We got a bit of a surprise this summer, and baby #4 is due early next year. I don't have any baby stuff leftover from previous kids, so time to shop for car seat and stroller.
This is our LAST baby (I said that about the last one :spit. I don't have any tricky configuration needs. I have 3 other kids who will be almost 6, 8, and almost 11 by time baby is born. I drive a an '08 Honda Odyssey and plan to put the middle two kids in the back row and the 11 year old in one captain's chair and the baby in the other captain's chair. So easy peasy.
I just can't decide on an infant seat! I do babywear, so a lot of times the seat will stay in the car, but this is a winter baby, and I like having an infant seat for winter - buckle them inside, toss a blanket over them, make a run for the car. Also, for the newborn stage, it's nice to use the infant seat when we go inside restaurants (DH carries it ), and we usually go to a restaurant once a week. I basically need an infant seat for about the first 6 months (until baby can sit up in a booster we bring with us to restaurants), so longevity isn't a huge deal. I don't need it to last 2 years or anything. I have two convertibles I can use after that point (a Radian 65 and a Safety 1st Complete Air) that are both only a couple years old.
Another thing to consider about the infant seat is that I am having a pregnancy complication that increases the risk of having a preterm baby, so I'd like a seat that handles 4lb infants, just in case. I've had a preemie come home at 4 lbs 10 oz before. Hopefully this one will cook longer than that, but you never know.
Also, I will sometimes need a stroller that I can put the carseat in. Again, I mostly babywear, so I don't use a stroller very often and don't want to spend $$$ on one, but there are times when wearing the baby won't be convenient (like if I need to help a kid get dressed for hockey, or if I want to go clothes shopping for myself ). I'm wanting something lightweight that doesn't take up half my trunk. And again, it isn't going to be used daily or anything. I'm tall, so adjustable handle height would be a plus. My last stroller ($40 cheapy from Target that didn't take a car seat) was a little on the short side but otherwise worked fine.
And bonus points if there is a cute girly print involved, since I've had 3 boys and am expecting a girl this time. But that's not an absolute requirement.
Price point... I'd prefer under $300 for car seat and stroller combined. Even that is painful to spend on something I might not use THAT much, though it's also not a hard limit. The stroller would be used some as the kid grows, but still not every day. It's often easier to toss kid on my back than to push around a stroller. Definitely no need for a $400-600 stroller here.
Recommendations?
This is our LAST baby (I said that about the last one :spit. I don't have any tricky configuration needs. I have 3 other kids who will be almost 6, 8, and almost 11 by time baby is born. I drive a an '08 Honda Odyssey and plan to put the middle two kids in the back row and the 11 year old in one captain's chair and the baby in the other captain's chair. So easy peasy.
I just can't decide on an infant seat! I do babywear, so a lot of times the seat will stay in the car, but this is a winter baby, and I like having an infant seat for winter - buckle them inside, toss a blanket over them, make a run for the car. Also, for the newborn stage, it's nice to use the infant seat when we go inside restaurants (DH carries it ), and we usually go to a restaurant once a week. I basically need an infant seat for about the first 6 months (until baby can sit up in a booster we bring with us to restaurants), so longevity isn't a huge deal. I don't need it to last 2 years or anything. I have two convertibles I can use after that point (a Radian 65 and a Safety 1st Complete Air) that are both only a couple years old.
Another thing to consider about the infant seat is that I am having a pregnancy complication that increases the risk of having a preterm baby, so I'd like a seat that handles 4lb infants, just in case. I've had a preemie come home at 4 lbs 10 oz before. Hopefully this one will cook longer than that, but you never know.
Also, I will sometimes need a stroller that I can put the carseat in. Again, I mostly babywear, so I don't use a stroller very often and don't want to spend $$$ on one, but there are times when wearing the baby won't be convenient (like if I need to help a kid get dressed for hockey, or if I want to go clothes shopping for myself ). I'm wanting something lightweight that doesn't take up half my trunk. And again, it isn't going to be used daily or anything. I'm tall, so adjustable handle height would be a plus. My last stroller ($40 cheapy from Target that didn't take a car seat) was a little on the short side but otherwise worked fine.
And bonus points if there is a cute girly print involved, since I've had 3 boys and am expecting a girl this time. But that's not an absolute requirement.
Price point... I'd prefer under $300 for car seat and stroller combined. Even that is painful to spend on something I might not use THAT much, though it's also not a hard limit. The stroller would be used some as the kid grows, but still not every day. It's often easier to toss kid on my back than to push around a stroller. Definitely no need for a $400-600 stroller here.
Recommendations?