Who needs a "back-up" car seat?

Nedra · Oct 4, 2013

I have seen several posts from seasoned parents referring to back-up car seats. Can I ask for more info? Is it just for if your kid pukes on their regular car seat and you need it to be washed? Do you keep it in the trunk of the car in case you need it while on a road trip? Is it more for if you have older kids whose friends might be hopping a ride?

What kind do you buy? A high limit convertible so that it can work for any age? Something lightweight that can double for travel? Did you buy it from the outset and pick a back-up seat whose features complimented your main seat (like light if your main one is heavy, cheap if your main one is pricey, etc) or did you only buy it when you needed it? Or do people not buy back-ups at all? Is this more of a "we wanted to upgrade so our old seat became our back-up" thing?

I just have a little baby for the time being, so she is in an infant carrier. It's not like we're carting around her baby friends or anything and while she spits up, she has never made such a mess that we couldn't spot clean until we got someplace where we could wash the cover (but we also aren't taking road trips with her yet!). So I am curious as to whether we will need to purchase a back-up seat when we move to a convertible.

Dillipop · Oct 4, 2013

I like to have at least one extra seat for all the reasons you mentioned- kids puke or pee in a seat and with older kids, I can't wait up to 24 hours for a cover to dry after I wash it. We also sometimes takes a friend or 2 in the vehicle so I like to have at least one convertible and one booster available depending on which they would ride in.

I also have seats for all 3 of my kids in 3 different vehicles- mine, my mom's, and my dh's cars. They ride in each vehicle quite a bit and I don't like to move things around. Having an extra seat laying around helps with the shuffle as well- sometimes my mom takes a seat out for some reason and comes to get the kids. If there's an extra seat at my house, she can install it and go on her way without having to figure out how to go get the seat she forgot.

My back up seats are ones that I like to use on a regular basis, since when I switch one out to clean, the replacement gets used until I have to clean another seat. For boosters though, I just have an assortment of backless boosters that can work for my oldest kids' friends.

monica-m · Oct 4, 2013

We have one seat in my mom's car as she drives DS at least a few times a month we also have a seat in DH's car. I also keep a Safety 1st Go and a Harmony backless in my cargo well because I am the emergency pick up person for 3 kids plus my own. We also have a CCO that is outgrown RF but is being saved for the new baby. We have had some pretty spectacular vomit episodes so I will always make sure we have something that DS can ride in just in case.

babyherder · Oct 4, 2013

I'm a nanny and my backup seats have come in handy a few times. Even though the kids have 2 seats each in their parents' car. Their parents are sometimes at work and not easily accessible. But most importantly I have a plan of what I could do if I ever need a backup seat again. Sometimes that plan is to already have a seat in the trunk. Other times its to go grab an extra seat from my house or even to get a new one from the store.

Keeyamah · Oct 4, 2013

I originally got one for grandparent cars, and travel. Although it never got used for travel because the one time we flew, my oldest was a lap baby. I didn't like it, but I didn't buy the tickets. If we fly again, both kids are getting tickets, or we don't fly. Although, with needing 4 seats, it's usually cheaper to drive, lol.

After a while, it became the seat my husbands truck, in which my oldest was only in occasionally or for a short ride home from daycare. Since he completely outgrew it shortly before the baby was born, it was pretty good timing, because it became the baby's seat, and he didn't ride in daddy's truck anymore unless I rearranged things.

Now I have 2 backup seats, one for each kiddo, mostly for when the out of town in laws come to visit. If my mom has the boys, she has the van that has their regular seats. If the in town in laws decided they wanted to have the boys for a time, then I could put the back ups in their vehicle.

It's mostly so I don't have to uninstall and reinstall my main seats

geekKT · Oct 4, 2013

I think it really depends on your personal scenario. There's no right or wrong.

I have 2 kids and 2 seats, no backups. My first used our TFP from birth to about 2.5, when I got him an RXT. The baby, born 5 months later, went briefly into a Via infant seat, but I much prefer convertibles and she soon went into the TFP. I got rid of the Via, and I'm back to two seats.

