https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:24:35 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-441238 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:59:04 +0000 autumnlove 441238@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The Chicco and Graco Snugride have high safety ratings. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-441233 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:56:54 +0000 ValentineMommy 441233@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Everything I've read recommends the Chicco or the Britax.</p> <p>We went with the Chicco Keyfit 30, and found out recently that it's the one our hospital recommends. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-441155 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:27:13 +0000 Mrsbells 441155@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: Yes most babies do outgrow the carseat in height before weight. My baby is 7.5 months and weighs about 16.5 lbs but she is already about 28inchs. so she will definitely never reach the weight the 22lb weight limit before we switch seats </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-441144 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:23:08 +0000 Mrs. Pen 441144@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Like tororojo said, if you want a push to stick with graco - there is no lack of safety and security because it's cheaper.... It's still one of, if not THE, most popular carseats on the market. My sister has one too, and yeah I wasn't impressed with the aesthetic of it and it does seem like cheaper plastic but there are so many regulations in place regarding car seats that I wouldn't worry about it personally.</p> <p>If you're looking for a similar option to the peg perego I recommend that carseat we have, the Safety First Onboard 35 McKenna. I LOVE it. It has the side-impact protection as well. I also love that it's deeper and longer because babies fit into the seat longer than they do the graco, which many babies tend to outgrow by 6 months-ish. </p> <p>I love the design - people always comment that we have such a "fancy" carseat - but it wasn't that expensive! It looks sooo nice. It's a neutral grey, very sleek and neutral IMO. </p> <p>My mom commented that it was heavy, but I hardly notice it really. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-441115 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:09:14 +0000 lemondrop 441115@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: it really hadn't been to bad, just a little inconvenient- he trends to fall asleep just as I pull into the grocery store parking lot... I have never been successful at keeping him asleep after moving him from the seat to a baby wearing device during naps.</p> <p>I've gotten very creative at stacking food around the seat in the grocery cart, so I can do a full stock up even with the carrier :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-441093 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:59:37 +0000 Adira 441093@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh, the Safety 1st has the same problem that @lemondrop mentioned - you can't set it on top of shopping carts. But I wasn't too worried about that because I figure I'll either use the Ergo or have Hubs watch the baby while I go shopping. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-441036 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:35:50 +0000 lemondrop 441036@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When I was researching, Consumer Reports rated Chicco one of the best. I only seriously looked at the Graco 35 and Chicco 30 (since the others seemed too flimsy or too expensive and heavy), and they both seemed about the same. I actually wanted a higher weight limit so we could go longer in it if we wanted to- we just switched at 11 months, almost 30"tall, and 22 lbs. We went with the Chicco, which we are perfectly happy with...my only criticism of it is that you can't set it on top of the shopping carts, not that it's the safest thing either.</p> <p>I am loving the Graco My Ride 65 for convertible car seats, we call it the "command center"- that thing in my opinion is comparable to the huge Britax seats for way less money! The side protection sold me, but he still has good visibility to see out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-441026 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:33:49 +0000 Adira 441026@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: Thanks for this! I wasn't really sure, but I was figuring unless I had a super chunky baby, the 22 lb limit was going to be just fine for us. Guess I'll find out eventually! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-441020 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:31:43 +0000 Foodnerd81 441020@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Adira: I haven't experienced this yet, but I read that most babies will exceed the height requirement before they hit the weight limit anyway, so having a higher weight limit doesn't make much of a difference unless you have a really short chubby baby. </p> <p>I have nothing else to add to this, I'm just reading for future reference. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-441007 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:26:43 +0000 littlebug 441007@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We went with the Graco because its safety ratings were exactly the same as the Chicco, it was lighter-weight, and less $$. </p> <p>On a side note, I had no idea they made a swing frame for the SnugRide; that is awesome! