how do you know which stroller/carseat, etc. to register for?

ok so i am going out of my mind! there are so many to choose from, how to do you know which ones are the best and the safest?

we have been checking consumer reports, but then i see a bunch of other brands listed that look great too!

i am kinda losing it over all of this!

TIA!

Message edited 5/18/2010 11:30:09 AM.

Re: how do you know which stroller/carseat, etc. tor egister for?

I read over reviews from other parents on BRUs website. I felt like they spoke in plain English and explained what they liked and didn't like. I then went to the store and tested it out, pushed the stroller around, opened and closed it.

Re: how do you know which stroller/carseat, etc. tor egister for?

We went to the store and tested them out. The weight was a big factor for us as well as safety.

We went with Baby Jogger City Mini for a stroller. It was light weight and was easy to fold up with just one hand. For the carseats we registered for
Maxi-Cosi Mico Infant Car Seat (and we got the carseat adapter for the stroller) & Britax Boulevard for when she is older.

Re: how do you know which stroller/carseat, etc. to register for?

Do you have the Baby Bargains book yet? I use that as my guideline to find out what is safe and well rated, and then go out, look at the actual items, test them as much as possible, and then do consumer reviews on them before making a final decision.

But the BB book is absolutely indispensable!

Re: how do you know which stroller/carseat, etc. to register for?

I'm going to cheat and copy/paste my reply from the other thread:

"safest" is a myth.

ALL car seats on the market have to adhere to the same testing standards and have to pass the same Federal tests.

Some seats get recommended because of ease of use or because they'll last longer, but one isn't "safer" over another.

Personally, I'd recommend
Chicco Keyfit 30
Graco Snugride 32/35
Baby Trend Flex Loc
Safety 1st OnBoard 35/Air 35.
All are the higher weight limit seats.

I tend to not recommend Evenflo infant seats because they require a 1 and a half inch clearance between the handle (which MUST be down) and the seat in front of it and that can be difficult to obtain even in larger vehicles.

The regular 22lb Snugride is a nice seat, but if you like this seat make sure you get one with a front harness adjuster, the rear adjust can be a PITA to use and tighten properly.

I always suggest going and touching the seats. Adjust the harness. Take a stuffed animal in and out of it, adjusting the tightness of the harness as you would with your baby. Carry it. CLick it into and out of the base. Most BRU you can even check the fit in your vehicle... And then get the one that fits your vehicle, budget and needs.




And adding: Ditto for strollers. Play with them. Fold them. LIFT them (some of them are heavy beasts!!!!!!). Steer them. Get the one you like the best.

I tend to use the reviews from other sources as a starting point of which ones to focus on. The "best" isn't' always the most expensive or the "best" rated. It's the one that fits YOUR needs

Re: how do you know which stroller/carseat, etc. to register for?

I went to the store and saw which ones I liked and tested everything out (lifting, pushing).

As the poster above me said, in order to be sold to the store they have to adhere to safety standards. And the funny thing is that the ones that I chose happened to get a very high safety rating!

Re: how do you know which stroller/carseat, etc. to register for?

it's tough! i wish I knew now about what i like when i registered with DD1. We love our carseats...Chicco keyfit and Britax seats. Make sure your front passanger/driver has enough room with a rear facing convertible seat behind them. carseatdata.org may help, but just placing the seat in your car should give you a good estimate. to me, get what you feel is safest and sturdiest, there is no price on your children's safety.

everyone will have different opinions on strollers. for me, i don't care about the weight and i have a minivan, so they fit easily in my trunk. I like having a lightweight and a jogger (or jogger style)...(you can do a snap and go to start). I hate my travel system stroller. personally, i like air filled tires, seats that sit straight up but also recline, really big sun canopies, all terrain handling, decent child trays, good cup holders, and a good size basket too.

video reviews of strollers on youtube have been very helpful to me, along with reviews and baby bargains.

also, consider some baby carriers, if you haven't already. i only had a bjorn with DD1 and tried a sling (didn't like it). This time I added a Mei Tai.

Re: how do you know which stroller/carseat, etc. to register for?

We read the consumer reports but we also went to Babies R Us and played around with a bunch. We were also lucky enough to "practice" with the brand we were most interested in with an actual baby. My SIL uses the same stroller we were super interested in, so we tested out how it all worked with our nephew and that sealed the deal. We went with the Chicco KeyFit.

As for the convertible carseat, I was really interested in learning about Britax after hearing the name thrown around. After talking to some friends who love their Britax carseats and then reading the phenomenal reviews are numerous websites, we were sold.

Re: how do you know which stroller/carseat, etc. to register for?

Before we registered, I asked around to all of my new mommy friends/family members... read tons of reviews on BRU and BBB websites (and here!), and also went in person to touch, test, lift, etc. With a combination of all those things I think we made some good choices!

Re: how do you know which stroller/carseat, etc. to register for?

thank you so much everyone! You have no idea how much i appreciate your help!

DH and I need to start getting out to the stores so we can actually see what's out there!

again, thank you so much!

Re: how do you know which stroller/carseat, etc. to register for?

DH & I went to BRU and scanned a few car seats which we liked. Then, when I went home, I looked in the baby bargains book and read the reviews on the BRU site. (The BRU reviews are VERY helpful & i've used them to help with al ot of registry decisions!) We then chose 1 seat based on the information we read & deleted the other car seats from the registry.

Re: how do you know which stroller/carseat, etc. to register for?

I had such a hard time at first...I looked up tons of reviews and comparisons online...and drove myself crazy! Then I narrowed it down to a few, went to the stores and played with them. After I narrowed it down again, I went back to reviews, came on here to see what worked for real moms...and then made my decision. It is really hard when you feel like you want the safety, and the convenience of it being lightweight, and easy to maneuver. The reviews on here really helped me a lot.

Re: how do you know which stroller/carseat, etc. to register for?

Realize that different things are important to different people....for example for a stroller - I wanted one where the baby could lay flat, meaning there is something to pull up under their legs to lay flat when they are napping and the back goes flat as well. I LOVE the Citi Mini which is such a popular stroller - it just doesn't seem comfortable enough for baby for me and the legs do not lay flat, only at a 90 degree angle. We spend a lot of time at the beach and vacationing and I want my baby/child to be able to nap nicely in the stroller while we're out and about - so as much as I love the Citi Mini...I didn't get it b/c it doesn't fit my needs.
I read a ton of reviews...on this site as well as on Amazon and BRU, and the Baby Bargains book.
I went with the Graco Snugride for infant carrier, Graco Snap-n-Go for stroller while using the infant carrier, Britax Chaperone for bigger stroller and Britax Boulevard for convertable car seat.
As for someone who posted about car seats and one can't be safer than another...that is not true. The Britax Boulevard has side impact support that other seats do not have, like the Marathon for example. So we went for the Boulevard for safety reasons.

HTH!