Car Seats and Strollers?

[wimbly11]

New parents here. No idea to look for. Any tips?

[wimbly11]

PS...I went to another "baby" dedicated site, thinking I would join the forums and chat with expecting moms. Wow, nothing like SC. I got nasty responses for asking about stretch cream and because I said "oh having to pee all the time makes me not want to drink water" I got attacked and told that I was hurting my child and how horrible I was and I needed to suck it up. I couldn't believe the nasty response! All I said was it makes me not want to, I didn't say I don't drink water. Geez. Rant over. Point of the story, I LOVE SC!

[annedougherty]

I got this travel system when it was on sale for $249 http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index....uctId=24888586

[wimbly11]

I love the travel system. We figure we'll start looking now for sales and grab something when a good price comes up!

[bargain_hunter_lola]

I made the mistake of buying a travel system in the US when pregnant with DD. DON'T do that! lol. US car seats are not legal in Canada. lol. We found out when we went to a car seat installation clinic. Luckily we bought it at WM US and they allowed us to exchange the car seat for one here in Canada.

I like the travel systems though since it's nice to have it all matching and to be able to have the infant carrier. Once the baby gets older, you'll have to buy another car seat though so some people opt for the stages kind.

[wimbly11]

Interesting, so I could go for the travel combo, or just get a stroller and get a seperate car seat that will last the baby longer....hmm....options options....

[bargain_hunter_lola]

Interesting, so I could go for the travel combo, or just get a stroller and get a seperate car seat that will last the baby longer....hmm....options options....

Yes some people do that but I'd really consider the infant carrier if I were you. They don't last long (in terms of baby's weight use) but they are extremely handy. Nothing worse than trying to get a sleeping baby out of a car seat (or sitting waiting for them to wake up). With the infant carrier you're able to un-latch the entire carrier and go (the baby often sleeps the entire time which makes shopping and other errands much easier).

I hated having to switch from the infant carrier to the bigger car seat. lol. Carriers become super convenient (even if they get a bit heavy).

If you wont be traveling in a car much than it might not really matter.

You have to weigh all the pros and cons and decide what's best for you.


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[wimbly11]

Good points. I do like the idea of not waking baby!

[ninna]

Yes some people do that but I'd really consider the infant carrier if I were you. They don't last long (in terms of baby's weight use) but they are extremely handy. Nothing worse than trying to get a sleeping baby out of a car seat (or sitting waiting for them to wake up). With the infant carrier you're able to un-latch the entire carrier and go (the baby often sleeps the entire time which makes shopping and other errands much easier).

I hated having to switch from the infant carrier to the bigger car seat. lol. Carriers become super convenient (even if they get a bit heavy).

If you wont be traveling in a car much than it might not really matter.

You have to weigh all the pros and cons and decide what's best for you.


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That's great advice about the infant seat. They ARE nice especially when baby is sleeping-- just unhook the seat and go. Can't tell you how many times we used that infant car seat INSIDE the house. lol. They do get heavy to carry but with both kids we used this type and loved it.

But it IS a nuisance if you have a fast growing baby. Our first exceeded the weight capacity of the infant seat when she was 9 months old so we had to buy a convertible one that could go backwards for 3 months til she was technically old enough to face forward.

With our second child we went with the third type after she was one year old--the kind that does all three but when she reached the booster stage she hated it ("it's for babies!!!" was her complaint) and it was so flipping big and awkward that finally I caved and dug out the backless booster we'd used for the first kid and she liked that better--especially when she was 6 and 7 years old and starting to get crabby about having to sit in a car seat at all.

Happy shopping!

[wimbly11]

Good tips I need to start gathering baby items. 5 months to go. DH's sister is giving us her crib and change table, it's beautiful and in perfect ocondition, score Now to start buying things on sale. Did you guys start collecting diapers before hand? Maybe I should start a The Baby's Coming Tips and Tricks thread for first time mom's!

[angel_2011]

i agree with the travel system, and the todler/booster seat when baby gets older.

I did start buying diapers before DS was born, however, I did not "stock" up on them, since babies grow at different rates, and you may not end up needing some sizes. DS was in NB for a month or less (can't exactly remember), then size 1, then 3... he skipped 2. He was in 3 for awhile.

[Mia]

I wouldn't advise to stock up on diapers as well. Just buy 1 small package for newborns preferably Pampers (I don't know why but newborn size Pampers don't leak whereas Huggies do leak). But beginning from size 1 it is really doesn't matter Pampers or Huggies.

I didn't have an infant carrier because if I had that, I would only need that for only a month (or maybe a few weeks), my babies are big and tall. It really depends on the size of your baby, so I would advise for infant seats as well, don't buy beforehand. And believe me, it doesn't depend if you are tall or not, if you are big or not, you never know, genes of what of your or/and your husband's relatives your baby will take from.

You are on Swagbucks, so maybe collect Amazon GCs and then see, if you need an infant carrier, maybe buy from Amazon?

What you do need now it's a travel system - a stroller and an infant car seat. That you shouldn't buy on the last days. Just watch the sales now, compare quality and prices and buy the best one in terms of both features.

Good luck!

[Lyssia510]

I have a Graco stroller and I've hated it since dd was born but it was past the return policy so I couldn't return it. They have great customer service but the strollers suck(had mine replaced 3 times in 8 months, and I didn't do anything more than take dd for a walk around the block everyday). The car seats are fine though.
When buying a stroller I would consider how many kids and how far apart you're planning. If you want 2 or 3 and fairly close together it might make more sense to buy a higher end stroller that will last through multiple kids and gives you the option of a second seat or a buggy board(I think that's what they're called) for an older child. The car seats to go with those are a bit more expensive but infant seats last 5 years and if you use it for a few kids the price isn't bad.
I would just buy a bag of newborn diapers, and some size 1s and go from there. It's tempting to stock up when there are sales but you don't know how your baby will grow, if they'll have issues with one brand etc(my dd developed an allergy to Huggies at 9 months after being fine with both Pampers and Huggies since birth).
If you are planning on breast feeding, no matter how great it's going in the first few weeks hang on to any formula samples you've received. My dd breastfed like a champ for the first 2 weeks, so I have my formula samples away, ended up getting mastitis which killed my milk supply and had to supplement with for formula, and spent over 100 bucks on formula that we ended up tossing before we found one that dd could tolerate.

[wimbly11]

Good suggestion about the formula!

[Zonny]

I found it mattered a lot if it was Pampers or Huggies. It depends on the shape of your baby's bottom IMO. Huggies always leaked on my DS, Pampers were the only ones that worked for him.

On the stroller front, I had a Graco travel system that we bought months before he was due, and like someone else mentioned, couldn't return it because I'd had it too long. I think that many strollers are designed to be kept in the trunk of the car and used in the mall, not outdoors. I lost a wheel off mine not once but twice. Then the piece of plastic that keeps it folded fell off, and they could not replace it. I'd never buy another Graco stroller.

The car seat part, DS was out of it by the time he was five months old. It is handy if your baby is asleep in the car, but otherwise it wasn't worth it for us. Mine was a 10.5 pound baby, it was really heavy to pick him up in that right from the first day.