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baby travel systems recall image
Q. I've been looking at these Travel System stroller/car seat combo kits, and I haven't actually gone to the store yet. I'm just wondering, do you have to buy the travel system together, or could you buy the car seat and stroller separately? Would they still work together? I'm only asking because I thought I could ask for them as a baby shower gift. Instead of asking for the 170 dollar travel system. I'd ask for the 90 dollar stroller and 50 dollar car seat. That way two different people could buy cheaper gifts.
Answer
If the seat and stroller are the same brand, then yes, they will likely work together with one exception: The Graco SafeSeat does NOT work with all Graco strollers. The Graco SafeSeat is bigger than the Graco Snugride, and most Graco Strollers will fit the snugride, not the SafeSeat. You'd need to register for a graco stroller that specifically says it will fit the Safeseat if that's what you wanted. Steer clear of Evenflo infant seats!!! Very flimsy, constant recalls, and awful recall fixes. They just haven't mastered the art of infant carrier making yet.
The universal car seat carrier strollers can be a good idea, cheaper than a full size stroller and will fit most major brands of infant seats. Less bulk, too, in the trunk. Baby Trend makes one, so does Kolcraft and Combi.
Also, its worth noting that you don't HAVE to get an infant carrier car seat. They are nOT a required stage in car seats. Newborns can go home from the hospital in a rear facing convertible car seat. Convertible car seats last kids until their 2-4 years old (or longer) whereas infant carrier seats are outgrown at 4-7 months, and then you're out shopping for a car seat...again.
as a single parent on a seriously limited income, I now realize I should've completely skipped the infant carrier stage. Its not a 'needed' stage in car seats, its just a convenience thing, and a recent - as in the last 15 years or so - invention to have a stay in car base and separate carrier. Here's why I think its a waste: doesn't last babies very long at all. You spend $60 and up on this carrier that is only going to last 5-8 months! And then you have to purchase a convertible car seat, and somewhere down the line a booster seat. If you skip the carrier phase, you just eliminated one seat. There is now one carrier on the market that promises to fit 99% of babies up to at least their first birthday - Graco SafeSeat1, goes to 30lbs. However, there are limitations to this awesome seat. It really will fit most kids that long, but that's a catch-22. You really going to carry your 25lbs baby in a carrier?! My son was a BIG baby (still is a BIG kid!) and outgrew his carrier at 4 months. And, after baby gets above 10lbs or so, they are a pain in the butt to carry - quite awkward. So its not as convenient as it may at first seem. And some of the 'convenient' ways people use them aren't good.
Carriers should NEVER be placed on grocery carts. It makes the carts unstable and they can tip over, seriously injuring the baby. Also, not all car seats fit all carts, and they don't lock on, they're just sitting there, posing an obvious threat. And some of the carts are shaped or sized in a way that it puts the carrier at an unsafe/uncomfortable angle for the baby. I've seen babies laying in carriers on carts with their head lower than their feet - not a good idea for digestion or spit up.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says Parents and caregivers should never Place an infant carrier on top of the shopping cart. "Many infant-only car safety seats lock into shopping carts, and many stores have shopping carts with built-in infant seats. This may seem safe, but thousands of children are hurt every year from falling out of shopping carts or from the carts tipping over. Instead of placing your baby's car safety seat on the cart, consider using a stroller or front pack while shopping with your baby. "
Also, we are seeing rampant developmental delays becuase babies are in these carriers (and swings, and bouncy seats...) so much. Look around everywhere you go and instead of holding their babies, people have them in these carriers. When on their back and harnessed (and any time a child is in a carrier, he needs to be harnessed, even though its not in a car!) they can not work the muscles they need to develop to crawl, sit up, and walk. In the manuals for these carriers, it even says specifically 'for use in cars and strollers only'! But we all seem to miss that part.
