Help! Convertible car seats

[noodleoo]

I'm completely overwhelmed by car seats! We finally picked a stroller so I'm starting to research the next thing we'll need: convertible car seat. A bunch of questions:

1) when should we buy it? Baby is almost 3 months old and we have gift cards plus a registry completion coupon to BRU. The coupon is 10% off and might expire soon. Should we try to buy it now with that or wait? Do they ever go on sale?

2) do we need 1 or 2 for our cars? I'll drive her mostly in week days but my H drives on weekends and prefers his car. Is it worth it to buy 2?

3) any suggestions on what to get or what we need to know to pick a seat? I don't want to spend a ton, looks like we're looking at $200-$300 on average which is ok I guess.

4) how long do they last? Do they convert to the backless booster seats that I see older kids using?

I literally know nothing about car seats.  We have the Chicco Keyfit 30 so far and really like it.

[meltoine]

The answers to all of your questions depend on what cars you have and what kind of a seat you want. Also, to an extent your future plans.

First, what kind of cars do you have?
Do you plan to have more kids? Will you ever need to fit three-across?

A lot of convertible seats have 10 year expiration dates, some are still 6ish. Depends on the brand.

Definitely get two. You can get a less expensive seat (there are several for $100 or less) for YH's car.

Some covert to backless boosters. Depends which model you pick.

[noodleoo]

Aug 2, 2015 10:01:55 GMT -5 meltoine said:

The answers to all of your questions depend on what cars you have and what kind of a seat you want. Also, to an extent your future plans.

First, what kind of cars do you have?
Do you plan to have more kids? Will you ever need to fit three-across?

A lot of convertible seats have 10 year expiration dates, some are still 6ish. Depends on the brand.

Definitely get two. You can get a less expensive seat (there are several for $100 or less) for YH's car.

Some covert to backless boosters. Depends which model you pick.

We have a RAV4 and a Camry hybrid.  We may have a second kid, not sure yet. the most we plan on is 2 kids, so no need for 3 across. I guess I'm hoping to get a seat that is good value for the money in terms of how long we can use it. 

[Velar Fricative]

You could buy now if you want but I might wait closer to Black Friday/Christmas. They go on sale often enough so I wouldn't worry about having to buy right this minute.

Definitely get two. We have two Nextfits (and love them), but you can certainly get a cheaper seat for the car she won't be in as often.


I'm not sure when we would have to switch DD to a booster but I am pretty sure the Nextfits can be used for a while, so it is worth the cost for us. But plenty of cheaper seats exist that are fine too - I just preferred the super easy install for the NextFit.

[penguingrrl]

Aug 2, 2015 9:56:45 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

I'm completely overwhelmed by car seats! We finally picked a stroller so I'm starting to research the next thing we'll need: convertible car seat. A bunch of questions:

1) when should we buy it? Baby is almost 3 months old and we have gift cards plus a registry completion coupon to BRU. The coupon is 10% off and might expire soon. Should we try to buy it now with that or wait? Do they ever go on sale?

2) do we need 1 or 2 for our cars? I'll drive her mostly in week days but my H drives on weekends and prefers his car. Is it worth it to buy 2?

3) any suggestions on what to get or what we need to know to pick a seat? I don't want to spend a ton, looks like we're looking at $200-$300 on average which is ok I guess.

4) how long do they last? Do they convert to the backless booster seats that I see older kids using?

I literally know nothing about car seats.  We have the Chicco Keyfit 30 so far and really like it.

1) Seats do go on sale. When to buy is really up to you. I wouldn't buy one way before you're going to start using it since that takes time up before expiration. I know some people who never used an infant seat and came home from the hospital in a convertible and others who had petite kids and used the infant buckets for well over a year. I used it for 7 months for my first, 2 months for my second and 5 months for my third.

2) I would get two since you use both cars. They aren't as easy to move, so I wouldn't want to do it frequently. I would get one really great seat as a primary seat for the bulk of travel and one budget seat for the secondary car. All seats are equally safe, some just have better padding or more bells and whistles.

3) How tall is your child? How long do you plan to keep your baby rear facing? What do you drive? All of those factor heavily into the decision on what convertible to buy.

4) Most convertibles will get all but the very tallest kids to a safe booster age. Some become boosters (either just high back or backless), but I wouldn't worry about that right now. Boosters are inexpensive and a lot of techs I know prefer boosters that were designed as designated boosters rather than designed as harnessed seats that become boosters because they tend to be lighter and easier to move and also easier for a kid to buckle themselves in as they're often less bulky. You want to keep your kid harnessed to a bare minimum of 4, preferably 5, and at least 40 lbs, so you can worry about a booster in 4-5+ years.

[undecidedowl]

I can tell you what we did. We got a nicer seat for the primary car and a cheaper seat for the less used car. The primary is a Diono Radian. I like the low sides to get him in and out, and the extra space it leaves in the backseat because it's narrow. The backup we used a Cosco Scenera, just cheap and functional but doesn't last as long. We are handing that down to DS2 and just put DS1 in a combination seat (FFing only).

