Should I get a Snugride?

[ajay]

My son is 5 months old, 20 lbs , and roughly 26 inches. I also have a 3 year old who is with us all day. We are very active and spend most of the day "out and about".

We currently have a Keyfit for my 5 month old, which only goes to 22 lbs. By now, I'm guessing he is over 20 lbs with clothes on and a diaper. He is not sitting up by himself and probably won't be for a while, so it would be tricky to have him in a full size RF seat and to carry him into stores, find a place for him to sit while we shop, etc.

So is the best option to buy a Snugride or similar carrier that will go to 30ish lbs? Or should I get a Triumph or Marathon and just resign myself to carrying him and trying to make it work? Is there an option I'm not considering? Thanks in advance!

 

[abigaylebelle]

I think your situation is the reason 30+lb infant seats exist. I had a 22lb seat for my ds and when he outgrew it I bought the ss1 to take on a vacation. We still used it after we got back because ds loves to sleep in the car and it was so convenient to just carry him around in it (he was at least 25lbs before I stopped carrying him in there).

 

[lpperry]

I would not get a Snugride for a 5 month 20 pounder. Do you really carry a 20 pounder in an infant seat? Wow! That's heavy!

If you are worried about him having a place to sit when you shop, put him in the stroller from the car. If your strollers are huge, you could get an umbrella stroller. Even if he can't sit up on his own, he'll be fine sitting in a stroller. Or can he sit in the cart?

If you do get the Snugride 32 or 35, you will still have to buy a another rearfacing convertible when he outgrows it. It seems like a waste of money to me just to have somewhere for him to sit. If you really need a place for him to sit and don't want to bring a stroller, I'd rather bring a lightweight bumbo in rather than buying another infant seat!

 

[mylittlet]

All our kids outgrew the 20# snugride between 4-6 months. I used a sling. Do you have a baby sling or carrier? What is your 3y old in? Are you handing down convertibles and buying him new seats?

 

[tiggercat]

I wouldn't spend the money on another carrier. My 4.5m old is 17lbs and 27 inches, and is already looking like he might just barely make it to 1 yr in the SR32 (by height). He does have a long body though.

What you could do is, use a convertible in the vehicle, then use the infant seat in stores/restraunts. Another option is a baby sling or the aforementioned stroller.

 

[luvsviola]

If it were me, I'd spend the $100ish and get a Beco 4th generation carrier or AngelPackLX baby carrier instead. I take the kids out of buckets by 17-18 pounds because I can't carry them around, and to me, convertibles are easier to put the kids in and out of then the buckets. We stopped eating out for awhile about that age, or only ate out at places I could take a stroller in. It is so fast til they are sitting up well enough to go in a high chair that I wouldn't personally spend the money on another bucket.

 

[wendytthomas]

I agree with a sling or carrier. I've never used an infant seat and I love the cuddle time with my baby in the sling.

Wendy

 

[armywife12]

Personally, I wouldn't do it. My son hated his infant seat so he was out of one by 5 months old and wasn't great at sitting up just yet. For shopping carts, I got him a cart cover that had velcro straps to hold him in place. I bought it at Burlington and the thing was a life saver. For places without carts, I used his umbrella or full size stroller. I'm going to bypass the infant seat all together and go straight to a convertible seat and carry the baby in a carrier or wrap. Infant seats seem like such a waste to me.

 

[NannyMom]

I really like infant seats. BabyS was taken out of her SS1 around 9 months, because she was too heavy for me to carry, at around 20 pounds. When she was 4 or 5 months, I'd lay her in the seat part of the shopping cart. Put a blanket or my coat under her, and let her lay. She wasn't sitting up yet, and the seatbelt on the cart didn't help her any. Another idea, like others have mentioned, is using a carrier or sling.