Best infant car seats according to redditors
We found 47 Reddit comments discussing the best infant car seats. We ranked the 27 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 47 Reddit comments discussing the best infant car seats. We ranked the 27 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
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.
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:
EDIT: Oh, and you'll need bottles, a bottle brush, and a sterilizer. This is the sterilizer we use.
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.
I have the Britax B-Agile which is 20% off MSRP right now on Amazon.
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
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.
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.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DGQFSVH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_fay4DbTENCFCA
And there's a $50 off coupon you click on and the discount shows up when you go to check out
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!
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).
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.
Car seats don't have to be expensive. These are what we've got and used for the past few years. You can upgrade down the line if you get a long term placement and discover extra features you could use.
https://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-Nurture-Infant-Seat-Confetti/dp/B06XKWHSJ1/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=infant+car+seat&qid=1574645170&sprefix=infant+car&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/Cosco-Convertible-Seat-Black-Arrows/dp/B00PNXI5PQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?keywords=toddler+car+seat&qid=1574645241&sr=8-14
https://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-Sport-High-Booster-Arcadia/dp/B07GHLCH13/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?keywords=high+back+booster+seat&qid=1574645298&sprefix=high+bac&sr=8-9
https://www.amazon.com/Cosco-Topside-Backless-Booster-Seat/dp/B006ZISVSO/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=high+back+booster+seat&qid=1574645298&sprefix=high+bac&sr=8-1
I'd look hard at this one. It's the easiest to install base that I've come across. Use the center seat latch points and it will install correctly in under a minute. The downside is it's large, but should still fit depending on your seat position. Then call your local fire department and schedule an appointment to have them verify installation if you've never done it before. It's worth it.
https://smile.amazon.com/2018-UPPAbaby-MESA-Infant-Seat/dp/B01NBMKNHV/
Extra base
https://smile.amazon.com/UPPAbaby-0262-MESA-Base/dp/B00TES30F6
Son is 17 months old. We have -
One infant bucket seat that he used until we switched him at 10 months old (though he still fit and probably could have stayed in it another few months).
Three bucket bases (one comes with the seat, so we only had to get two extra). One in my car, one in my husband's. One in my mother's.
Three Convertible Carseats (One Chicco NextFit iZip in my car and one in my husband's, as well as a Graco Extend2Fit in my mom's car.)
We also purchased another convertible car seat for travel only for our recent out of state flight.
Eventually we'll be needing to get... probably... three high back car seats and then three booster seats - but that's way down the line. I haven't researched these because... I'm just so done dealing with car seats already, but I'm wondering if the convertibles we do have can take the place of the high back. But that's future Ernie's issue to figure out.
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
Carseat: Chicco Keyfit 30
That stupid baby wipe warmer thing I thought was a waste of money: actually awesome.
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.
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
Sure: https://www.amazon.com/2018-UPPAbaby-MESA-Infant-Denny/dp/B077JT3Z2C/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=amazon+denny+uppababy+mesa&qid=1550430382&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull
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 :)
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.
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
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.
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.
There are some products that exist to combat this, to the contrary of most of the posts in this thread.
Here is a car seat that alerts when a child is left in the car or unbuckles themselves, among other things:
https://www.amazon.com/CYBEX-Sirona-SensorSafe-Lavastone-Black/dp/B0782169Y7
This one activates when a rear door is opened prior to ignition - in which case it is assumed that a pet or a child may be in the back seat. After turning the car off, you have an audible warning and 40 seconds to press a button in the rear of the vehicle, or the horn starts honking.
https://www.amazon.com/Ride-Remind-Reminder-Professional-installation/dp/B018RLACN8
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 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.
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.
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.
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!
like this one ?
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
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.