Basic car seat and stroller questions
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Anonymous
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Just found out we are expecting and have a few really basic questions about car seat and stroller systems:
1. Infant car seats typically can come out of the base and click into a compatible stroller system, but downside being infant car seats are no longer usable after ~6 months, right? 2. Convertible car seats are typically usable from infant to booster to seatbelt phase, but typically they do *not* come out of the car, right? 3. Convertible car seats are considered safer as the child can stay seated rear-facing for longer, right? 4. For the Uppababy/Mockingbird type modular stroller systems, what situation would you use the bassinet attachment vs the "regular" seat? Thanks in advance! |
Anonymous
My kids fit in the infant bucket seats until they were 12-15 months and we almost never drove so I used them up to nearly a year. They’re more awkward with squirming toddlers but they’re perfectly safe. They are rear-facing. o *not* come out of the car, right? Yes, that is correct.
Safer than what? They’re the same safety as infant bucket seats (maybe the bucket seats are safe for newborns? I can’t imagine trying to navigate a tiny newborn into my big 0-whenever convertible seat but I would trust the manufacturer’s specifications for what age/weight/height ranges are safe). They’re the same safety as rear-facing seats that don’t convert to front-facing/boosters when in the rear-facing configuration. Again in the rear-facing configuration, they’re safer than front-facing seats or boosters because rear-facing is safer.
I personally did not own a bassinet attachment and never felt the lack — I used the car bucket seat in the stroller for the first couple months then switched the regular seat. The bassinet lets babies lie flatten which is good for head positioning and sleeping safety but worse for security (baby is not strapped in). Since I was always watching my babies sleep on walks (when they slept in the stroller) and it wasn’t for long periods of time, I felt okay using the bucket seat at first but different people will have different levels of comfort with this. |
Anonymous
1. Yes. Depends on weight/height but generally they’ll outgrow the bucket seat between 6-12 months. 2. Yes, convertible seats can be used from birth but do not come out of car. It depends which seat you get but some can be used until kid is ready to only use seatbelt. 3. Yes, rear facing is safest so get a seat with a high weight/height limit for extended RF. 4. I don’t know this system but generally bassinet is only used until baby can roll over (around 3 months) or for maybe still for stroller naps at least until baby can sit up unassisted (around 6 months). |
Anonymous
1. My kid was in her infant car seat until she was almost 2, because she was small. DH and I had a base in each of our cars and then all we had to do was click the car seat in and out depending on which one of us was driving her somewhere. Made it super easy! We had the Chicco Keyfit system with stroller. Everything clicked very easily. The stroller also has a regular stroller seat for when you want to use it without the car seat. 2. When our kid outgrew the infant car seat, we got a convertible one that technically has an infant insert, but obviously we never used it. This meant we had to get a car seat for each of our cars, rather than just the base, and it's more of a pain to remove/reinstall when we have to take it out of the car. SOME of them become boosters, but some don't. Make sure you know what you're getting. Also, if you travel by plane at all, it's worth looking for one that's lightweight. Car seats have to be gate checked and lugging your car seat AND a kid AND your carry-on through the whole airport is annoying. We've got a Nuna that I honestly don't love, mostly because the cupholder is too small to fit a standard water bottle. Our other one is a Chicco (I don't remember exactly which one, maybe a NextFit?) and it's nice. 3. Yes, it's safer for your kid to be rear-facing and the longer the better. That said, I was so happy to turn my kid around. It made it so much easier to drive with her, hand her snacks/water/toys if she dropped them, talk to her about what she could see out the windows, etc. 4. I've got friends who RAVE about their Uppababy stroller, but it seemed to me like they needed to buy separate attachments for everything. They used the bassinet when walking in their neighborhood. It's better for the baby than being in the car seat. But once they're out of the infant stage (either because they have better head control or because they outgrew the bassinet), you don't use it anymore. For strollers, go to Buy Buy Baby or somewhere like that and roll the floor models around the store. Try to fold them and unfold them and pick them up like you were trying to put it in your trunk. Also (and this was a big important thing for me) note if it stands up while folded, or if you have to lay it flat - this made the difference of whether or not I could store it in my front hall closet. Some people who know they want to have two children make a big deal about looking for a stroller that can convert to a double (my friend with the Uppababy was all about this feature). But depending on how far apart your kids are or how big they are, a double stroller might not be something you need. My Uppababy friend found it was too heavy for her to push her two kids in one stroller, so her older one walked if she was taking both kids on a walk by herself, or she pushed one stroller and her husband pushed a second stroller. So don't assume you'll need/want a double stroller in the end. |
Anonymous
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#4 - we used our UB bassinet as a safe sleep space for both of my kids until they outgrew it at 4 months. We used the Jolly Jumper stand instead of the $$$ UB stand.
