Bucket or Convertible, that is the question

ontariomama · Apr 16, 2010

OK... so this has been going back in forth in my head for the past month or so and I want to make a decision!!!!

I have an Eddie Bauer Travel System (that I disliked with a strong passion) with a Sure Fit carseat. It's ok, but was bulky and heavy and after about 3-4 months with DS I didn't want to use it anymore. I was thinking about selling the whole kit and kaboodle.

Do I get a new infant seat, or do I go straight to a convertible? I'm looking at the new TrueFit ARB. I have a 2010 RN Premeire for DS so I do have one seat with a high RFing limit. DS has seriously slowed down his growing, but has a very long torso and is tall.

Would I really be missing out in the winter? I don't plan on having a stroller attachment for this infant seat (if I get one). I plan on wearing this baby. I do have a garage (well, in May I will) and I think I'll be able to load the kids from the inside the garage.

Any thoughts or something that I may be missing?

amyd · Apr 17, 2010

I'd skip the bucket altogether & plan to with my next babe & just use the True Fit from birth. I can't imagine trying to corral a toddler & lug a bucket anywhere. Wearing the babe is much easier & I'd think would actually keep him/her warmer than sitting in a bucket. We had a bucket with DS & honestly, other than a couple times it came in useful, it was a PITA & a waste of money:twocents:

Wiggles · Apr 17, 2010

Personally? I'd skip the bucket. When I nannied, the age difference between the boys I looked after was about the same as it will be between your kids. Now, admittedly, the elder boy was non-mobile and had to be either pushed or carried everywhere, but I never once took the infant bucket out of the van. Even in the dead of winter in a region a little more north than Toronto (and, from my experiences, much colder). By the time the younger boy was 4 months, it was totally impractical for me to carry the infant bucket ANYWHERE! It was too bulky. Admittedly, I am smaller than you are.

They were a farming family and I had to get the kids out of the van in the open and didn't like to leave one or the other alone in the van long enough to carry them out, so I'd quite often have both boys, one under each arm like footballs on the way into the house. I ended up wearing the younger boy everywhere, especially after he started walking at 8 months.

With a garage to load kids in and out, I wouldn't really even think of a bucket. Depending on how cramped the garage is, it may actually be harder to maneuver the bucket into the car than it would be to strap the new baby in.

mommycat · Apr 19, 2010

Not to confuse you and obviously YMMV, but I'm going to buck the trend here - I loved my bucket. I loved having a place for baby to be while I corralled the 2-3yo. Once baby was mobile and demanding to go everywhere and not be stuck on mommy (he crawled at 5mo and walked at 8mo, way too young to have any self-preservation skills), I liked having a place to have him contained where he would be safe and happy and stay put, especially while I chased the runaway older brother rather than having to worry about his head bouncing around as I ran or the fear of falling and squashing him, and I needed to go fast because the 3yo was such a runner. While you can load into the car in your garage, when you get to the store or wherever you still need to take them out and wake them if they fell asleep and they are out in the cold until you bundle them into the sling - maybe others are more coordinated than me, but that would not be my first choice. Then again, I didn't use a travel system, just lugged the bucket or put it in the grocery cart. I had a SafeSeat, which was easy to install, easy to use, and fit until 18mo (and I still carried it into the house/store/etc at that point, too). I was sad to let it go when he outgrew it. SO yeah, that would be MY choice. (Sell the travel system and get a SS/SR32/SR35 or whatever clone, maybe with a lightweight compatible stroller.) It may not be the choice for you, since you seemed hate the bucket experince before.

unityco · Apr 19, 2010

I don't have an opinion either way, but just wanted to point out that you'll still need to load the kids in parking lots and other places without garages; potentially without the advantage of warming the car first. I don't know how big a deal that will be for you. :shrug-shoulders:

ontariomama · Apr 19, 2010

Gah! You've just confused me even more

Everyone brings up valid points, which is why I'm asking for opinions - just in case I'm missing something. I found our EB Sure Fit bucket heavy and awkward to carry. There could be lighter ones (or perhaps easier to carry) out there. I think I need to go shopping to check things out IRL.

Thanks for the input so far

Twinklefae · Apr 19, 2010

ontariomama said:
Gah! You've just confused me even more Everyone brings up valid points, which is why I'm asking for opinions - just in case I'm missing something. I found our EB Sure Fit bucket heavy and awkward to carry. There could be lighter ones (or perhaps easier to carry) out there. I think I need to go shopping to check things out IRL.

