Pram and Car seat confusion....help please.

[mark_sheffiel]

We are expecting our first baby in October and we are struggling on what type of Pram/Car seat to get.

Our first thoughts was to go and get a travel system with the iso fix so my partner can easily get the baby in and out of the car and just attach to pram.
We went down to mothercare and they said that the baby shouldn't be in it longer than 2 hours. If that is the case is there any point in paying all the extra money for the travel system and isofix?

Afetr they said that we bought a car seat that is fixed in (seatbelt) and my partner would have to take baby out of pram and carry in to seat.

After speaking to some colleagues at work they said the 2 hours is nonsense and thatit is alot better using isofix because you dont have to disturb the child if sleeping.

Thought please....we are very confused. :-/

Thanks

 

[allyk]

We have travel system (nit isofix) and LO is sometimes in there for linger than two hours as we often do long drives to mil.

2 hours is what is recommended to stop curve of spine but as long as it's only occasionally it's fine. If you want to leave Baby in car seat all day every day then that would be issue !!!

 

[mark_sheffiel]

I wouldn't say baby would be in a long time anyway, I am more thinking about my girl. Do you think it is worth paying the extra money?

We bought a fixed one like I said but I can take that back within the next 26 days if we want. Also what I thought about with the fixed one - that goes up to 3 years where as the isofix ones you will have to buy a new one after a bit wont you?

 

[bathbabe]

Tbh, iv used the car seat on the pushchair about twice. Its much nicer IMO to push a pram/pushchair than a carseat on wheels and nicer to see.

 

[skydragonfly]

There are travel systems where the actual seat units lie flat and are suitable from birth. If the baby needs to be in pushchair for a long time then they are a better option. I have a BUgaboo Cameleon and I only really use the car seat attachment if I have taken the kids to school in the car or am nipping around some shops. Any longer than 45 minutes then I use the seat unit.

 

[Kimboowee]

I have the base that can stay in the car, it's not an isofix base though - but I have the seat unit in the boot so if we're likely to be while I put her in that so she can lie flat. There have been times where she has been in the carseat for longer than 2 hours and the same with my eldest, doesnt seem to of effected him but I still wouldnt leave them long

 

[emmybee]

Hi

What you wrote is more or less the confusion my partner and I had particularly as LO was our first. I don't understand why there isn't any clear guidance on this! Since LO was born a few months ago, all the research I did is still fresh in my mind so here goes:

Car seat- Mothercare are correct in saying baby can't be there for more then 2 hours. From my understanding (not anything I have read up, just my own conclusion) baby is growing most rapidly in first few months and spine is developing all the time. If baby was left in hunched up position in carseat all day and everyday, it may have incorrectly aligned spine or some other spine problems. As others have pointed out, the odd time you leave baby in car seat over 2 hours is different from leaving baby in car seat all day and everyday and taking them out and about.

Yes ISO fix is like a base you keep in the car and you slot the carseat easily onto it. But have you check your car can fit an IsoFix (very important.) Not all cars can fit Isofix only newer cars. You also get easybase too. You don't have to have an IsoFIX or easy base. You can put babys car seat with seat belt. This is what I do. But, it is a pain, it's a bit of faffing around. My suggestion, there are some Mothercare stores that do carseat fitting services free if I remember correctly. Do this so you can get someone to help work out whether the carseat fits in your make of car and an isofix/easybase if you are getting one. If money was no issue, I would definately have got Iso fix or easy base at the start. One thing to bear in mind, if you have bought Maxi Cosi cabriofix car seat-they have been rated as No 1 baby car seat because of safety but note that is only when buying the base- easy fix/isofix together with it.

The thing about whether it's worth it getting base. It depends, if you are going to be taking out baby somewhere everyday it is worth it. You'll be absolutely shattered from feeds, nappy changing, getting used to baby, that one less thing to faf around

Travel system - allows you to attach carseat onto pushchair/pram without waking baby. Yes, yes do get this. If you've been up the whole night trying to get baby to sleep and the bay naps in the car, then you won't want to wake the baby even if it's just for 2 hours! For some strange reason, baby sleep when you taking them out and drive them around in a car.

Finally, chances are you might not end up going really anywhere apart from doctors/supermarket for essentials. If the birth ends up as a c-section, the recovery is a couple of months in my opinion. I had one , I didnt have strength or energy to go anywhere. So, chances are baby won't even use carseat or travel system for first few months anyway.

My top tip for getting the right car seat, travel system etc. Try it out at the shop before you buy. If car seat fitting service, get staff to show you, ask if you can try as only you can figure out whether it will be easy for you.

Right i'll stop here as I'm at the risk of rambling on and on. There is more stuff you need to ask when you go and buy pushchair, let me know.

HTH and I hope I haven't confused you more.

We are expecting our first baby in October and we are struggling on what type of Pram/Car seat to get.

Our first thoughts was to go and get a travel system with the iso fix so my partner can easily get the baby in and out of the car and just attach to pram.
We went down to mothercare and they said that the baby shouldn't be in it longer than 2 hours. If that is the case is there any point in paying all the extra money for the travel system and isofix?

