Car seat questions for a mom who doesn't have a car

[CBB]

My GF, who is due in december, lives in NYC and doesn't have a car. She uses the subway mostly and very occasionally takes cab. She was told by the hospital that she is required to have a car seat before leaving the hospital. She was planning on not getting a car seat before she found out about this. How do people who don't have cars do it? She doesn't want to buy something that she would only get a little use out of. I don't think that an infant seat would be a big deal since she can also use it as a carrier. What happens when the baby outgrows the infant seat? Would she have to carry a convertible with her when she rides a cab - I just can't imagine carrying a baby, a convertible car seat and all the baby stuff. I really have no clue and hope that I can get some answers here.

TIA!

[o_mom]

I would tell her to get a Graco Safeseat. It is an infant carrier that goes to 30 lbs. Most kids will get to 18-24 months in it before outgrowing it on height. After that she can look at some of the harness type products out there like the Tote-n-go, for cab use and something inexpensive like a Cosco Scenera for any times she may ride in a car. Also, the Scenera is quite light, so it is not impossible to hang it off a stroller and use in cabs.

Sounds like she will need a very good stroller, so send her over to the stroller board! :-)

[CBB]

Thank you so much O Mom. I've never heard about Graco Safeseat - is this a fairly new product? I had no idea that there was a infant carrier that goes to 30lb. She's leaning towards the Zippy stroller which is what I had because of the one-hand fold. Do you know if the Graco Safeseat is compatible with Zippy stroller? Thank you so much again!

[Kat_Mom2D_J_andRuthie]

yes... and it will fit on the zippy... the snugride does, so the safeseat will, too, as it fits on everything the snugride does.

and the keyfit will go to 30lbs when the new ones come out in feb... giving a lot more options for the urban mom.

but if she really wants to make it easy on the subway, I'd go with the Maclaren easy traveller first... it's just a maclaren frame that holds the carseat.

it'll be a lot lighter weight to haul around (don't know if she has stairs) and to load in and out of cabs or to sling over her shoulder (with carry strap) when carrying her diaper bag (tell her to definitely go the skip hop route, because it will be compact, attach to stroller, and have great storage and organization) and the infant seat onto the subway.

I'm not a NYC or big city mom, but trust me, I've thought about it enough... lol... cause it definitely would take planning and DH just finished his graphic design degree... so we might end up having to move to a big city.

[o_mom]

The SafeSeat is fairly new, maybe a year at the most. It is slightly more than a Snugride, but not too expensive ($110-150).

Sound like it will fit in the Zippy, but I would ask on the Stroller board what they reccomend. Those gals really know their strollers! :-)

[jhrabosk]

It's true. I delivered DD in an NYC hospital and my doc told me a story about a mom who lived in the building NEXT DOOR to the hospital. They made her take the baby out in a car seat. No kidding.

Honestly, until she's sure she needs a car seat, can she borrow one? It's just not necessary or practical as a carrier. I hauled my DD around in her infant seat one day and it was a huge hassle. I would recommend borrowing a Snugride from someone to get home from the hospital and investing in a good stroller and soft carrier (sling, wrap, Bjorn, etc).

[Kat_Mom2D_J_andRuthie]

oh, and for cabs, the safeseat can be used without the base.

[CBB]

You guys are awesome! I will suggest Safeseat and carseat carrier to her. I'm not sure if she can find someone to borrow an infant carrier from. What happens after the baby outgrows the Safeseat? If they occasionally need to take a cab, will they have to haul a convertible or is there any other easier yet safe way around it?

[Papooses]

Infant carseats usually fit into strollers & can be quite easy for subway transportation. Also, many infant seats are able to install without the base for use in taxis.

The new Sunshine Kids Radian convertible is also foldable -- the backpack can hold the carseat & diaper bag essentials plus mom's wallet, etc. ... the backpack might fit inside of a stroller, too.

This is how I would do it as a single mom around NYC if my daughter were younger -- she's 4 & it was difficult before the Radian came out, but I managed....