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Old 06-27-2009, 07:22 PM
 
149 posts, read 828,690 times
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I and my DH are looking for car seat for our coming baby.Convertible car seat sound like a good idea, but some of my friends told me it is not safe enough for Newborn baby.Anyone has suggestions?
And what brand of car seat is the best?
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Old 06-27-2009, 08:09 PM
 
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The hard thing is not knowing how large/small your baby will be at 3, 6, 12 months etc. I had two babies, one was average (under 20lbs at 12 months), the other was 20 lbs at 6 months. What do you do with a 6 months old baby who's outgrown the infant seat?

I had the convertible car seat for the first small baby, and yes, in the first 6 months she just wasn't filling in the seat, it was a pitiful sight. This convertible car seat went like a hot cake when I was selling it, to a large-sized couple who had a large-sized 6 months old baby.

And I had a normal infant car seat for the second baby and he was bursting out of the seat by 6-9 months.

If they make nice inserts nowadays for convertible seats, go with them since it's better to have extra space just in case of a large child. But if you have a travel system, I don't know how compatible convertible seats are with them.
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Old 06-28-2009, 12:31 AM
 
Location: Sacramento
2,568 posts, read 6,728,290 times
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You'll have to buy a convertible seat sooner or later. The decision you have to make is whether to get the infant seat first. Here are some pros and cons.
Pro - you can take the baby in an out of the car without waking him/her up
Pro - you do not have to worry the carseat gets too hot or too cold in the car since you take inside with you.
Pro - Some babies like the smaller space. My dd slept on her infant seat for a couple of months. She hated her crib.

Con - bulky and heavy
Con - extra cost

Consumer reports car seat reviews are free to read at their website.
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Old 06-28-2009, 07:53 AM
 
2,839 posts, read 9,953,621 times
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I found the infant seats easier to use with a newborn... no waking up a sleeping baby to bring him or her into the house, and easy to use in the top of a shopping carriage in the early months, especially if the baby is sleeping.

A convertible carseat is safe for a newborn baby, as long as they're not under 7 lbs or so. Some carseats start at 5 lbs, and that should work for any newborn baby, even a preemie, who is strong enough to leave the hospital.

Congratulations on your baby to be!
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Old 06-28-2009, 09:10 AM
 
Location: Hillsborough
2,825 posts, read 6,902,871 times
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Another advantage of the infant seat is that if you have two cars you only need to buy one seat and two bases for the seat, but you would need two whole seats for the convertible seat unless you are going to take it in and out each time, which is a major pain. But, you'll probably eventually need a convertible seat anyway, so now you have to buy 3 seats instead of 2 if you get the infant seat first.

My first is/was very small and stayed in her infant seat until 18 months or so, but I still needed a convertible seat, which she is still in at 3 yo. We were able to stagger the costs though by getting a convertible seat for one car and leaving her infant seat in the other for a while, and then buying the second convertible seat later.

For my second, I would have just gotten convertible seats and not bothered with the infant seat, but since we already have the old infant seat we are just using that until she outgrows it. I don't like taking the infant seat in and out of the car every time. I'd actually prefer to just take the baby - the seats are so bulky and heavy to carry.
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Old 06-28-2009, 06:08 PM
 
Location: here
24,873 posts, read 36,018,060 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hhe1982 View Post
I and my DH are looking for car seat for our coming baby.Convertible car seat sound like a good idea, but some of my friends told me it is not safe enough for Newborn baby.Anyone has suggestions?
And what brand of car seat is the best?
read all about the exact seat you want to get, and it will say what age and weight it is ok for. I would start with an infant carrier seat because there are many instances where you will need a place to set the baby (friends house, church, restaurant, shopping cart, etc.) My son even slept in is car seat every night for the first several weeks.
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Old 06-28-2009, 10:11 PM
 
371 posts, read 1,561,964 times
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I've been told by many police officers that install car seats, an infant needs to be in a infant car seat facing backwards as long as possible....the best car seat and the only one I use is the Graco Snugride....3 different police stations suggested this one.
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Old 06-28-2009, 10:38 PM
 
266 posts, read 863,999 times
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Well i had an 8.11 lb baby and he had a serious growth spurt through the first 7 months. That being said i had an infant car seat and used that probably till he was about 8 months old. It came in extremely handy. If he fell asleep in the car i wouldn't have to wake him up to get him out of the car seat. It also came in handy when i went shopping or went out to eat. When i bought a convertible seat it was mostly because i knew he was growing too much for the infant car seat. the convertible seat i did purchase said it could be used from 5 lbs up. If buying a convertible seat make sure to get one that goes rear and forward facing. My son is 12 months old now and he is still rear facing in his seat and will continue to be until he reaches 35 inches and or 30 lbs.
If i had another baby i would def buy the infant seat first. It was just more convenient and i liked how it just plugged right into the matching stroller.
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Old 06-28-2009, 11:31 PM
 
2,542 posts, read 6,887,186 times
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I, too, am in favor of the infant seat because of it's portability. My sons were both born in late autumn and we lived in very cold areas. The infant seat allowed me to keep the seat warm in the house (not only adding comfort for my child, but also putting less stress on the plastic), it also allowed me to cover the carseat totally before leaving the house, so my baby did not breathe in the brutally cold air as much. This was crucial with my first son when we experienced over a month of -20 degrees every morning (at least) and many, many days where it did not get over 0 degrees for the whole day. We didn't have a garage, so it would have meant staying home a lot. Obviously, my situation was a bit extreme, but something to think about.

I chose the Graco Snugride both times, as well. I really enjoyed them and they rated out highly, especially for the pricepoint. I know of several people who swear by Britax--and I think they rate out high, too--but that brand costs too much for our income. If you choose to go with an infant seat and you find two or more seats that fit your requirements, do a carrying-test. Strange as it sounds, but a baby plus seat really starts to weigh a lot after awhile and you will want a seat with a comfortable handle. Our first Snugride had an awesome handle design, which sadly went away when we purchased a new one four years later.
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Old 06-29-2009, 10:28 AM
 
3,422 posts, read 10,868,129 times
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I had a convertible with my first and I really missed having the portability. With #2 and #3, I used a Graco Snugride 5pt. With #4, I bought the Graco SafeSeat (higher weight and height limits). I recommend the Graco SafeSeat. He is now in a Britax Marathon RF but he can still fit in the SafeSeat and he will turn two in July.
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