I'm sure I've said this before, but I do best when I have like three options. The baby stuff world is too full of options.
And I realize this is a topic of interest to a fairly narrow slice of the population...but it's kind of pressing for me at the moment. Particularly because in a scant few weeks we won't be able to leave the hospital without the kid in a car seat.
So if you have opinions on car seats and/or strollers - and actually, any baby products you've come across that you generally think are awesome that I might not know about - please, oh please, share!
Here's the deal: So, with Jordan, my brother - who found out I was pregnant when our dad died - passed along his car seat and Snap n Go. He and his wife are super cautious and particular, and I was grateful that what I found a confusing decision was made for me.
But by the time J was done with it, it was too old to save. So all I remember is that it was Graco, but not the height/weight limit.
I've been looking at Graco and Chicco, and was originally going to bypass the 22 lb seat in favor of 30 or 35...but then someone said, really? Are you going to be carrying your kid in an infant seat at 30 pounds?
Um, no. I can barely hoist Jordan, who is now somewhere in the 30s.
The bucket seat with the Snap n Go worked out well, and while there are parents who are totally opposed to letting their child nap in it, I will fully admit that if he was asleep when we took him out of the car, we let him sleep in it until he woke up. Hell, sometimes I'd keep rocking it to keep him asleep.
He's a big, strapping lumberjack of a kid and doesn't seem to have suffered any ill effects from over-use of infant seat.
But I realized the other night, while doing obsessive internet research, that Jordan's convertible car seat can be used with infants 5 lbs and up. We have three of these seats, as we had one for Betty's car as well.
So I could just use that one, and buy an infant stroller. But that takes away the portability of the bucket seat. And means I'd be waking the kid up as soon as she needs to get out of the car.
Also, then what stroller? Would it be better to just go with a set, if I'm going to buy an infant car seat? Or get another Snap n Go?
Seriously, I'm hung up on this. I just need to make some fucking decisions and get on with my life.
Opinions? Help!
I hear you on the options! Usually I narrow it down to 3 and then let B do all the research he wants on those 3 and pick the one he likes the best. A carseat and stroller are the two big things we don't have yet. I plan on baby wearing, so we really just need a jogging stroller. For carseat, everyone and their brother recommended the Chicco Keyfit 30. For a stroller, we have the Joovy Zoom 360 Swivel Wheel Jogging Stroller in our registry. Check out the first review on Amazon. It has a great video. I don't think it works with the carseat though, if that is important to you. I know the Bob will, but the Bob is really expensive!
ReplyDeleteOh, Tia, that sounds great! Nick is a great researcher and firm decision maker, but all of the baby stuff is entirely up to me. I have one friend who loved the Chicco Keyfit 30 but my friend Jenny thinks it's too heavy.
DeleteI got the Bob as a Jordan shower gift from my whole office, and I still use it with J and LOVE it. But it is just too big to haul in and out and up and down our front steps while trying to deal with a car seat. Plus it's a nightmare to load in the car - I couldn't do it regularly. I need an easier option than that.
We used the Graco travel system - the seat that fit into the snap thingy in the car, and then clicked into the stroller, until the kids were too big for the seat and could just sit in the stroller normally. Very handy and convenient. Something like this: http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=285538&catid=182634&aid=338666&aparam=285538
ReplyDeleteThis kind of thing is definitely something I'm considering, although I have heard it's kind of a bulky way to go. Also wondering if I want to get a stroller that reclines all the way, although maybe these do. I need to look into that.
DeleteYou can recline the seat all the way back. When Zeke was a baby and I was traveling with him from Hawaii, when we were on a layover I leaned the seat back and put him in it to nap, like a little bassinet.
DeleteThanks for telling me that. I think that would be a very good option to have.
