Favorite Baby Things...

[iqeb]

Aug 30, 2016 9:06:32 GMT -5 onesweetworld said:

So do I need an infant car seat!? I was going to go with the convertible....??

Personal preference. People seem to like them for extreme weather and if they'd rather use a stroller than baby wear. Our convertible worked great for us.

[mustloveerica]

Aug 30, 2016 9:06:32 GMT -5 onesweetworld said:

So do I need an infant car seat!? I was going to go with the convertible....??

My understanding is you do not NEED an infant seat unless your baby is really tiny (under 5 lbs I think). But infant seats are nice because you have someplace to put baby when you're out and about and they don't need to be woken up to transfer out of car seat if they are asleep and you go somewhere.

[iqeb]

Aug 30, 2016 9:23:01 GMT -5 mustloveerica said:

Aug 30, 2016 9:06:32 GMT -5 onesweetworld said:

So do I need an infant car seat!? I was going to go with the convertible....??

My understanding is you do not NEED an infant seat unless your baby is really tiny (under 5 lbs I think). But infant seats are nice because you have someplace to put baby when you're out and about and they don't need to be woken up to transfer out of car seat if they are asleep and you go somewhere.

Yup. Mine always fell right back asleep in the wrap so it was nbd when she was tiny. When she got bigger she never would have stayed in the seat anyway.

[hpnegirl]

Aug 30, 2016 9:06:32 GMT -5 onesweetworld said:

So do I need an infant car seat!? I was going to go with the convertible....??

Only if you want one- a lot of people go straight to a convertible or switch early to convertibles because baby doesn't like the infant seat and complains the whole ride.

it would really depend on your situation though. We used an infant seat because it was more convenient for us to be able to just carry him in that, especially if he fell asleep in the car. Using a convertible means we now run the risk of waking him if he falls asleep while trying to transfer him inside. Some people can leave the infant seat at daycare so both parents could do drop off/pick up. Since I had a Jan'15 baby, it was a lot easier being able to bundle him in house before going outside then fiddling with it outside in the cold

[financialdiva]

No you don't need an infant car seat. Although, it's very nice to have, especially when they are tiny and sleep a lot and you don't want to wake them up to pop into a place quickly.

We were going to go straight to convertible for this baby but our friend is giving us her Chicco Keyfit 30 she only used for 6 months. So I'll take it. It will be helpful especially when I'm on maternity leave and will pick up DS's at daycare. It's much easier to click the seat in and out to pop in for pick up then to unstrap the baby. But she's only giving us one base. Instead of spending $75 on a base for DH truck, we'll buy a 5 point harness booster seat for DS2 and use his convertible carseat for the baby. In my car we'll use the infant seat until this baby grows out of it.

[onesweetworld]

Maybe I'll do one infant seat for H's truck and the convertible in my car. If it doesn't work out, I can just get another base...

[sympkin]

Aug 30, 2016 9:06:32 GMT -5 onesweetworld said:

So do I need an infant car seat!? I was going to go with the convertible....??

I went without the bucket for the first kid because...

A) We didn't own a car, convenience factor of a base was pointless.
B) We has a stroller that could accommodate her from birth.
C) We wore her a lot.
and
D) We are cheap.


This time around, with a car, we are totally forking over the extra cash though. Getting baby all together inside and just snapping them in, especially with a pre-schooler running around, now sounds heavenly.

[seadragon2013]

We really loved the Britax bsafe/bagile carseat-stroller combo. It functioned like a snap and go, but we can still use the stroller daily for our 3 year old.

The expense of the infant carseat was worth it to me. It was nice to have a portable place for DS to nap not on me, plus it made our mid-priced stroller usable during his entire infancy. I wore him in a lot, but for shopping/going out to eat/hanging out at friends it was great to have a place to put him.

[iqeb]

Also, while we're on the subject of car seats, a few car seat things that some people don't know:

The shoulder clip on US car seats prevents straps from separating during a crash. If it's too low it won't work, and could cause abdominal injury. It needs to be at nipple level.