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-441006 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:26:38 +0000 Adira 441006@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I looked to Consumer Reports when making our decision. According to them, Safety 1st had the best crash protection ratings. We decided to go with the <b>Safety 1st Comfy Carry Elite Plus</b> (~$80) due to price, crash protection rating, ease of use and fit to vehicle ratings. It's also one of the lighter car seats (6 lbs), though it's weight restriction is 4 - 22 lbs (whereas other infant car seats can go as high as 35 lbs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-440994 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:22:27 +0000 T.H.O.U. 440994@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You can hear it a thousand times over. The safest car seat is the one that is installed and used correctly. Brand really doesn't matter. </p> <p>I would look at trying them out in your car and seeing what fits. We got a Britax Chaperone and loved it. But it is bigger and doesn't fit well in all cars. </p> <p>For our convertible, we also got a britax but wanted to save cash on a back up seat for my husbands car so we went with the Graco. I hate it for the reasons above. It just feels cheaper and is a pain to put her in and out of. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-440992 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:21:04 +0000 blackbird 440992@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We had the same experience when we looked at them. In fact, my husband compared the Graco to "lawn chair" quality material. She said the Peg Perego and Gracos were heavier and more difficult to install (not that they're HARD, but not the easiest) with the stroller we went with (an Uppababy Vista). The Peg Perego was much heavier and she said it sits very upright, which is not always good with smaller babies. The Chicco Romantic was less bulky/wide and lighter, too. It also has side impact protection. She said it was the top of the line one to go with. The Graco SnugRide and Chicco Keyfit 30 seem to come in at the top of the lists, though. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-440984 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:18:38 +0000 Weagle 440984@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Graco, Chicco, and Britax typically have the highest safety ratings. We chose Britax for its compatibility with our stroller, but it's pretty heavy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-440981 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:17:10 +0000 prettylizy 440981@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have Britax for both infant seat (Chaperone) and Convertible (Boulevard) and I've found them to be excellent quality, easy to use and totally worth the money. I think in situations like this you should follow your instincs and go with your gut. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-440970 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:14:32 +0000 Bao 440970@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The Chicco has VERY high ratings, I think number 1 or number 2. We have the Chicco and it is heavy, but the safety ratings sold me on it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-440968 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:14:04 +0000 Smurfette 440968@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Everyone I know has a Graco. We are borrowing my friend's since her son's since he only used it for 4 months. She said that it was great. The fabric isn't ideal but for free I can deal. Plus you can always buy a cover on etsy, which we might do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-440963 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:11:59 +0000 Mrsbells 440963@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For me the Peg perego seats are way too heavy to be practical.. We have a graco and it works fine for us. Most people I know either use a graco or chicco. And even the chicco feels heavy to me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-440955 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:10:17 +0000 tororojo 440955@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Hmm...if you're looking for encouragement on buying the Graco, it seems like everyone (well, TONS of people) has one! More of my friends use Graco car seats than any other brand. Car seats all have to pass the same inspection to be sold in the U.S., so if that's the seat you want b/c of the swing feature, I say go for it!</p> <p>On the opposite side, if it's going to constantly bother you that it looks cheap, maybe you should get a nicer one. But I guarantee you're the main person who will notice--no one else will be paying attention to your car seat! We're going w/Britax because it's compatible with the stroller we want, but otherwise I'd probably get a Graco seat. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-seat-dilemma#post-440935 Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:04:09 +0000 Arden 440935@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>From the beginning we thought we had decided on the Graco Snugride Platinum.</p> <p>Our reasoning was that it is extremely light, neutral, and we could get the Graco SnugGlider car seat swing frame. I love the idea of the fold away swing frame since we have very limited space and travel often. </p> <p>Yesterday though, I went in to Buy Buy Baby and spent some time looking at the car seats in person. I'm not too thrilled with the Graco seats in person. They seem... cheap. The fabric, the plastic, they just don't seem solid. They feel flimsy. Not to mention unattractive.</p> <p>I was drawn to the solidness of the Peg Perego seats, but they cost three times as much as the Graco and are WAY heavier. I did really like the side-impact protection - the entire seat just seemed like it offered a lot more protection.<br /> I'm sad about not being able to use the swing if we get the Peg Perego though...</p> <p>Does anyone know what infant car seat has the best safety rating?</p> <p>Am I overthinking this? Thoughts? </p>