Car Seat 101

Question

Mommas, can someone break down what I should be looking for in a car seat and stroller combo? I know I would like something that “grows with the baby” but as a ftm I’m not really sure which car seat or stroller is supposed to be used at which age. Help! Lol

Answer

Really look into what will install best in your car (size, proper angel, etc.). I had a Britax infant car seat with my son. I didn’t love it because I found the straps were always getting tangled and the part between his legs was pretty short, so was always squishing him. I wish I hadn’t spent so much on it because my son hated it, and we moved him over to his convertible car seat at like 6 months. (Definitely recommend Nuna RAVA for that. It’s seriously fantastic). For this baby we got a Chicco Keyfit 35 to go with our Joovy Qool double stroller. I recommend you go to a store and play around with different car seats to see how you like the straps and clips, etc.

Answer

I recommend checking out carseatsforthelittles.com and thecarseatlady.com. They both have recommendations based on your car and preferences. All car seats must pass certain safety rules, however, some score much higher in terms of crash safety ratings. Consumer reports is a good source to check out crash safety. Another category that’s often overlooked is the use of toxic chemicals. Some car seats may look amazing in terms of crash safety and price, but it’s shocking how many of them use very toxic flame retardants and other chemicals. Certain brands such as Clek, Nuna, and Uppababy have been known to be flame retardant free, but now Chicco is offering some flame retardant free options if you look for their “ClearTex” products. 
Infant seats are popular for new parents because they can often click into your stroller and they have a convenient carrying handle to bring your baby into dr appointments, restaurants, etc. The negative about infant seats is that they usually don’t go past 35 lbs, so once your baby gets bigger you’ll need a convertible car seat. Convertible car seats are known for growing with your baby and can often be used from birth until your child is ready for a booster seat. Our Nuna Rava can be used for babies as small as 5lbs, but the infant seats usually hug your baby better and are usually preferred for very small babies. Convertible car seats are very heavy and they’re not meant to be moved out of your car once they’re installed, unlike the infant seats which click in and out in just a few seconds. My favorite infant seat is the Nuna Pipa and my favorite convertible car seat is the Nuna Rava. We also have the Nuna Mixx2 stroller which can be used with the Pipa car seat and it can also be used by itself from birth until toddlerhood. Some people also prefer to buy an umbrella or lightweight stroller once their babies turn into toddlers because they’re easier to fold and store. We have an Uppababy Minu for that purpose.most lightweight strollers are not meant to be used from birth, though, so you’ll have to check the weight limits. For picking out a stroller I recommend going to a store and trying them out for yourself, but if you find one you love you’ll also need to make sure it is compatible with your infant seat if you want to use them as a “travel system”. For example, my Nuna Mixx stroller can be used with the Uppababy Mesa car seat,  Maxi Cosi, etc, but it can’t be used with some other brands.

Answer

They’re basically all the same. Minor differences but all are safe. And some have different features like this one has bassinet. Infant seat does not ‘grow’ with baby. I only used it 3 months lol. I didn’t wanna carry it anymore but I absolutely hate the big seats for a newborn. I refuse to wake my kids up so I switched back to the infant seat.

Answer

What you will need to look for when choosing a car seat. Is an infant carseat should be a 5 point harness. You will look at the weight limits.
This is how we choose ours. We knew our kids were going to be large so we choose one that was a bit pricey but knew it would last the first year. We also looked at the rating as safety is very important. Then lastly how we will use the carseat. Will it fit in both of our vehicles? Do we plan on carrying baby in thr carseat because weight would be a factor as some are heavy. We wanted the carseat to be able to connect to a base and without a base if needed. Lastly it was important it connected to a stroller as ours was heavy. We ended up purchasing several carseats for our kids from Graco and their strollers and they are all a part of their "quick connect" line.

Answer

I’d recommend this car seat 1000 times. I wish I could have used ours from day one. My baby was a preemie and only 4 lbs 4 oz when she was born. She was 5 lbs 2 oz when she was able to leave the NICU, so still too small for this seat. We used a Graco infant seat for a while, but they are just so clumsy and heavy. I hated it. The stroller it clicked onto was huge, didn’t fit in my car well, I think I only used it a handful of times. I switched her to the convertible seat at 5 months old. She was about 13 lbs. She is currently almost 2 years old, about 22 lbs. and rear facing still.
I personally preferred (still prefer but some days my back can’t take it) to use a carrier when we went out. It was easier for me. I did recently purchase a small stroller from Summer Infant- 3Dpac CS+ compact fold stroller. It’s a great little stroller! Literally everything about it is easy. I like it so much more than the big stroller we have. 
Hope this helps!

Answer

Newborn car seat and then convertible car seat We were going to do a convertible carseat from newborn but it was way too big to put a little newborn in. Now that she is almost 6 months its perfect 👍🏽

Car Seat 101

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