Reddit mentions: The best infant car seats

Look for a babywearing group in your area. You'll find lots of different carriers to try out and find something that is best for him. I find some of the carriers difficult to get on on my own, but there are tricks to each of them that you can learn at a meet-up. Also, YouTube is great for how-to videos. I would suggest something other than a Baby Bjorn. Boba, Beco, Tula, Ergo are just a few. I also love the ease of a padded ring sling (specifically I have a Maya Wrap ring sling). He might find the adjustments on a buckle carrier too much. But the ring sling is beautifully simple! And it is good from newborn through toddler.

I would imagine a number of ways to put baby down that are higher up (than the floor) would be helpful, like a Rock n Play sleeper

You might look for a car seat that is extra light to carry. The Maxi Cosi Micro is the lightest one that you can get.

And check out a good stroller. Whatever you do- get one that you can push with one hand! If you have a "baby boutique" type store nearby, you can go and check them out and see what will be best for your family. I suggest a higher end store than a Babies R Us because they can be extremely helpful in finding one that is a good fit and pointing out features that might be useful. Even if you don't buy one there, you can get ideas of things that might be helpful to look for. Some strollers have a more complicated folding system that require 2 hands while others are super easy and just require you to pull a strap.

I have a three-week old. Here's my very fresh advice.

A swaddling sleep sack is awesome. It's a straightjacket for newborns. Makes it easier to feed (hands don't get in the way), helps calm him/her down, and sleep longer. You can swaddle with just a small blanket, but our baby breaks out in no time. The sleep sack keeps her swaddled for much longer.

Don't buy a ton of newborn clothes. If you have lots of family, you may need to buy none. Put a hint in your announcement on facebook, or the email or whatever, that some baby clothes would be greatly appreciated. You'll get quite a lot. Send a family member to the local swap or big yardsale, and get even more cheap.

For a bassinet, we have this pack and play. It can be folded up in ~3 minutes, and it transforms to a crib later, so it will last a while.

Our hospital sent us home with some extra diapers, enough for 2 days. If yours does the same, that gives you time to run to the grocery store and buy a couple of packs of the same size. Don't go overboard, they grow quickly. This changing pad is cheap, and you can use it on the floor, table, bassinet, etc.

Don't be afraid to blatantly lean on any close by relatives for support. Cleaning, food, etc. They want to spend time with the baby, and they will help you out.

If the hospital has a lactation consultant and you're going with breastfeeding, try to make sure they stop by for at least one feeding. They're very knowledgeable and helped us out alot.

You're probably pretty terrified. I had 9 months to prepare and I wasn't sure I wanted to be a dad. It's amazing how quickly you will fall in love with your little poop machine. I can't stop staring into her little chubby face, and I can't wait until we get to the interactive stages. The care is time consuming, but it's not hard, you'll do fine.

We got this car seat and are happy with it easy to get into the car, easy to remove, you can buy extra bases for multiple cars. They make strollers that the car seat snaps into, so you don't have to take the baby out to swap.

My baby wants to be bouncing when she's awake. Constantly. The swing is only sufficient sometimes. A baby carrier is just the the solution for us. We wear her around and bounce on an exercise ball, or just walk around doing chores.

Before you leave the hospital you will need the carseat. Send a relative out to toy's-r-us to get it. You'll probably want the bassinet immediately too. Everything else you can acquire in the first two days. Save receipts and don't be afraid to return if the baby doesn't like it.

Congrats! My baby has yet to sleep in his crib, so I won't comment on that, but he did sleep wonderfully in a rock 'n play Can't praise it enough. Only problem is transitioning them out of it.

Other things I really like:

Car Seat: Chicco KeyFit Magic 30 Super easy to install and use.

Boon Grass I really like having a special drying rack for all of my bottles/pump parts/ect and I like this one because you can stick stuff anywhere and it's cute. Also comes with cute accessories.

Bath tub Baby seems to like it and it dries quickly and can be hung up.

If you're into babywearing, I have an Ergo 360 and a K'tan which I've found to be comfortable and easy to use.

Heck yeah you can ask! The crib we didn't get from amazon. We live in DFW and so have access to a Nebraska Furniture Mart. We ended up going with the Kalani brand from them because 1) it's cheap and 2) it came with the toddler rails already (we didn't get the full bed conversion kit, still undecided there). You can get it from Amazon, but it's more expensive and I'm not sure that the rails are included!

