Reply to Basic car seat and stroller questions

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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![/quote]
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.[/quote]

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