Car Seat Master Thread

[Dan]

Wow, when did that come out?

Might be time to return my Britax to BBB!

[Dan]

Great reviews!
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=15854026#showReviews

[Dan]

My biggest gripe with the Graco we bought is the base, which as you mentioned is as basic and difficult as it gets. We bought an Evenflo Symphony 65 for after the Graco and it is unbelievably easy to take in and out of the car. As far as weight, even with the 22 toward the end we'd leave the seat in the car and take my son in and out. If I had to do it again I'd probably get the Keyfit 22 and the Liteway Plus I mentioned before.

I also noticed that besides for the carrier/umbrella hybrid, Chicco came out with a convertible car seat, the NextFit. Dan, you think you would've gone for that if it had been around when you were shopping?

Why get the Keyfit 22?
Same price and same weight as the 30.

Rafi balooned up and weighed 22 pounds very early before leveling off.  We were still moving him from carseat to UB while he was sleeping after that.  He was heavy, but it was worth not having to wake him up.

[mmermss]

Wow, when did that come out?

Might be time to return my Britax to BBB!

Which one do you have?

[skyguy918]

Looks nice but a bit pricey

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AHPZY68/?tag=cl03f-20

Well, it's basically brand new MSRP. MSRP on the best Britax's are all at least that. No idea if it will be rated as highly, especially for safety, as the Britax's, but they did a good job with the infant seats so...

Why get the Keyfit 22?
Same price and same weight as the 30.

Rafi balooned up and weighed 22 pounds very early before leveling off.  We were still moving him from carseat to UB while he was sleeping after that.  He was heavy, but it was worth not having to wake him up.

My wife couldn't handle it even before he hit 22, at which point why not just put him in a convertible.

[Dan]

My wife couldn't handle it even before he hit 22, at which point why not just put him in a convertible.

Marry strong

[MEIR613]

Dan, this is so situational, as is the whole question of getting a 22lb car seat vs the bigger sizes. I don't know MEIR613's situation, but if you (or more importantly your wife) have to go up and down stairs and in and out of the car with the baby a lot, it can make a lot of sense to buy a 22lb with some sort of car seat carrier stroller. If the extent of your lifting is taking the stroller in and out of the trunk and the car seat from the car to the stroller, and you never have to lift the whole thing up stairs, get the biggest infant car seat you can and an adapter to use with your primary stroller. I agree with that 100%. But if you're going to have to schlep the car seat with the baby in it, as well as the folded up stroller, up and down stairs, it's worth having a light car seat and a light carrier stroller. When the baby is too big for the car seat, switch to stay in car seat and carry the baby up and down.

One thing I would recommend though for those who do want a lightweight car seat carrier. If you're getting the Keyfit, don't buy the Caddy with it. Go for the Liteway Plus, which gives you a lightweight carrier and an umbrella stroller.

Thanks for the info. I'll probably be carrying the carseat up and down but leaving the stroller in the car on a general basis. You said to buy the Liteway instead of the Caddy, what's the difference other than the design?

[Dan]

Thanks for the info. I'll probably be carrying the carseat up and down but leaving the stroller in the car on a general basis. You said to buy the Liteway instead of the Caddy, what's the difference other than the design?

If the stroller is staying in the car just get the UB.
It's better in every way.

[skyguy918]

Thanks for the info. I'll probably be carrying the carseat up and down but leaving the stroller in the car on a general basis. You said to buy the Liteway instead of the Caddy, what's the difference other than the design?

Whether or not to get a separate 'car seat carrier' or just use your regular stroller (say the UB) with an adapter is the first question. I'm just saying that if you do want a separate stroller/carrier, i would go with the Liteway. A carrier is basically just a frame that puts your car seat on wheels (usually with a nice amount of storage space), and is generally as light weight as it gets. The Liteway is actually an umbrella stroller. Umbrella strollers become very useful down the road as a light weight stroller for a toddler. What Chicco did with the plus is they designed an umbrella stroller that does double duty as a carrier. It's the only product of its kind that I know of. You probably sacrifice some storage space underneath, and maybe add a tiny bit of weight, but IMO its worth having for down the road.

Talk to people you know with toddlers about umbrella strollers. If you think it's something you might want down the road, this could be a worthwhile investment now.

[Dan]

If you dont need to shlep up stairs then you probably don't need a lightweight stroller at all.

[rots5]

If you dont need to shlep up stairs then you probably don't need a lightweight stroller at all.

Dan, ppl that live in the city (NY) its not worth it to get a UB. There constantly in and out of cars and do very little real walking. Ur snap and go should be fine for most city ppl. The most walking they'll do is to shul on shabb to pick up the husbands and back. Otherwise most ppl are in and out. The UB takes up tons of trunk space and is a shlep for the wives to put in and out. Living in IL you truly need a good stroller, its basically your car here.

a reliive of mine who moved back to America, and his wife demanded a crossover SUV (rouge) saying she needs it for the space, (shes from Passaic, don't blame her but now they realize with thier Buggaboo (dont blame her shes from passaic :-) theres no space anyways in the trunk.

So sometimes it might be worth it to go small, but in these cases if say get the best car seat bec thats what will be a staple in the car. (The evenflo is amazing with the latch system - so easy to use)

[skyguy918]

Dan, ppl that live in the city (NY) its not worth it to get a UB. There constantly in and out of cars and do very little real walking. Ur snap and go should be fine for most city ppl. The most walking they'll do is to shul on shabb to pick up the husbands and back. Otherwise most ppl are in and out. The UB takes up tons of trunk space and is a shlep for the wives to put in and out. Living in IL you truly need a good stroller, its basically your car here.

a reliive of mine who moved back to America, and his wife demanded a crossover SUV (rouge) saying she needs it for the space, (shes from Passaic, don't blame her but now they realize with thier Buggaboo (dont blame her shes from passaic :-) theres no space anyways in the trunk.