It's the same deal with the changer and dresser combo. We found it at NFM but you can still get it on Amazon

The bookshelf we had to get on Amazon. Everything in store was cheap quality or extremely expensive. Some were also way too tall and a kid could seriously hurt themselves on it. So, we ended up with this.

We also ended up getting the travel system on Amazon, too. We made sure to check it out in the store first but the price is the same and shipping was free so we figured, why not? I also really like this system because the stroller will fit the carseat BUT when she's too big for the carseat, I can still use it as a toddler stroller.

The mattress we ended up getting on Wayfair because it was cheaper and shipping was free. We seriously spent hours looking at mattresses and ended up just picking one. You can get a super cheapie at $20 or you can shell out over $300 for one. We ended up getting one that's decently priced (maybe even a bit cheap) but figured we'd rather start there and see how she tolerates it, rather than spend big bucks on a super expensive one. This also has really good reviews so definitely do your research and figure out what's best for you!

Let me know if there's anything else you need! I love shopping and we're doing a lot of it! :D

We got these and they are SO lightweight, but also grow with the kids. My 5 lb babies passed their car seat test in this and they’re nice quality and again, SO LIGHTWEIGHT. I can carry both of them at a time no problem :) this was the nicest gift we got!!

Safety 1st onBoard 35 LT Infant Car Seat (Monument) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073VRJMWK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fhYXCb0H4AVPN

**as an added bonus these work great with the bases, or if you’re switching cars a lot they are very secure if buckled in, which is very intuitive, easy, and doesn’t take as much space. I can’t get over how much I love these. I’ll get off my soapbox now.

First, take a breath. Everything is gonna be all right.

Unless you helped raise your siblings or work in a daycare, most people go into parenthood without much relevant experience. (I had absolutely none.) It's one of those things that you learn on the job.

You have 8 months until the kiddo arrives. Enjoy your last childfree days. Trust me, there will be times you miss them. Get as much sleep as you can now, because the lack of sleep is rough. For me, that was literally the hardest thing about having kids.

If she's not already there, very soon your wife is going to start having morning sickness. While my wifey was puking her guts out, she preferred for me to bring her a glass of water to gargle and drink afterwards, hold her long hair out of the way to keep it from getting messy, and gently rub her back. Find out what your wife likes.

Once she gets to her last trimester, keep a close eye on her health. That's when things can go really bad. (Mine nearly died from preeclampsia during her first pregnancy) She should be seeing her OB regularly -- at least weekly if she has any high risk factors.

Literally the first thing you'll need is a car seat. The hospital will not release your child unless you have one. We used this one which is a car seat and carrier, and has seperate stroller attachment.

After the kiddo arrives home, you need to have a nursery ready. To that end, you're going to need a crib, diapers, diaper cream, wipes, 2-3 baby blankets, and some onsies. (I got this one for my kiddos). I would highly recommend getting a diaper genie too. If you have family members who are retired, having them stay over during the first month or two is a good idea. You'll probably be too tired to cook or clean, so an extra set of hands is always useful. You might also want to stock up on lanolin cream, because breast feeding or pumping is very hard on the titties and has a tendency to tear them open.

The best places to buy infant clothing are Goodwill and Once Upon A Child. They grow so fast that you'll get maybe a month of use out of it before it's time to buy more.

You also need to have some idea of what you're going to do with the kiddo after your maternity/paternity leave is over. Is wifey going to be a stay at home mom, or are you going to put your kid in day care? If you go the daycare route, you need to spend the months before the kiddo is born finding one. Do research to find good ones in your area, then go on a tour. Once you find one you like, put your kiddo on the waiting list. (Yes, they have wait lists for day care, especially for the infant rooms.)

As far as general parenting tips, the first year is the hardest. If you're feeling overwhelmed, it's OK to put the baby down in his crib and let him cry, while you walk away for 15 minutes to clear your head. Until around 6-10 months, infants aren't very interactive. Once they're walking (10-12 months) and talking (12-24 months), they're a lot more fun.


Oh, I asked my wifey and here were her tips:

• Most insurance plans will give you a free breast pump, which you can order around the 6th month of pregnancy. Get one, preferably the Medallia double action, which is the cadillac of breast pumps)
  
  
• Subsribe to the "One Bad Mother" podcast on the Maximum Fun podcast network.
  
