Zach and I are hoping to create our baby registry sometime in the next month, so it will be all ready by Christmas for Grandmas and Grandpas who are already spoiling our little one! I will be the first to admit that I'm no expert when it comes to baby equipment but I know I have a lot of friends who are! So I'm seeking input from all my mommy friends.
I'll start by asking about carseats and strollers. Please tell me if you have a brand you really love or hate, or even just a particular feature I should seek out or avoid. One thing I'm particularly interested in is whether we should get a specific infant seat or go for a convertible that will grow with our child.
Thanks in advance for the help!
5 comments:
Fun!!!
Car Seat: Gruia and I looooove the Graco ComfortSport feature of snapping the seat out of the car and into the stroller. It's so much easier to just keep baby all snug in his seat when moving in and out of the car, especially when baby is sleeping!
Stroller: Graco travel system that coordinates with the car seat is great, although bulky. The bulk was worth the snap feature (just mentioned) though! We also have enjoyed having a cheap umbrella stroller for times when we have needed to lighten our load, such as during travel. Keep in mind that the more recent versions of all of the above may be different.
Hey Courtney,
I HIGHLY recommend the Graco Metrolite Travel System. It comes with the Metrolite Stroller and the SnugRide carseat. I agree with Jamie that it is indeed easier (if not essential) to have a carseat that snaps in and out of the car. Especially for running errands...you don't want to have to keep taking your sleeping baby in and out of the carseat at each stop. The Graco "Metrolite" stroller is not at all bulky and it weighs significantly less than the Graco "Quattro Tour" stroller (which is probably similiar to the one Jaime has). Plus, in my opinion (a picky one at that when it comes to strollers) it has all needed features (big basket, easy steering, adjustable handle height, reclining seat, etc.) and, despite its smaller size, is stroller enough to accommodate a sleeping toddler (as you often witnessed at church). Now, because it is an infant carseat, you'll need a different carseat before too long (I think we switched Aden at about 8 or 9 months...it just depends on your baby's size). We then got the Britax Roundabout carseat. It is one of the most expensive carseats out there but we LOVE it! It is easy to install, easy to use, and seems very comfortable...Aden likes it and Lord willing he'll be able to fit in it until he is about 4 years old. So, I hope this helps! Happy registering! =)
Hi Courtney--I'll start by recommending the book Baby Bargains-it's kind of like Consumer Reports for baby stuff--get the most recent edition which is probably the 7th.
We have the Quattro Tour Deluxe stroller--quite heavy as Aimee mentioned, but we like the rubber tires (smoother ride) since I use the stroller nearly every day for our walks since we don't have a jogging stroller.
They also sell the stroller now as a travel system (comes with the SafeSeat car seat.) This is a carrier seat as described above which snaps into the stroller and can sit on top of grocery carts etc. It's quite a bit bigger (and heavier!) than the SnugRide b/c it's supposed to fit babies longer--Saylor was in it for 14 months. I liked being able to have that convenience of keeping her in the carrier for quick run-in-to the post office type errands, though the whole thing was pretty heavy by the time she was a year old :) For the forward-facing car seat (which they can use after 1 year) we got the SafeSeat Stage 2--best feature is it reclines WHILE the child is in it--so we can recline her to take a nap or put it back upright without stopping the car. Downside--it seems bulkier than the Britax car seat Aimee has (which is probably the most common seat I've seen people using.) Just remember, there is NO perfect stroller/car seat...we've looked!!!!!!!
Car Seat: Britax Roundabout
Stroller: definately one in which you can set an infant carseat.
If you want more than one kid, I would consider the Phil & Tedd so that you don't have a gazillion strollers. You can just order the second seat which connects underneath. I kind of wish I did that. The only complaint is that it doesn't have a tray for snacks. Anyway, overall, whatever you get will work. Everything is trial and error for different people.
We love our phil&teds. You can even get an attachment bar for an infant seat. That was never really a big deal to me because honestly I never really used my stroller that often except for walks. I prefer to carry my baby on me.
As far as carseats go I would say the Graco Snugride for sure. It got some of the highest ratings for safety and ease of use and it has worked great for us.
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