Question New baby - looking for car seat suggestions

I'm currently expecting baby #3, due around Sept 1, 2011. My infant seat will be expired by then so I'll need a new one.

When the baby's born, I'll have a 6 year, 4 month old in a SK Monterey and a 2 year, 2 month old ERF still (hopefully) in a SK Radian Premier. We have a GMC Sierra I think, it has a very large back seat so I'm not very concerned about size. I'd like it to last through the first winter at least.

I like this stroller http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index.jsp?productId=4279629
so I was thinking of the carseat that goes with it but it only goes to 22 lbs and I heard the handle has to be kept up in the car. The baby will probably be in the middle so that would be problematic.

Any other suggestions? I don't know what our price range is. My H is opposed to buying any infant seat (he doesn't believe in seats expiring) so cheaper is probably better as the more expensive it is, the harder it will be to convince him to buy it.

I do have an AOE available so I could put the toddler in that and the baby in the Radian if I had to (I'm not sure if I can get 3 across with the AOE though, I haven't tried it yet.)

From what I know about the BT sit n' stand strollers they also come with a universal adapter bar/strap set up so that you can use other car seats. I see in the reviews that someone is using a Graco seat with success.

In terms of budget friendly long lasting seats, the Graco SafeSeat, Snugride 32 and Snugride 35 are you best bets, hands down.

www.snugglebugz.ca

www.dearbornbaby.com

www.safetysuperstore.com

are all CAD retailers with free shipping last time I checked. often the above sites have seats on sale. :thumbsup:

I'm wondering now if I might be better to just buy a Radian XT so my toddler can RF to 45 lbs and put the baby in the Radian Premier (rear-faces to only 30 lbs). It seems like a waste to spend $200 on an infant seat that will last a year when I could spend $320 on a seat that will last many years. And this is possibly our last child so the infant seat wouldn't get used again whereas the RN XT would get lots of use.

Do you know anyone who has actually used a Radian with a newborn? Does it work well? I so wish I'd tried Liam in it when he was a baby, just to see how he'd fit.

Our truck has a remote start so I'm not *as* concerned about the cold.
It just would be nice to be able to set the baby down (in the seat) on the ground while I load the others up. I mean, I don't know how I'd manage to get the toddler in his seat while holding the baby or visa-versa. I can't expect a 2 year old to just stay put beside the truck while I buckle the baby in. Has anyone dealt with this?

Also wondering, is there any difference between the 2007 Radians and the 2010? Do they have a bigger shell? Higher slots? Reinforced more? My 5.5 year old is too tall for the Radian so I'm wondering if the XT is any larger so my younger kids can be in it longer.

I haven't personally tried it (and don't have one) but I've heard the Radian be suggested multiple times to be used as a convertible from birth, if you decide to go that route. It's supposed to fit newborns well, so I don't think you'll have a problem there unless you had a super tiny little one.

I don't have more than one kid yet, so I'm not much help there either.

Thanks. I've heard that too, I've just never seen a newborn in one. I feel so silly now, I had a Radian when Liam was born and just never stuck him in it to see if it'd work. I guess because I had an infant seat I never saw the need.

My boys were 7 lbs, 9 oz and 8 lbs, 13 oz so not tiny. ODS was on the middle slots of our Evenflo Embrace as a newborn (and outgrew it at 6 months) and YDS I think was on the middle slots of our Safety 1st infant seat and he outgrew it a bit later, maybe 9 months. I lent the Evenflo to a family member and never got it back but it'd be expired anyways and the Safety 1st will be expired if it's not already.

What I did when Liam was a baby (after I switched him out of the infant seat) was to open the door and Aaron would climb in and then I'd shut his door, walk around and strap Liam in to his seat, and then walk back to Aaron's side and strap him in. This is what I still do although sometimes I have Aaron stand next to me while I strap Liam in and then walk around with him to his side and strap him in. He's less of a flight risk now than he was at 4

I don't think I can do that with Liam though because he can't climb in by himself and I don't think he'll be able to by the time the baby is born and there's no way I can lift him in while holding a newborn in my other arm. I need both arms to lift him in. I guess I may have to just leave one of them in the house/shopping cart while I strap the first one in and then come back for the 2nd (or just force H to help out more).