Thanks for the input so far

Keep in mind too, that you don't HAVE to take the bucket out of the car. You can just leave it there when you don't want to move it. For a winter baby, I would definitely want one, for a summer baby I'd lean far more towards a convertible. DS was born in the summer, and by the time it was really really cold, he was big enough to wear a fleece suit and not get cold as fast.

I'm also set on having a travel system this time around. We didn't last time, and it was part of the reason we were done with out bucket by the time he was 2 months old!

msg221 · Apr 19, 2010

mommycat said:
Not to confuse you and obviously YMMV, but I'm going to buck the trend here - I loved my bucket. I loved having a place for baby to be while I corralled the 2-3yo. Once baby was mobile and demanding to go everywhere and not be stuck on mommy (he crawled at 5mo and walked at 8mo, way too young to have any self-preservation skills), I liked having a place to have him contained where he would be safe and happy and stay put, especially while I chased the runaway older brother rather than having to worry about his head bouncing around as I ran or the fear of falling and squashing him, and I needed to go fast because the 3yo was such a runner. While you can load into the car in your garage, when you get to the store or wherever you still need to take them out and wake them if they fell asleep and they are out in the cold until you bundle them into the sling - maybe others are more coordinated than me, but that would not be my first choice. Then again, I didn't use a travel system, just lugged the bucket or put it in the grocery cart. I had a SafeSeat, which was easy to install, easy to use, and fit until 18mo (and I still carried it into the house/store/etc at that point, too). I was sad to let it go when he outgrew it. SO yeah, that would be MY choice. (Sell the travel system and get a SS/SR32/SR35 or whatever clone, maybe with a lightweight compatible stroller.) It may not be the choice for you, since you seemed hate the bucket experince before.

I'm with you! I loved having the bucket seats. Besides, I had twins to haul around. Not only that, it would have been horrible if I only had convertible seats and had to load infants into a car seat that had been sitting in the Phoenix summer sun when it's been 115 outside. As it was, when I had to move them from their bucket seats into the car, I would blast the air conditioning on high for several minutes before putting them in. Or sometimes my husband would get the car first to cool it down a bit, then come and pick us up.

swtgi1982 · Apr 19, 2010

ontariomama said:
OK... so this has been going back in forth in my head for the past month or so and I want to make a decision!!!!

I have an Eddie Bauer Travel System (that I disliked with a strong passion) with a Sure Fit carseat. It's ok, but was bulky and heavy and after about 3-4 months with DS I didn't want to use it anymore. I was thinking about selling the whole kit and kaboodle.

Do I get a new infant seat, or do I go straight to a convertible? I'm looking at the new TrueFit ARB. I have a 2010 RN Premeire for DS so I do have one seat with a high RFing limit. DS has seriously slowed down his growing, but has a very long torso and is tall.

Would I really be missing out in the winter? I don't plan on having a stroller attachment for this infant seat (if I get one). I plan on wearing this baby. I do have a garage (well, in May I will) and I think I'll be able to load the kids from the inside the garage.

Any thoughts or something that I may be missing?

honestly i did not use a bucket this time around, since the older two were old enough to stand next to the car and not run away while I set baby in his seat, then get them in and let them crawl in their seats while I buckle baby, then buckle them. But I know the other side of two close in age with the first two (15mon apart) and I would have never gone without my bucket with my second as DD was to little to know better to not run away in the store parking lot.

sparkyd · Apr 19, 2010

Sounds to me like you aren't a bucket fan to begin with, so you'd probably be fine without it.

Personally, I'm a bucket fan, for all the reasons mommycat outlined. I have one of those strollers (like a snap 'n go) that is just for the bucket seat and I would put DS2 in that and bring my Ergo along. DS1 would walk along side holding onto the stroller. I found this way easier than trying to put DS2 in the Ergo right from the car, especially in winter. If he was asleep I could just leave him sleeping in the bucket then when he woke up inside he could go in the Ergo. Plus it's just so much easier for quick errands when they fall asleep in the car - you've got at least a hope of getting your task done without them waking up. I've never had one of those babies that stays asleep while you're transferring them to/from the car.

Bucket or Convertible, that is the question

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