So tell me about infant seats for small babies.

Which seats have lower bottom slots than the SnugRide?

My cousin's baby is in a rear-adjust SR that his mother hates. I have also noticed that his shoulders aren't even at the bottom slots yet (they have TINY babies. They grow to be big eventually but for the first few months, tiny.)

I'm buying their older son a seat since he just turned FF and is almost at the limits of his convertible already, height wise (I told you they grow big eventually! His 2nd birthday is next month!)

So I thought while I'm doing that I might surprise them with a seat that will fit the baby and can be used for future babies (I know they plan on more.)

So I'm trying to find out which seats are available that have lower slots than the Snug Ride.

I've found the Safety 1st On Board for $120. I know that one would be good. I just don't know if anyone here has one and likes it or has used one and can give feedback?

I found a Combi Shuttle for the same price though I don't know what the DOM would be. (Anyone ordered it from Goore's lately?) How is that slot-wise compared to the SR?

I often see the Keyfit recommended. Are the slots on the Keyfit the same height as the SR, or lower?

Any other suggestions? They have 2 perfectly good convertibles for when the baby outgrows this seat and the mom rear-faces to the limits of the convertible, so I'm not worried about when they'll be outgrown. I just want something that will be easy to use and fit a small (and I mean tiny all over-- born about 6 lbs. but just PETITE) infant well. And while price is a consideration, it's not the most important one. I'm perfectly willing to spend $120-$180 on a seat BUT I would prefer a recent DOM. Since I want her to be able to use it through several future babies I would not want to give her a seat that's already lost a year of its life. I'd maybe be willing to go up to $200 if it was the PERFECT seat, but definitely not over $200 incl. tax and shipping.

Thoughts? (And yes, I spoil my relatives' kids with carseats. I figure they have no one else to do it, I can afford it, and it lets me feed my addiction to buying seats without my husband getting mad that we're running out of room for seats again, lol.)

I'm fairly certain the bottom slots on the Keyfit are lower than the Snugride. Especially if the extra padding is used (can be used till 11 lbs). It is definitely a good seat for little babies!

I don't really know anything about the other seats, so I'll let others comment

Id second that the keyfit works well with my little NICU babies..

Also, the safety first designer 22.. it has 4 harness slots, the first are pretty low if i remember right.. and front adjust, and isnt super expensive.. might be a good option.. I have no idea how it installs tho. Ive never used it in a car!

Woah, did you see the onboard 35?? 4lb -35lbs. Id cant wait to get my hands on one of those to try it out!

Designer 22, huh? I don't really need the 4 lb. lower limit, just something that fits small-torsoed babies well, so I'll check into that. Thanks!

bp2002 said:

Id second that the keyfit works well with my little NICU babies..

Also, the safety first designer 22.. it has 4 harness slots, the first are pretty low if i remember right.. and front adjust, and isnt super expensive.. might be a good option.. I have no idea how it installs tho. Ive never used it in a car!

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I agree that the Keyfit is excellent, and the designer 22 is too. The Keyfit seems to be the new popular seat around here from what I've seen at seat checks, and the ones that friends have chosen for their babies--I highly recommend it!

I do think the designer 22 is worth a look though! I actually used that one for my 2nd child. The bottom slots were incredibly low, and it also had 3 buckle positions at the time that would fit a tiny child well. I didn't have a problem installing the base at all. My only issue with it was that I sometimes had trouble getting it to snap into the base. That was about 6 yrs ago though, so I'm sure they could've improved it since then .

The Designer 22 doesn't have that funky no-splitter-plate harness, does it? That's just the, um, is it the Intera? 'Cause I played with that at Sears and I am NO WAY inflicting that on people I like.

Hmm, no the Intera is a convertible. They must have had the wrong sign on the shelf at Sears. It looks like the Designer is the one I played with and it's a no-go because of the harness. Drat, it even comes in Winnie the Pooh (she loves Winnie the Pooh.) I would go for it but that harness is a deal-breaker.

Okay, after even MORE research, it seems the "deluxe" seat may be the only one without the splitter plate? Does anyone have access to a recently-manufactured Designer seat so I can settle my curiosity once and for all, or can help me find a link to the manual online? (I looked on their site but they seem to require model numbers and such to access the instructions. :thumbsdown: ) Because if it has low slots, a front adjuster, a splitter plate, and comes in Winnie the Pooh, that would be the seat for us.

My Combi Shuttle fit my not quite 7 pounder beautifully. Not sure what the lowest harness setting measures and can't check ATM because I have a baby attached to me, but they're pretty low. I think it would fit an even smaller babe pretty well.

Looking at the pictures, the SR is 1/4 to 1/8 inch above his shoulders at almost a month old. At birth it was 1/2 to 3/4 inch above his shoulders. So I'm probably looking for something with slots at least 1 inch below the SR's. Maybe I should go measure my SR's lowest slots...

The Shuttle has a no-rethread harness, right?

Embrace has nice low slots.

Judi said:

Embrace has nice low slots.

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Would you otherwise recommend it?

In the correct vehicle, and a front adjust model, yes. I have used them as program seats, so I can make sure they fit in the car. They are nice for little babies.

They have a smaller car and are both tall. Doesn't the Embrace require quite a bit of clearance?

Ok, then no way, forget it. Yes, it needs room.

So I talked to my husband and he likes the $75 shipped Designer option. I think I will go with that and have her check, and return it if it has the no-splitter-plate harness (the instructions for Designer 22s manufactured 1/08 and later are not available online. *grumbles* )

Do you have a link?

I haven't seen a Designer 22 since I got rid of mine years ago, but mine DID have a splitter plate back then--Otherwise, I wouldn't have recommended it! I hope the one you ordered has one too. If so, it sounds like it would be a great seat for her :thumbsup:!

This one.

On sale for $10 off, $10 shipping, retailmenot coupon code for $5 off. Total about $75 shipped.

I like the girl Winnie the Pooh one better (and it has more Pooh Bear) but she has a boy, so...

ETA: okay, I forgot about tax. $81 shipped. My husband is very happy as earlier I was rambling on about $120 to $170 being my desired budget for an infant seat for her.