How pregnant before you buy the infant seat?

todzwife

New member
DS was a 37 weeker
DD was a 35 weeker. Doc said I'll be lucky to make it to 36 this time around.
I need a keyfit. That's the only infant seat that will fit in my car. There is no where locally to buy it so I'll have to order it which can take about a week or so to get here...


So how early should I order it? I figure that if baby is born TOO early (like 32 weeks) it will be in the hospital anyway and I won't need it quite yet so I was thinking about ordering it at about 33 weeks...:confused:

BUT it's on sale at albee for $148 right now, that's the lowest I've seen it...
 
ADS

NVMBR02

New member
I got it at 32 weeks with dd2. My kids tend to come right at 40 weeks though. If I had a history of being early I would aim for 28 weeks, so I have a chance to make sure it installs how/where I want it to before the baby is born.
While a preemie may need NICU time, I wouldn't want to have to worry about egtting a seat ordered and installed if I had a babe in the hospital.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
With my first kid, I got it around seven months.

With my second kid, I found the infant seat I wanted on sale...when I was 8 weeks. Then I bought a convertible, too, exactly one week before she was born.

If it's a good deal and the one you want, why not get it now?
 

Spam

New member
With A, I had went through 3 infant seats before he was born, because I couldn't decide. Finally settled on a SS1 at 7 months, because dh wouldn't let me change again. I really wanted a KF30, but couldn't find one on sale. This time I have a KF30 I got last spring :eek: I'm like 4-5 weeks.
 

Jennifer mom to my 7

Well-known member
If it is on sale, and you want that one, you might as well buy it now. I don't think it makes as much of a difference with an infant seat unless you want to use it for 3 kids:)
 

AtTheSouthDam

New member
I was 28 weeks when I ordered DD2's carseat. I waited for the second u/s just to be sure it was a girl since I wanted a pink and black seat :D

With DD1 it was 32ish weeks? But I had no choice, we got it from a friend. We couldn;t afford a new seat at the time and it least it was only 18 months old, five point SR with front adjust from a trusted source. The only problem with it was it was green and tan, blech!
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Do you plan on having a lot more kids and wanting to get as much use as possible out of it?

If you don't plan to use it for the entire life of the seat, I'd get it when it's a good deal (though depending on what pattern you want, I think you can get it for $111 with a little luck and some price matching right now) and be happy. Your kid isn't going to fit in it until it expires even if it had 2 years knocked off the expiration. :)
 

monstah

New member
I got our infant seat for DD2 at 25 weeks - mainly because I was working out a difficult 3 across and partly because I have a car seat addiction. :D

With DS, I got it at my baby shower at 36 weeks. DD1 used her older brothers navy blue teddy bear covered seat. ;)
 

todzwife

New member
So you're saying I wouldn't be crazy to order the keyfit now at 18 weeks? LOL!

It is the ONLY seat that will fit. I have tried it (my friend has one) so I know it works.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Hey, just make sure the deal is good enough you won't be kicking yourself later for spending more than you could have!
 

NVMBR02

New member
I doubt anyone on this board would think you are weird for buying a seat. :p

If you know what you want then I would get it whenever it is on sale and convenient for you to get it. :twocents:
 

steph_s

New member
Any chance your friends child might be out of that seat and you can buy theirs for a good deal? I would just start looking around for good deals. If you see it on sale go for it! I got ds's seat when I was 20 weeks because I found a good sale.
 

nmb

New member
So you're saying I wouldn't be crazy to order the keyfit now at 18 weeks? LOL!

It is the ONLY seat that will fit. I have tried it (my friend has one) so I know it works.

LOL...I had a carseat at 10 weeks for DS....but I knew NOTHING about carseats except we needed one, lol....so there was a sale on a Costco travel system ($79!) and I bought it. Stupid puzzle buckle, rear harness adjust, impossible stroller (used it less then 2 wks, total) :thumbsdown:


We ended up w/ 4 different carseats for DS before he was even born.;)
 

amyd

New member
We bought ours around 22 weeks, also because the one we wanted was on sale at that time. It's a bit older than would be ideal, but honestly, I probably will just sell it when I get it back from the friend who is borrowing it anyway:eek: I want a different seat for the next baby:whistle:
 

kittykate

New member
Well, we're Jewish and the tradition is that you don't buy anything for the baby before the baby is actually born, so O was 1 day old when we bought his first car seat. We used the same bucket for J, so there was no rushing around with him :)
 

flutie128

New member
With DS I got one at my baby shower in May and he was born the beginning of July but his due date was June 30th. With DD I just used the one I had with DS so I just got it out of storage in January and installed it because DS really thought we need a seat in the car for DD who wasn't due until May 13th. I some ways I was hoping for an excuse to replace it but there was not one.
 

3plus2isme

New member
I was 15 weeks... it was too good of a deal to pass up and I needed to make sure it fit because one of our vehicles has a tight 3 across situation :D
Oh.. but then I changed my mind and bought the one we've kept around 20 weeks (started with the Peg and ended up with a SS1... I have huge kiddos so it made sense :p )
 

Pixels

New member
I was something like 8-10 weeks. My SIL was flying in to visit with her newborn, so I told her since I was pg anyway, I would just buy our seat sooner rather than later and she didn't have to lug a seat with her on the plane (lap baby, zero chance of a free seat, and she had enough to handle by herself anyway).
 

zactayaus

Well-known member
I think I was about 6 months along when I got DS3 his car seat. I would have gotten it sooner but I made myself wait till after the holidays.
 

todzwife

New member
I have my heart set on the Miro print (I never got to choose the print for the Marathon DD is in because I got the cheapest one). It's been around $180 on Target (never seen it on sale there) and goes from $158-$172 on Amazon. Albee has it for $148 right now.

I may wait and see if my friends throw me a "sprinkle" (third baby, I don't NEED a shower) and ask that they just get me Target gift cards to buy the seat. Is that tacky?

DD is almost 4, I have NOTHING left from her (DH got rid of everything because we moved twice in 2 years), but the car seat is going to be our main expense,
 

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