What would you do if you were in my position?

Hello all! I think I posted here awhile back (sorry...also post on a twin forum somewhere so not sure where i was at). I have twin 9 month old daughters who are in snugride 22's. One is at the max in height for the seat. They were both measured at 29" at most recent checkup this week but I think they are both just under that measurement (from what I've measured). I have a chicco keyfit that a coworker has lent to me. It is dead winter here. Both babies are tall babies for their age. I have myride's (which I don't really like...bought 4 and already returned the two that were unopened...probably going back to marathons) I could be using but I'm not very smooth on the slick ground and don't trust myself carrying them both in my arms(and there are times i would have too...like going to church). They go to daycare a few days out of the week and pickup/drop off my oldest dd at various things so we are in/out a lot (and I can carry both infant seats pretty easily...don't mind the weight of doing that).

My debate now is I don't think I will get much use out of the keyfit over what they are in....and I only have access to one. So...I have researched and read that the onboard 35's have the highest shell on an infant seat and pretty good reviews overall. I am considering buying two just to get me through the winter (albee baby has a good price on them right now). Is this absolutely crazy...or should I just buy a twin umbrella stroller and start using that for the in/out trips? Anyone been in a similar situation and what did you do?

Sorry to ramble...thanks for hanging in there! Just wants some other perspectives on this.

~Amanda

The On Board was on clearance at my Target yesterday for 84.88ish. I don't think the Keyfit is that tall. For sure the On Board is taller. Do the kids have at least an inch of shell above their head still? If so, they're okay in there. THere should be at least an inch.

If you can afford the expense of the onboards, and you don't mind purchasing them for limited usage, that plan would be just fine .

Remember that as long as the twins are less than 22lbs, they actually outgrow the Snugrides when their heads are within an inch of the top of the shells. For some kids that might be before they hit the 29" -- for others, it's after. I'm not sure how the height of the Keyfit compares. (Do you trust the coworker with your daughter's life -- completely sure she hasn't dropped/thrown the seat, it hasn't been checked on an airplane, harness straps never washed, etc?)

As far as the MyRides go -- before you go back to Marathons, I might suggest to you to look at the Evenflo Triumph65, the Safety 1st Complete Air, the Sunshine Kids Radians and possibly the First Years TrueFit (depending on the girls' weights. It only goes to 35lbs rearfacing, whereas the others to go 40 or 45.) Those seats will all last longer than the Marathon, and for the most part are less expensive. OTOH, if you know you like the Marathons and think they will provide you with enough rearfacing time, they would be fine -- the primary reason for not recommending them is due to the fact that they have shorter shells and less leg room than the rest of the seats.

What does your 6yo ride in?

cookie123 said:

The On Board was on clearance at my Target yesterday for 84.88ish. I don't think the Keyfit is that tall. For sure the On Board is taller. Do the kids have at least an inch of shell above their head still? If so, they're okay in there. THere should be at least an inch.

Click to expand...

It's online too with free shipping...but some revieweres complained about the padding and I don't know if there is much difference to the next 'model' up that has the upgraded base (109.99 with free ship on albee).

I agree with Carrie. If you have the money to burn on a couple buckets for a few months use, and you WANT them, there is no reason not to. People who have money should spend it however they want

I've personally never used a bucket for either of my kids (singles, not twins), and we've lived just fine in frigid winters. I personally wouldn't dream of carrying 2 20 lb kids in buckets on ice/snow. I think your idea of using a stroller for outside transportation and moving up to convertibles in the car is a fine idea, and certainly the one I personally would pick. (Although as Carrie said, definitely not marathons, talk about alot of money for a ridiculously short shell.)

One thing I didn't note -- I'm presuming that you're already aware, given your choice of MyRides -- is to make sure that you know about the recommendation to keep children rearfacing past a year. In fact, we recommend it to age 3 or 4 for optimal protection. If you're not familiar with that recommendation, we'll be happy to provide you with information and links, but I'll spare you the barrage if you're already aware.

Carrie_R said:

If you can afford the expense of the onboards, and you don't mind purchasing them for limited usage, that plan would be just fine .

Remember that as long as the twins are less than 22lbs, they actually outgrow the Snugrides when their heads are within an inch of the top of the shells. For some kids that might be before they hit the 29" -- for others, it's after. I'm not sure how the height of the Keyfit compares. (Do you trust the coworker with your daughter's life -- completely sure she hasn't dropped/thrown the seat, it hasn't been checked on an airplane, harness straps never washed, etc?)

