Going Car Seat Bonkers!
I never thought it would be this hard to pick out a car seat. It's driving me bonkers. It's nothing like buying a crib or a stroller or a high chair. With a crib you try and just get the best bang for your buck and a stroller is pretty much personal preference. And then there's the car seat....
Have you tried buying a car seat lately that is NOT part of a travel system? The selection is rather slim. I don't want a travel system -- I want to buy my car seat separate from my stroller. Is that too much to ask? Apparently so. I've gone everywhere and to get a car seat on it's on...well each store only has one there for you to pick from. Nice! And I'm not so sure I want to order one online cuz who knows what it'll actually be like. I wanna touch it and hold it first. hehe And if finding a car seat isn't hard enough...try and match your purchase to the consumer reports and the government recommended car seats. It would be nice if we could buy a car seat from the other side of the border (way more selection)...but NO -- the law makers in Canada don't allow that. And buying a used seat is another huge no no. Sheesh! My head is going to explode.
So tell me...which car seat do you have? I'm talking rear facing (infant) car seats. Do you like your's? Where'd you get it? What suggestions do you have for me? Gah!
Side Note: The reason I don't want a travel system is because I must have a stroller with the rubber inflatable tires (a jogger) and there is only ONE in Lethbridge that's a travel system and the reviews I've read on it are terrible and my sister-in-law has it and she doesn't like the car seat. And I found the one I really want and it's not part of a travel system. I don't want a jogger because I plan on jogging all the time, but because where I am planning on using a stroller there are no sidewalks or cement. I live in the boondocks with gravel roads and I want a stroller to take camping (gravel & dirt) and to take to my parents (no sidewalks - just rocks). And in all those places those plastic spinning wheels don't fair so well. They're great for the mall and sidewalks...neither of which are me.
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9 comments:
We went with a travel system from Sears. The car seat is pretty good, but we have been less than impressed with the stroller (it seemed so much easier to steer in the store).
Lethbridge probably has pretty weak selection if you are looking for just a car seat. Try Calgary?
We went to Toys R Us and got the stroller and carseat seperate (although they match). They are GRACO, we just got tired of looking. Plus we had a gift card from friends so we still felt like a deal.
I agree come to Calgary- go shopping and you can see ME!!!
Calgary seems to be the place we need to go. Lethy sucks when it comes to finding baby stuff.
Plus we need to go to Calgary to drop our passport stuff off that I've had completed since last June and sitting in a drawer...
We got ours from my Brother so i can't help much there. And it's a travel system. Works for us. I too would totally suggest Calgary. We have nothing here!
Well I don't know if i'll help, but you can go on gracobaby.com and they have every kind fo stroller and carseat they make. I'm getting my double stroller from there, I really liked the travel system for when I had Kyla cuz when you get out of the car you don't have to unbuckle them if they are sleeping etc. I would buy the travel system, then a jogging style stroller on the side! It is more money but i'm all for the travel systems. Can you buy a travel system with bigger wheels? I'm having just as much trouble picking out a stroller too though.
We like Graco. They had the highest car seat safety rating here in the U.S. We had the SnugRide this time around and Chloe has seemed to grow out of it pretty quick but they have a newer one that lets your child grow with it more. I think it's called the safe seat. It's easy to use and adjust. Hope that helps! Good luck! We did a lot of research beforehand! I just wish they had something that didn't get SOOO heavy! Worst part about car seats!
We've never had a single stroller that we liked...our double we LOVE! As for carseats, we weren't trying to by one that fit a single so we just looked for one that matched our double stroller (we got it at the Bay (it's Evenflo). We didn't mind it. However, my good friend (in all her crazy research) found the Graco infant safe seat. She absolutely loves it and it passes much higher safety standards (the US has very low safety standards for their carseats). Anyways, hope that helps!
I LOVE Graco. They are seriously the best, and for not a TON of money. As for the strollers, I would just get a cheapy one with plastic wheels, and possibly a travel system, it is so great to just snap the carseat in for the first six or so months. Not to have to take the baby out of the carseat etc...I would spend my money on a nicer jogger. It will last you longer in the end. Just my two cents.
If you just want a car seat that is not part of a trvel system, you could also go the 3-in-1 route. You cannot take the baby out in teh car seat like with the otehr ones, but it starts rear-facing, tehn turns around, and then converts into a booster seat. It means bundling up the baby in winter, but our paretns did it and we are fine. Plus, then you only need to buy one car seat instead of another when they get too big for tbe bay car seat. I had to switch car seats at 6 months as my baby grew too big for her infant car seat so quickly.
If, however, you plan on going the infant car seat route, you can also request to order from the specfial order book at AWal Mart. IF you do not like it, the store will just sell it there or send it back, so there is no pressure to buy it once you order it if you do not like it.
Hope that helps!
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