So I highly recommend skipping the carrier phase. I think they are more a pain than a blessing, and a wasted of money if you don't have a lot to throw around. Instead, get a convertible car seat that will fit a newborn (more on that later) and a sling, pouch, or wrap. Not one of those silly snugli or infantino carriers, but something like a ringsling, moby, or maya wrap. Wearing your baby gives everybody what they need. Babies get much needed closeness to mom (or dad, or anyone else for that matter!) and you get your hands free to do what you need to do, as well as you can even breastfeed in one! They offer many different positions to use them in, too, and go higher than carrier car seat weights (20-22lbs). Most go to at least 35lbs, so you will get much more use out of it for your money.
OK - so if you choose to skip the carrier phase, be careful about the convertible car seat you choose, b/c not all will fit newborns well. You want it to have low bottom slots.
Perfect options:
The Evenflo Triumph Advance (not the original Triumph, make sure it says Advance) is a great seat. $150 version at Babies R Us has padding similar to Britax seats, top slots of 17", harnesses to 35lbs rear facing, and 50lbs forward facing. $120 Walmart version just has little less plush padding. Wide open belt path, easy to install, though it doesn't have built in lockoffs. The harness adjusts at the front of the car seat, you don't have to take the car seat out of the car just to raise/lower the straps. and it has infinite harness adjustment so the harness always fits perfectly until its outgrown. You tighten and loosen the harness using knobs on the side of the seat. It can be used in a recline position even in forward facing mode.
Cosco Scenera - $50 at Walmart/Kmart/Target. Great seat for the price. Goes up to 35lbs rear facing, 40lbs forward facing. Great rear facing seat, but is outgrown very quickly forward facing b/c of short top slots and short shell. You'll still get you're $50 worth out of it, though, as it will last most kids to at least 2 years, quadruple the amount of time of an infant seat!
As you're shopping, remember these rules about seats:
1)the BEST seat is the one that fits your child, fits your car, and will be used correctly 100% of the time. (This is why convenience features DO make a difference and ARE worth the money! If its easy to use, you're more likely to use it correctly.
2)Children should stay rear facing AS LNOG AS POSSIBLE!!!! The 20lbs/1 year rule is outdated and provides a bare minimum for turning kids forward facing. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration both recommend keeping kids rear facing as long as possible, up to the limits of their seat, preferably until at least 2 years of age. For good reason: A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 4 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age. A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4
If the seat and stroller are the same brand, then yes, they will likely work together with one exception: The Graco SafeSeat does NOT work with all Graco strollers. The Graco SafeSeat is bigger than the Graco Snugride, and most Graco Strollers will fit the snugride, not the SafeSeat. You'd need to register for a graco stroller that specifically says it will fit the Safeseat if that's what you wanted. Steer clear of Evenflo infant seats!!! Very flimsy, constant recalls, and awful recall fixes. They just haven't mastered the art of infant carrier making yet.
The universal car seat carrier strollers can be a good idea, cheaper than a full size stroller and will fit most major brands of infant seats. Less bulk, too, in the trunk. Baby Trend makes one, so does Kolcraft and Combi.
Also, its worth noting that you don't HAVE to get an infant carrier car seat. They are nOT a required stage in car seats. Newborns can go home from the hospital in a rear facing convertible car seat. Convertible car seats last kids until their 2-4 years old (or longer) whereas infant carrier seats are outgrown at 4-7 months, and then you're out shopping for a car seat...again.
as a single parent on a seriously limited income, I now realize I should've completely skipped the infant carrier stage. Its not a 'needed' stage in car seats, its just a convenience thing, and a recent - as in the last 15 years or so - invention to have a stay in car base and separate carrier. Here's why I think its a waste: doesn't last babies very long at all. You spend $60 and up on this carrier that is only going to last 5-8 months! And then you have to purchase a convertible car seat, and somewhere down the line a booster seat. If you skip the carrier phase, you just eliminated one seat. There is now one carrier on the market that promises to fit 99% of babies up to at least their first birthday - Graco SafeSeat1, goes to 30lbs. However, there are limitations to this awesome seat. It really will fit most kids that long, but that's a catch-22. You really going to carry your 25lbs baby in a carrier?! My son was a BIG baby (still is a BIG kid!) and outgrew his carrier at 4 months. And, after baby gets above 10lbs or so, they are a pain in the butt to carry - quite awkward. So its not as convenient as it may at first seem. And some of the 'convenient' ways people use them aren't good.