DeleteWe had a graco snugride (i think it may have been a 32 pound limit) for our daughter. She gained weight quickly and by the time she was around 4 months and 18 pounds It was MUCH easeier to just lug her around sans car seat. So it was around then that we switched to the convertible. Only downside, is that she couldn't yet sit up well in shopping carts, so she'd need to be propped up with purses and coats and such, which worked out alright. I'm only 5'2, so lugging a near 20 pound baby PLUS car seat was a hassle.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I don't think I would have wanted to go without one in the very beginning when baby is tiny. The thought of having to juggle a toddler while carrying a newborn at all times is a bit daunting. We're going to put our son in the infant seat until he gets just too darn heavy for me to manage well, and then we'll switch him to the convertible seat.
As far as the stroller, I'd probably just get a cheapy snap and go one for the time being if you DO decide to go the route of an infant seat. We got the travel system stroller with my daughter, and frankly, the thing is a beast. I was so excited when she could fit comfortably in an umbrella stroller, just for the ease of navigation.
Only other "baby gear" recommendation is the Fisher Price Rock n Play sleeper. Saved us with our daughter (who had reflux and much preferred sleeping on an incline). It's waiting in the wings in case our son has the same issues!
Jordan was gigantor and hard to haul around (I'm 5'3") and he got too tall for the car seat pretty quickly as well, although I don't remember at what point. Way before I was ready. But he was definitely sitting up before that point, so we didn't have to prop him in carts.
DeleteAnd you make a point that I've been thinking about - there's something very secure feeling about the infant seat. The convertible one is just so...big for a tiny baby.
And thanks for the sleeper recommendation. Will look into it!
The Graco Snugride is super light and easy to get in and out of the car. As far as strollers you can put an adapter on your bob and use it with and without the car seat. As far as a double I have the city mini double, I think the seats will be too small for Jordan though. My girls are 25 months apart and my almost 3 year old is only 25 lbs she is tiny. Have you looked into strollers, the bugaboo bee is awesome easy to fold and has a car seat adapter as well, Jordan would def fit comfortably in this stroller as would a newborn. I have seen this stroller too, it folds on its own http://www.4moms.com/origami. My single stroller is a Bugaboo Chameleon, which is a wonderful stroller but it is 2 pieces that you have to take apart and put together every time you fold or unfold the stroller. Most of the time I put my little one in an ergo baby carrier and put my older on in the stroller/ car seat or let her walk. The ergo can be worn on the front, side or back carrier. The options are great because as they get heavier wearing them on the front hurts your back. I can still put my oldest in the ergo on my back and it is like a piggy back without having to use your hands. Check them out! I know the strollers are pricey but you can resell them for a decent return after you are finished with them.
ReplyDeleteEven though I love it as a stroller, the Bob is just too much to use with an adapter. I haven't really looked into strollers - just started realizing that was an option we never explored. That origami stroller looks amazing - but totally out of our budget. But what cool design! Like art!
DeleteIn terms of baby wearing, I never was able to wear Jordan successfully, but this time I really hope to. Last time it was the PPD and Jordan was so big, and I was too fragile to figure anything out.
We used the chicco key fit for MRA and now ASA. We like it. It's held up very well and is super easy to install. We use it with a peg perego stroller which is nice too. Good luck. Its on overwhelming decision. I agree with pp about not being comfortable putting a new born in a convertible but that's just me.
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm in agreement, I think, about the convertible seeming too big for a newborn. Particularly if this baby is small. Even Jordan, who was big for a baby, is so small in his newborn pictures!
DeleteWe really like our Chicco 22. It's really easy to use and install, had a great rating on Consumer Reports for safety and weighs just under 10 lbs. We used it for my first son (6 lbs 9 oz) and now for our little preemie (6 lbs.) We use it with the adapter for our UppaBaby Vista stroller (splurge item, but oh so nice!) I'm more freaked now about letting the preemie sleep in the carseat than I was for my full-term baby so we aren't doing much of that.
ReplyDeleteIt does have a great rating. I think it is probably going to be the way we go. I can't splurge on a stroller right now but I'm getting the Snap n Go back, so that will work. And I do not blame you one bit about being freaked out about the preemie in the carseat. I would be too.
