Impish Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 So, since Tummy's arrival is getting closer and closer, we need to get serious about amassing some of the gear he's gonna need. Like...a car seat. Looking around, I'm wondering if a travel system is really worth it, or if its best to just buy them seperately? I've never bought a system, Wolf's cousin bought us the infant 'bucket' seat for Tazzie as a gift, and then Princess used it after. Since I don't drive, a stroller is needed, even though it won't be me pushing it (try pushing a stroller 1 handed sometime. The bigger ones are a bit easier than the umbrella ones, but steering is a nightmare!) but we intend for this to be our last baby, so I'm not looking to spend $$$ on something that will last through a few kids. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I didn't buy a travel system with my last one. I found it didn't suit my needs. Instead I found an umbrella stroller better suited to us (tall, one handed fold, strap for carrying, full recline, larger wheels..) and carried him in a sling or Ergo until he was ready for the stroller. Now the carseat...that was an interesting trial and error. My SIL let me borrow her Graco Snugride to take him home from the hospital but it was not the best seat for my newborn! The straps are too high on the lowest setting for an average newbie. As soon as I got home I ordered the Chicco Keyfit which was a much better choice for him - and me! The LATCH was a dream compared to the Snugride and for as much as he traveled in it (3 planes, 4 different cars..) it was nice to have something I could get in and out easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I was actually going to ask a car seat question soon...wonder if I can piggy back on your post? I guess I'm wondering which seat goes up the furthest with a five point harness. Kiddos are up to 5yrs old now, ranging from 26 to 41pounds. As for us? We have these two carseats (one for each car) for our little one who is now almost 7mo: and As for strollers. Actually, one of ours, not sure of which brand, maybe the PegPerego(?) has a one handed steering handle. So you might look at BabiesRUs or something to find that. I don't think it's the PegPrerego now that I'm thinking about it though. Those things are so challenging to open. Our other one has a one handed open/close. I can't think of anything better! BTW, I *hate* umbrella strollers. I'm positive you'd have to be under 5 foot tall in order to use one of those comfortably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meggie Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 If you are walking most everywhere, I would recommend getting a decent stroller. Something like this might work. It's lightweight and reclines most of the way back so you can put a new infant in it. If you are just walking, you don't need to put baby in the car seat and then in the stroller. You can just use the stroller. Since you'll have to be getting a car seat anyway, you can get one from the same brand and it will fit. That how we got ours with Pigby, it was cheaper to buy two separate pieces than to buy the travel system. The patterns didn't match, but that wasn't a big deal to me anyway. For me, the Graco one hand folding and unfolding is a piece of cake. Do they have a store near by where you could try it out? I always went to Babies R Us to test drive them and find what I liked and then purchased elsewhere for cheaper. I myself prefer the Graco Quattro Tours, they are so much sturdier and since I have to walk everywhere, I needed something that could hold up. They are really heavy and big and bulky though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I was actually going to ask a car seat question soon...wonder if I can piggy back on your post? I guess I'm wondering which seat goes up the furthest with a five point harness. There's a list of measurements for most seats here: Car seat data but the page appears to be down at the moment. I would have to say off the top of my head that for a ff seat it would be between the Sunshine Radian, Britax Frontier, and Graco Nautilus. BTW, I *hate* umbrella strollers. I'm positive you'd have to be under 5 foot tall in order to use one of those comfortably. It really depends. We got a Britax Blink and it's tall enough for my 6ft dh to use comfortably. A lot of newer umbrella strollers are more "hybrids" - they have the comforts of large behemoths but are slim and compact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meggie Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I was actually going to ask a car seat question soon...wonder if I can piggy back on your post? I guess I'm wondering which seat goes up the furthest with a five point harness. Kiddos are up to 5yrs old now, ranging from 26 to 41pounds. Are you wondering about forward facing? The Britax Marathon 70 can go rear facing up to 40 pounds and forward facing up to 70 pounds. The Sunshine Radian 80 can go rear facing up to 45 pounds and forward facing up to 80 pounds. The Radian is pretty narrow (makes it easy to fit three across in one row), so if your children are more sturdy, you might want to go with the Britax. My SIL went with the Britax, because her son is more solidly built, while Pigby is skinny enough to be comfortable in a seat that narrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 If you walk a lot I would buy a better stroller. They can be expensive, but will have better steering and they usually hold up better. On the flip side, many of the pricier brands have decent resale. I'd factor that into your decision. The strollers that are part of travel systems are IMO not that great. We have used an Inglesina Zippy stroller for 3 kids and while it was expensive initially, I'm glad we splurged a bit on it with our oldest 7.5 years ago. I will likely be able to get some money back via CL or consignment when I'm ready to part with it. I liked the Chicco Keyfit when I had to replace our old carseat (from my oldest) for baby #3. You could also just go straight for a convertible like a Britax Marathon