I dont even know if this is the right forum - but please excuse me for my ignorance, and move it to an appropriate forum if necessary - Thanks in advance
I am going to buy my first ever infant car seat. Dont have a clue how it works or what are the things to look for. When we migrated from Pakistan, both my sons were past the child seat stage, the younger did have to sit in a booster seat for a while, no big deal.
Now I need that infant seat over the next couple of weeks or so, any tips?
The initial survery that I did has left me totally confused, there is so much SCIENCE involved and so many options to choose from … I simply dont know which one to get. I obviously dont want to spend a fortune, but have no clue what the BEST COMPROMISING combo is, I mean something that doesn’t carry an obnoxious price tag and at the same time offers all the safety and comfort features required for a new born… The price range I see varies from $60 to around $280-$300 range, a huge difference.
Some one told me to get the one that converts (all in one type), you can use it as a stroller or a infant car seat. Isn’t that going to be a bit bulky? I dont drive a truck, I have a small car (Civic)
Another issue that was brought to my attention was that infant seats are good only for so many months (or lbs) after that you have to switch over to another version
Please help me
any recommendations / specific brand names / type
i would suggest look up something liek consumer reports or teh child safety council stuff. things change so quickly and new and better ones are out every so often.
u will have to move to a toddler seat after kids have reached a certain weight.
but be prepared to spend around 200 for a good seat, but believe me dude that extra 120 bucks...well worth the peace of mind.
look at Graco stuff, they were rated pretty high when we bought the seats and still are using graco toddler seats.
I did alot of research on car seats prior to the birth of my daughter. It is one of the best investments you can make. The best is to get a travel system. This way if you go anywhere, you don't need to take the baby out of the car seat and put it in the stroller. The car seat comes out and attaches onto the stroller, and the baby is not disturbed at all. Our daughter sleeps right through her car and stroller rides and is never disturbed. The stroller fits in the trunk (tight fit in a corolla, easy fit in camry). The only thing is, the travel system car seat will only last you a year, then you will have to get the infant/toddler seat (the stroller is good till forever). But the amount of hassle it saves you in the first year, specially when the baby is very little is priceless.
We bought evenflo, it was rated pretty decent by consumer reports. The best of course is Britax, which runs in the 300 range. I know NHTSA has a website with car seat reviews, you should check that out.
thanks guys
yeah I am leaning more towards the combo thingy
Looking at Greco (or something) / Evenflo
probably because these were the only 2 brands available at my walmart / Bay
The ones that go from infant to 4 years are a good investment.
Even though they are expensive than the other ones.
During the first six months the seat faces backwards to suppor the infant body, after six months (or whenever the baby can supports its own head) it faces forward.
The seats come with a headrest and all snuggly extra padding to keep the infant snug which you can remove once its older and grown and can sit on its own.
Make sure it has a handle so you can use it as a bassinett to carry the baby along.
Comes very handy when you are going groceries cause instead of unpacking a stroller you just carry the seat and pop it in the shopping trolley.
Or going out for dinner, just carry it and place it next to your chair without waking or disturbing the baby cause most babies fall asleep during car rides.
You’ll discover that most babies spend a good six months in their car seats if you know how to put them to use efficiently, so even if you spend $300-$400 you will realize that you have made a very good investment over time.
Make sure the seat cover is removable so you can wash it often otherwise it’ll start stinking of milk and yogurt and thats disgusting. .
You dont need a booster seat with these ones as they are high enough and are made to last the good 4-5 years.
This is an australian link but you can read the stats anyways to get an idea, the brand names might be different in US but still the product is the same
first off...congrats uncle jee =) guess i've been outta the loop for a while, eh?
like DT and adrasteia have mentioned, i think the best bet would be to go for the travel system for the first six or seven months. it's most convenient because it allows you to have the baby in the car seat while you take them in and out of the car. also, having the travel system allows you to take the car seat right out of the car and insert it straight into the stroller without having the disturb the baby.
also, it's good to have the child seat when visiting people's places. just take the car seat along with you into the home, and baby has a place to sleep if need be, and mom can free up her arms for a while instead of having to manage holding a baby and eating at the same time :p
i know one of the options is to buy a 3-in-1 car seat, which allows you to keep the same car seat until the child no longer needs one, but i find them only to be beneficial when you need to move up a stage when the child is over 30lbs or so, and you can continue to use the same car seat until the child no longer needs one.
ps - might wanna check out sears for car seats as well. they've got some good stuff too.
pps - make sure that when you do buy a car seat that you fill out the registration form for the company, so that if there are any recalls or defects they can contact you and let you know.
$300 x 60 = PKR 18000 , holy moly , almost equal to a months salary of a middle class person in Pakistan.
I like pakistani system, bachha is well taken care off in the goud of amma jan, where ever he / she goes, not like here - where he / she is treated like a THING and put away in a confined cage, very conveniently called as a car seat / stroller / whatever
Britax is the best and most easy to use too.I did a lot of research on it before I got mine. The after crash ratings etc is pretty high too. They are more expensive then the american brands but they have been proven to be one of the best out there. Try getting the convertiuble as they will last you a long time. http://www.britaxusa.com/products/Default.aspx
Babiesrus carry them and so does toysrus I think.
I had tried other brands too before, but again this is the only one that has really stuck around. Also a quick tip when u are installing the care seat, take it to your local firestation or police station and get an appointment from them to check the installation.Most of the tikme the car seats are not installed safely enough. They also hold like half yearly carseat safety checks in local areas, or contact the local children;s hospital to get the dates. You’ll be amazed at so many common mistakes that we make.
, almost equal to a months salary of a middle class person in Pakistan.