DeleteFor you, I would recommend doing what you did last time. 1) Because it seemed to work for you and 2) even if it wasn't what you did last time, I think it makes the most sense. The travel systems are really bulky, plus, the stroller as a stroller isn't that great, so once the carseat is outgrown, you're left with a not-so-great stroller. In order to keep the ability to move the baby from the car without taking her out of the carseat, I'd do the snap-n-go. It has a smaller footprint when you push it around and when folded up, plus it's light weight and so easier to get in and out of the car.
ReplyDeleteFor a carseat, I wouldn't bother with one of the higher weight limits -- there's no way you'll lug around a kid that weighs more than 25 pounds. Especially since that's an average weight for a one-year-old. We bought the Graco 22 and it was fine. I think the Chiccos look nicer and the fabric is nicer, but they are heavier.
For non-snap-n-go stroller, we lile the City Mini just fine. It's fairly light, easy to fold, and doesn't have a huge footprint. It's also not super pricey, as far as strollers go. It's not quite a navigable as the Bob, but it's way smaller and easier for throwing into the trunk. People also seem to like their double stroller, but I agree that Jordan is likely too big for it. One caveat with the City Mini -- it's hard to use for a really small infant, since it doesn't really have much support (which is why it's so light weight). You can buy a car seat adapter, but it always felt a little tippy to me, and if you're doing that, you might as well use the snap-n-go.
That is sound advice! Thank you! It did work for us, and very well, actually - so I'm not sure why I questioning it. Plus my friend who is using the S n G is giving it back, so it's a non-expense. And the lowest weight seems to make the most sense as well. Being that the Graco was enough to lug last time, I might opt for lighter weight over nicer fabric.
DeleteOh, another HUGE rec for the fisher price rock n sleep. I know 5 families that had it and all loved it.
ReplyDeletenot sure if these help but here's what we had and LOVELOVELOVE! infant seat = maxi cosi mico; stroller = city select (it turns into a double and the mico just snaps onto it, so super easy! and if you use the seat they recline all the way back, i started doing that at 6mos.
ReplyDeletei'm a big fan of using an actual infant seat because of the sleeping thing, it was nice to be able to run errands or whatever and not have to wake them up.
oh, and i will second Melissa above with the rock & play! saved us for the first few months. def. worth it.
So, I'd never heard of Maxi Cosi before your comment (and then Moomser's below) - and I love their designs! I don't know that I will go with the carseat...but I love their strollers. I can't buy one right now, but I WANT one.
DeleteSo when Lara was born we went straight for the convertible car seat which she still uses now. Chicco I think? We figured why buy a seat she's going to grow out of in a few months. She did loll about in it massively when she was tiny though. Now for Tom we bought a snap and go Graco bucket seat and stroller which is great, especially when I'm out with both of them. Although a lot of the time Lara is the one that sits in the stroller (she still even fits in his car seat, she's a wee thing) and he is in a wrap, which I LOVE and use all the time. (this ytpe of thing http://www.attachedtobaby.com/Sleepy-Wrap-Baby-Carrier-P106C3.aspx. will post a pic on FB for you to see!) Remember that the girl will probably be a lot lighter than Jordan. Maybe... Lara is still light, but her brother looks like he's going to be a bruiser.
ReplyDeleteOh, Miranda, I hope she is lighter than Jordan. He was so big for me from the very beginning! And I have decided to definitely go with a bucket seat for such a number of reasons.
DeleteThank you for putting up the pics! This time around I am really really going to try to successfully use a wrap and carry the girl around. I loved the idea last time...just didn't have the wherewithal to stick with it and actually do it comfortably.
We bought the Graco Snugride 35, and in retrospect I'd have gotten the smaller model. My son quickly outgrew in height the car seat (before a year) and even if he hadn't by the time he approached 35 lbs there was no way in hell we would be able to lug him around in a carseat. We bought him a convertible seat after his 9 month checkup on his doctor's recommendation. So I would go with the smallest/lightest Graco carseat.