It's definitely worth having two seats.

[thebreakfastclub]

I would definitely get 2. DS outgrew the key fit at 8 months, which is on the early side.

In hindsight I would have gotten a cheaper infant seat, but the convertible is around much longer. We have Britax seats. They work fine and DS could rear face until 27m, which was long enough for me.

[sent]

I bought a Maxi Cosi on sale. Now that I am trying to use it, I am cursing it. I have a car seat puker so the first time I used it, she puked in it. I took it apart to wash the upholstery and clean the seat. Now I can't put it back together because I misplaced a removable silver buckle thing not realizing it was so critical to the straps being installed properly. It appears they have improved the method to remove the upholstery on the newest model I saw at BBB so maybe this removable buckle thing isn't an issue anymore. But that's my car seat on sale story.

Since I haven't called Maxi Cosi yet to get a new silver buckle thingy, we went out and bought a Chicco NextFit Zip at BBB. DD has also already puked in this and I will be washing it for the first time tonight. It seemed easy enough to dismantle the uphostery and clean in the store which was the #1 feature we wanted, but we'll find out if those nifty features are true or a gimmick.

I used her bucket for 18 months. The height limit was 32". Once I got used to, I loved that thing.

[drloretta]

Aug 2, 2015 9:56:45 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

I'm completely overwhelmed by car seats! We finally picked a stroller so I'm starting to research the next thing we'll need: convertible car seat. A bunch of questions:

1) when should we buy it? Baby is almost 3 months old and we have gift cards plus a registry completion coupon to BRU. The coupon is 10% off and might expire soon. Should we try to buy it now with that or wait? Do they ever go on sale?

2) do we need 1 or 2 for our cars? I'll drive her mostly in week days but my H drives on weekends and prefers his car. Is it worth it to buy 2?

3) any suggestions on what to get or what we need to know to pick a seat? I don't want to spend a ton, looks like we're looking at $200-$300 on average which is ok I guess.

4) how long do they last? Do they convert to the backless booster seats that I see older kids using?

I literally know nothing about car seats.  We have the Chicco Keyfit 30 so far and really like it.

1. BRU has trade in sales once or twice a year. DD was a peanut and we didn't need one until she was 10 months.

2. Get 2. Get a nicer one for your car, and a less expensive one for your H's

3. Check Consumer Reports, but also remember they all undergo safety testing so it's not like a cheaper one is dangerous. We love our Britax Marathon 70 as our main seat. DD was in it at 10 months and still hasn't aged out of it at age 5. We used a Cosco Scenera for our spare. When she grew out of that, we got an Evenflo 3 in 1 and have been very pleased

4. They typically last 6-7 years. All should have expiration dates. We like our 3 in 1 (converts to booster) and would recommend it

[sent]

BTW, this isn't car seat related, but don't forget that you can use the registry completion discount on diapers. At this age you probably have a good idea of what diapers work for her so you can buy ahead a few boxes and utilize the discount you wouldn't otherwise get. BRU usually has an in-store diaper coupon for Pampers and Huggies though this month's coupon for Pampers is lame, and you can stack with manufacturer coupons.

[jackie011]

I highly recommend making a list and checking them out in store. Take them apart, see how easy it will be to clean, etc. Also, you may want to google some installation videos.

Our Nextfit is worth the money, by far! Easy installation, easy to clean, easy to get DS in and out! Love it! Like you, I'm the primary driver and we put the pricier Nextfit in my car. DS rarely drives and almost never picks DS up from daycare, so he has a Graco in his car. It's not as fancy, but it's completely safe. DS has been in that seat exactly twice since we installed it in May!

Once you've made a list and figured out your targeted seats, just keep your eyes out for good deals. We were fortunate to have some gift cards left for Target and BRU, so I just waited for good deals.

ETA: I had a huge baby, and he was in his infant seat past his 1st birthday, so you have a little time!

[persa]

Aug 2, 2015 11:43:31 GMT -5 @fivedogs said:

Aug 2, 2015 10:59:18 GMT -5 swizz said:

Also, not sure where you live but if it gets hot, the difference between the black Graco seat we have and the grey nextfit is huge! I thought black would hide stains and such better (and it mostly does) but I have to keep a towel in the black seat or it burns the backs of her legs.

If you don't already have the silver/space-blankety cover for the carseat, definitely try that - it's a lifesaver in NC summers.  Their seats stay super cool.

Do you have a link to this or Google able terms?

[browneyedgirl9]

Def buy 2. You are not going to want to be moving seats in and out of cars.

We have the Graco milestone in both our cars and have been really happy. Around $200. It fits well in my small car and my husband SUV. And is a 3-in-1 so can be RF/FF/high back booster. We bought at target when they have those promotion of gift card with baby purchase.

m.target.com/p/graco-milestone-all-in-1-car-seat/-/A-16721763