Convertible carseat or travel system?

[zblueyez]

:confused:

I need some advice regarding a car seat for our coming baby. We have always used infant bucket seats with our babies for the first year. We need to buy both a new car seat and a new stroller this time around.

I found a Peg Perego stroller and infant seat that I really like. However, I'm not sure I want to spend the money on a car seat that will only last for a year. I'm tempted to buy a Britax convertible car seat that can face backward the first year and forward up to 65 lbs. My problem is, if I do that, can the baby just lay in a stroller? What do I do when I'm at the store and can't attach the bucket seat to the cart? Use a baby bjorn? What about going to church or someone's house without having a bucket seat?

Financially it makes more sense to me to get the convertible seat. But is the first year going to be a pain if I don't have the bucket?

Does anyone else use a convertible seat? If so, please tell me how that works out for you and how you manage without the bucket the first year. (especially the first few months)

Thanks so much in advance!!!

[UlrikeDG]

Many parents actually find that it's a lot more convenient not to have to mess with the bulk and weight of an infant carrier seat. I'm one of them. I use a sling, which I find works better than a pack carrier like the Bjorn (my favorite is the Maya Wrap (http://mayawrap.com/), but everyone has their own preferences).

Car seats really shouldn't be used that much outside the vehicle. Not only is it better for baby's development to be held and talked to, but babies who spend too much time strapped into the seat can actually develop a flat spot on their skull! Church and friends' houses have never been an issue. There are always more than enough people who want to hold the cute little baby! (In fact, the bigger issue is fending them all off. LOL)

At stores, I use the sling. It's safer than trying to attach the seat to a cart anyway. The seat makes the cart too top heavy and prone to tipping. There have been some really nasty falls of babies who were being pushed around that way.

Babies can lie flat in a stroller (if you get one that has a full or almost full recline), but I prefer to just carry the baby until he/she gets too heavy. Sling or arms are a lot less hassle than getting the stroller out of the trunk. And, it's a lot easier to keep older siblings in check when you have two hands free, as with a sling, than it is when you're trying to maneuver a stroller. There's nothing worse than having to leave your infant sitting in a stroller while you chase down your older child who just saw something Really Cool and ran off.

[mimieliza]

I found the infant carseat indispensable for the first 4-5 months - when you want that baby to fall asleep in the car and stay asleep for a little while. After that point, my DD didn't sleep well outside the house and would wake up when I moved the carseat anyway, so I started leaving the carseat in the car and just putting her in a stroller or carrier (like the Ergo).

The other thing to consider is what time of year you are due. DD was born in October, and I loved being able to bundle her up nice and warm in her infant carseat in the house, then just whisk her into the pre-heated car.

We have the Graco Safeseat, which goes to 30 lbs, and will not be outgrown for at least a year (if not two years). The Safeseat will fit into the Peg Perego stroller to make a travel system, and the Safeseat is less expensive and will be usable a lot longer than the Peg Perego infant seat.

One more plus for the infant carseat: now that it's summer, I love having the sunshade on it to keep the sun out of my daughter's eyes in the car.

Oh, and I never used her carseat in the seat part of the cart at the store (occasionally I put it in the basket part, in which case there was no room for groceries :) ). I either put the carseat in the stroller and just used a basket to shop, or transfered her into a carrier - I had the Bjorn when she was younger, but now use the Ergo.


However, plenty of people use a convertible carseat from brith, it's perfectly safe if you get a seat that fits a newborn correctly, and you can certainly just place your baby in the stroller - the Peg Perego P3 relinces flat enough for a newborn. So even though I preferred the infant seat, it's really a matter of personal preference, not safety, from what I understand. :)

[zblueyez]

Thanks for the help. I've got some considering to do. There are pros both ways it seems to me. Hubby is more inclined to just get the convertible so we don't have to buy another seat in a year, but we are still undecided.

I really appreciate the input and welcome anything else anyone might have to say.

Thanks so much!!!

