Carrier or convertible ???

Tara

New member
Hmmm which route do I want to go?

I've always been an infant carrier gal. Not that they spend lots of time in them. I'm not the mom who totes them around and lets them sleep in the seat all. day. long. But...if the baby is sleeping when we arrive somewhere, I will use the seat. The child generally doesn't stay asleep for too long, but, just long enough to finish that nap that I did not want to prematurely disrupt, kwim?

I've been drooling over the Keyfit, as I will need to purchase a seat for this one. However, I'm not sure I like the idea of spending that kind of money on an infant only seat. I'm also the kind of gal that moves her kids to a convertible 'early'. They're still rear facing, mind you, up to 2 or 3 yr, depending on child/weight. But, I just get tired of the whole infant carrier idea and move them to a convertible...average is probably 6-8 months.

So, do I really want to spend $160-$180 on an infant only seat I would use for 8 months?

Or do I want to try the 'start in a convertible' approach? And with that...which?

That MyRide looks dreamy...and I hear that works pretty well for newborns, correct?
The Radian is supposed to fit newborns well also, right?

Any other newborn fitting convertibles I should be aware of?

Next...I *have* a Radian. I don't necessarily like its fit in my vehicle forward facing. When installed using LATCh it's just fine, but there are only 2 LATCh positions, both of which presently house a FF Radian. And with the baby coming, I may need to move one of those, thus requiring a seat belt install. Which, I *have* managed, but it wasn't easy, nor fun. And I could not repeat it last time I removed seats to clean and rearrange. The one actually *was* installed with seat belt but I could not recreate that so I moved him to the LATCh position.

So...I *could* use one of the Radians RF for the baby and get something else, thinking a Nautilus ?? for my 4 yr old.
Or I could do a MyRide for the baby, the Radians remaining as they are.

*sigh* decisions decisions

Anyone wanna hash out scenarios with me?
 
ADS

Tara

New member
Oh yeah, that's right! I was kinda thinking that when I posted, but then forgot to mention/ask.

Y'all will have to spill to me your preferences, the pros/cons of MyRide vs TF vs Radian.
 

Tara

New member
That is the primary reason I am considering NOT using one....this is #7..my chances are getting slimmer that there will soon be another to pass the infant carrier down to.

I think I'm done with the whole pregnancy scene :p

I think I may stop at Buy Buy Baby today to play....we'll see where that leads (or leaves) me LOL (good thing I still have a while yet to contemplate, plan to purchase late Nov.)
 

Tara

New member
Ok, no offense or disrespect meant..but...I swear from now on when I go into any baby store to look at car seats, I'm going to pretend I'm deaf.

The salesman in that dept drives me batty! Following and asking if I need help. Tries to be helpful by asking kids ages or mentioning what seat he bought for his 4 yr old.

Inside I'm just like..dude, I'm not an idiot, I know what I'm looking for. Really. And judging by the 'advice' you've given me thus far, I know far more than you. I took a course, I'm certified (well, technically expired now, but, ykwim), I research this stuff and talk about it all the time with knowledgeable peeps.

I just want to see my scrawny 4 yr old in a few seats to get an idea of things. If I were to get 'this' seat for my newborn, as opposed to a carrier, would this seat make a worthwhile ERF and FF seat until the child was 3? 4? 5? How soon would I have to buy ANOTHER seat? And looking at another option of using a seat I already own that is known to fit newborns well, and purchasing a combo seat for my 4 yr old..I want to see that he fits the seat well. I also want to see how it fits my 6 yr old who does NOT need a seat, just for reference in leg support.

I *know* what I'm doing...and I could do it a LOT better if you would stop 'helping' me, offering advice, opinions and telling me what 'other parents' have done.

Finally he says something along the lines of "well it sounds like you know what you're looking for..." then lowers to a whisper..."some parents come in here not having a clue"

And all I could think was...yeah..and those are the ones asking YOU for help. That's frightening.

Annnnnnnnnnnywho...all that to say I went to Buy Buy Baby today. I still don't know what I'm doing. But I know I still like the Keyfit, if I go with an infant carrier, that's the one (provided it meshes with my vehicle well, I haven't tested that part yet). If I go with convertible from birth, I'll use a Radian I already own and get a combo for the 4 yr old. Nautilus or Frontier...hadn't thought much about that to have a real opinion/preference..other than the GN is certainly cheaper.

So, yeah, didn't really get 'ahead' any. But, aside from obnoxious sales guy, had fun playing with seats :p
 

a_js

New member
I decided to spend the major $ on a convertible since we'll use it for so much longer. The Graco Snugride is really affordable and a good seat ($70 at Walmart right now, I think) and I didn't see any reason to go beyond that for a seat I'd use no more than 6 months. I'm like you, I don't use it as a baby-holder much, but I do appreciate the easiness of being able to just remove it if baby is sleeping.
 

Keeanh

Well-known member
That is the primary reason I am considering NOT using one....this is #7..my chances are getting slimmer that there will soon be another to pass the infant carrier down to.

I think I'm done with the whole pregnancy scene :p

I think I may stop at Buy Buy Baby today to play....we'll see where that leads (or leaves) me LOL (good thing I still have a while yet to contemplate, plan to purchase late Nov.)

Oh, I hear you! I just had #7 and I am DONE with the whole pregnancy scene too. :p But.... I'm only 31 and I sure love babies. Guess we'll see what God has in store for us.

I hear you on the salespeople too, LOL.

Do you have any friends / family who would buy the Keyfit off of you when you're done? If you're not having any more, as lovely as the Keyfit is, can you borrow a bucket from someone just for the winter months?