ReplyDeleteYou are confirming what I am feeling more and more certain of - that a 22 lb seat is the way to go. I can barely lug Jordan anywhere, and I think he's probably about 35 lbs now. The idea of carrying him in a seat is laughable.
DeleteGood Lord! You need a Nanny not a car seat! :) My arm hurts thinking about all of it. Good luck with your decision Lisa! Babies are so awesome but crap they need a lot of...well...crap!
ReplyDeleteYes! I DO need a nanny not a car seat!!! And yes, they do need a lot of crap. Or rather, WE need a lot of crap to keep them contained, soothed, occupied, blah blah blah.
DeleteWe have the graco snug ride 35 and a hand me down snap and go. With the second kid, I imagine that you'll be doing more baby falling asleep in the carseat than with your first, so I would go with the portable option. I also suggest the ergo for walking errands. My son loves it and I get more snuggle time with him that way now that I am working full time.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about the difference between first and second kid, but I do suspect that I will be very grateful for the bucket car seat and the napping. And not sure what carrying thing to go with...will probably be another post...but this time, I'm doing it!
DeleteMy two cents: I would go with the portable carseat, it's true that you won't be lugging around a great big baby in a carseat for long, but you're having a girl so there's some chance she'll be smaller than Jordan, also second babies get lugged around way more than firsts!
ReplyDeleteI mostly used a european brand that they don't sell in the US, but the best, most versatile stroller and carseat I bought was a Maxi-Cosi I got in the US the first time I went with the Boy. They don't make that model anymore but it's most similar to the Elea stroller and the Mila both by maxi-cosi. I've had mine for four years now, it used to just be my "travel" stroller, cause it's light, folds quickly and resistant but now it's my day to day. It's still going strong, and the only reason it wasn't initially my main stroller was that it's not great on snow. Still, I think maxi-cosi makes fantastic city strollers. Also, their infant car seat was slightly larger than others I had seen, so I used it once my kids didn't fit in the european infant carseat.
I heartily vote for infant car seats as they promote napping and you'll really, really want her to nap as long as possible!!
I told Jen above that the two of you are the first I've heard of Maxi Cosi and I LOVE the designs! The Elea looks amazing but is out of my budget and also I don't see it on US websites. I actually really like the Foray stroller - not as light as the Mila - but seems to go up to 50 lbs, which would mean J could use it as well. Looks like he's already too heavy for the Mila.
DeleteAnd yes I am now fully intending to get an infant seat. What was I thinking??? Seriously - those naps were a lifesaver!
I think you want a bucket seat. Also what about a double stroller?
ReplyDeleteAfter all the input, definitely getting a bucket seat. We have an old double stroller. Not great, but functional when necessary.
DeleteI love our Chicco car seat. As for strollers, the best baby purchase I ever made was our Baby Jogger City Select. It converts from single to double and back again extremely easily, and there's a car seat adaptor for it, too.
ReplyDeleteAs for the rock n play, I've got one I'm getting rid of if you're interested! I also have a Momamaroo we're selling. Google it, because it's pretty awesome. And if you need an extra swing, bumbo, bouncer, etc.... You've probably still got all these things, but with so many floors in your house, it's nice to have stuff upstairs as well as downstairs!
As for the carrier, Moby wraps are great for newborns, but I like my Ergo better for older babies.
I totally vote for the removable car set thingy. Also, the Snap-N-Go, i used the heck out of that. It took me a while to even get to use the regular old stroller, and it was probably used for about a year. We used Graco, but I have no idea what is out there now. I am sure you can find some really fun looking stuff. I can't wait to pick a book out for baby girl. I just started this site: www.kitschykidsbooks.com, and I am definitely going to get her one of Viv's favorites from there.
ReplyDelete