Carriers should NEVER be placed on grocery carts. It makes the carts unstable and they can tip over, seriously injuring the baby. Also, not all car seats fit all carts, and they don't lock on, they're just sitting there, posing an obvious threat. And some of the carts are shaped or sized in a way that it puts the carrier at an unsafe/uncomfortable angle for the baby. I've seen babies laying in carriers on carts with their head lower than their feet - not a good idea for digestion or spit up.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says Parents and caregivers should never Place an infant carrier on top of the shopping cart. "Many infant-only car safety seats lock into shopping carts, and many stores have shopping carts with built-in infant seats. This may seem safe, but thousands of children are hurt every year from falling out of shopping carts or from the carts tipping over. Instead of placing your baby's car safety seat on the cart, consider using a stroller or front pack while shopping with your baby. "
Also, we are seeing rampant developmental delays becuase babies are in these carriers (and swings, and bouncy seats...) so much. Look around everywhere you go and instead of holding their babies, people have them in these carriers. When on their back and harnessed (and any time a child is in a carrier, he needs to be harnessed, even though its not in a car!) they can not work the muscles they need to develop to crawl, sit up, and walk. In the manuals for these carriers, it even says specifically 'for use in cars and strollers only'! But we all seem to miss that part.
So I highly recommend skipping the carrier phase. I think they are more a pain than a blessing, and a wasted of money if you don't have a lot to throw around. Instead, get a convertible car seat that will fit a newborn (more on that later) and a sling, pouch, or wrap. Not one of those silly snugli or infantino carriers, but something like a ringsling, moby, or maya wrap. Wearing your baby gives everybody what they need. Babies get much needed closeness to mom (or dad, or anyone else for that matter!) and you get your hands free to do what you need to do, as well as you can even breastfeed in one! They offer many different positions to use them in, too, and go higher than carrier car seat weights (20-22lbs). Most go to at least 35lbs, so you will get much more use out of it for your money.
OK - so if you choose to skip the carrier phase, be careful about the convertible car seat you choose, b/c not all will fit newborns well. You want it to have low bottom slots.
Perfect options:
The Evenflo Triumph Advance (not the original Triumph, make sure it says Advance) is a great seat. $150 version at Babies R Us has padding similar to Britax seats, top slots of 17", harnesses to 35lbs rear facing, and 50lbs forward facing. $120 Walmart version just has little less plush padding. Wide open belt path, easy to install, though it doesn't have built in lockoffs. The harness adjusts at the front of the car seat, you don't have to take the car seat out of the car just to raise/lower the straps. and it has infinite harness adjustment so the harness always fits perfectly until its outgrown. You tighten and loosen the harness using knobs on the side of the seat. It can be used in a recline position even in forward facing mode.
Cosco Scenera - $50 at Walmart/Kmart/Target. Great seat for the price. Goes up to 35lbs rear facing, 40lbs forward facing. Great rear facing seat, but is outgrown very quickly forward facing b/c of short top slots and short shell. You'll still get you're $50 worth out of it, though, as it will last most kids to at least 2 years, quadruple the amount of time of an infant seat!
As you're shopping, remember these rules about seats:
1)the BEST seat is the one that fits your child, fits your car, and will be used correctly 100% of the time. (This is why convenience features DO make a difference and ARE worth the money! If its easy to use, you're more likely to use it correctly.
2)Children should stay rear facing AS LNOG AS POSSIBLE!!!! The 20lbs/1 year rule is outdated and provides a bare minimum for turning kids forward facing. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration both recommend keeping kids rear facing as long as possible, up to the limits of their seat, preferably until at least 2 years of age. For good reason: A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 4 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age. A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4
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