or similar if you don't have a need to move baby around in a "bucket" seat. It may be more affordable to go with something like the Britax and skip the bucket seat/infant carrier. I love the Ergo once they are a few months old. My DS2 practically lives in it some days as it is the only way I can get anything done in terms of HSing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 You could also just go straight for a convertible like a Britax Marathon or similar if you don't have a need to move baby around in a "bucket" seat. It may be more affordable to go with something like the Britax and skip the bucket seat/infant carrier. There is this option, too, but a MyRide would probably fit a newb better. The Marathon's lowest setting is 10in, wayyyy to high for a brand new little thing! The 70 series has an optional infant insert that brings the baby up higher and closer to the straps that might be a decent choice if you have bigger babies. Don't get me wrong, I love my Britaxes. I have a Blvd 70 for everyday use and a Marathon 70 as a backup and I adore them both. But if I was using it for a newborn I'd want to test it out with the infant insert first and have another plan just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DusksAngel Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 We love our TrueFit (we have the premier version which has an antirebound bar). It has got to be one of the EASIEST seats to install in any car. It has lock-offs so I don't have to worry about wether a car has locking seatbelts or not (also don't have to mess with the I clip if it doesn't :D). I wouldn't fork over any money for a seat that only went to 20-something pounds as you probably wouldn't get a full years use of it. I also stop taking infant seats out after the first couple of months anyway, so I really like going the convertible route from the beginning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I had a baby jogger city mini double for my twins and could push it one handed while holding the hand of my older one, no problem. that thing steers like a dream. I would recommend trying their single for your little dude. they're pricey, but really, really nice, and would have good resell value when you're finished with it. http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Jogger-Single-Stroller-Crimson/dp/tags-on-product/B002N2S9OM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 There is this option, too, but a MyRide would probably fit a newb better. The Marathon's lowest setting is 10in, wayyyy to high for a brand new little thing! The 70 series has an optional infant insert that brings the baby up higher and closer to the straps that might be a decent choice if you have bigger babies. Don't get me wrong, I love my Britaxes. I have a Blvd 70 for everyday use and a Marathon 70 as a backup and I adore them both. But if I was using it for a newborn I'd want to test it out with the infant insert first and have another plan just in case. You are right. Marathon wasn't the best suggestion. I was thinking convertibles can (some models) be used from newborn on. We used the MA, but not until they were older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 I really, really love my Graco SafeSeat for my newborns! I have used it from a couple of days old with both of my younger boys, who were 9 lbs. 5 oz. and 8 lbs. at birth -- so, not tiny, but not crazy huge either. They were 20.25 and 21 inches at birth as well, and the lowest straps fit them fine. DS2 used the seat until 18 months, so it's worth the money and is not that much more expensive than the regular smaller SnugRide. I also love our MyRide, and its infant insert seems nicer than the SafeSeat's. I have not tried it with a newborn, but it should work fine. If I didn't want to be able to move the infant seat between cars or keep it in the house in extreme hot/cold weather, I'd probably just have gone with the MyRide; it could easily last from birth until age 5. I can take some pics of my 6-week-old in each of the seats if that would help anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 have you seen these?. http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Stroll-Handed-Stroller-Extender/dp/B0051OVDZG http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Stroll-Handed-Stroller-Black/dp/B002VPCQTA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 DD#3 is due in October and I purchased the Graco Snugride 30 last month. I got it from Amazon for cheaper than in the stores. I used the Snugrides with my last 2 kids and it worked fine for us. With DD#1 I bought a travel system but not with the next two. When DD#2 was born we bought an expensive Phil & Ted's Sport Buggy. So we're using that with #3 as well. I did have to buy an infant seat adapter so that the P&E can hold the infant seat....but that was only like $30. From infant seats, my kids usually move into a Britax Marathon convertible seat....which we'll have to purchase later on. I do like starting out with an infant seat instead of a convertible car seat just because my kids have always been horrible nappers and moving the whole seat from the car to the house with a sleeping baby in it was one of the only ways they would continue to nap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted August 24, 2011 Share Posted August 24, 2011 As for us? We have these two carseats (one for each car) for our little one who is now almost 7mo: and . This is the exact carseat I use for dd. With ds (turning 8) we had the same one but in blue for him. We have used them for ever, first rear facing, then 5 pt harness then booster seat. I never found the need to switch to a different seat to stay in 5pt longer. He out grew the 5pt and switched into booster mode just before 5 years old (he was tall and heavy, more the size of a 7 yr old). DD is turning 4 and I think she will be in this one as a 5pt harness until 6-7 based on her rate of growth. Is there a particular reason you want to switch to something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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