Needing an infant seat SOON

My DH is getting really upset that I haven't ordered a seat yet.I thought I had settled on a Graco Snugride 30 but then I read on here about lock offs.Is that a feature I should be looking for?I wasn't even sure I wanted an infant seat,thought about going straight to convertible but I suppose an infant seat has it's advantages.I'm looking for something affordable...what seat do you suggest and who carries it?PLEASE HELP!I was supposed to order today!

Hello and welcome!

We all have our favorites and least favorites when it comes to infant seats. I am particularly fond of the Chicco KeyFit 30 because it fits newborns well, fits older babies well, and is generally easy to install in most vehicles.

What is your budget and in which vehicle will you be installing the seat?

I've used a Graco My Ride 65 (a convertible seat) for all my babies home from the hospital. They've all been over 9lbs though....

I'd say budget is $100-$150 but if it's an infant seat,I'd like to not spend a ton since I'm just going to have to buy a convertible later on.It will be going in a Jeep Cherokee.DS1 is in a hbb so he'd be on one of the sides and baby,preferably in the middle.I don't know if I need to look for a seat with a lock off or not..it seems like a good feature.

Lock offs aren't as big of a deal, at least for me, with a bucket. The few I've tried we're pretty easy to install without them, bases don't have issues with tipping and such like convertibles. You would only have to have them if you have a car that predates when seatbelt started locking, 1997 I think? And even then you can use a locking clip. I've installed the snugride (it was a 22 i think) with a seat belt in several different cars, its a cinch. Not chicco cinch, but not difficult at all. If you're were happy with all of the other features the lack of lock offs would by no means be a deal breaker for me (when you get to convertibles that's a whole different story :-o)

ETA: the bucket vs straight to convertible debate is really up to preference, it mainly comes down to if you like to baby wear or not. I personally would never skip the infant seat, because I'm not to keen on baby wearing, if you are, you could probably get away with skipping it. It's just so nice to have somewhere to sit the baby in a restaurant or doctors office, or to be able to take them in sleeping, or to be able to bundle them up when it's cold outside and just pop them in.

Hello! As far infant seats go, get what you can afford and what works for you - check them out at a retailer if you can. My only comment/suggestion, other than what's been said already, is to get a seat with a harness that tightens from the front (between legs) rather than one that adjusts from behind the head portion of the car seat (back of seat). The rear adjusting ones are usually a little cheaper, but tend to be more frustrating. And when you have to adjust harness height, you will be thankful for the front adjust,EMT rather than having to unthread and retread the whole harness... With that said, they are not common although there is a SnugRide that is rear adjust...don't recall specific model off the top of my head.

Good luck, and if you have any other questions please ask.

Sent from my iPad using Car-Seat.Org

Thanks for all your help so far!!Any thoughts on this seat? http://www.target.com/p/britax-b-safe-infant-car-seat/-/A-14220240#prodSlot=medium_1_3

I was ok getting a Graco but the more I hear about Britax and Chicco..I want one..and this one is on sale.

i have the britax b safe (only because i got the b agile traveling system) and in retrospect, i wish i had gotten the chicco keyfit 30. long story short, i went shopping with my husband so he can have some involvement in our baby items purchases...big mistake. he chose the first traveling system i showed him just to get the experience out of the way. we didn't even get the chance to look at the keyfit 30.

the harness adjustment strap on the b safe is difficult for me to use with the baby in her seat. i have to tug with all my strength and even then, i can still have a loose harness despite my inability to tug some more (it works smoothly without an infant in it). my poor girl gets so sweaty in the seat too, but i heard this is also a common complaint for the keyfit.

lo and behold, my friends came to visit us with their infant in a keyfit 30, and i had such carseat envy when i saw how easily they were able to strap their little kiddo in.

and you can find both seats in your price range since the last i checked, amazon was having a sale on them.

despite my displeasure with the b safe, i love that it snaps easily into the b agile...which is an awesome light stroller for a weakling like me to put in and take out of an suv.

one of my girlfriends has a snugride and it didn't excite me like the keyfit did.

I commented earlier but it's not showing up..maybe it will later?

I found the Britax B Safe on sale and thought about getting that.Does it have the lock offs?Will I need an infant insert?I heard that I might but that if I use aftermarket products and am in an accident,insurance might not pay for the car seat.

I really wish I could afford a Chicco..I'll have to check Amazon like pp said because otherwise,I'm finding them for around $190.

BuyBuyBaby and Babies R Us accept each other's coupons. BuyBuyBaby and Bed Bath & Beyond are the same company, so the ubiquitous 20% coupons from there count as well. That'll put a KeyFit a few dollars above the top end of your quoted budget.