car seat suggestions for twin preemies

[mommyoftwo]

I'm 21.5 weeks pregnant with twin girls and due to complications we know they will probably be born at around 34 weeks if not earlier. My girls were quite small (6 lbs) at full term and grew slowly so I expect these babies to be pretty tiny for quite a while. It's been 7 years since Linnea was born so I feel like a complete newbie all over again. We have a 2012 town & country minivan and the plan is to move the girls to the back and put the twins in the middle bucket seats. What are my best bets?

[jjordan]

The Combi Coccoro is terrific for teeny tinies, but it's not a bucket. There is a Combi stroller frame for it, but I don't know if it fits in any double strollers.

Here (http://carseatblog.com/9813/recommended-carseats-for-preemies-multiples-carseatblogs-list-of-best-bets/) is a list of recommendations for preemies & multiples from carseatblog. Note that although the original entry was from May 2011, the list of recommended seats was updated in July 2012. :)

[♥ms.pacman♥]

i didn't have twins but for my preemie DD (34-35 weeker) i really liked the Chicco Keyfit 30. I had a relatively new Graco Snugride 22 from my DS but after DD was born and was in the NICU i had DH go out and buy the Chicco Keyfit ...the hospital nurses recommended that one for preemies since it has a lot of built-in support for smaller babies (and keyfit is good for babies 4 lbs and up..i think Snugride they have to be at least 5 lbs)

[twowhat?]

Mine weren't preemies and did fine in the Snugride but I researched this too, knowing my chances of having preemies was way high and the general consensus is (as PP stated) that the Chicco Keyfit is a great choice.

Eat as much protein as you can before now and when the babies are born! As in, if you can stomach it seriously eat as much meat as you can handle - protein and fat are good. Eat lots of milkshakes, and fast food is A-OK too (it's a great source of high protein and fat:))

Best of luck!

[mommyoftwo]

Thanks for the suggestions and info. I'll definitely start with checking out the keyfit and then look at the others suggested on carseatblog.com. I've been so scared of losing one or both of the babies (I've already been on bed rest for 10 weeks due to multiple blood gushing episodes and complete placenta previa among other issues) that I couldn't get myself to think about them actually making it home. In the last week or so I've started to feel more confident about bringing home two babies and suddenly I'm panicking about having to do all my research and order things in the next 12-14 weeks.

I'm doing my best to eat as much meat and protein as possible but I had nausea and vomiting the entire pregnancy with both girls (severe hyperemesis with Linnea) and so far this pregnancy has been the same although the severity is not so bad that I'm losing weight. With the help of anti-nausea drugs I've been able to keep enough down to gain weight (a surprising amount considering how little actually stays down some days). I might feel miserable but it seems the babies are getting what they need at least for now. At this point I eat whatever I think I can keep down which has included a lot of fast food since I can't get up to cook and DH is completely clueless in the kitchen.

Thanks again for the help!

[twowhat?]

Oh goodness - I can't imagine how rough that is for you. Sending lots of mojo that the rest of the pregnancy will be uneventful!

[Joolsplus2]

Snugride 30s are absolutely awesome for preemies. I hope this link works, it's when I tried it with a tiny little doll, look how teenie that harness gets... https://picasaweb.google.com/104971860341203318894/Snugride30Brownstone#5519418181155028562

[TwinFoxes]

Our preemie twins were very happy in their Snugrides! Good luck to you.

[TwoBees]

Sending lots of P&PTs and hoping those babies bake for as long as they can!

My preemie DD fit very nicely (at 4 lbs) in a KF30. We chose that over a Graco because the KF was supposed to fit tiny babies better. We were extremely happy with it. That being said, the newest Graco seats (which were not out when DD came home) are supposed to fit tiny babies well now. You still may need to use a blanket roll around the head/shoulders and the crotch to make the baby fit better. The hospital will show you how to place these in the seats if necessary.

[edurnemk]

The Cybex Aton is rated for babies from 4 lb, I have no experience using it with preemies, but DD was a peanut even though she was born at 40 weeks (18.5 inches, left the hospital at 5 lb 14 oz), and she fit great in it, she also seemed pretty comfy in it.

[trcy]

DD was not technically a preemie (born at 37 weeks) but was tiny. She was 5lbs 6oz when she was born and dropped to 5lbs 1oz when we left the hospital and we used the Snugride 35 without a problem. The minimum weight was 5lbs for the seat, but I think Graco’s seats now have a minimum weight of 4lbs. I don’t have any experience with the keyfit, but it seems pretty popular here.
Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy, hope it goes smoothly from here on out. :hug:

[mommyoftwo]

Very helpful. I didn't realize until yesterday that what car seat I choose affects what strollers I can use with the seats also. So many things to think about.

[Simon]

My first two were preemies (34 wks, 35wks), so I will send P&PT that you make it as long as possible. We used a Britax infant seat because it was one of the few that fit at 4lbs at the time.

I would highly recommend that you choose the stroller first since it will limit your car seat options. As for seats, the KF30 or Graco 30 both fit preemies great and are compatible with the most strollers so you honestly can't go wrong with either one. If you plan to start with a double frame stroller (a double Snap N Go), then get the seats that fit the style you like best. ETA: IME, the stroller was important because we didn't have the luxury of staying home with our preemies, we were constantly heading out for Dr. appointments, weight checks, visits to the LC, etc.

[mommyoftwo]

I think we are going to go with the keyfit 30. DH and I were both leaning towards that one and it is compatible with the stroller we ended up choosing. Thanks for the help!

[Joolsplus2]

Sweet. LOVE the Key Fit :) Sometimes the head pillow can push their little heads forward too much, it's removeable and you can use rolled blankets (make them burrito size/shape) and put them on the sides of their heads instead. Or the KF Magic seat has nicer head padding and a boot and a better canopy. Not sure if it's only at BRU, but it's only 10$ more than the regular KF, so definitely worth it.

[mommyoftwo]

Thanks! I'll look into it.


Sweet. LOVE the Key Fit :) Sometimes the head pillow can push their little heads forward too much, it's removeable and you can use rolled blankets (make them burrito size/shape) and put them on the sides of their heads instead. Or the KF Magic seat has nicer head padding and a boot and a better canopy. Not sure if it's only at BRU, but it's only 10$ more than the regular KF, so definitely worth it.