Car seats

[armychicmkm]

I do not know what to get at all. Babies now need to be in a rear-facing carseat until a year old and at least 20 lbs. Then in a front-facing car seat or booster until 8 years old and 4'8" tall. Does anybody know the laws regarding child seats in pickup trucks? We have a Chevy extended cab and I just don't think a car seat will fit back there - esp. not rear-facing.

Babies R Us and Walmart are selling convertible infant-to-toddler seats many of them good from 5lbs-20lbs rear facing and up to 40 or 50 lbs front-facing.
These are the two we registered for:
https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3028987
https://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5515916
But from what I've been reading these are used after the baby grows out of his infant car seat. Why would I need 2 different car seats before a year if the convertible one says it's good from 5 lbs? I realize I probably won't get 8 years of use out of one carseat but at $150+ each I can't really afford to buy a separate infant seat to only use it for a couple of months if it's not needed. Would these be good from birth or not? Also, has anybody had issues with buying a carseat and then not having it fit in the car? Babies R Us is 2 1/2 - 3 hours away so if I get the car seat at my baby shower and it doesn't fit - I'm going to have to go all the way to Oklahoma City or Amarillo to exchange it.

 

[polo_princess]

Sorry chick im not too familiar with all the trucks and things you have over there!!

Only thing i can suggest is having a look in your handbook/service book and seeing what they say about car seats ... or ring your local dealership and ask, they normally have recommendations of what kind of seats you can/cannot use

 

[Blah11]

The laws been like that for a great while over here. Like polo princess, i'm not sure about trucks b/c they're not common in the UK at all ;o

 

[Sarahkka]

Armychicmkm-
Most baby stores will let you take the demo model out to your vehicle to see if it fits. I know that still means a trip to the city, but if you do that, you can let folks know what the options are for your baby shower.
The laws in Canada require carseats in the backseat, as well.
I've never even thought how much of a pain that will be if you have a 2-door or a pick-up. I do know that it is definitely much safer for baby, though.
We have a small Toyota sedan, so we plan to try several models in the car before buying. And even though we're having a winter baby and it will probably be really convenient, we are leaning towards foregoing the whole bucket seat that doubles as a carrier and just using the convertible infant to toddler model (doing both is way too expensive).
My mum is a social worker for the gov't and she told me that her ministry just had to get rid of a whole bunch of carseats because there is actually an expiration date on the plastic. That's another thing to check before opting for the infant-toddler-booster combo - will the carseat expire before the child outgrows it? The 8-9 years could be pushing it.
Just one more thing to think about....

 

[armychicmkm]

An expiration date on plastic?!?! Not that I actually expected a car seat to last for 8 years or anything but for crying out loud could there be anymore stuff to consider when getting a carseat?

 

[kiwimama]

I used to work in a baby speciality store, so have a bit of knowledge of carseats etc. I'm sorry I don't know about pickups, as they aren't very common here. We always just let people try out our floor models in their car to see if they fit. I would really suggest you take a day trip to the city and try out carseats in your truck to see if they fit. It will probably be worth it, and you will be able to see exactly what they look like. Both the ones you had links to can be used from birth, you may just want to buy one of those head snuggler things to keep their head nice and steady. If you don't want to use an infant capsule, then don't! It's not necessary to have then in a capsule for the first 6 mths, most mothers just find them convenient to take them out of the car and carry baby around in them in the supermarket etc. I wouldn't waste my money buying one tbh, but we have places here that hire them out, so that's what I might end up doing. Good luck with your search!

 

[Sweetie]

You don't need an infant carrier, people like them because they can scoop up baby and easily (without unbuckling and buckling) put them in the stroller.

As long as your carseat is good from 5lbs up you should be fine. The angles for doing these in reverse (rear facing) means that you need a lot of space though.

OH just looked over my shoulder and says that if your front seat is bucket it will fit and if it's a bench you are probably right it won't fit.

Good luck though, we are having the same issue with my little car (not really so little) the stroller won't fit in the truck.

 

[Sarahkka]

An expiration date on plastic?!?! Not that I actually expected a car seat to last for 8 years or anything but for crying out loud could there be anymore stuff to consider when getting a carseat?

I know! Nutty, isn't it?
I think it is because the plastic can lose its ability to safely withstand impact as it ages, so after a certain number of years, it might not perform as well as it should in a collision.
The infant to toddler models I looked at had these great little inserts that supported the infant's head. As they get older, you just remove them.
Cost-wise, the bucket seats/carriers can almost double your car seat budget, and if your baby is big and grows fast, you get pretty limited use out of them. I think you'll be fine with a one-size-fits-all model.

 

[lifeguard]

We had a pickup truck & used to bring our godson in it all the time. Usually you put the carseat in the passenger seat & turn off the airbag (if you have one). If you have a proper backseat in theory you can put the carseat back there but if it is one of those fold down seats you're better off to put the carseat in the front. Unfortunately it means that if you have more than one adult the second adult ends up sitting in the middle or the back 'cause you can't safely secure the carseat elsewhere than the passenger seat. But it is definitely doable.

We are getting only the 3-in-1 carseat. A lot of babies outgrow the "bucket" style seats very quickly & I don't see why I would waste the money when I can get one seat that will hopefully last until they can sit without a carseat. Although I'm sure we will have to buy additional seats in time as we are having more than one child.