Best car seat option for toddler that falls asleep in the car

[starfish1995]

Okay, I am sure I am not alone in my question about the recurring problem of my toddler (well he's actually 3.5 now!) falling asleep in the car, and what to do about transporting him out of the car without waking him up. There have been countless times when this has happened (he falls asleep) and I need to run to the store for something, or even just get him into the house without waking him up.
or maybe head to a restaurant for a meal with family or friends. Ther is nothing worse than a crabby toddler, so I really hesitate to wake him up!

So far the only options I can think of are:

Get the Sit 'n Stroll car seat/stroller combo

Get a Britax car seat (Marathon, Roundabout, or Wizard - by the way, which one is the lightest of the three) and one of those GoGO kidz wheeled car seat carriers.

I am thinking the second is probably my best bet since he is already 3.5 and is 40 inches tall and 34 pounds.

Any other ideas on what would work?

I have hearad of some people using a McLaren stroller with a booster or convertable seat, but how safe is it and also how much weight and abuse can the McLaren's take?

Thanks much!

Beth

[Joolsplus2]

At this stage, there's not a lot you can do...he's too tall for the sit n stroll, and trying to install and uninstall a carseat with him in it is NOT something he'll sleep through (I know he seems to sleep soundly but really, it's not gonna happen...).
If he still naps daily, you just need to work around his schedule, and have a comfy stroller on hand for naps if you happen to be out then.
My kids quit napping at 2, but I remember putting my cranky 3 yo's in the car sometimes and getting a coffee under a tree in a parking lot for my own quiet time :D.
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[starfish1995]

Julie,

Thanks for your reply. But what about the Marathon with the GoGo Kidz wheels? Wouldn't that work for him even at his age and weight/height? He sleeps very soundly, even when I lift him out of the car inthe carseat and buckle it back in. He still takes a 2-3 hour nap every afternoon, beleive it or not, so taking a coffee braek in the car would be an awfully long one if you know what I mean! I need to find a way to "mobilize him" while he is sleeping, please help!

Thanks,

Beth

[murphydog77]

Hi Beth. Not Julie here, but the GoGo Kidz should not be used when the seat is installed in the vehicle. It attaches to the car seat on the forward-facing belt path and would ruin a vehicle seat belt, IMO, if it snagged on an edge. Also, the knobs would press into the back of the vehicle seat and could damage the upholstery, not to mention the dirt from those really great wheels. I also don't see how you could install the car seat safely with a sleeping child in it (but then again, I've never had to do that :)). I really like the GoGo Kidz Wheels contraption, but I think it's great for airports only.

Can you run your errands in the morning instead? After 3 years of being stuck in the house in the afternoons for my ds's marathon naps, I put my dd down really late for her naps (around 3p) so we could run errands in the early afternoons. It worked like a charm, but now I've been having to rework her 3 yr old sleep clock to nap earlier so we can pick up my ds from Kindy at 3p.

Heather, CPS Tech
http://www.CarSeatSite.com

[starfish1995]

Heather,

I have carried my sleeping 3 year old son countless times while he in his car seat into stores, etc. For example I placed him and the car seat into a grocery cart, but when a grocery cart is not available (library, freind's house, restaurant, post office, copy place, chiroprator's office, retail store, pharmacy, etc.) I am stuck. I don't feel safe running in to these places with him inthe car of course, so Iusually just take him with me, car seat and all!

As far as the safety and cleanliness of installign th car seat with the GoGO Kidz int he car, I was not planning on placing the car seat in the car with the wheels on, but after he falls alseep and we need to get out, simply transferring him and the car seat to the GoGo Kidz contraption and off we go. Sometimes, like at the library or at a frind's house once we get where we are going, I allow him to sleep until he gets up before returning back to the car. Soemtimes I do however have to put him back into the car sleeping (if it is a short errand), and I was planning on detaching the GoGo Kidz wheels before installing it and him into the car. Fortunatly I am pretty strong and have a tall build (5'9"), so I can handle the extra effort. I would love to postpone his nap til 3:00, but then I usually have to leave the house at 4-5 to pick up my other son, so that does not work so well. Our routine is that I usually try to go to the gym in the mid morning with my 3 yo, then we go out to lunch, and then I run errands. It is about the only way I get things done! I have to pick up my other son around 4-4:30, so it does not pay to come back home and then out again. Especially with gas prices the way they are. Alright enough of my whining, any ideas?

Thanks,

Beth

[Aunt to sweet baby boy]

You might have thought of this already but im going to throw it out anyways....

could you bump up your sched... go to gym earlier, run errands, lunch then home to nap

is there a neighbor that you could ask to come over if your son is sleeping that day

would you be able to carpool with another parent on a weekly basis that may be in a simalar situation?

Also about the wheels i think that you may get annoyed with how many times you need to put the car seat in and out of the car. I know it takes me at least 5 minutes of pushing on the seat to get it installed tight, would your son stay sleeping while you are pushing on the seat that he is sleeping on?

Do you have a good stroller with a full recline? If he is comfy he may fall asleep in it/ stay sleeping if you transfer him carefully.

You may have tried all of these things but i wanted to throw out some other choices, sometimes you think you have gone through everything and someone says something and you wonder why you did not do it before

well GL

Ilana and her DN Avi in a DC and MA

[starfish1995]

Ilana,

Thank you for your suggestions. Well, after hearing how difficult taking the car seat on and off the the GOGo wheels would be, I decided to just get a MacLaren Quest stroller and see if I can carefully transfer him to the stroller if he is sleeping. Anyways, I am sure the stroller will serve other purposes, such as come in handy for trips to the zoo, maybe a trip to Disney, the amusement park and so on. Heck, maybe my car seat will even fit into the stroller, we shall see! Thanks everyone for your input. You saved me some big bucks in getting a Britax car seat and a set of GoGo wheels that I probably would have been dissatified with.

Beth

[Aunt to sweet baby boy]

Beth,

Sure, it helps to hear someone else give you some ideas, even if you have heard them b4. What kind of carseat is your ds in now. I have found that if my dn has been sleeping in the car for between 10-15 minutes and i move very slowly and have the stroller set up right next to the car i am able to keep him asleep alot of the time when he has fallen asleep in the car. Once you have taken your ds out a few times you will figure out how long is the prefferable time for him to be asleep already before you move him. I say this because of the way our sleep cycles work there are some times that we are deeper asleep than others.

I think that you would have been happy with the Britax car seat but i do not think it is easy in the least bit to have to keep on installing a carseat.

Well GL and let us know how it works out when you get your stroller.

Ilana

[starfish1995]

Ilana,

My son is now in either an Evenflo Apollo or a Cosco Summitt. Are these such bad car seats?

Thanks,

Beth

[Aunt to sweet baby boy]

I think they are fine carseats i was just wondering.

ilana