New mom needs to pick out a Car seat HELP!?

Question

I have some time to find the right seat. I'm 13 weeks and want to start to get stuff ready for my baby. My Mom says its best to be prepared and I know she is right.

I have a very nice stroller thats forward or backward facing for infants to 4 years. I'm really excited about it. I have my crib picked out the diapers and a few other things.

I need a car seat that will travel well. I am going to be taking trips back east once or twice a year. I also really want the convertible car seat that will grow with my baby. So infant to 4 Yr would be great.

Any one know of any car seats that would fit my needs?

Oh and what other stuff should I start to get?

Answer 1

Check out car-seat.org for great information!

Answer 2

well i'm not a mom but check out babys r us and see what they have and some toys for in the car i know some car rides the lil ones get fussy. how about a changing table or like a cary thing u can like lay the baby on for when u need to change him/her. a walker,swing,diaperbag(guessing u thought of lol)  hope that helped :)

Answer 3

i have alpha olmega elite that goes till they are out of carseats at the age of 8 but i found it hard at first i would find a infant seat as they recline best you can get a really nice one at target walmart or a place like that for like 80 dollars cause they do not stay in them that long but i do not think a covertible is good for a new baby as they are big and the baby is so small and with the infant carrier you can take that one in the store with a handle but anyone is great i really like my britax they was great but they are well over 200.00 for the ones i had but someone bought me the alpha for my baby shower when my little girl was little but she was just to small so i put it up and no i have the alpha in my car and the britax in my mothers car as i found it easy when we travel with her to have one in her car but i would recommend starting with a infant seat

Answer 4

Convertible car seat I highly recommend a Britax.  I have had three Roundabouts.  They go from 5lb -40lbs, and my girls were in them from under a year to 4 years.  Britax makes seats that will go up to 65lbs.  They are so easy to install, and  safe.  Also easy to clean!!

Answer 5

I like Graco's rear facing infant carrier. It is convenient for carrying your baby around in teh seat, in the event he/she is sleeping, etc. You can also put it in the front part of a shopping cart to go grocery shopping ( I never understood how a woman can shop with a stroller instead of a cart!).

After some time, you could get the convertible seats, but honestly, a carrier is best in the first 4 months AT LEAST.

good luck, and congrats.

Answer 6

Hey - never too early to start doing your research. The aforementioned http://www.car-seat.org is the perfect place for car seat AND stroller advice. Membership is free, and there's tons of techs on the bored who answer questions.

YOu have one important thing - a great stroller. Travel systems are largely a bust - b/c you don't actually use the car seat part for more than 4-7 months, and the strollers usually aren't that great unless you go way higher end.

If you're going to travel on airplanes much, then an infant carrier seat is easier with that. Luckily, they're all pretty similar. Just steer clear of Evenflo infant seats. They're made very cheaply and it shows in the huge amount of recalls and the pathetic resolutions to the last recalls. Tech favorites are Graco Snugride, Graco Safeseat1 and Chicco (pronounced Key-co) Keyfit22 or Keyfit30. The Keyfit30 is the exact same seat as the Keyfit22, just rated to a higher weight.  The Graco Snugride is the typical seat - goes to 22lbs lasting most kids to 4-7 months old. Graco Safeseat 1 is a standout going to 30lbs with a big enough seat shell that 99% of kids will make it to their first birthday in the seat. This could be a big bonus if you travel frequently. Though I don't consider it a plus for regular use, b/c, c'mon, do you REALLY want to lug around a 25lbs-30lbs infant in a 10lbs+ carrier? OUCH. But it can make airplane trips easier.

OR, you can skip the infant carrier phase, it is NOT a required stage in car seats, and go straight to a rear facing convertible that fits infants well. The Britax seats are nice, but the only one that fits newborns well is the Roundabout, which only goes to 40lbs so isn't, IMO, really worth its price. The Marathon/Decathalon/Boulevard (same shell, different features) are awesome seats but generally do not fit the average sized newborn very well until they're a few months old.  So if you really the Britax convertibles that go to 65lbs, hold off on buying one until baby is a few months old, and get a carrier instead. You don't want a convertible car seat sitting around wasting its life (they are only good for 6 years after the date of manufacture date, no matter when you actually buy and start using them.) while baby grows into it.

as a single parent on a seriously limited income, I now realize I should've completely skipped the infant carrier stage. Its not a 'needed' stage in car seats, its just a convenience thing, and a recent - as in the last 15 years or so - invention to have a stay in car base and separate carrier. Here's why I think its a waste: doesn't last babies very long at all. You spend $60 and up on this carrier that is only going to last 5-8 months! And then you have to purchase a convertible car seat, and somewhere down the line a booster seat. If you skip the carrier phase, you just eliminated one seat. There is now one carrier on the market that promises to fit 99% of babies up to at least their first birthday - Graco SafeSeat1, goes to 30lbs. However, there are limitations to this awesome seat. It really will fit most kids that long, but that's a catch-22. You really going to carry your 25lbs baby in a carrier?! My son was a BIG baby (still is a BIG kid!) and outgrew his carrier at 4 months. And, after baby gets above 10lbs or so, they are a pain in the butt to carry - quite awkward. So its not as convenient as it may at first seem. And some of the 'convenient' ways people use them aren't good.

