Infant car seat vs convertable car seat?

Hi ladies!

Mods can you link this to the first year page?

I was wondering whether it's better to have a infant car seat when twins arrive, or would a convertable car seat be better?

I'm having a bit of confusion deciding upon the two. The convertable car seat would save us money in the long run, but is it safer for newborns to be in a infant car seat?

Please help!!

Also what make of car seats were you happy with? Most car seats I've seen are made of synthetic materials which I would think would make the babies very hot?

Thank you for any advice!

Denise

 

I think both are safe if they are used properly and the babies meet the size criteria.

I thought the same thing at first, about convertibles saving money in the long run. Then my mom (who has 15 yr old twins) pointed out how much easier it would be to get out with them with the infant carriers. Without them, I'd have had to hold them or use the stroller EVERYWHERE.

She also thought convertibles would get pretty dirty and gross if we tried to use them for 3+. Now that we've been using the convertibles for about 2 years, I think she was right!

 

If you are looking to save money then go straight for the convertables. if you are looking for convience then you DEFINATLY want the infant seats along with a stroller they can snap into. We used the Graco Snugrides for all of our kids and then moved to Evenflo Triumphs

 

I agree with the others...both are VERY safe....but SOOOOOOO much easier with the infant seats when they are little!! How many times did I take them out of the car in their seats while they were sleeping and just left them in there when I got in the house?? Way easier than having to take them out of seats and get them in the house and into a pack and play or crib and hope they don't wake up!!

But if you are looking to save money then go with the convertible from the start!!!

I used the Graco snugride infant seats and loved them!! The convertible seats are Evenflo and they are great too! One of my friends has the same one for her twins and my brother has the same one for his little dude!!! I did a ton of research before I bought anything! I wanted safe safe safe! What parent doesn't??

 

Both are equally safe. My only concern would the potential of your babies not weighing enough for the convertibles. When I brought my girls home from the hospital, they were 4lb6oz and 4lb15oz. My convertible seat lower limit was 5lbs. They would not have been able to ride in those. In fact, Mandi didn't break 5lbs for a few weeks!

The carriers are just SO much easier to work with. Unsnap, grab and GO!

If money is seriously tight, go with convertibles but I would sooner go without a PNP than the infant carriers!

We used the Snugride as well. We graduated to the Evenflo Triumph which was great. When insurance paid to replace our seats, we bought Marathons (higher height and weight limits than the Triumph but equally safe).

 

So as far as convertibles, are the Evenflo Triumphs safer/better than any Graco or other convertible? We have the Snugrides to start with, but I'm wondering about the convertibles for the future. Karis has some kind of Graco convertible right now.

As far as the O.P.'s question, we used an infant seat for DD and then switched to the convertible. That's what we plan to do with these babies as well. It did seem rather handy and my DH is especially all about convenience.

 

This drove me crazy. I finally decided to go with the Graco snug ride infant car seats, and then got the babytrend double snap and go stroller. I thought it was more convenient because of the stroller situation. If I'm not mistaken the Graco duoglide comes with one infant carseat so if you just buy that and one infant car seat that may be a way to save some money. It was really confusing. Finally I just said screw the money I will get the bigger carseats when they grow out of these. Then I ended up getting 4 infant carseats at my shower so I was able to exchange two of them. I lucked out!

 

I went straight to the convertable seats, they are still rear facing at 6 months old, and i dont plan on turning them around anytime soon they are still very small for their age.

 

We also did the infant car seat with the double snap-n-go initially and it was well worth it. As others have said being able to take the babies into the house a leave them if they are still asleep - great. The other added benefit was that when they started solids and we were at my parents or a friends we could just put them in the carseats with the handle back to feed them. They are now in convertables - Ben became way too long for the other seat and I discovered that there was no way I could have them in different seats - getting to/from the van was challenging enough - that Chloe had to move as well. I do miss the ease of the infant seat. You can always sell them afterwards.

 

We only used our carriers for 4.5 months, but they were soooo worth it! They made getting out and about much easier!!!! We had the Graco Snugrides and were very happy with them.

 

I prefer the infant carrier for newborns but be prepared that even with the carriers it is possible for a baby to not be able to use it when first born. Kayla failed the car seat test and had to be in a car bed for the first 4 weeks until she did pass the test!

 

I'd say go for the infant carriers with the snap n go (or a full stroller that accepts the carriers) as alot of the other ladies have said. It's so much easier when they're new to get them situated in the house and then go out to the car. Also, once you get them in the seat you won't want to have to do it all over again to move them to a stroller especially if they're asleep, and then again when you get back to the car. Once they can hold themselves up a bit it's alot easier to carry them and get them in/out of the bigger seats because they're not so 'floppy'

The other convenience I found with the snap n go is that if you're not sure what you're looking for in a stroller then it's good to use until you decide on one because it's light and pretty cheap. I still use mine for shopping alot of the time and I'm kind of sad we'll have to stop using it. DS is over 17 lbs and is getting too heavy for me to lug around in the carrier so right now it's getting used like a convertible most of the time anyway so we'll be switching soon.

