

You should get a travel system that goes from car into stroller. We love our Graco system that came with a car seat, stroller to put in into, and regular seat that turns into a bassinet fully reclined. 4 kids in, and it’s our favorite carseat/stroller combo yet.

5

For my daughter, we used a hand-me-down (but not damaged or expired) infant seat for about the first six months… and HATED it. I don’t know if it was that she was huge, I am weak, or a combination of the two, but carrying her around in that thing was awful. We moved her to a convertible car seat at 6 months, and had zero regrets.

I’m like 90% sure we’re just going to start this baby out in a convertible seat. We already bought it, we have a Graco Extend2Fit for both kids now. It’s got the biggest weight limit for rear facing (I think it’s 50 lbs instead of 40?), which was a factor, because my daughter was huge for her age when we switched. I don’t think she’ll actually reach that weight limit before we switch her, but she’s still rear facing at almost 3, which I don’t think she’d be able to do in some other car seats.

I do get the convenience of having the infant seat/travel systems. When she was little we would lug her into the grocery store and put the whole thing in the cart, but that wouldn’t work well now because it’s hard to fit the stuff you need to buy then! And my daughter will be sitting in the seat so can’t put him up there… I never got an adapter for the stroller for our infant seat, because they’re not really meant to stay in the seats for a long time outside of being in the car, so I felt bad leaving my daughter in it.

I’ve been thinking through how I’ll handle doctor’s appointments and things like that shortly after having this baby without one, and my options are wear him the whole time, lay him on the floor (which honestly I’m fine with, just bring a blanket?) or bring some kind of seat to put him in until he’s big enough to sit up on his own… But that’s really the only scenario I’m worried about. I think it’ll be fine to wear him while we’re out and about, and when we’re out for longer times we’ll also have the stroller we could put him in if we need a break. As far as quick in and outs at home or when we go to see friends/family, I don’t really think it’s any less of a hassle to unbuckle baby and bring him in instead of bringing the whole seat, we already have to do it with our daughter…

I feel like it can’t be legal for them to stop you from leaving the hospital without an infant seat? If they’re really worried I’d think they could send someone out to see that you have a convertible seat installed? They specifically say that they’re certified for babies that small! I have never heard of this happening, but I might just be naive I guess.

Sorry, I feel like this is rambly. We still have our infant seat if we end up changing our minds, but we both hate it so I’m betting we don’t end up using it.

Also, congrats! I was so excited to see that you got your BFP but felt like a creeper still checking the TTC thread after all this time, so I never said anything!

6

I say get the graco click connect system - stroller and infant car seat. They make the car seats pretty light weight now! My daughter is 20 months old and is still using her infant car seat. She is small though, at 25 lbs. We stopped carrying her around in the car seat when she was able to hold herself up better and be carried on the hip. Now we each have an infant car seat in our cars for her.

[name_f]Hope[/name_f] that helps!

7

We have the graco click connect stroller system as well. I am 5’3" and my son was 9 lbs 9 ox 21.5 inches at birth, he has always been big, and I could pretty easily carry him in the infant seat for small stretches. The one that we have has a toddler attachment that you can put in the stroller base when your baby outgrows the infant carseat. We installed our convertible carseat at maybe 7 months? Honestly not really sure exactly when we made the switch, but it worked out well. I would definitely only buy an infant seat that comes with a stroller base. If you are willing to shell out the dough the nuna pipa is really nice! But graco is great, cost effective, safe and convenient. For convertible carseats we have bought a few for different cars and like them all: safety 1st grow and go, graco 4ever, and a maxi cosi pria 85. Would easily recommend anyone of them.

8

Yes, ours was a Graco click connect system. We got the “Modes” model, and I love the stroller seat too. [name_u]Love[/name_u] how it fully reclines, the shade it provides, and how easily it goes on and off of the stroller base. We regularly use both the infant car seat part and the stroller seat part - we keep the stroller seat in our coat closet for easy access, since we walk a lot, and at over a year old my baby is more comfortable that way for walks. It’s really smooth also, and the frame isn’t heavy.

9

First, congratulations!! Next, I always seem to be in the minority here, but we didn’t use an infant seat for either of ours. We didn’t think it was worth it – keeping in mind I don’t drive, so babies are in their car seats maybe a couple of times per week. Next, my kids are giants. I think we looked at an infant seat with my first that was good until 18lb - she would have outgrown it before 3 months. Not worth the cost to us. Maybe you can get bigger ones.

We have had no issues transferring either of them into a carrier or the stroller (we have a [name_u]Baby[/name_u] Jogger City [name_f]Mini[/name_f], it lies almost flat for newborns). Again, not using the car seats much anyway, just a couple of times on the weekend. But it’s definitely doable without the infant seat. If you can, head to a baby store and get them to walk you through some. We have had amazing service at ours.

One thing I will say is to try to get the biggest convertible that will fit in your car, preferably extended rearfacing. Rearfacing is so much safer. We just had a normal one for [name_f]Rosie[/name_f] who probably outgrew it by weight before a year, ended up turning her around at 15 months and had to get her a new seat entirely at 2 because she outgrew it. We got a much bigger one for [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] so I’m hoping to keep him rearfacing longer. [name_m]Just[/name_m] saves you having to spend money on new seats.

10

We ended up getting both after our son outgrew the infant car seat. The portability of the infant seat is really nice especially if baby will be switching between cars frequently. We had a chicco bravo trio travel system which came with a Keyfit 30 infant car seat. Then later we got the Graco 4[name_u]Ever[/name_u] All-in-1 Convertible car seat which is very nice and would have worked as an infant seat, but it is much more bulky to move. So if you plan on taking baby in various vehicles often or will be exercising with a stroller before baby can go in the stroller without the infant seat, the infant seat might be worth it. Otherwise you can probably do without.

11

Hey all, thanks for your responses! It’s been a long few days, so I’m only now getting a quick chance to respond…sorry!!

Wow, the Graco infant seats and stroller combos seem to be popular! I know we had a Graco for my niece and it was pretty nice! I personally found it a bit hard to lift, though, because I’m only 5ft tall. I did like that it came with the stroller, so that wasn’t a whole other purchase, really.

DH and I have had some time to talk it over and we both think going with the convertible one would probably be our best bet. I will probably be leaving my job in a few months, so we just won’t have the extra money to buy two separate seats. There’s still time, though, so I’m going to try not to stress right now. Lol.

Thanks again for all of the help!

12

[name_m]Just[/name_m] wanted to add, you should check with your insurance because a lot (if not all) insurance companies now provide free car seats. We bought an infant travel system when we had our first and when she outgrew it, we were able to use the insurance provided car seat until she was four. I believe you had to apply for the car seat within about six months or so after your baby’s birth, so I’d check into it now just to see what their requirements are if you’re interested.