Comments on: Can anyone help me choose a baby car seat?

By: Big Ed

Big Ed — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 23:12:59 +0000

Graco Metrolite system, great, light, safe, highly rated, easy to clean, can be used w/or w/o the base and fits on almost anything.

used for two kids

you’ll never use it as much as you think you will, don’t overspend
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By: Tina

Tina — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:43:59 +0000

I currently have a Graco car seat for my daughter……….it has a base but can be strapped into a car without it……….it also has a stroller that it attaches to as well!
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By: laceyluedwards

laceyluedwards — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:33:59 +0000

I love my Graco Heirloom car seat (the black and cream one)and matching stroller (sold separately) It will hold them up to 30 lbs. My husband has a base for the seat in his car so we can just move her from one car to the other without moving her from seat to seat. 5 stars in my book!!!
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By: hellox

hellox — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:49:59 +0000

I got a car seat that can be used from birth til bub needs a booster, i dont think that there are car seats that just use the seat belt, its not that safe.
Not sure about the stroller conversion.
I have a SafeNSound seat, costs 500 australian dollars.

Best bet would be to go to your local baby store and ask them.
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By: L A

L A — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:06:59 +0000

I highly recommend the Graco SafeSeat - it is an infant "bucket" style seat, with a weight limit of 30 lbs.

It is WONDERFUL.

It does come with a base (I think all infant seats do), but can be installed with a seatbelt also.
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By: headermarie

headermarie — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:44:59 +0000

We got the graco safe seat in the roxy style for a shower gift. It does not "come" pre-packaged as a travel system, however there is a stroller that goes with it. Our son is 9 months old and I strap him in the without the base when I travel in a relatives car and he is so snug. Just be sure that you get the seat tight so god forbid you do get into a collision, baby will be safe and sound!
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By: Yarro Pilz

Yarro Pilz — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:54:59 +0000

I’m going to contradict all the other people who have posted here, and I hope you’ll hear me out.

"Travel systems" are NOT ideal for everyone. Do you have to walk up and down stairs to get to where you live? How much storage space do you have? How much do you plan on using your stroller? (i.e. will you use it all day long every day, both to get places and to do errands? or do you need it just to do the grocery shopping or to walk a mall?) Do you use a lot of public transportation besides taxis? How heavy of a stroller are you willing to deal with? What’s the pavement like where you live? (i.e. lots of curbs, cobblestones, or broken pavement to negotiate?) The climate? (i.e. do you deal with snow?) What else do you like to do? Do you anticipate any off-road use?

I ask all this because most of the travel systems (the Graco MetroLite, which is one of the smallest, included) are very big and bulky and heavy. They are definitely NOT ideal for public transportation or for hauling up and down stairs all the time. I also don’t think that they steer very well, and they can be tough to maneuver through crowds or narrow aisles. They are awful in snow, and horrible on cobblestones or rough pavement.

Most strollers now come with adapters that allow you to use just about any infant seat on them.

So pick the infant seat that fits your budget and your comfort level (check Consumer Reports), and then shop for a stroller that meets your specific needs. Infant seats come with bases, but they can almost all be used without the base. So you can just toss it if you don’t need it.

An infant seat is only useful for 4-6 months, but a stroller is good for years and years. Definitely put some thought into its purchase! If you’re not ready to do that, get a Snap’n'Go to use for the first months, and then get your real everyday stroller after you’ve stopped using the infant seat. (Almost every infant seat will work with the Snap’n'Go.)

Also, I don’t recommend the Safe Seat. By the time your baby weighs 20 pounds, infant seats are heavy and hard to deal with. You most certainly won’t want to haul a baby that big around in an infant seat over long distances. 30 pounds is just unthinkable! And the solution you propose means that you’ll have to use the car seat all the time.

I recommend joining Yahoo!’s StrollerSwap group, and posting your question there. The moms on that board know EVERYTHING about strollers. They’ve road tested everything on the market, world-wide, and they can make recommendations that fit YOUR life. And you might be able to score the perfect stroller for you for a lot less than retail price. They will also be able to recommend a car seat.

Don’t just walk the aisles at Babies’R'Us!

If *I* won the lottery and was in the market for a car seat and stroller again, I’d definitely check out the Orbit! But I got a Phil&Ted’s E3 with a doubles kit when my second child was born (for about half price through StrollerSwap), and it was a great purchase. (And it works with a SnugRide car seat.)

Good luck.
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By: mystic_eye_cda

mystic_eye_cda — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:08:59 +0000

I would get the Graco Safety seat for one reason only: its upper weight is 30lbs and almost all other infant carriers are only approved for 20lbs.

You will get a lot more use out of the safety seat, and the infant seats are much easier to install then the convertible seats. If you get a standard infant seat there is a fair chance you will need to replace the infant seat long before your child is one year. (My son was 20lbs at 4 months). If your baby is older than 1 year when they outgrow their infant seat you could conceivably then use the built-in carseats that some vans have -I presume some taxis have them.

The graco carseats fit graco strollers, and probably most other strollers. As for the really small sort of wire frames that hold infant seats I am sure they are compatible.
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By: BraxOwl

BraxOwl — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:41:59 +0000

I highly recommend the Graco SafeSeat. We are expecting our third child, and this is the seat we decided to go with after much review. Graco has a frame that their infant seats fit into, which would be perfect for your living situation. The frame (it is similar to the Snap & Go, but less expensive) easily folds down to nothing. It also has a basket for storage.

Most infant carseats do come with a base, but all of them (that I know of) have the option to use them without the base. I know that the Safe Seat is one that does.

Check out http://www.GracoBaby.com for more information about their products.

Congratulations on the impending birth of your first child! How exciting!

EDITED TO ADD: Here are direct links to the Safe Seat and the frame stroller I am referring to, on the Graco Baby site:

http://www.gracobaby.com/products/subcategory.asp?N=41+10417+108&act=A20

http://www.gracobaby.com/catalog/product.aspx?modelNumber=6001BCL1&CategoryID=2
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Common sense and research
Personal experience and opinion
Mom of two and one on the way!

By: heartlostangel

heartlostangel — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:06:59 +0000

Well, unless you want a stroller that you can use later, you’ll have to get the frame and see which brand of infant car seats will fit in it. If you want a stroller for later use, I reccommend the Graco travel system. Hehe, you could always send me the base that goes with it, mine got repoed along with my car, lol. The car seat can be used without the base, which is not the case with all evenflo seats, and snaps right into the stroller too. Plus you have the extra basket below and the two visors can completely enclose your infant in case of bad weather, with a see through window so you can see baby and vice versa. When your baby gets older and sits up unassisted, s/he will want to sit up so s/he can look around more, which is where the stroller alone comes in handy as well Good luck!
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