 

I went straight to the convertables and it wasn't to bad with moving them around when sleeping. I used a snugli (those front carrier things) so I could bring both babies out at the same time and a side by side stroller I put them in. I did have an infant carrier that we bought used (but don't know if it was in an accident or not so would not use it in the car) but I would put a baby in there also just to be able to carry them both two and from the car. It wasn't to bad but it is easier with the infant carriers (I was given one for my son). We are still using our convertables 4yrs later (my son is in it now so we plan on using it for a few more years for him) and they are still in good shape. We got the Cosco, Eddie Bower ones, they aren't to bad but the straps do get twisted a lot but other than that I like them.

 

Infant seats!! I wouldn't have cared if they were $500 each- I would've found a way to buy them It's sooooo much easier to move 2 sleeping babies from car to store to car to house with the infant carriers. We have the Graco Snugrides & a double Snap-n-go stroller. My girls are getting close to 7 months & we still have a few more inches & pounds to go before they're out of them. I'll be sad when we have to move them to the convertable seats- it's soooo much easier while they're in the carriers.

 

quote:
We are still using our convertables 4yrs later (my son is in it now so we plan on using it for a few more years for him)

You might want to check into the seats manufacture date, I believe car seats have a 6 year expiration meaning if your girls used them for 4 years, your son would only be able to use it for 2 years before you would need a new one for him.

 

The infant car seats are a real lifesaver, trust me! We loved them! They are just so convenient when you are trying to get them around in thst first 6months to one year. Check on ebay or craigslist and see if anyone is selling them used or check a local twin mom's group sale (they should have them starting now in Spring). We got convertible seats from BJs (Costco or Sams Club in the same thing) for about $40 a piece.

 

If you want to save money, see if any friends have infant carriers they would give you. We were given 2- they don't match, but I figure we won't be using them that long. One of the seats even came with a Graco duoglide stroller from a friend. We know where both snugrides came from and that they were not in any accidents, so I just decided to use them to save money and we will buy the convertibles when it is time.

 

I would have went batty with out an infant carrier when I just had 1!!!! We had a graco snugride & I bought a second matching one for the twins. The nice thing is that the newer snugrides... most made in the last 2 years... go up to 22lbs & 29", so a 'average' size kid... or one that is in the 50% for height & weight can use them until they are 11-12 months old. So you get much more life out of them then you did with the older ones (they only go to 20lbs & 26inches... which would only last about 7 months)

I know I won't most likely carry them around after 6 months but they are just as safe & can be left in the car. & I still have the option of leaving them in the seat to bring inside when they are asleep. The other cool thing is that graco has come out with a cool new swing that works with the infant seats.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5459197

As for convertables... with my son we had a few because we had 3 vehicles. Though I liked the evenflo ones & 2-3 years ago they rated CR best buy I will NEVER buy another one. I don't like the strap adjuster system... & the cheaper ones have the doubled over straps. But what I did NOT like is you can not get the straps out of most models to wash them!!!! & when a little one pukes in their seat the straps need washed.

I have come to really like the Cosco/Eddie Bauer/Saftey 1st line of Alpha Omega Seats... They are all made by the same company... just different fabric. This year & I think last year they were CR best buy. Saftey wise they have rated up with the Britax. As for the straps... most of the affordable seats have a tendancy to twist. I just make sure they aren't twisted each time... then they never really end up twisted because of it. I also love that they are a 3-in-1 they go up to 35lbs rear facing (2lbs higher then the britax) Then they can do 22-40lbs forward facing, then you can take the harness out & they can go 40-100lbs as a high back belt postioning booster!! Its honestly all you need until they are done with their seat. Not bad if you consider you can go to walmart & get both the infant seat & the convertable seat for $200 & you will be set, that & you know you have some of the safest seats on the market.

 

Both infant and convertable weights start at 5 lbs(read your labels ladies) there is only one carseat that isn't a carbed that fits a baby under 5lbs and that is the Britax companion. If I had it to do over again I'd have bought the convertables first because my girls were never really comforable in the infant carseats.

 

Thank you for all the much appreciated advice!!

Denise

 

The infant seats and a stroller they will snap into will be a sanity saver for you when they are litte. We had infant seats up until the age of 10 months, then moved them to convertibles. Worth the extra money, in my opinion, although we received all the seats at our shower.

 

We started in convertibles and I don't regret it. To me, carrying a 6 pound baby is much, much easier than a 26 pound baby + carrier. I used my stroller a lot when I went out alone and I moved them from carseat to stroller and back without issue. If they were sleeping, they'd barely open an eye and go right back to sleep.

When considering whether to get infant seats, I also wondered how long we would be able to use them given my family tree of tall, long-bodied people. The answer for us would have been 5 months with much of that being Winter when we didn't go out often anyway. I think I would have felt like we had wasted money on the carrier seats.

 

We used the infant car seats (Graco Snug Ride FWIW) and had a double Snap n Go stroller and since have installed booster seats in two vehicles. I can't imagine the first year without the infant car seat carriers, and the Snap n Go. But I'm sure we've spent extra money for it.