When to buy a newborn's carseat?

Angela

New member
We have to get a CCO for DH's car for the new baby. I'm itching to get it, but don't want to get it TOO soon. When did everyone else get new seats for their newborns?
 
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jjordan

Moderator
If you know what you're getting, just wait for a good deal. Unless you're planning to use it for a bunch of kids and NEED to eek all the possible life out of it, waiting a few extra months is not going to make a big difference (as far as expiration date).
 

Pixels

New member
We bought DD's seat when I was like eight weeks pg. SIL was flying in with her DS as a lap baby, so I said we should just get the seat sooner rather than later so it would be one less thing she had to bring. We waited for the extra base, though I don't remember how long we waited. I know it was installed in both vehicles super early.

For DS's, we needed a new base (one had expired) and a new harness (mold). A new base was $40, a new harness was going to be $17, and Target had a whole new seat on clearance for $50. So I bought the whole seat since it was cheaper than the parts I needed. I think that was around 30-something weeks. I felt we were getting down to the wire.

I'm one who wants that particular essential ready to go EARLY. Like, installed in the car so early that if baby actually showed up that day, baby wouldn't be going home any time soon and would be too small to fit anyway. I know it doesn't really make sense, but it makes me feel better.
 

LM4M

CPST Instructor
10-12 wks pg, maybe? But didnt install it in case of a wreck, more of a headache to worry about replacement.
 

sfaqt18

New member
I'm 30 weeks and still haven't bought ours. Technically we have sisters CCO we could use but I put the Keyfit on my registry (dh's coworkers insisted on a doing a shower) and if I don't get it then, I'm waiting for the best possible deal!
 

Kobain's Mommy

Well-known member
I was like 4 or 5 months when I got my CCO, but it was on sale at Target. It was for DD, but I've been using it for DS since I got it.
 

scoutingbear

New member
Um...we already had the radians and I knew I didn't want a bucket. I think I was 8 months when we got the CCO and 8 1/2 when we installed it.
 

Jessica61624

New member
Angela said:
So when to install it? I've seen a couple mentioning when they did. Anyone else?

For me not until 37/38 weeks. I'm afraid of being in an accident and dealing with getting a new one. I know I won't be able to afford one. If I ended up in the hospital someone could come get the seat from my house if needed. And I.could do a baseless install quickly. But the kf is.pretty simple to install anyways.
 

Angela

New member
Well, this one will be in DH's car, so the secondary car, which is why I'm not in a HUGE rush to buy it and it could probably even be installed after the baby gets here. :) I already have my primary seat, but am not sure when I should install that one. I have the itch to do it NOW, but I still have 4 months left. :rolleyes:
 

njkj

New member
I'll probably buy babies seat shortly after we find out weather it's a boy or a girl. Which will be in about 6 weeks.
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
Kid #1, we borrowed a seat from SIL, which was probably around 30 weeks or so? I know we took it to get checked after we got it, so it was likely that early.

Kid #2 was sometime during the pregnancy. Maybe midway? I knew I wanted the safeseat and it was on a killer sale at Target. I think we knew we were having a boy, though, which would have put it after week 23.

Kid #3, I bought the seat a year before we got pregnant. We had been trying for a year at that point, got a killer deal- companion for $50- and just knew we'd have a chance to use it. It took a while, but dd came home in it almost 2 years after I bought it.

I like to have my seats installed around 35 weeks in the primary vehicle. I install the base and keep the seat in the house. For the secondary vehicle, it depends on when I might need to use the seat. For ds2 (didn't have a second car when ds1 was born), we went camping when he was 2 weeks old and took dh's car. So installed it soon after he was born. DD came home from the hospital in dh's car, but I don't think I figured out the 3 across in there until I was 38 weeks, so that's when it was installed.
 

lovemybabybug

New member
I got mine for my shower at 35ish weeks and installed a week before my due date. I didn't own a car until about 10 days before she was born. Now there's a Combi shuttle sitting at my BRU for $70 and even though I am not planning on having a new baby anytime soon, I wanna go get that seat. I love it so much!:p
 

Angela

New member
Finally got the chance to talk to DH about it. I don't know how he came up with this time, but he thinks 32 weeks is a good time to buy it. He doesn't think we need to install it before the baby, but I haven't decided what I think about when to install it yet. He doesn't do seats, that's my 'job'. :) So thoughts on whether it would be easier to install when pregnant or after baby's born? We're PLANNING on a VBAC, but the last ultrasound showed a low lying placenta, so we'll see about it. It's a pretty easy install in his car (I used to have a CCO but got rid of it because I want the new one).
 

krasota

Well-known member
If TRU has their trade in in February, I'll likely buy a new seat then. I'll be 23-26w in Feb, which is earlier than I'd prefer for buying a seat, but that's fine.

I won't install until I'm 37-38w.
 

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