As far as the MyRides go -- before you go back to Marathons, I might suggest to you to look at the Evenflo Triumph65, the Safety 1st Complete Air, the Sunshine Kids Radians and possibly the First Years TrueFit (depending on the girls' weights. It only goes to 35lbs rearfacing, whereas the others to go 40 or 45.) Those seats will all last longer than the Marathon, and for the most part are less expensive. OTOH, if you know you like the Marathons and think they will provide you with enough rearfacing time, they would be fine -- the primary reason for not recommending them is due to the fact that they have shorter shells and less leg room than the rest of the seats.

What does your 6yo ride in?

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One baby has between 1 and 2 inches...the other (when wearing her helmet) is probably ready to be moved (or right at the 1").


Yes...totally trust where the keyfit came from...but really not thinking the seat is going to work for us.

Six year old (7 in February) rides in a nautilus as a booster (latched in).

Thank you for the convertible seat suggestions. I have researched all of them. Wish they had more in stock around here to play with. Not a fan of evenflo...had seriously considered Radian's especially for dh's vehicle so they could be side by side (he drives a Pilot adn right now the oldest ends up in the third row which isn't that convenient). I need to look at the complete air. The more I read the more I'm liking that seat. We had a marathon with oldest dd and LOVED it. Granted...it was the 'old style'. Have a feeling I'm going to need to be more worried about height in the convertibles. DD will have old style marathons (that are new) in his vehicle and my mom is going to take our myrides and I am going to pick something 'new' for our main vehicele (08 odyssey).

I think the combi shuttle might be taller than the onboard? I know there was recently a thread about how long it was lasting larger babies.

I will look more into the shuttle 33. Just glancing I found the blog's review of it...some good like height...but some of it would scare me away.

Carrie_R said:

One thing I didn't note -- I'm presuming that you're already aware, given your choice of MyRides -- is to make sure that you know about the recommendation to keep children rearfacing past a year. In fact, we recommend it to age 3 or 4 for optimal protection. If you're not familiar with that recommendation, we'll be happy to provide you with information and links, but I'll spare you the barrage if you're already aware.

Click to expand...

Yep! Didn't know this with my oldest but have been reading it on here for years now (you are where I learned about extended harnessing)...and yes...posts/past posts on here helped me with my decision on the myride. You guys/gals rock for the info you share! Have lots of family/friends that think I'm nuts though for my 'viewpoints' on extended rear facing and harnessing. Oh well...my kiddos are safe!

honestly i would use the myrides and get an umbrella stroller if you slipped while carrying them in the buckets and dropped one..wouldnt u have to buy a new seat anyway? so i would rather push the babies!!! too cute tho..i love twins!

I would if I had twins... or if I could have back when Jeffrey outgrew his bucket (as it was, I used it just to haul him from the house to the vehicle and then chucked it in the trunk... we had to cross a busy road to get to our car and it was just EASIER... to hold Damian's hand/carry him and have Jeffrey in the bucket... then get to the car, set the bucket in the passenger seat while I let his brother in the car, then get baby out and in his seat, pop the bucket in the trunk, then walk around and get his brother turned around and on his butt (he'd be standing in his seat at that point) and buckled up and then get in the car and drive.

It gave me time to take Damian's coat off before he got in the car... and let me keep the baby bundled up so he didn't need one... I just used the same blankets to put on him once in his convertible seat... and again in the stroller.

When he got too big to carry at all, I did use the stroller for that, but it was still more of a pain in the rear.

I definitely recommend the complete air... great seat, nice and narrow, and usually easier to install and adjust than the Radians.

Something else to consider....I put DS in an Ergo carrier on my front, I sling their bag over my shoulder, I carry DD in my arms, and in we go to daycare. I don't even notice that DS is there and it is much easier than dragging out the double umbrella stroller.

when my twins were 9 months old i bought a bigger infant seat for one of them so i could use it longer. i do not regret it at all. just being able to do the buckling/unbuckling inside is such a big difference. and being able to run in somewhere without all that buckling and unbuckling. imo it really did make a difference. i didn't use an infant seat with my older two really at all, but it sure made life easier with the twins.