We also would transfer the infant from the car seat to the bassinet if we were wandering around the grocery store or Target. If it was a quick trip, and the baby was sleeping, we would just leave them in the car seat or just not even pop open the stroller/carry them. They say (who is they? IDK) it’s not great for the baby to be in the car seat for too long every day. So having a bassinet gave us a little more time to be out and about. |
Anonymous
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Most of this is covered in the prior answers, but regarding #4:
I also didn't bother with a bassinet attachment and the reason why is that I didn't use the stroller that much when the baby was 0-5 months or so (at which point she could sit up in the stroller without the bassinet). I just used a carrier. It's not for everyone but to me it was MUCH easier, and I actually came to miss those days when she got bigger and I needed a stroller more often. I live in a 3rd floor walk-up and would not have wanted to deal with the stroller AND either a car seat or bassinet. We mostly left our car seat in the car during that time and only used the stroller when we went places in the car where we'd be walking a lot. In which case we'd use the car seat attachment. So I would only get a bassinet if I felt confident I'd be using the stroller often (like daily) in those first few months. Otherwise, I'd just use the car seat in the stroller when I needed it. My baby probably rode in the stroller maybe 12 times between birth and 4 months. |
Anonymous
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Agree with PP. We skipped the stroller the first year and used a baby carrier. Then bought a compact umbrella stroller as our everyday/travel stroller. It really depends on your lifestyle, but this setup worked for us.
Keep in mind that convertible car seats may not have a low enough weight limit if you have a preemie. This shouldn’t be a problem with most infant car seats. |
Anonymous
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You are correct regarding the car seats OP except you can use the bucket style infant seat up to whatever the height weight limit is on the seat. I personally stopped at 5 mos because I had a heavy baby who woke up when I took it out of the car anyway. If you have a small baby you could use it for a while.
A lot of it is personal preference. I had a different stroller I used for like going to the mall or target vs walking the dog. I got them both used. |
Anonymous
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OP, some things to note that others have already touched upon. Most strollers have adapters to fit infant car seats, so you can use your infant car seat instead of a bassinet for your modular stroller until they're big enough for the standard seat. You can also turn the standard seat around so that it's facing you and recline them into a similar position. I believe it's recommended a child sit reversed in a stroller until they can hold their head up on their own, but it's been a while.
Both of my kids were in the infant bucket until they were 10-12 months. It's great for all the reasons people listed, especially having multiple bases between cars (although you can also safely -- and legally -- install them without a base, if you're in a pinch.) I had daycare kids, and the bucket makes pickup and drop off a lot easier too, because you can load them up inside, and then quickly click them into the car. The infant car seats ONLY install rear facing. Convertible car seats can be installed rear or forward facing. They are BIG. We got one of those 4 ever extends that go all the way to backless booster, which was great in theory, because you figure you can use it forever, but kids can be gross, so part of me wishes we got something less beefy that we could just trade out every few years. |
Anonymous
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yes
yes yes I never really used the bassinet for my uppa baby stroller. They start rolling over really fast. |
Anonymous
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Most have been covered -
Length of time in infant car seat varies by size of the child. my kid fit in her doona until around 17 months (maybe a bit longer but got a convertible by then.) One big advantage of infant car seats is that if they fall asleep you can take them out of the car without waking them (this is also a bit baby dependent.) Although in general you should not let a kid sleep in a car seat due to positional asphyxia - being able to get my baby out of the car without waking her was amazing. Other people place less value on this and just go straight to convertible. Convertibles are not safer than infant car seats but it is true that rear facing is safer and ideally should be done as long as car seat limits allow. |
Anonymous
| Loved the Uppababy bassinet. Used it daily until my son was about 7 months old, but he was a preemie, so you might use it for less time if your kid is full term. Really useful before babies have good neck strength. In addition to using it in the stroller, we got the stand and used it as a place for him to nap in our living area. |
1SWMom
Member Location: SW Waterfront
Offline
Member Location: SW Waterfront
Offline
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I’m a single mom who travels, starting with that first as my needs may be different.
I had a Doona it was perfect for everything and I loved not having to transfer the baby to another stroller. I also had the Cybex infant seat which came in handy as my baby was preemie and would not have been allowed to leave the hospital in the Doona, however after that the Cybex was a waste as I used the Doona. The Xari while overall more fashionable than functionally comes with a seat that converts to bassinet. If you know you will be going on lots of walks early and prefer the look of the bassinet then get it if not then just use your infant car seat (if it’s not the Doona) attached to your stroller. I also have a Mom’s Xari with the attachment for the Cybex, but again the Xari was used mostly for walks and it was team Doona. I also purchased during pregnancy the Nuna Rava x PBK with newborn insert (that never got used). |