Strollers & Car Seats

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With my first, I got a stroller/car seat combo. It was the biggest waste of money. With my second, I have been putting him in a baby-chest carrier (Ergo) and not using a stroller on him, OR his baby-bucket (it can stay in the car, thus why it's called car-seat...) For money-wise parents, the best bet is to get a good convertible car seat that will last for at least 35-40lbs rear-facing and then 65lbs forward facing (or more.) And then get a used stroller of a brand that is trusted and known to lay flat (Chicco for instance.)

Okay, car seat woes first. For the first 4 months of life, your baby should not be in an inclined position except when in the car seat. According to studies (see first link) the oxygen level of babies decreases when they sleep in a car seat, or at an incline of any sort (such as a stroller) and so babies should not sleep in a car seat, and if they do they should not be left to sleep in the car seat but gotten out. So if safety and health is your concerned, the 'convenience' of leaving them to sleep in the car seat if they fall asleep in it is something you should skip out on. Okay, so then I hear the argument that it's so much more convenient to use the baby bucket and carry it out of the car, have a place to put your baby down, put it on shopping carts, etc. First, a baby bucket weight 12-15lbs (some more than that.) Your baby weighs 7lbs to start with, So we're talking a 20lb bucket, conservatively, that only increases in weight. I used it with my first. Their a pain in the back, annoying, bulky, and not convenient to carry around. Misery. Second, you aren't supposed to use it for feeding, sitting, on a shopping cart (VERY dangerous) etc, so what's the point?

There are a few good things about a baby bucket car seat. First, you can move them from your car to someone else's easily (if the other person has a base.) Second, they're molded more to your newborn's shape, so they're safer for the first 6 months, however convertible car seats made for babies are just as safe. Third, if it's hailing, snowing, or something like that, you can get them in the carseat, pull the shade over them, and run for it, not having to leave your rump hanging out in the weather while you buckle them in or buckle them out. But that's it.

So, strollers. My first stroller was a Graco combo, fit with the snugride. That thing was a nightmare. It wouldn't lay flat. The legs wouldn't go up. The wheels were small so they wouldn't turn if the littlest obstacle got in the way, like... sand at the park, or grass. Or a stone. Or a crack in the sidewalk. Or a wheelchair friendly ramp (ever wonder why wheelchairs have big wheels? Push your baby around in a small wheeled stroller and you'll find out.) Eventually the canopy was recalled because it could pinch fingers and I dumped the thing at the store. I got it to go with the baby bucket, and the combination of the two was so big I couldn't take it anywhere.

If you use a stroller in the first 4 months (before they can sit really) then you want it to lay down flat, and if possible you want it to face you. Laying flat increases oxygen levels in the blood, and if the baby falls asleep you can leave them sleeping like that. Facing you makes it so that you are more likely to talk to your baby, they can see your face, you're more likely to laugh at your baby, attend to your baby's needs, and they have found this affects your baby's progress in language. There are few strollers that do both. However, a good chest carrier (like the Ergo, Moby Wrap - much cheaper but still as good, metal sling wraps, etc) gets them that face to face contact, and that upright position has not been connected with lower oxygen levels that I've ever read a report on. Personally I love the large wheeled all terrain strollers by Baby Trend, but they aren't designed for under 2-4 months.

If a stroller is what is best for whatever reason, then flat is still best since you can just make sure you talk to them more, and stop more, and visit with them face to face more. The Chicco brand always lays flat, and has had very few if any recalls, so if you find one on craigslist or at a garage sale in good condition then it's worth it. The Graco Quatro Tour also lays flat, and a few of Gracos are laying flat again. But you can't GET that with a bucket sitting in there! So there's no reason to limit yourself to a stroller because it goes with the car seat.