So sometimes it might be worth it to go small, but in these cases if say get the best car seat bec thats what will be a staple in the car. (The evenflo is amazing with the latch system - so easy to use)

+1. People really have to think about how they will be using all of these baby items. That will really determine what the best fit is for them. There's no one size fits all solution.

[Dan]

Dan, ppl that live in the city (NY) its not worth it to get a UB. There constantly in and out of cars and do very little real walking. Ur snap and go should be fine for most city ppl. The most walking they'll do is to shul on shabb to pick up the husbands and back. Otherwise most ppl are in and out. The UB takes up tons of trunk space and is a shlep for the wives to put in and out. Living in IL you truly need a good stroller, its basically your car here.

a reliive of mine who moved back to America, and his wife demanded a crossover SUV (rouge) saying she needs it for the space, (shes from Passaic, don't blame her but now they realize with thier Buggaboo (dont blame her shes from passaic :-) theres no space anyways in the trunk.

So sometimes it might be worth it to go small, but in these cases if say get the best car seat bec thats what will be a staple in the car. (The evenflo is amazing with the latch system - so easy to use)

People in NYC are constantly in and out of cars?
Maybe in Monsey, but most people in NYC avoid driving like the plague.

The UB is perfect for NYC as it has a massive basket so that you can put all your shopping items and diaper bag underneath.  No umbrella stroller offers close to that kind of storage.  Plus it pushes like a breeze over bad sidewalks because of its big wheels.

Now in CLE you may have a point, but personally my wife likes to walk everywhere so the UB is handy for that.  It's also handy to have that storage space and good wheels when you travel.

And it takes up part of the trunk, but my Altima doesn't have a very big trunk but we can still easily do a Costco run with the UB without a problem.

[rots5]

People in NYC are constantly in and out of cars?
Maybe in Monsey, but most people in NYC avoid driving like the plague.

The UB is perfect for NYC as it has a massive basket so that you can put all your shopping items and diaper bag underneath.  No umbrella stroller offers close to that kind of storage.  Plus it pushes like a breeze over bad sidewalks because of its big wheels.

Now in CLE you may have a point, but personally my wife likes to walk everywhere so the UB is handy for that.  It's also handy to have that storage space and good wheels when you travel.

And it takes up part of the trunk, but my Altima doesn't have a very big trunk but we can still easily do a Costco run with the UB without a problem.

I suppose you are right about NYC. (I think i meant more brooklyn/queens/5-towns)  Its similar to the israel situation, but i can def say that when i was in monsey/westchester this past Bain hazmanim, it was very annoying with the UB. Don't get me wrong i love it, but its not so usefull when i was in America, monsey is very spread out so in order to go to any store you have to drive, so theres a lot of in and out, ESP when picking up something from one store and something else from another, and a quick coffee from a third. Its def a hassle with a big stroller.

But i can say forsure, that here in IL you cannot be cheap on your stroller, since theres no card at all, you need something big and bulky that wont break and has a huge basket bec theres no where else your keeping your groceries on your way home. (A big complaint my wife always tells me she heard from the bugs in the neighborhood) :-)

[Dan]

When I say NYC I'm counting Brooklyn.
Nobody in Brooklyn drives to the grocery store, thus an UB is awesome.
And yet most people there have Bugaboos which has no basket space at all-not even for a regular sized diaper bag!

[MEIR613]

Thanks Dan and Rots5, I think in the beginning I am gonna go with a the Liteway plus (investment).

Even though during the week I won't be bringing up an down stairs, but definitely on Shabbos.

Also, I don't need it for shopping (I don't live in Brooklyn).

I will see what I need more down the line and make the decision then on the stroller.

[rots5]

When I say NYC I'm counting Brooklyn.
Nobody in Brooklyn drives to the grocery store, thus an UB is awesome.
And yet most people there have Bugaboos which has no basket space at all-not even for a regular sized diaper bag!

we are agreeing. Who cares Dan, that have the bugaboo. Ur missing the point, why does a guy who lives in Flatbush and works in his basement drive an escalade. Or why do ppl in arzie haberia pay more to live there for a smaller apt?! :-₪. They just do!

[Dan]

Thanks Dan and Rots5, I think in the beginning I am gonna go with a the Liteway plus (investment).

Even though during the week I won't be bringing up an down stairs, but definitely on Shabbos.

Also, I don't need it for shopping (I don't live in Brooklyn).

I will see what I need more down the line and make the decision then on the stroller.

Buy both, lifetime returns.  Decide later which if any to return.

[Mocha]

we are agreeing. Who cares Dan, that have the bugaboo. Ur missing the point, why does a guy who lives in Flatbush and works in his basement drive an escalade. Or why do ppl in arzie haberia pay more to live there for a smaller apt?! :-₪. They just do!

[efflpetzel]

When I say NYC I'm counting Brooklyn.
Nobody in Brooklyn drives to the grocery store, thus an UB is awesome.
And yet most people there have Bugaboos which has no basket space at all-not even for a regular sized diaper bag!

have news for u Dan, I live in Brooklyn and almost always drive to the grocery store, even in Brooklyn not everyone has a grocery store round the corner!