Question Nuna Pipa vs. alternatives?

L

Lynzoid

Guest
I understand the Nuna Pipa was released in the US early 2013, and is now available (as I write this in November 2013). Can anyone who has bought, installed and used the darn thing provide anecdotal reviews on it? Seems like all the online buzz is centered around its release, but I haven't found any tried-and-true users of it yet.

I ask because I am trying to justify the high price! I was first attracted to it (in my local high-end baby boutique) due to the lightweight carrier, only 7.5 lbs! As a petite wimpy woman, I'm not too enthralled with lugging a 9lb+ carrier plus a 10 lb baby! The additional sunshade is very helpful living in the beach areas of Southern California, but it's not a deal breaker for me. I love the idea of the load leg, as it just makes sense to prevent the carrier from rebounding up in an accident. (I'm surprised this feature hasn't caught on in the US sooner!) The high base price makes me think twice about buying an extra base for grandma's car. (We'll probably get 1 extra for hubby's car.) Also, what is the expiration of the Nuna Pipa? I'm due at the end of April 2014-will it last ("invest") for 2 kids assuming we have the second roughly 2 years after the first?

However, I've found the Graco Snugride 30 models (no load leg) also have a carrier weight of 7.5 lbs, and at a fraction of the cost of the Nuna at $100-$150 (model depending) and additional bases only $50-100, I am struggling to decide. As my mother points out, we can buy 2 Graco's for the price of 1 Nuna. I've read that Graco's sunshade is mediocre and the fabric can be warm even in cooler temperatures (not good for summertime in SoCal).

The Cybex Aton 2 (with the load leg) is the same price as the Nuna, but lacks features that the Nuna has, so Nuna wins.

Are there other *lightweight* carriers that I haven't found yet? I'm thinking 8 lbs or less.
 
ADS

Nedra

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
What kind of car seat is best depends a lot in your vehicle. What vehicles do you need to install your infant seat in?

The Aton 2 is still more compact than the NunA, so even though we bought ours before ever hearing of the pipa, we don't have regrets. We couldn't comfortably fit any other infant seat in our car except the Aton. We also LOVE having the linear side protection, since we can't use the load leg in the center position in our vehicle (and when baby 2 comes along we will need both seats in outboard positions). I saw the crash test videos and they make me SO much more comfortable with the purchase.

Also, if you're okay with having some trips without the load leg, the Aton 1 bases are compatible with the Aton 2 carrier and they are less expensive, I think. We have an Aton 1 base in the grandparents' car.

The car seat lady also did a comparison of the two. I hope this link works...
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152079636847454.1073741829.129649842453&type=3

But if you are looking to spend LESS money, then I should stop babbling about how much I love my Aton 2. I have no experience with the Snugride. We couldn't even get the Keyfit to fit in our car comfortably, so we didn't even try the Snugride.

A few other things to consider:

1. Do you NEED extra bases? We bought one for the grandparents' car, but we don't have one in our second car. If we need to transport her in my car, we do a baseless install. I can get it just as tight and it takes very little time. If you get any seat with a European belt path, it's pretty easy to get a good baseless install. So unless both cars will be used with equal frequency for the baby, I'd recommend just starting with one base and seeing what your needs are.

2. Any infant car seat with a recent date of manufacture should get you through two kids if they are spaced 2-3 years apart. I think the shortest expiration I have seen is 6 years?
 

Genevieve

CPST Instructor
I have a Pipa and love it. It has a 7 year expiration. Baby was born 6 weeks early and he fits beautifully at 4.5lbs. The carrier is pretty light, but the base is very, very heavy. It has a decently tall shell and I like the features of rigid latch, load leg, and privacy shade.

That being said, it is very expensive and there are lots of great infant seats at a fraction of the cost that I would be just as comfortable using.
 

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