Car seats, strollers, baby wearing ... thoughts/suggestions?
Mar 9, 2016 10:24:08 GMT -5
Post by caz1221 on Mar 9, 2016 10:24:08 GMT -5
Also a bit late to the thread, and I haven't read all the responses, but ditto reading Baby Bargains (it was the ONLY book I read my entire pregnancy with DD). Lucie's List (website) is also fantastic for gear info. FWIW, here's what we did for car seats, strollers, and baby carriers:
Car Seats: We started with the Chicco Keyfit 30, with a base in each car. I loved the ease of being able to carry DD from home to car in the seat, especially in the winter (strap baby into the seat & cover with a blanket in the house before going outside). DD didn't reach the limits of the Keyfit until she was 13+ months old. We bought a convertible for DH's car when DD was around 9 months old (to spread out the expense and because DD was too heavy to carry in the Keyfit at that point) and then bought a convertible for my car when DD was 13 months old (before she hit the limits of the Keyfit). We have Chicco Nextfit convertible seats in both of our cars (and my parents' car) and have been very happy with them. Car Seats for the Littles (website and Facebook page) has great car seat reviews and a comparison tool if you're having trouble deciding on a seat.
Strollers: We currently have a full-size stroller and an umbrella stroller. After much research, we went with the Baby Jogger City Versa for our full-size stroller (the Versa is no longer made, but Baby Jogger has several other models that seem very popular). We bought the car seat adapter so that we could click the Keyfit into the stroller (essential for us since DD hated the regular stroller seat even when fully reclined with an infant body pillow in it). I liked that we didn't have to buy a separate snap n' go stroller (more $ and more stuff to fit in our tiny house). The Versa is a great stroller for most terrains, but it cannot handle actual sand (like at the beach). I think the only stroller that might be ok on loose sand (vs. tightly packed sand) would be a true jogging stroller like a BOB. Unfortunately, the BOB is a pain in terms of city living - it's very heavy and quite wide, so it's tough to maneuver in and out of the car as well as in stores, restaurants, and even on narrower city sidewalks.
We bought an umbrella stroller (Summer Infant 3D Lite) at some point (I can't remember when). It lives in the trunk of my car and is fantastic for most outings that involve driving somewhere. It's very lightweight (11 lbs.) and much easier to fold and fit into the car (the Versa has a very easy fold for a full-size stroller, but you can't beat the umbrella fold for convenience). The 3D Lite is significantly cheaper than many other umbrella strollers (Uppababy, Maclaren, etc.) while retaining useful features such as a reclining seat, nice canopy, and storage basket. It is great on smooth surfaces (including sidewalks) but would be a pain to push a long way on uneven terrain. I think most babies are ready for an umbrella stroller around 6-8 months old, as they need to be able to hold their head up and sit unassisted (or close to it).
Baby Carriers: I have the k'tan Breeze (mesh panels and more breathable than the original) and the Ergo performance (again, supposed to be more breathable than the original). It gets really hot wearing a baby/toddler (especially in the summer when DD was born), so I went with the more breathable models. I used the k'tan all the time when DD was tiny - she would fall asleep in there while I did housework, walked the dog, whatever. Once she got to about 6 months+, I switched to the Ergo for more structure and support. I don't use the Ergo much any more (DD is 2.5 and a chunk at 35 lbs., so she either walks or rides in the stroller), but it was fantastic for carrying her up and down the huge sand dunes on Cape Cod last summer. Strap her to my back and go!
Sorry for the novel - hope it's at least somewhat helpful!
Car Seats: We started with the Chicco Keyfit 30, with a base in each car. I loved the ease of being able to carry DD from home to car in the seat, especially in the winter (strap baby into the seat & cover with a blanket in the house before going outside). DD didn't reach the limits of the Keyfit until she was 13+ months old. We bought a convertible for DH's car when DD was around 9 months old (to spread out the expense and because DD was too heavy to carry in the Keyfit at that point) and then bought a convertible for my car when DD was 13 months old (before she hit the limits of the Keyfit). We have Chicco Nextfit convertible seats in both of our cars (and my parents' car) and have been very happy with them. Car Seats for the Littles (website and Facebook page) has great car seat reviews and a comparison tool if you're having trouble deciding on a seat.
Strollers: We currently have a full-size stroller and an umbrella stroller. After much research, we went with the Baby Jogger City Versa for our full-size stroller (the Versa is no longer made, but Baby Jogger has several other models that seem very popular). We bought the car seat adapter so that we could click the Keyfit into the stroller (essential for us since DD hated the regular stroller seat even when fully reclined with an infant body pillow in it). I liked that we didn't have to buy a separate snap n' go stroller (more $ and more stuff to fit in our tiny house). The Versa is a great stroller for most terrains, but it cannot handle actual sand (like at the beach). I think the only stroller that might be ok on loose sand (vs. tightly packed sand) would be a true jogging stroller like a BOB. Unfortunately, the BOB is a pain in terms of city living - it's very heavy and quite wide, so it's tough to maneuver in and out of the car as well as in stores, restaurants, and even on narrower city sidewalks.
We bought an umbrella stroller (Summer Infant 3D Lite) at some point (I can't remember when). It lives in the trunk of my car and is fantastic for most outings that involve driving somewhere. It's very lightweight (11 lbs.) and much easier to fold and fit into the car (the Versa has a very easy fold for a full-size stroller, but you can't beat the umbrella fold for convenience). The 3D Lite is significantly cheaper than many other umbrella strollers (Uppababy, Maclaren, etc.) while retaining useful features such as a reclining seat, nice canopy, and storage basket. It is great on smooth surfaces (including sidewalks) but would be a pain to push a long way on uneven terrain. I think most babies are ready for an umbrella stroller around 6-8 months old, as they need to be able to hold their head up and sit unassisted (or close to it).
Baby Carriers: I have the k'tan Breeze (mesh panels and more breathable than the original) and the Ergo performance (again, supposed to be more breathable than the original). It gets really hot wearing a baby/toddler (especially in the summer when DD was born), so I went with the more breathable models. I used the k'tan all the time when DD was tiny - she would fall asleep in there while I did housework, walked the dog, whatever. Once she got to about 6 months+, I switched to the Ergo for more structure and support. I don't use the Ergo much any more (DD is 2.5 and a chunk at 35 lbs., so she either walks or rides in the stroller), but it was fantastic for carrying her up and down the huge sand dunes on Cape Cod last summer. Strap her to my back and go!
Sorry for the novel - hope it's at least somewhat helpful!
Luckily BRU will price match anything though, even Amazon!