Car seat dilemma. Adopted baby 8 mths old and newborn

Hi there. We adopted a beautiful baby boy 4 months ago. We are also expecting our first baby born to a surrogate in February, there will be 8 months between the boys.

Baby 1 has a Maxi Cosi Foray stroller and Mico car seat. It's great but we're not sure what to do now we need another one!

Should we buy a double stroller? What are the best? Will our 8 month old be happy sitting while the other one is in a car seat? Should we buy a rear facing sitting car seat for baby 1 then use the Maxi cosi Mico car seat for baby 2? So many options it's getting really confusing for us. Will a Joovy Caboose do what we need?

We would appreciate all ideas!

Kelly

Congratulations! I can't help you out on those questions but hopefully someone who can will come along soon! Good Luck!

Hello, and congrats.

I don't know much about the Maxi Cosi car seats, but wanted to mention that it sounds reasonable to pass it down to the newborn, and get a new infant/child carseat for the older child. There are many good seats out there, and if you scroll down to the second post here, it lists the ones frequently recommended by techs, and their pros and cons: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=254422 And, just because it isn't on the list doesn't mean it isn't good. The best car seat is one that fits your child, your car and your budget, and will be used correctly every time. If you want to let us know what vehicle you drive, there may be suggestions based on that also.

It is recommended to keep children rear facing until the weight/height limits of their infant/child seat, or at least age 2. Three years or even 4 is possible sometimes depending on child's the growth curve, and carseat's limits.

I thought the Joovy Caboose had a seat that would be suitable for an infant bucket or sitting child, then a spot in the back for an older child to stand or sit, but the seat didn't have much support. Unless I'm thinking of something different, I thought a child would need to be more like 2yrs old or so to sit back there? With two so close together, it might be good to get a double stroller, unless you want to 'wear' (like in a soft carrier) one of them and put the other in a single stroller? Good luck with all the decisions!

O/T for this board but it was part of your question so hopefully it's ok!

In choosing a stroller, just make sure that both babies can SEE. If you don't want a side by side look for a front/back model with the rear seat up higher so whoever sits back there has a decent view to look at. I believe Graco and Baby Jogger both sell such a model. As an early childhood professional, I hate the ones like the Phil & Ted where the second seat is behind and below the first- the child in the rear has nothing to look at but a limited side view and the seat in front of him!

Lori

I think you need a dedicated double for like twins (not the joovy bc your 8m old won't have the ability to sit back there nor can he sleep there). Maybe a BJCS or a BJCMD. You could use the BJCS in single mode until February then add the second seat. It will also take your mico.

I'd pass the bucket to the newbie and get a convertible for the 8m old.

I would give the infant seat to the newborn and purchase a convertible for the 8month old. I don't think the caboose would be a good choice, either. I love joovy, but that particular stroller is better suited for a baby and older child (I used the big caboose when mine were nb, 2, and 3). Your 8 month old won't be able to sit/sleep comfortably on the jump seat. The double scooter model would work better. I also found that the stroller seat reclined enough that I could use it without an infant seat since I prefer to leave car seats for the car. There are lots of nice double strollers to choose from, but I would avoid the sit and stands at this point.

Hello, welcome, and congratulations!

I agree with the recommendation to pass the infant seat to the newborn and to purchase a convertible seat for your eight-month-old. If you can give us a little more information about your child's height, weight, and shirt size, as well as your vehicle and budget, we can help you find a convertible for the older child. Perhaps it would be best to wait a little longer before buying the convertible, though, so we have a better idea of that child's size at the time you need the seat.

As for a stroller, I would ABSOLUTELY purchase a true double stroller, such as the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Jogger-Double-Stroller-Black/dp/B006QH440S/ref=sr_1_32?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1385303099&sr=1-32"]Baby Jogger City Mini Double[/ame].

We have a Graco Quattro Tour Duo and you're supposed to be able to clip the Graco baby seats in to both positions. The front seat itself doesn't recline very far so it's not great until about 9/10 months, but you could put a baby seat there.... The back seat reclines completely so you could put the other one there....

Good luck with whatever you choose. And congratulations!!!!

In addition to the Baby Jogger stroller I linked above, I am also a big fan of the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Britax-B-Agile-Double-Stroller-Peacock/dp/B00C870102/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1385318176&sr=8-22&keywords=double+stroller"]Britax B-Agile[/ame].


You asked if your older son will be happy sitting while the younger son is in a carseat. Well... it's hard to know! He probably won't even notice for a while!

I am actually not a big fan of babies being in carseats when they are outside of the car. HOWEVER, there are some situations in which I think it is far less of an issue, and I am guessing you will be in at least a few of these situations at times.

1) It is brutally cold/windy outside and getting two babies out of their seats, and strapped into a stroller, will expose them to the elements longer than you would like. (Seeing that you live in Canada, this is a possibility!)

2) You have two or more babies (either because they are multiples or they are super-close in age). I understand that it is not always easy to get two or more babies out and about. If using a carseat for one makes your life easier, I think you shouldn't feel any shame in that.

3) You have an older child who is too young to understand that poking baby brother in the eyes while he is sitting next to you is not okay. If the carseat provides some "protection" from exploratory older siblings, I can see how it would be beneficial.


If you find that it is just as easy to get both boys out of their seats and into stroller seats, though, I'd opt for that situation. If you find that you need the extra "help" of just clicking one kiddo in, though, feel no shame.

I would consider the Britax B-ready, Baby Jogger City Select or if you really want to break the bank the Bugaboo Donkey! For me any babies less than one year apart need a dedicated twin stroller, not one designed for siblings like the Graco Quattro duo.

I would definitely pass the Mico down to the new baby and get a convertible for the older baby. At 8 months I would definitely want a stroller that had a good reclining supportive seat for him. That would nix the joovy in my mind, plus unless it has completely changed it does not seem steer well at all fully loaded. Now that may have changed since its been out for a long while, and redesigned a few times.

We had the mico for DD and by 8 months it was too heavy to carry her far in it, and she was not a heavy baby. Also by 8 months she was vey cranky at not being able to see a thing from it when it was in the car. We moved her into a convertible then. I def would pass it down to the new baby and get him a convertible.

I would buy a City Select with Mico adapter for the noob, and a Graco Snugride 35 for the oldest with a Graco adapter and ride that train until the bitter end.

Then I'd transition to 1 stroller seat + Mico, then 1 stroller seat + SR35, and eventually 2 stroller seats.

Life is hard, make it easy whenever you can. Enjoy your babies.