How much are you out with a whole bunch of kids? Are your older ones capable of staying home &/or babysitting? For me, I would buy a cheaper bucket because my older kids are okay staying home alone, but NOT babysitting, which leaves me taking all the little ones to hockey. Ages 7 & under, freezing cold, early morning, snow, hockey equipment, no big kids to help... Would be worth $100 to me to have the infant in a bucket. Your situation may be totally different though.
 

natysr

New member
I have a True Fit Premier and a Coccoro for my son. He was 6 pounds 4 ounces when he was born on May 27.

Going home in the Coccoro

883029455_8oCYP-M.jpg


This is a current picture on the Coccoro. 3 months old.

984336570_xWV8H-M.jpg


The Coccoro will not last as long as you would need to truly extended rearface, but it will likely last us about 2 1/2 years. I have small kiddos.


3 days old in the True Fit Premier (we call this one his lazy boy). I need to take a more current picture.

887508599_2hSRz-M.jpg


And here is a picture of my older son who was *just* at the rearfacing weight limit. This was taken just after I bought the seat. My son was 5 1/2 years old.

771559866_x5PyN-M.jpg
 

kalohabreeze

New member
Were you at the Buy Buy Baby near the galleria.. I know the guy you are talking about redish hair I think he has a goatee.. omg.. wouldn't leave us alone either!

I mean we spent a good 30-45 minutes taking both the Frontier and the GN apart.. and he came by so many time asking do you need help and I was like yes.. if you can sit here and debate with me the pros and cons of this new tether and how much it matters.. what the price difference is.. if you can tell me why I am staring at you in a mean way because I am checking it out and I already told you for the millionth time that we had this covered.. urgh! oh well..

Didn't know you could use the 20% off coupons from bed bath and beyond either! I think they also take Babies r us coupons to.. Something worth checking into.

No I am in the same boat. I love my little bucket seats as they are a snap to install and I can just buy a base for my mom's car and we'd be set.

I have to say I am weary of using my radian as an infant carrier, but I am looking at getting either the GN or Frontier for my boy and it's just a tough decision. I love the options on the britax and he has sat in both and likes the feel of the Britax it's just getting enough gift cards together to grab it off amazon at this point.

Happy Car Seat Hunting though :)
 

Tara

New member
LOL YES! That's the one and yep, that's him. I was there and dealt with him before, thought the same things. But he seemed to be even more intrusive this time. Guess he was given a 'don't take no for an answer' speech. *rolling eyes*

No, no one to borrow a seat from nor sell to later. Seems all around me are already done with their pg days.

I think I've pretty well talked myself out of a convertible from the start though. I just keep thinking of my babies...how thankful I am when they're sleeping as I arrive at the grocery store. "Yes, ok, now, if I can just get 30 minutes that will be a huge help" That is NOT going to happen if I have to remove them from the seat to put in a wrap. It just doesn't work like that for mine. They like the wrap well enough, but...well..I just don't mess with those naps.

As for my older kids...my elders aren't old enough to leave a newborn with. Though I can leave all the rest of them and travel with only the newborn, but, then I'm still back at the previous scenario, so, it's a moot point, right?

Anywho...it was fun going down that road, checking seats out, getting excited...but I think I'm sticking to the infant carrier idea. Hey...that just means I still have another car seat purchase in my future ;)

Hubs just says "whatever...I just do what you tell me to" when I mentioned all these options to him, my thought process and all. He just doesn't even get involved. Sure, we're a big family, single income, he doesn't rake in the bucks, so he asks that I choose wisely according to budget, but, if I need this seat now and that seat later, so be it. Whatever works best for baby and me. :) :love:

Oh and thanks for the coupon tips. I had no idea. I'll definitely have to look into that, see how that compares to the recent sales I've seen online for $145 or thereabouts for KF.

Funny you're waffling between the Nautilus and Frontier...I would have a hard time choosing between the two right now. It would really come down to the max I could afford. If we simply could NOT afford the Frontier, I'd take the GN, but I really really have liked every Britax we've owned and am happy with what I know of the Frontier. Unless it had a major install issue in my vehicle, I'd want the Frontier. My ds really liked it too.

Oh well, I have time yet to worry about that one ;) One seat at a time...infant is my focus now.
 

mkmama

Active member
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my TrueFit for my infant...granted, she was 10 lbs at birth, but the seat easily would have fit a smaller babe well. Their infant padding is by far my favorite! It positions the baby well, breathes well, and most importantly, stays in position while I'm putting her in/out. Being able to remove the headrest is also a fantastic bonus..I don't have to worry about my hubby still being able to drive (he's 6'5" and ALL leg) with her seat installed behind him.

I put baby girl in the MyRide today as well for the first time since I was puzzling new arrangements -- I am thinking I am going to strongly dislike that seat for her except for in the van, where it will be installed after today. She was in it for about 5 minutes today in the car, and was really sweaty (it was a cool day today (about 80*), not hot) -- that infant padding just really holds in the body heat much more than the TrueFit. She'd have been really hot if the car hadn't already been cool and the day had been any warmer -- at least in the van I'll be able to put her near an air conditioning vent to help keep her cooler.
 

MsJoeCool

New member
It's good to know that there are convertibles where the slots are low enough for infants. The slots on the Graco Snugride aren't low enough for my six-week old yet. The new Graco Snugride 35 has the same issue.
 

wvmommy007

New member
I have been grateful to have an infant seat for my Winter baby. But now that she's bigger and its warm, I just use the bucket like a convertible. It never comes out unless she's alseep AND we're not at home. That way you get your money's worth and don't have to switch seats as early. Plus, you can wait longer to see if anything more awesome comes out later. :D
 

yetanotherjen

CPST Instructor
Have you looked at the Onboard 35? It is taller and would last longer than the keyfit. And the Target version is around $100, fits little babies very well and I have seen a few small 2 year olds that still fit!
 

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