Gear for junior

[PabloVTA]

Guys,
I need some help.
This isn't that "tech" related, but sorta in a way it is....

I have a baby boy arriving in October, and I need to score a car seat and stroller and need some advice. Went to Baby's R Us and saw that j@@p has there signature line but saw nuthing that had Landcruiser on it.

Basically, I'm blown away at all the choices and need some help finding a stroller/seat combo or at least just the seat for now to bring him home in.

I know a bunch of you just went through this same thing recently, and I'm hoping you can tell me your findings of what to get, what is pure hype, what brands actually last more than a month and what doesn't take triple jointed fingers to attach to the seat.

Oh, and then what mods should I do to it?

~mods, I din't want to put this in the mud chat section, since I wanted real world answers from socal guys.

Thanks for the advice!

yes, I'm trying to store up on my sleep already.

 

[Brentbba]

My experience is way old and have no idea what's out there now, but we had a car seat that 'locked' into a base unit left in the car that was also a baby carrier. Great that you could leave the baby in the seat to go places. I don't know if they now have strollers that the same seat will clip into.

Congrats on the new soon to be addition! It WILL change your life!

 

[Bluetribal]

I have no experience and no kids but here is what I have learned from buying stuff for baby showers and what I would do.

First off, stay out of Babies-R-Us, they are WAY overpriced Go to Target if you have to have new. And if I were you I would hit up Craig's List or Overstock.com because you go through baby stuff soooo quick that you can find soem really nice used or overstocked stuff that isn't all that used.
And yes, they do sell car seats that snap into the strollers.

 

[PabloVTA]

oh yeah, I live on Craigslist now.

I'm just hoping for some recommendations about brand quality.
Graco makes everything under the sun, but I'd love to buy something american made and not Chinese...(good luck, I know)

Is it worth it to buy the stroller/chair combo or should I look for seperates because of issues I will find out later?

Can I put a DC shaft on the stroller after I lift it 6" so I don't break my back each time?

Are there models that are better suited to off road trails than concrete and linoleum? They all look pretty much identical to me right now, I do know I'm searching for one with a cup holder in it.

Thanks for the advice guys.

are there any connection issues with the second row of seats?

I actually have them out right now, it's empty all the way back, can I make a stand for the chair to mount into, or is that illegal per the DMV?

I was hoping to incorporate it into a slider drawer build. Does anyone know the legality of such a mod?

 

[Slomo]

My wife and I use a Graco set up that works really well and is reasonably priced. She did a ton of research before the baby came and only got stuff that had great reviews. I don't know the specific models off hand but when she gets home later I will get the specifics for you. Basicaly they are like Brent mentioned in that they are baby seats that snap into a base that you can have multiple of in all your vehicles and move the one seat around with the baby. They also make a stroller that you can snap the same seat into also in a lightweight version and a full stroller that you can use by itself when the baby gets bigger.

I have taken the plastic cover off the 2nd row seat back hinge and used the two like designated anchors and the baby seat back anchor I have going to one of the storage tie down hooks in the cargo area. Works great and I don't have to mess with using the seatbelt to anchor the baby seat which is a pain in the ass.

 

[g8mfzj80]

You're going to need to retofit some...the new baby seats have a latch systems...anchors front and rear.

You will go through a few seats unless you go convertiable from the start..the stap in/out infant ones will not less long.

For both our kids we went with convertibles... Eddie Bauer Deluxe 3-in-1 Car Seat with the EPP foam; 5 -point safety harness; front-harness adjustment; push-button release, Adj headrest, height adjusts,recline, removable infant head support, pillow etc.

Doctors told us to wait until the kids where 1 yrs old before taking them out...something about their necks not being strong enough. By this time we had switched them to forward facing.

Good luck your in for a long haul. Worth in the long run and both my kids love travling and the cruiser. I take them with me all the time.

Brian

 

[PabloVTA]

Thanks for the input guys.

I was just surprised by a co-worker with the Eddie Bauer 3in 1 set. It's freakin sweet! it has 2" of suspension and a swing out on the front with two canopies even.

So I guess my search can move on to cribs and binkies now!

 

[smittycrusher]

Pablo,

Congrats dude! It is totally awesome! Very tough at first (the forst 3 weeks for us were brutal) We are out here alone with very little help though and I think if family is around it won't be as bad. The following is a list of things that have worked well for us:

A must have for eating out, keeping the baby off his head while he is awake, and in general keeping someone from having to hold him at all time (which can lead to a very tough habit to break for the baby...our neighbor has a 16 month old that will not go to sleep unless being held). He also still wakes up 2-3 times a night. Our 3 month son has slept through the night for about a month now

Here is the binky we use with great results...we tried Nuk at first but he wanted no part of them. They have them at babies are us for abotu $3 for two.

This is all I have time for now. More to come later.

Smit

 

[clownmidget]

Also be sure and check out the CA laws for weight and age limits for each style of seat. It is surprising how stingent and conservative the laws are given that most of us were jumping around the rear seats and cargo areas of our folks cars like Romper Room

I'd also chime in that both of my children were easily up to the task of destroying a car seat by the time they were ready to switch to the next size so the 3-in-1 or 5-in-1 styles were useless in my experience. Inverness got a Recaro child seat that is really supportive and nice for his sons while off-roading and it is impressive. I think the Britax ones are worth it too but aren't for anyone on a budget.

I hate strollers too and the Sherpani backpack is the lightest and best designed one in my experience. Before that the Kelty Kanga-pouch holder was better than the Bjorn one since it has fast-tek buckles and can be unclipped more easily and quieter. You'll know what I mean once you have your runt fall asleep in one.

Good luck brother!

...don't let the lack of sleep beat you!