PS
Baby is due the beginning of Sept. (9 weeks to go I think)

[all together ooky]

I had an infant seat with DD but it only lasted 5 months before she outgrew it. Yeah, it was handy sometimes. The next time we have a kid I hope to just use a convertible carseat (and rear-face to max) and then carry my baby using a sling/wrap/mei tai/etc. (Bjorns are junk-had one, hurt my back by 3 months old. I can carry my 3 year-old in a Mei Tai with no such pain). And I want to get a good stroller that reclines flat.

Carseats are for cars. Babies shouldn't be in them for extended periods of time. :twocents:

[skaterbabscpst]

I used both slings and the infant carrier. DD was a horrible sleeper (still is mostly) and there was NO way I was going to wake her up to bring her in the house or to a Cub Scout meeting or a tball game, ect when I could just snap the carrier into the stroller and go. Especially since the car was one of teh only places she would sleep. That said, once she was awake out she came, she hated it. lol

[Patriot201]

I'm tempted to buy a Britax convertible car seat that can face backward the first year and forward up to 65 lbs.

I know this wasn't your question, but I just want to encourage you to rear-face WAY past a year. It is now recommended that children RF to the maximum of the seat, which for a Britax convertible is 33 pounds (or to top of head level with top of the seat).

I will leave the advice about infant carseats and their uses to the others. :)

[UlrikeDG]

Info on why your child should rear face as long as possible:
- Why Rear-Facing is Safest (http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html)
- Rear-facing - Unmatched Safety (http://cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx)

[cpsaddict]

I just wanted to add that the Peg Perego or any other 22lb infant seat is not likely to last year. Most kids outgrow them well before a year. The only one that actually stands a chance of going that far is the Graco Safe Seat 1.

[Melizerd]

Another note should be that not all new borns fit in to the Britax seats. So it's something to consider. The lowest harness slots are too high for a lot of babies, depending on their size. So you'd have to send DH to the store to buy something before leaving the hospital anyway.

I could NOT have survived with out my infant seat. I only used it for 4 months. My son was born in Dec and the seat was always nice and warm from being inside when I was ready to go.

[mimieliza]

DD was a horrible sleeper (still is mostly) and there was NO way I was going to wake her up <snip> when I could just snap the carrier into the stroller and go. Especially since the car was one of the only places she would sleep. That said, once she was awake out she came, she hated it. lol

That was our situation exactly. The sling was great for once she woke up, though, because she was not having any part of staying in the infant seat or her stroller when she was awake.

Another note should be that not all newborns fit in to the Britax seats. So it's something to consider. The lowest harness slots are too high for a lot of babies, depending on their size.

Oh, I completely forgot about that. DD was tiny in her infant carseat when we brought her home, but the straps were just right. We put her in a Britax at BRU when she was eight weeks old and she was still below the bottom strap height.

[babidius]

We did the Britax Boulevard for my Son when he was born. I got the Safeseat for the new baby coming in Septemeber. I didn't want to spend a ton on an infant seat but I got a reall y good deal online at albee baby. It was under $100.00 with shipping. The manufacture date for the one I got was 9/06 but for the price and if we do have another baby which I doubt then we would have it within the next couple of years so the seat would still be good. I plan on switching to the Boulevard, rear facing of course, when the baby is about 6 months as I just really love it!

[zblueyez]

I think we've decided to use the infant Graco bucket seat we used for our last daughter. It's in perfect condition and was never in an accident. Once the new baby is bigger I'll get him the convertible so that he can stay rear facing but then when he moves forward I won't have to buy another seat.

I'm going to try a maya wrap though. I've used a bjorn in the past and the one with the back support is nice. But I'd like to try the wrap this time too.

We recently moved from west coast to east cost, so we don't have friends and family around to hold the baby, so when I mentioned going into church, since there is no one else to help out, a car seat might be nice to just give us a free hand a little bit. I agree that they shouldn't be in the seat all the time though.

Since I'll get a wrap, we're planning to wait on a stroller and just get one later.

Thanks again for all of the help! I really appreciate it!!!

Zanna