Carriers should NEVER be placed on grocery carts. It makes the carts unstable and they can tip over, seriously injuring the baby. Also, not all car seats fit all carts, and they don't lock on, they're just sitting there, posing an obvious threat. And some of the carts are shaped or sized in a way that it puts the carrier at an unsafe/uncomfortable angle for the baby. I've seen babies laying in carriers on carts with their head lower than their feet - not a good idea for digestion or spit up.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says Parents and caregivers should never Place an infant carrier on top of the shopping cart. "Many infant-only car safety seats lock into shopping carts, and many stores have shopping carts with built-in infant seats. This may seem safe, but thousands of children are hurt every year from falling out of shopping carts or from the carts tipping over. Instead of placing your baby's car safety seat on the cart, consider using a stroller or front pack while shopping with your baby. "

Also, we are seeing rampant developmental delays becuase babies are in these carriers (and swings, and bouncy seats...) so much. Look around everywhere you go and instead of holding their babies, people have them in these carriers. When on their back and harnessed (and any time a child is in a carrier, he needs to be harnessed, even though its not in a car!) they can not work the muscles they need to develop to crawl, sit up, and walk. In the manuals for these carriers, it even says specifically 'for use in cars and strollers only'! But we all seem to miss that part.

So I highly recommend skipping the carrier phase. I think they are more a pain than a blessing, and a wasted of money if you don't have a lot to throw around. Instead, get a convertible car seat that will fit a newborn (more on that later) and a sling, pouch, or wrap. Not one of those silly snugli or infantino carriers, but something like a ringsling, moby, or maya wrap. Wearing your baby gives everybody what they need. Babies get much needed closeness to mom (or dad, or anyone else for that matter!) and  you get your hands free to do what you need to do, as well as you can even breastfeed in one! They offer many different positions to use them in, too, and go higher than carrier car seat weights (20-22lbs). Most go to at least 35lbs, so you will get much more use out of it for your money.

OK - so if you choose to skip the carrier phase, be careful about the convertible car seat you choose, b/c not all will fit newborns well. You want it to have low bottom slots.

Perfect options:

The Evenflo Triumph Advance (not the original Triumph, make sure it says Advance) is a great seat. $150 version at Babies R Us has padding similar to Britax seats, top slots of 17", harnesses to 35lbs rear facing, and 50lbs forward facing. $120 Walmart version just has little less plush padding. Wide open belt path, easy to install, though it doesn't have built in lockoffs. The harness adjusts at the front of the car seat, you don't have to take the car seat out of the car just to raise/lower the straps. It's one of only 2 seats that does this (The Britax Boulevard is the other, I believE), and it has infinite harness adjustment so the harness always fits perfectly until its outgrown. No more tugging straps to tighten them either. You tighten and loosen the harness using k***s on the side of the seat. As a major bonus, it can be used in a recline position even in forward facing mode. Awesome for kids who still sleep in the car. I LOVE THIS SEAT! LOL My son, who is too big for every other car seat at Walmart has the same amount of room in this as the Britax Marathon.

Cosco Scenera - $50 at Walmart/Kmart/Target. Great seat for the price. Goes up to 35lbs rear facing, 40lbs forward facing. Great rear facing seat, but is outgrown very quickly forward facing b/c of short top slots and short shell. You'll still get you're $50 worth out of it, though, as it will last most kids to at least 2 years, quadruple the amount of time of an infant seat!

As you're shopping, remember these rules about seats:

1)the BEST seat is the one that fits your child, fits your car, and will be used correctly 100% of the time. (This is why convenience features DO make a difference and ARE worth the money! If its easy to use, you're more likely to use it correctly.

2)Children should stay rear facing AS LNOG AS POSSIBLE!!!! The 20lbs/1 year rule is outdated and provides a bare minimum for turning kids forward facing. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration both recommend keeping kids rear facing as long as possible, up to the limits of their seat, preferably until at least 2 years of age. For good reason: A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 4 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age. A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone. In other countries, rear facing 2 - 3 - 4 year olds is standard, they understand that its safer. Here, we turn them as soon as we get to, seeing it as a right of passage thing or something. Ridiculous. Most convertible seats have a 30lbs rear facing limit, Cosco/Dorel/Safety1st/Eddie Bauer seats rear face to 35lbs, Britax rear faces to 33lbs.

3)Once you do turn them forward facing, they need to stay in a 5 point harness as long as possible. 4 years/40lbs is the minimum for riding in a booster, and most 4 year olds have no business using one yet. If they can't sit upright for an entire trip, they need the harness of a car seat still. And, even if they do sit properly, a 5 point harness is safer, so you want to keep them in one as long as possible. This is important to consider b/c most car seats only forward face to 40lbs. My son just turned 3, and is in the 95th% for height and weight - 40" tall and weighs 41lbs. He outgrew the 40lbs seats shortly after his 2nd birthday. It was a total waste of money. He now has a Britax Marathon, which goes to 65lbs, and will be able to fit it for some time yet. If I'd have bought it when he was born, I could have had one ca