Afetr they said that we bought a car seat that is fixed in (seatbelt) and my partner would have to take baby out of pram and carry in to seat.

After speaking to some colleagues at work they said the 2 hours is nonsense and thatit is alot better using isofix because you dont have to disturb the child if sleeping.

Thought please....we are very confused. :-/

Thanks

 

[charli87]

the travel system is a good idea but its right about the time the baby should be in the car seat. i personally cant stand seeing babies all hunched up in a carseat, i have a friend who used to keep her baby in it whilst she was out all day. thats her choice but i wouldnt risk my babies spine for convenience (just my opinion) its handy to pop the seat on the frame if your only out a short amount of time but that should be the only time its used on the frame

 

[snowy-willow]

I think the best way to decide what is best for you and your family is to look at how you will use them.

For example we don't have a car so the size of the buggy wasn't too much of an issue regards to it fitting into a car, I do a lot of walking so wanted one that LO would be comfortable in. I got a travel system as we needed a car seat but didn't want to be spending a lot of something that would be used once a month if that. I have never used the car seat on the travel system even when we have been out in a car - I personally don't like seeing babies in car seats all the time (OH's sister still puts her 9 month old in the car seat rather than the buggy seat)

You can buy what is a travel system but you buy everything individually so you don't have to buy the car seat that goes with it. I would go visit various shops such as mothercare, babies r us, mamas and papas and look at what is available to try a few out and look to see what will meet your needs.

 

[Lauren25]

I have the quinny pushchair which i put the carseat on top, which i think is really handy when just nipping somewhere quickly. I heard that it was no more than 4 hours keeping them in there, not like i would keep him in there that long cause it doesnt look very comfortable id much rather him be spread out in his pram. But being able to put the carseat on it is a lifesaver at times and i wouldnt be without it!

Id go and have a look around and see what you think and whats best for your lifestyle!

 

[AP]

A car seat can be handy popping onto a travel system , but if you add the time of travelling in the car plus travelling with the chair on the pram, then it can be a long time.

I refuse to use my car seat in anything other than the car. The community midwives warned us not to use it in the pram and only use where really needed, because it affects a babies saturations(breathing, because of the positioning) and posture. I use a pram with a carry cot unit, or you could use a pram that the chair reclines right back. If baby wakes up when I take her out, fine, thats the price i pay but she generally settles into the pram no prob if shes really that tired!
Its something that a lot of people are not told

There are lie down car seats available, but they are expensive!

 

[tommyg]

I have a car seat that can clip onto the chassie of the pram.

Personally I prefer him to be in the carrycot than the car seat but it is handy when you're only going to be a short time to save disturbing him to just lift the carseat and you're off.

Previous poster is right about the concerns over babies oxygen levels in car seats. This is because they breath from the bottom of their lungs rather than the top that adults do and they can struggle in car seat. Premature babies are sometimes tested in their seats before they are allowed home.

As for a base, correctly fitted there is no diffrence between ISOFIX and seat belts but lots of the time people don't fix seat belts tight enough. Personally I have and ISOFIX base as I trust I can't get it wrong and it is much quicker and easier to clip into a base than seat belt it in.

 

[bigbetty]

We have the mamas and papas ultima which is a car seat, carrycot and seat unit that all just clip on and off the wheels.

I absolutely loved the carrycot, that was the whole reason we bought it, because it meant Fran was lying completely flat if we were out for a while, rather than her back being bent in the car seat. You can also use the seat unit from birth if it is fully reclined.

We only clip the car seat on for short periods - you shouldn't leave baby in a car seat or baby bouncer etc for longer than 2 hours because it really isn't good for their backs or their breathing.

The ultima also comes with a seperate stand that you can clip everything onto - we put the carrycot on it to use as a moses basket downstairs in the day rather than having to carry the one from our bedroom up and downstairs all the time. And you can put the seat unit on to make a high chair which can be handy if you are out and about.

When we bought ours the price included a car seat, but now I believe you buy it seperately so you can choose whether to have it or not xx

 

[Dopeyjopey]

There's nothing i hate more than seeing a big, sprung chasis pram with a teeny car seat on it. It can cause lots of health problems with the spine, reflux and breathing. I've never used a car seat on the pushchair and have never had a problem!

 

[mark_sheffiel]

Thanks for your advsie people, I think we are deciding to go for the IsoFix Britax. Although we will use the carrycot attachment on whenever possible. It is more for my partner getting in and out of the car to be honest because it is a 3 door and she suffers with her back. Spending a little more I admit but we plan to have another child after this one so we can use it all again.

Thanks

 

[GeorgiaMB]

We had that same issue.

Our DS is now 3 months old. I HATE our travel system with a passion which borders on the psychotic. It's big, bulky, heavy and only just fits in the boot. It was given to us free so I'm glad we didn't spend any money on it! It is very useful to be able to just be able to transfer him from car to buggy in just a few clicks but for the sake of saving about a minute, is it worth the back ache and swearing at the buggy as it won't fit in the boot easily and is too heavy to easily lift? No.