  EDIT: Oh, and you'll need bottles, a bottle brush, and a sterilizer. This is the sterilizer we use.

1. Lucie's List - it has a whole registry walk-through, reviews, and separates things by price.
   
   All car seats have to meet safety standards so you can really pick any one you'd like. More expensive seats will have a higher weight limit, nicer fabrics, and can be more comfortable.
   
   This is what I have and love:
   Chicco Keyfit 30
   
   Graco 4ever - We've moved onto this seat now.
   
   Baby Jogger City Mini (not actually a jogging stroller)
   
   Pack N Play w/bassinet
   
   Swing - I'm pretty sure we got this for $150 at BRU
   
   Edit: formatting

The laundry thing was the main driver in our choice to buy. It worked out for us because in our area we were able to get a mortgage payment lower than what it would've been to rent a place with private laundry. But obviously this isn't the case for everyone.

For what it's worth, I grew up in apartments and while it had many cons we turned out fine. If you guys plan to buy in the foreseeable future anyway, I wouldn't mess with the timeline if it'll cause financial strain. Baby won't remember starting off in an apartment. I would recommend upgrading to a washer/dryer unit though. You'll be doing so much laundry and having to babysit the communal machines so that no-one touches your stuff will get super old super fast.

On the parking issue, I've heard really great things about the doona for apartment living. Makes it really easy to transport between the car and indoors especially if you have a ways to walk between the two.

I had This car seat with my first and this base to go with it. Both worked really well and were super easy to use. We'll be using them both for our second too. We also have this stroller and I love it! I'm a big graco fan :)

I think what you want is a Doona. It’s a car seat with integrated stroller legs and wheels. When you need a car seat (with or without base), it’s that. When you’re out of the car and want a stroller, it’s that. Going from the car to the stroller mode, you just lift it out and drop the legs and wheels down like an EMT cart. Going from stroller mode to car, you just collapse it down and pop it into the car.

Super expensive (a lot of car seats and strollers and travel systems are, though), but I’ve heard friends rave about them for travel, and they seem to be perfect if you don’t own your own car and use a lot of Lyft/Uber/metro (it would be WAY easier to carry this down the stairs/escalator than to try to find an elevator for the actual stroller base!).

ETA: this is the video I was looking for to link for you!

>If it's tidy, in good looking condition, and a reputable brand, surely it's ok?

NO. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO. Absolutely not true. Many structural defects in a car seat from a crash or any other damage are not visible. You just can't know.

Definitely get a cheaper new car seat. Amazon has this one for $46.79 and this one for 49.99 and this one for 79.99.

They are all subject to the same testing and requirements as the car seats that sell for $100, $200, $300. Sure, the ones that cost more might look prettier, the cushion might be made of nicer material, they might be easier to install, it might be lighter, etc. However, safety wise the cheap ones are still completely safe to use.

If you want to save money, you can also just skip the infant car seat and go straight to a convertible car seat. Yes, these are more inconvenient in that you have to take the baby out of the car and leave the carseat in the car as opposed to carrying around the baby seat, but again, these are perfectly fine and safe. You also don't have to buy another car seat that rear faces. Instead of a seat only going to 22-26 lbs, the convertible ones generally rear face until 40 lbs and might forward face for even longer. This convertible seat could last until your child was 3-4 years old. For $67.37. This one could keep your child in a 5 point harness until 65 lbs (that's the average weight of a 7 year old). Hypothetically you could use this car seat until your child does not need another car seat. For $90. That's $13 per year.

Your child's safety is not worth risking over saving a few bucks - you know this already, so don't let the idea of saving a little bit of money get to your head and cloud your judgement.

I would highly recommend the Britax B-Safe. Its an excellent car seat that is a great product for the price (currently $130 on Amazon). There are a lot of accessories available for it and yes, you can buy extra bases (we have 3 all together ourselves).

We got a Chicco Keyfit30. Amazon doesn't seem to have the combination exactly of what we got available anymore, but these are different color versions of our choices:

Stroller

Seat

Extra base

The convertible seat we got is a Chicco NextFit Zip. I chose that one because it was consistently rated at the top of lists, and the cover zips out for cleaning. This is the exact car seat we have.