This works for us since the kids really never ride anywhere but in my van. We have no family anywhere close and the only friend who ever drives DS has a spare seat she can put him in. Very occasionally we'll need to be in DH's Focus, but it's rare enough that I just move seats.

I am considering a back-up though. It would be mostly to reduce me having to move a seat to the Focus if needed, or to take one of said friend's kids occasionally. Since DS will be 4 next year, it's more likely I'd get a "spare" Frontier to be his eventual full-time seat, and then leave the RXT open.

People who regularly have extra kids, split drop offs/pick ups, or have other people commonly transporting their kids are going to have very different answers.

amelia222 · Oct 4, 2013

In my case I needed 4 seats, all of which were used regularly. One in my car, one in my mom's one in my dad's and one for the kid I babysat. I've never needed a spare because of something a kid did to a seat though.

ketchupqueen · Oct 4, 2013

I use backup seats for other people's cars to avoid moving primaries/when both cars need a seat/to fit, for travel (planes, rental cars, etc.), for transporting other people's kids, for demos during presentations, and in case of a crash until primaries are replaced, in roughly that order. Only twice have I switched a seat for cleaning rather than just clean, dry, replace in car before going anywhere.

They live in the garage except the BubbleBum which is sometimes in my car.

soccer_widow · Oct 5, 2013

I'll be honest. For me, "back-up" seats are also another excuse to buy a seat I want but don't really need.

Nedra · Oct 5, 2013

soccer_widow said:
I'll be honest. For me, "back-up" seats are also another excuse to buy a seat I want but don't really need.

:yeahthatlove: This I totally understand.

And based on everyone's replies, I think in our situation we don't need one yet. We don't transport other kids, we don't do multiple pick-ups/drop-offs, and while my in-laws have a spare base in their car (I guess that's kinda like a back-up once it's not a base but instead a convertible?) we don't find that they use it often. Plus, since we don't have older children and our childcare is in our home, we are never really in a situation where the baby HAS to leave the house while the seat is washing/drying. I will wait until the need arises and see what cool seats are in the market then.

Thank you all!

carseatmama007 · Oct 5, 2013

I don't currently have a back up seat because we only have 1 car, but I'd like one (can't afford it just yet).

I'd like one for different reasons than posted. First, I have this fear that when DH is at work (thus has DD's car seat in the car at his work), some emergency situation will happen where I need a neighbor or friend to quickly drive us somewhere & I don't have a car seat at home to put DD in. So that's reason #1. Reason #2 would be because I'm afraid something will break on DD's car seat unexpectedly, and it'd just be easier to have a backup seat instead of trying to get funds together impromptu to buy a new seat.

And of course there's the occasional trips to Grandma's where uninstalling & installing the Radian kicks my butt

ks227 · Oct 5, 2013

We don't have back up seats. We have have a convertible plus a Keyfit base in both of our cars as well as my mother's car (since she's our primary emergency pickup person for daycare). Plus my FIL has a Symphony 65. The baby's Keyfit stays with her at daycare during the day and could be installed baseless if necessary, and between us and the grandparents we have FOUR convertibles for our older daughter - I think we could get our hands on seats quickly in an emergency.

Our older daughter has never vomited in her car seat, nor were there ever any potty training accidents. Her GI system is like iron.

I'm actually washing the cover of DH's Boulevard 70 this weekend - it was looking a bit dingy and it occurred to me that we've never needed to wash it in 2.5 years since we bought it!

We probably should have a backup convertible but 1) I don't see much of a point for us right now, and 2) I can't decide which one I'd want.

Stelvis · Oct 5, 2013

I like having extra seats. Both grandparents have a booster for DS that he could use in a pinch.

