starting to research car seats

[tnrnchick74]

And I tried to get info from the recommended site www.carseatdata.org

I have no idea what type or brand I'm planning on buying now, so I only put in my and my boyfriend's car info to see what the recommendations were for those models of vehicles. I keep getting the same message - "no results were found".... There are listings for my boyfriend's car, but not mine.

THEN I tried to put in a few of the carseats recommended to me...thinking maybe the site isn't set up to cross reference that many seats with a make/model/year of car. Even with ALL the info entered, there aren't any listings that come up.

Is there any info on the 2005 Nissan Sentra?? I'm wanting to buy a carseat that's recommended for both my car and my boyfriend's 2005 Tahoe.

Thanks!

[Joolsplus2]

That database is dependent on people to send in their own experiences, so it doesn't include all seats or all cars, unfortunately. Nissan has a compatibility site, but tends to only inlcude seats that fit in ALL positions. What kind of seat are you shopping for? Infant? Convertible? I think we can probably recommend just 'the one' for you :) (most seats fit in most cars, fortunately!)
:)

[tnrnchick74]

I'm thinking about an infant car seat/carrier with a stroller frame setup instead of the "travel system" for the first 6-9 months. Like I said, I'm in the beginning stages of researching...but Graco snugride, of course, seems to be a great value with good safety ratings. The baby will be riding in my car just as much as boyfriend's car...so buying an addition al base is a must.

Or course no carseat is safe is it doesn't fit well into your car...hence wanting to research and look at seats that fit BOTH our cars equally. If another type of car seat will work BETTER than an infant carrier/car seat, then I'm not opposed.

Make sense or am I just rambling??

[Joolsplus2]

Not rambling at all :). Graco's a good brand. One thing that would push me more towards the Safeseat Step 1 (SS1) over the Snugride is that you'll probably want to put it in the middle of your car, and the seatbelt there is going to be a pain to deal with with the Snugride base. The SS1 is VERY easy to install with a seatbelt (it has a built in lockoff on the base, while the Snugride may require using a 'locking clip' which is a pesky beast to use). If you are only going to use the LATCH system (which is only on the side seats in your car), then the Snugride is fine.

I'd also hop by the stroller board, because most stroller aficionados don't love the Graco strollers (they are kind of bulky and plasticy and have smallish seats), so you might want to start with a much more compact 'stroller frame' like a Snap N Go or Snugrider or Maclaren Traveler... they are strollers without the seats and are MUCH more compact and easy to get in and out of the trunk than a metrolite or quattro tour, but still have big baskets and are reasonably able to handle full day outings. After you have the baby awhile and decide what you really need a stroller for (gravel paths? sidewalks? malls?), then you can shop for one with a seat on it :)

Edit: and the extra bases for either the snugride or SS1 are easy to purchase separately, so you can have one in each car. The SS1 fits most kids 15-20 months, the Snugride fits 9-15 months, depending on how fast the kiddo grows.

[tnrnchick74]

Not rambling at all :). Graco's a good brand. One thing that would push me more towards the Safeseat Step 1 (SS1) over the Snugride is that you'll probably want to put it in the middle of your car, and the seatbelt there is going to be a pain to deal with with the Snugride base. The SS1 is VERY easy to install with a seatbelt (it has a built in lockoff on the base, while the Snugride may require using a 'locking clip' which is a pesky beast to use). If you are only going to use the LATCH system (which is only on the side seats in your car), then the Snugride is fine.

I'd also hop by the stroller board, because most stroller aficionados don't love the Graco strollers (they are kind of bulky and plasticy and have smallish seats), so you might want to start with a much more compact 'stroller frame' like a Snap N Go or Snugrider or Maclaren Traveler... they are strollers without the seats and are MUCH more compact and easy to get in and out of the trunk than a metrolite or quattro tour, but still have big baskets and are reasonably able to handle full day outings. After you have the baby awhile and decide what you really need a stroller for (gravel paths? sidewalks? malls?), then you can shop for one with a seat on it :)

Edit: and the extra bases for either the snugride or SS1 are easy to purchase separately, so you can have one in each car. The SS1 fits most kids 15-20 months, the Snugride fits 9-15 months, depending on how fast the kiddo grows.

Thanks! Yeah, definately looking at the stroller frame INSTEAD of a "real" stroller...until later! My SIL got a Graco travel system for my nephew and that's been her biggest advice - DON'T get it because she HATES the stroller.

We will probably use the LATCH systems in both our cars...

And I just started looking at the SS1...I think we will end up with that instead of the Snugride...it will last longer (hopefully) and from the pics looks to be the one that is easier to adjust from the front.

But if anyone has any other ideas of brands to look at, I'm all ears!!!

[Joolsplus2]

Chicco Key Fit is also *divine*...my fave carseat of all time... :D
Check out my parade of carseats page http://picasaweb.google.com/joolstag/LeahInCarseats

(and yeah, hello, someone else chime in! :))

(and ps, shop for bargains, I got the SS1 and KF for $100 each, no need to pay MSRP if you are shopping early...)

[elektra]

I got the Chicco Key Fit and have been really happy with it. I also read in one of the stroller posts that it works with the Maclaren Easy Traveller.
If I could do things all over again, I would have still gotten the KeyFit but would have gotten the Maclaren stroller frame instead of my P3, at least for the beginning.

[tnrnchick74]

Thanks for sharing those pics! And for everyone's advice. I will definately check out the Chico key fit as well as the Graco SS1. I can't believe your daughter was still in that seat so long!!!

[Kindra178]

FYI - to OP: If you live in a city and plan on taking cabs, the Chicco Key Fit cannot be installed in a car without a base. That was a non-starter for me, unfortunately.

[tnrnchick74]

FYI - to OP: If you live in a city and plan on taking cabs, the Chicco Key Fit cannot be installed in a car without a base. That was a non-starter for me, unfortunately.

Not a problem for us as we are suburban dwellers and do not take cabs, but it might be important for someone else reading this thread!!!

[o_mom]

FYI - to OP: If you live in a city and plan on taking cabs, the Chicco Key Fit cannot be installed in a car without a base. That was a non-starter for me, unfortunately.

Actually it can. Both the original KeyFit22 and the KeyFit 30 can be installed with just a seatbelt.

[Joolsplus2]

Yes, the Key Fit installs brilliantly without a base...they just put the cover over the belt guides for aesthetic reasons (newer ones have the belt guides sticking out) (it's the Compass and the Evenflo Embrace that require the base, these days, BTW)

:)

[sivan]

YES IT CAN!!!! We do it all the time- especially with the 2008 models the belt path is exposed!

[Davids-Coco]

I loved our Britax Companion. It has held up really good... especially considering that it is in its 16th month of consecutive use (our friends have it now since they knew the history of the seat and knew it was ok).Its worth taking a look at.

I also found picking them up and carrying them around for a while was a good way to test it. Some of them weigh the same or more/less by a couple pounds but FEEL like they weigh so much more! If you are going to be carrying it, you want it to be fairly comfortable to carry.