If you have a tiny car (prius, etc.) these seats might not work well for you. The convertible one does have a variety of recline positions to choose from so you can sit your kid a little more upright to make more room (if they're able to sit up, don't do this if your kid doesn't have good head/neck control) but it definitely isn't the most compact seat available. It is REALLY easy to install, though - we took kiddo with us while test driving cars since we have to replace our current vehicle in the next month or so. We popped the seat out of the truck, installed it easily in the vans we were driving, and were on our way. Took less than 5 minutes (it is rated as one of the easier seats to install on several of the comparison sites) from "I'll go get the seat" to putting the kid in it.

Edited to add: we moved kiddo to the convertible seat around 11 months, because he was constantly trying to sit up in his infant seat. He'd get really frustrated since it was such a recline. Car rides went from frustrated baby to happy kiddo as soon as we switched seats because he could look out of the window. Technically he's not too heavy for his infant seat even now (27.5 pounds at his 15 month appointment last month) but he is too tall for it (it goes up to 30 inches in height; he was 30.25" at his 15 month appointment.

I have a 2015 Toyota Tacoma access cab with a 72" bed. I put a rear facing infant car seat (with base) in the back center of the cab - no way it would fit behind one of the seats. It extends forward slightly and is wedged between the two front seats (which means I have to fold them forward to get the car seat out). I'm using the LATCH system with it and it works great by using the inside hook on the rear seats (left hook on the right rear seat and right hook on the left rear seat). Seems like the safest place in the truck.

My son is 12 months old now and I figure I'll have to upgrade the seat in a couple months. Not looking forward to that as it's already a tight fit.

This here

We're expecting in July and this would be the first item for our bundle of joy :) I can't believe how excited I am getting for this! Either way Happy New Year!

I am enrolled on Lucies list, which has recommendations on products. One that she recommended was the Graco Classic Connect http://www.amazon.com/Graco-Snugride-Classic-Connect-Infant/dp/B00BR0ON8M/ref=sr_1_1_m?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1406312661&sr=1-1&keywords=graco+classic+connect+car+seat.

I happened to be out shopping and saw the store had it and the matching stroller on sale, plus they had a credit card discount that day, so I got a really good deal on them. I put it together and really like it. It doesn't have a ton of frills or anything.

Stroller- http://www.amazon.com/Graco-Literider-Classic-Connect-Stroller/dp/B00H8MQ86S/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1406313029&sr=1-1&keywords=graco+literider+stroller+tinker

We went with the Peg Pergo 4/35. I like it for its safety ratings and that it wasn't made in China. We just installed it and it was super easy to do it correctly. I had it checked by a certified installer too. It can be used with or without a base and looks super easy to use when flying (a big plus for us). I'm not sure how much we will use the whole travel system, but we did get a stroller that will work with the seat.

For our baby we bought the Dooma car seat that is a car seat and stroller in one. It was more up front so we saved up to get it. But It was the best purchase we ever made. It is easy to bring her around in especially when you are busy healing at first. It goes up to 35 pounds. Once she is out of it we will by the convertible one where it grows with her.

https://www.amazon.com/Doona-Infant-Seat-Latch-Base/dp/B00UJ7EN66/ref=pd_cp_75_1?pd_rd_w=DTiNy&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=YMP8E7WYYMCT9ZBGAKHD&pd_rd_r=a039e596-36da-11e9-8361-31a05a5f3960&pd_rd_wg=2RZwA&pd_rd_i=B00UJ7EN66&psc=1&refRID=YMP8E7WYYMCT9ZBGAKHD

Yes! As a Dad of a 3 y/o and 6 month old, the rear facing car seat (a Chicco Key Fit 30) fits snugly but well! And a Graco toddler front facing seat sits alongside it in the back!

You'll appreciate having the rear-facing behind the passenger seat so that you don't have to compromise driver seat position. I've had the infant seat behind me and I have to limit how far back I can push the seat but it does still fit..

We regularly take the whole family places in the Spark EV, only problem is I can't fit the stroller that the car seat snaps into, so we have to decide if we will compromise with just an umbrella stroller and the 3 y/o walking.

I'll try to take a picture today when I'm home! Right now it's just the car seat base and the toddler front-facing.