Bulky jackets or buntings aren't safe because they can compress in a crash, causing the straps to be too loose.

Specific to infant seats:

Infant seats should never be balanced on the top of a grocery cart or anything else they weren't designed to snap into.

Technically, car seats aren't supposed to be allowed to be used for sleep outside of the car. Obviously basically no one follows 100% of the safe sleep rules 100% of the time, but my understanding is that it's safer if the straps are on correctly (snug like a hug) even if the baby is not in the car (because otherwise they can be strangled or slide into a bad position) and the car seat is affixed to something (stroller or base) that keeps it at the appropriate angle.

[hpnegirl]

Aug 30, 2016 14:06:11 GMT -5 iqeb said:

.

Bulky jackets or buntings aren't safe because they can compress in a crash, causing the straps to be too loose.

Specific to infant seats:

Infant seats should never be balanced on the top of a grocery cart or anything else they weren't designed to snap into.

I saw these all the time and it irks me every time. Car seat goes in the actually buggy compartment (the large part where you normally put your items) and baby gets blankets wrapped around him once buckled in

[ourcrazynavylife]

We really liked our pudge tub. I didn't want a big bulky baby bathtub.

When she outgrew that we just started putting her in the shower with us.

[onesweetworld]

So I had my mother buy the 2016 Baby Jogger City Select because it was 30% of on Amazon last night...I'm hoping it wasn't too early of a purchase to make but it was such a good deal! It was under $350.

[ourcrazynavylife]

Moms of 2+ (pretty sure we've got a couple) talk to me about double strollers...

Worth it??

[babymama619]

Love my b agile stroller but the basket SUCKS!!! It holds nothing. Seriously, a 6 pack won't fit in there. I had to take them out 1 by 1. Lol.

As for a second base. For the chicco key fit and most graco models they are actually super simple to transfer. Another option is to seatbelt the bucket in. It is designed to do this and ride without a base. Some people act like it is not safe or "I would never do that!" But as a certified car seat installer I can tell you that it is perfectly safe as long as you follow the directions. (Which are on the side of the bucket and online, and in the manual). Car seat manufacturers wouldn't open themselves up to the liability if it wasn't.

Otherwise, look online, ask friends, and scout clearance racks. I got 2 graco bases for $10 each. They were unopened returns to Target a few months apart.

After 15 years as a multiples nanny I can't imagine not having a bucket. It is sooo much easier to get everything and everyone in if I can put the baby down on the ground or floor for a second.

[babymama619]

ourcrazynavylife I like prefer a side by side as opposed to a front to back. Make sure you look at reviews on steering. Got to Bobb or BRU and check if it fits in you car and you can lift it. Chicco has a really compact side by side, but I didn't feel it was very sturdy. But price and basket size can't be beat by a graco duo glide or something similar.

For me personally DD will be 3.5 when this nugget arrives. I'm getting a sit and stand just for the zoo. I'll be getting it from the resale store though.

[financialdiva]

Sept 19, 2016 17:07:53 GMT -5 ourcrazynavylife said:

Moms of 2+ (pretty sure we've got a couple) talk to me about double strollers...

Worth it??

Depends on your lifestyle and ages. My boys are 3 years apart and we have the city mini GT double. We do a lot of day trips- beach, zoo, various theme parks- so having a place they could both sit or rest or even snooze was essential for us. DS1 is almost 7 and in the 75th percentile for height and he still fits into that stroller.

And just as we were growing out of the double, we end up right back to needing it again- so there's also that.

[ourcrazynavylife]

Thanks babymama619 and financialdiva

The graco ready2grow is the one I'm eyeing. I feel like it's got a great price point and bonus it fits the car seat we already have.

DD will be 27 months when the new baby arrives.

[babymama619]

I really like that one! ourcrazynavylife if mine were closer together I think I'd go for that....but now you've got me thinking...,