Infant Car Seat-- need a recommendation!

[AmyL9]

I am in the beginning stages of looking for an infant car seat. After reading BB I was all set to go out and look for either the Century Smart Fit Plus or the Fisher Price Stay in View. THen I came here to learn they are discontinued. GRRRRRR! Anyone have any recommendations--- I am looking for a light weight car seat that can accomodate a heavier/longer baby (my husband is very tall and I am convinced our baby will be tall!) Any ideas?

Also are any of the infant car seats LATCH compatable yet?

Thanks for any advice!

Amy

[Momof3Labs]

All infant seats MADE after September 2002 must be LATCH compatible. They fill the shelves, although you can still find non-LATCH compatible seats.

The FP SIV is still available for a decent price, NIB, on eBay. Just look for the 5-pt harness (vs. the 3-pt harness). That's what we have, good thing because Colin is very tall (27" at 4 months). Otherwise check out the Evenflo Portabout - a brand new seat - I've heard that goes up to 29".

Lori & Colin 9/28/02

[Lisa_Seattle_2002]

Consider that by the time your babe is 26" or so (the limit for a lot of seats) they are heavy enough that you no longer really want to be carting them around in the infant seat! My DD Zoe just reached the limit of her infant seat (Graco SungRide) at 6 months and even though she's "only" 16 pounds hauling her around in that thing was killing me! (I am going to miss the convienance though.) Anyway, just a thought - higher limits may not really be that important. You'll find a ton of info on these boards. A lot of folks go with the Graco SnugRide - it was a great seat for us. The fact that you can adjust the harness easily from the front means that you really will do it every time you put baby in (and out) of the seat and that really increases the safety. I would prioritize that feature (along with 5 point harness). Another consideration is the ease of installation in your's and OTHER'S cars (friends', rentals, grandparents'). The SnugRide can be installed without the base just using a seatbelt (and locking clip) in just about any car. That made it really easy for vacations, babysitter, etc.
GOOD LUCK!
Lisa

[ham1299]

>Another consideration is the ease of installation in your's
>and OTHER'S cars (friends', rentals, grandparents'). The
>SnugRide can be installed without the base just using a
>seatbelt (and locking clip) in just about any car. That made
>it really easy for vacations, babysitter, etc.
>GOOD LUCK!
>Lisa

Hi Lisa,

Dh and I just got our Snugride carseat, and we love it. I hadn't realized that it could be installed without a base. That makes me even happier with my choice. One question, though, how? Our seat didn't come with any paperwork - should it have? Thanks for any info! :)

Heather
edd 6-16-2003

[danielleh]

The manual for the snugride is hard to find. It is in a holder on the bottom of the seat. To get to it, you have to remove the seat from the base by squeezing the red handle on the back of the seat. I do not know why Graco does not mention this anywhere; it took us a while to figure out how to separate the seat from the base.
Good luck,
Danielle
mom to Jimmy born 8/29/02

[suzette]

I make everyone I know buy a Stay in View from EBAY. It's by far THE BEST, most comfortable infant seat! My daughter was not a big baby when she was born (50th and 40th percentile in length and weight) and she grew out of the Snug Ride at 4 months!

[nicknack]

Does the SIV only come in that one pattern I always seem to see on Ebay?

[juliasdad]

And if the manual is not there, instructions are available on their website at www.gracobaby.com; and if you call them, they'll get a new set of instructions in the mail to you.

Yes, the SnugRide can be used without the base; in one of our cars, we pretty much had to do it that way because the seat took up so much room with the base that either the front passenger or driver would have to have their face up against the windshield to allow the infant carrier to fit!

We do like the SnugRide a lot. Julia outgrew it sometime after 4 months; 16 pounds and 26.5". Which is fine; as convenient as these things are, I'm not sure I'd want to go all the way to 20 pounds in one.

-dan

[ham1299]

Thanks, Danielle! I wouldn't have thought to check there!
I'll have to check when I get home. We did figure out how to get the seat off the base, but didn't look at the bottom of it! Thanks again! :)

Heather
edd 6-16-2003

[ham1299]

Dan,
Thanks, to you, too. Out of curiousity, what type of car is that? The reason I ask is we have two Neons, and I'm wondering if we're gonna have the same problem! If that's the case, then we probably shouldn't bother buying a second base! Thanks, again! :)

Heather
Expecting #1
edd 6-16-2003

[iammai]

Okay - I bought a Fisher Price Stay in View and I can't wait to use it :7 - but the only thing I'm concerned with is that is doesn't hook on to shopping carts or restaurant high chairs and it is not compatible with the Combi stroller with attachment that I intend to purchase. :(
Is there a way to work around these issues?

Thanks in advance for any info!!

Jessica
EDD 04/03/03

[joodyjr]

I used our SIV in shopping carts but instead of sitting it front to back, I placed it sideways in the cart. The narrow base fit right in and it didn't move at all.

I don't know what to tell you about the stroller, I just put my DD in the stroller and reclined it all the way back. She didn't like the car seat so I kept her in it as little as possible.

[ham1299]

Danielle,

Thanks again! Dh and I checked on the bottom of the carseat, and there they were! I never would have thought to look there. Thanks, again! :)

Heather
edd 6-16-2003

[Momof3Labs]

We also preferred to set the seat in the basket of the grocery cart - it felt so much safer.

It will sit on a restaurant high chair - none of the seats actually hook to the high chair. We did this once, but watched it really closely because we were afraid that someone would knock into him. We preferred to get a booth, and set the SIV on the seat of the booth - it was narrow enough to fit in there but still seemed safe enough.

Can't help you with the Combi. An alternative is to get the Kolcraft Universal Car Seat Carrier (it is compatible with the SIV) and switch to a nicer stroller once your baby is out of the car seat.

Lori & Colin 9/28/02

[iammai]

Thanks Lori and Jennifer! I will keep those suggestions in mind - and I did already think about getting the Kolcraft Universal car seat carrier or stroller... You just reinforced it for me!

Thanks

Jessica

[iammai]

When I bout my SIV off of Ebay there were at least two different patterns...

Jessica