new mommy w/ car seat question!!! help!!

[Alyssa2483]

Hi,

my husband and i are expecting our first child....we are having a baby girl in may!!! anyways, we are trying to figure out which car seat to get....we cannot decide between the graco safe seat and the graco snug ride.....he wants the safe seat because it goes up to 30lbs, as opposed to 22lbs. I looked up both car seats in my baby bargains book and found the safe seat was rated a C- and the snug ride was rated an A. the safe seat seemed to have safety issues, yet my husband looked online and it appears to be safe.

so i need advice please....i am not sure which car seat to go with....the safe seat had issues with the crash tests, but i guess a lot of parents are happy with it....and the snug ride seems to be a great car seat but has had a couple different recalls.

if anyone has used either of these seats or can offer any advice i would love to hear it!!! thanks!!!

[eniese]

One of the big differences between the safe seat and the snugride are the size of the seats. Depending on your car, the safe seat may be too large. Another thing to think of is that once your baby is a certain height, they outgrow the seat, regardless of weight. Also, you really don't want to carry a 20 lb baby around in ANY car seat! They're much easier to just carry or put in a stroller by that size!

We've used the snug ride with both our kids and have been very happy with it. Another car seat tip-be willing to spend the big bucks on the convertible car seat (the one that goes rear facing then forward facing) because your kid will be in that one for upwards of 3 years!

[CLS]

I agree with eniese. Invest the most in the convertible seat. Get a decent infant one because you want your newborn to be safe, but as she said it will be outgrown pretty quickly.

We used the Snug Ride, and now we use an Evenflow convertible for our 3 year old.

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By the way congrats on your baby girl! Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy & birth!

[carebear020285]

I've got a 6 month old little boy and we bought the Graco Quattro Tour System. Its the car seat and the stroller and they match. It it great... the stroller and the car seat but it is true don't go for it just because you can use it until the baby is 33 pounds. Chances are you're not going to wanna carry around a baby that weighs over 15 pounds in that thing. My little boy weighed 19.5 pounds at his 4 month check up so we went and got him the forward and rear facing carseat. He was also long that his legs would hang over the edges of the seat anyways. I would just get the least expensive and the best in safety of the two. If it happens to be the one that holds 33 pounds then that is a plus but I'd almost be willing to bet that you are not gonna carry you baby around in that until she weighs that much.

[Alyssa2483]

thanks so much for all the replies!!! it is so nice to be able to talk to mothers who have done all this before and know what is good and what isn't. i am so confused with all the baby stuff....there are so many different products out there!! it is hard to decide what is best for our baby.

i think i am going to go with the snug ride...it seems like a much safer seat and i have heard so many good things about it. now i just need to convince my husband.... :)

[WWmama]

Having a very long baby, I do wish I had gotten one of the bigger infant seats. We had to get a convertible seat when my son was only 6 months old. He wasn't near 22 pounds, but he still outgrew the infant seat. I do miss having the option of carrying him in his infant seat. Even if you don't want to all the time, it sure is nice to have the option. I can't tell you how many times I've wished I had the infant seat to carry him inside without waking him from his nap!

[mammawazz]

We have the snug ride and we love it. My daughters dr told me that they are going to up the weight that children should remain rear facing has any one heard anything about this???

[wright1212]

A few thoughts. There are good government website explaining car seat safety. Ask your police dept to help show you how to install. My uncle (the cop here that does carseats) installed our infant seat with a funnoodle under it to secure it. When you shake it hard it should move less than an inch. 5 point harnesses are the safest. Ensure you cars seatbelt is pulled taut and recessed to lock in place. The chest piece should be at armpit level and only allow 1-2 adult fingers to squeeze under it.
I recently read that its safest to have a child rear facing until 2 but 12 mos is the norm with 20 lbs being the min weight.
I always look at different stores website to get customer reviews of products. While safety is of course #1 concern you also want it to be user friendly. For my new baby I will be getting an infant carrier for my car and convertabile for dh.
(this is a peeve of mine to see car seats in shopping carts on the little seat for toddlers, that is sooooo dangerous, uncle said they are not meant to go there! sorry if I offend its just scary)

[firebabe]

When purchasing a car seat make sure its new (never ever use a used car seat they do have expiratoin dates on them) and that they meet all safety standards. Make sure it fits both your vechile and child. Wright1212 is correct when installing them. you dont need to go the the police, but if you have any questions see them before they see you. Always follow manufacters guildlines. Nothing Pisses me off more than seeing a child in an inapperate car seat. (my SIL is excellent for that) As a firefighter i have see it way to many times. Children that should have been unharmed in an accident suffer sever injuries because their parents are lazy and dont do the researh and dont know how to ask for help. Im sorry just got back from a bad accident involving a 18month that wasnt in a carseat. I am not picking on anyone here. Just venting

[trirrr]

This is a common question and valid concern. Most of the posters hit it correctly in my opinion. The most important thing is what is deemed safe by the leading authorities of course, and your budget and features that are important to you. Check out this post which helps answers those same concerns.
http://www.safestcarseat.org/2009/06/how-to-find-safest-car-seat-possible.html

[Jill_at_StorkRadio]

I posted this somewhere else, but I will tell you that we got a snug ride 32 and it seems fine but there are two things to consider. it is bigger since it goes up to 32 pounds. which means that it fits well in my husbands crv but not nearly as well in my civic. also, if you want an extra base the box that says snug ride does not fit the snugride 32 so now we have to take it back. total pain.

[kikikiwi18]

I used the safe seat and had NO safety issues at all. In fact, I am using it with my next baby when they are born in august. Go with the saferide. So many moms have had to upgrade at 6-8 months because their infant outgrew the snugride. Here is a guide on buying infant carriers, might help a bit. http://www.allreviews.com/car-seats/2010/01/08/infant-car-seat-buyers-guide/ And congrats on the baby!!!