Oh, good point! We did make sure that our car seat would fit in the particular planes we were flying in. We were able to use our infant car seat (FWIW, Graco SnugRide 30) without the base, but when we flew after he outgrew that we did have to buy a narrow car seat (again, FWIW, the Evenflo Tribute worked really well on the plane). As it happened, we needed a second car seat at that time anyway, but I'm not sure what we would have done if we hadn't.

For our daughter, we had a Maxi Cosi CabrioFix for her bucket seat and then bought a Clek Foonf for her convertible seat.

For this one, we will be getting the Maxi Cosi Mico Max 30. We chose this one for a couple reasons. Maxi Cosi is the only brand that we have an adapter for our stroller (we bought it when living in the UK so it's not like we can buy new adapters easily, and cheaper then buying a whole new stroller). Also, this particular seat goes up to 30lbs and 32in long. Our 2.5 year old is 30lbs and 34in long so in guessing we will get almost 2 years out of it. By that time, she will most likely be in a booster seat (she'll be 5 at that point) and with the longevity of the Foonf (expiry date of 9 years), this baby will be able to use the Foonf until he/she needs a booster. I do worry that it might be too big for our car but if the Foonf fit, this should fit as well.

We were fortunate enough to be gifted the Chicco Keyfit 30 system and the accompanying stroller frame. These things were THE BEST. The base installs in less than a minute and then you just plop the car seat in it and it clicks and secures into place. To get it out you just press in the little handle deal and it comes right out. Easy AF and such a time and back saver. Then if you get the stroller frame the seat will click into that the same way. It folds up with ease and has plenty of storage space. All the while not really having to disturb the little one. We used that shit ALL the time. Only downside is it's pretty expensive, but you're looking at a stroller, carseat and base that will last quite a while.

We went with the Baby Trend Sit n Stand double stroller. 9 months in and we love it. Their infant seats snap in and they are big enough to ride in it comfortably without their seats. Our only qualm with it is that the front seat is sort of shally but it doesn't bother our son at all.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003JTF2U2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_6SGPwbCHYBZE8

These are the infant seats that snap in to it.

Baby Trend Flex Loc Infant Car Seat
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003XT9Y7U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_AXGPwbZYMCKGZ

We got the Peg Perego 4-35. I wanted something with head protection and it was one of two that I found. Britax Elite was the other. We haven't used it yet, but I really like the way it looks!

https://www.amazon.com/Peg-Perego-Viaggio-Infant-Atmosphere/dp/B00J3KL4HG/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1466516443&sr=8-1&keywords=peg+perego+4-35

Carseat: Chicco Keyfit 30

That stupid baby wipe warmer thing I thought was a waste of money: actually awesome.

Yes
It is this one

https://www.amazon.com/Graco-SnugRide-SnugLock-Infant-Oakley/dp/B01MQHKVX3/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=graco+35&qid=1566562853&s=gateway&sr=8-3

The only slight downfall to the volts rear entry is the sloping roof line.
Once you figure out the entry and extraction method it’s fine.

Unless it's manufactured by the maker of your carseat for that carseat for use while driving (something like this) you shouldn't use any kind of aftermarket bunting while in a moving vehicle. Once you take the carseat out you're fine.

I have the Britax B-Agile which is 20% off MSRP right now on Amazon.

I pulled the trigger on a Graco infant car seat and extra base because that was the one I had tentatively put in my registry last week and today it's the cheapest it's ever been on Amazon: http://camelcamelcamel.com/Graco-SnugRide-Connect-Infant-Gotham/product/B00H8MQ4US

Now I'm checking price history on everything else I'd thrown in my registry to see if I need to buy anything else.

like this one ?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00AHVR4N8/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00JRYSGT2/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We bought the car seats piece meal, but very economical

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00H8MQ4US/ref=sxts1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1480086219&sr=1

For car seats we're looking to get this for general use and this one to grow into and keep in one of the cars.

For strollers we've decided on this one after going to the store and looking at a few different ones.

The infant seat fits into the stroller, so we'll be able to use those together until the baby is big enough to get out of the infant seat.

http://www.amazon.com/Britax-B-Safe-Infant-Seat-Black/dp/B008KCR7U6/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1420035085&sr=1-2

IF YOU THINK i AM LYING ABOUT CARSEATS SNAPPING OUT. thIS IS THE FIRST INFANT CARSEAT ON AMAZON.

SORRY BOUT CAPS, TOO FAR TO DELETE NOW.