Travel systems are a waste of time if you ask me. I am already taking my DS out of the car seat and putting him in a buggy. If yours is anything like mine, as soon as it can hold it's head up it won't want to lie flat and will want to sit up and see what's going on. He's much happier in his buggy than in his travel system pram. So for something which originally cost £500+ to get less than 3 months usage is utter nonsense!! I know they say not to put them in a lightweight pushchair till they are 6 months old but we had to go to London and I would NOT have gone if I'd had to take the TS!! (Imagine a big bulky pushchair on the TUBE, argh, total nightmare!!) So we tried him in it and he loved it! Happily slept most of the day and looked about and laughed at things. Since then I use it most of the time unless I'm gonna be out for a long time or I'm not taking the car and just walking somewhere.

My main bugbear is the weight, if you have a C-section you can't lift anything heavier than your baby for 6 weeks, end of story. So you'll have wasted your money if the baby won't tolerate it after 3 months. Do the maths £500 / 6 weeks of usage is £83.30 per week for something you will probably only use 3 times a week tops. Plus, £500 is a VERY low guestimate these days. I've seen travel systems for like £800+.

Next baby I will get one of those car seats which clip into a lightweight frame for when I am out and about on short trips and a pram which converts into a pushchair for when I'm on longer trips.

Oh also, you ARE right. The car seats which come with travel systems generally only last till they are 9kgs. There's 3 rules for when they can move out of their first car seat into a forward facing one. I think it's that they have to be over 9kgs in weight, over 1 yr old and there's another which I can't remember. If they fulfill one or more of those rules, they're safe to move to a forward facing seat. Think of it like this... my baby is now 3 months old and already 14lbs. Him + car seat ALREADY = backache. There's no way in hell I will be able to lift him and the car seat in and out of the car for much longer so the travel system becomes obsolete quicker.

We also have a car seat which goes from birth to 3 years old for our second car which we use for long journeys. Well worth getting one of these and forgetting about the travel system! The only drawback is because it is so big and needs to be rear facing you can't put it in the front seat with the airbags off like you can with the smaller car seats as it blocks your view to your wing mirror.

Also have a think about your car... I have a peugeot 306 5 door. My other half has a BMW 1 series with 3 doors. On both cars BOTH of the car seats mean the seat behind or in front becomes obsolete as the passenger seat has to be so far forward or back to allow the seatbelt to go around. We can't put him in the back of the BMW so he goes in the passenger seat with the airbag off and I have to climb in the back behind my other half. Consider this problem NOW!! Fortunately my other half's is a company car so we're upgrading to a 3 series tourer soon and we've had a play getting the car seat and buggy in and out of it. You might naively think your little hatchback will do the job (and that anyone who gets a new car because they have a new baby is a bit bonkers and utterly shallow), but trust me you will get so frustrated and annoyed after a while, you will wish you'd bought a new car before the baby arrived. Plus, overnight trips are impossible with all the gear a baby needs in a small car! He has more bags than we do when we go away for the weekend!

Oh and while there are some rules you CAN break with a little caution (like the not leaving them in the car seat for more than 2 hours or putting them in a lightweight buggy before they are 6 months). You must NEVER put a baby in the front seat unless you can turn your airbags OFF. This is because airbags are released so fast and quickly (they basically explode from the dashboard) they will break a baby's neck, especially as this is the exact part of their anatomy which is facing the bag in a rear-facing seat. Even adults can be injured by air bags exploding at them. Sorry to scare you but having worked in the emergency services, I've seen it happen when parents forget to turn the airbags off or don't understand why it's important (one parent said "but I thought it would be safer on... airbags are meant to save lives"... imagine the guilt they now live with). The safest place for a baby (anyone actually) is the middle seat in the back of the car if it has a 3 point belt, regardless of airbags. Parents don't put their kids in this space though as let's face it... who wants to lean in to get their little one out of the middle of the car? What a hassle!

 

[nugget80]

i have a mamas and papas pliko pramette with corresponding car seat and isofix base. i couldnt live without the base as i have a 3 door corsa and the seat belts are not quite long enough for car seat plus it is so much easier to just clip in and out. have only used as a travel system once so far as pascoe looks far more cosy in his pram but it is good to have the option. so far am very happy with this travel system and it suits my small car perfectly...

 

[skydragonfly]

Just adding one other thing about the infant style seats. Although they claim to go to 13kg my avatar pic was taken at 22 weeks old, he was just over 9 kg and his head about on the cusp of the top of the seat. We have had to buy another bigger rear facing seat as he is too young to forward face yet. Would have been better buying the fixed rear facer from birth.

 

[suzib76]

i paid over 500 for my babystyle prestige pram so i only used the car seat in the car, i just felt what an absolute waste it would have been to spend all that on a pram and then leave baby in a car seat

 

[lozzy21]

I cant stand seeing babys squished up in the car seat when there is a pram right underneath. Just think how sore you would be if you were stuck in the same position for even half an hour let alone 2 hours. If their laid flat they can change position as much as they want.