I have a Go that DS has outgrown, and ideally DD would not use except in an emergency because obviously it's FF only. I gave away my TrueFit to someone who really needed it. So possibly I'll need a Sureride for travel, and I might buy one next time I see a good sale. I also like knowing I could safely transport my 2 & 6 year old nephews in an emergency.

krasota · Oct 5, 2013

Our "back-up" seat still gets some use. The first one was a Cosco Scenera 40RF I bought for some upcoming travel. It was easy to schlep on planes. I installed it in DH's car and stopped transferring seats for the rare occasions DS rode with him. Sometimes it rode in my car when we had other children to transport.

When he was close to outgrowing that (5y), I bought a Graco HBB. It stays in DH's car, but it comes in mine when I need a three across for a friend's child I pick up after school once a week. So in a sense, it's a back-up, but it's also filling a rarely-used spot.

aeormsby · Oct 5, 2013

When my kids were littler we didn't have back-up seats. Actually for a while we only had 3 seats for 2 kids. When DD was 3 we got a Safeguard Go to use for travel and in DH's truck. After we had it for a while I realized I didn't love it as a full time seat so we got a Frontier and the Go became a back-up/travel seat. Then when DD was 5.5 we got a NBB for a back-up/travel seat for her (DS was using the Go as a back-up by then) and those 2 are currently our back-ups and they come in handy for carpooling and traveling.

So if you don't have a 2nd seat at all or would be stuck at home when you wouldn't want to be if you need to clean a seat you might want an extra. We just had extra covers for our Marathons when we didn't have extra seats or switched vehicles.

Brigala · Oct 5, 2013

I have backup seats because I'm indecisive and sometimes I just can't live without a particular car seat.

Since I don't have a designer handbag habit, I don't feel too guilty about having a couple of car seats I don't use on a regular basis. And they do come in handy now and then. Usually when transporting other peoples' kids. But also I really hate taking my daughter's main ride out of the car.

Plus, my favorite car seat for the cars we usually drive is incompatible with my husband's pickup truck. I really don't like having a vehicle we *can't* install a car seat into.

So, those are my excuses. I don't really think everyone needs a back-up seat. In most cases, a spare care seat cover is sufficient. I have taken a spare cover with me on road trips but only rarely taken a spare car seat - and then only if I had enough room in the car to actually install another seat in the vehicle.

kam1011 · Oct 6, 2013

I first had backup seats because I bought two Nautiluses about a month before I found out I was pregnant with #3 and when we had to do three across, there was no way to fit them with a nautilus in the mix. I gave one to my mom to keep installed in her car and put the other in the garage. It became very convenient to have that spare to put in grandpa's car one day, the Aunt's car another day...

Even though that nautilus isn't still the seat on the shelf, I've always had at least one spare on the shelf since then. Sometimes I use them to put in someone else's car to transport my child and sometimes I use them in my car to transport someone else's child.

Suzibeck · Oct 6, 2013

We have seats for my van and dh's car, no back-ups. I did have a back-up seat for oldest dd when we only had one car and it was often gone with dh while dd and I were home with no car. It was used twice in emergencies when I needed to get dd to a doctor and our car and carseat were hours away. It was sometimes used for planned outings with others. This was back in 1996-97 when seats were not as easy to install as today and there was no way I was pulling our primary seat out of our car on a regular basis. When we got a second car, the spare seat went in it and we no loner had need of a spare. I do have spare boosters for when friends ride with us because most don't ride in seats anymore so I need to provide them.

seb3244 · Oct 6, 2013

I really want to get a back up seat.

Because sometimes if I leave the baby home & DH needs to leave the carseat is in my truck.

Or if DH takes my truck then me & my baby are left home without a seat in dh's expedition.

duckmama · Oct 11, 2013

I buy used cheaper covers for my seats so I can swap a cover if something happens. My seats wipe clean inside so I don't need more than that for accidents. If I had a seat that wasn't possible for I would have an extra. If I had a garage I would have an extra but I don't. We have a back up in that grandma has a seat for the child who attends school so if there is ever an emergency someone can get her safely home. The other child is always with me and my car.

Who needs a "back-up" car seat?

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