Thursday, January 30, 2014

CHICCO, BRITAX or Graco baby travel systems!!!!?




Amy


I am looking for the best all around safe but practical baby stroller with infant car seat....i know the CHICCO is top rated and #1.....has anyone used either of these brands and which models?? What r ur opinions and comments?? I need ur help ladies!!!! I like the CHICCO cortina and BRITAX b agile but not sure which would be best.


Answer
Leaving a baby in a car seat to let them sleep or to let them ride in a stroller is not a recommended sleep position. The tilt and the curve of the seat decreases the oxygen level in their blood. For a newborn, you want to use a pram-type or flat surface, full recline basically. Or you can use a baby chest carrier (like a moby wrap or ergo) until they hit about 4-6 months when they sit up and then it doesn't matter.

So, the B-Agile Britax stroller does not fully recline. Which is stupid because they make plenty of fully reclining strollers in other countries and have a pram attachment even for their other stroller (which is ridiculously expensive.) The car seat is a good one, and I like the anti-roll bar on the seat, and also goes down to 4lbs for preemie use. But with the stroller you'd want to wait using it until baby is a bit older. The wheels, from my experience, are nice and very maneuverable and I do like the design, but not for a newborn.

The Chicco Stroller lays fully flat even without the car seat in it. The car seat is also a good one, some go down to 4lbs for preemie size, and are a highly rated design. When I was looking for an infant seat I was torn between the Chicco Key-fit 30 and the Graco Snugride 35, they were (from what I could see) the best at the time. The wheels on the stroller are fairly standard size though, and it's a bit harder to push (it's bulkier than the Britax design, so that's to be expected.)

The Graco Travel systems tend to be awfully bulky and annoying from my experience, however there are some Graco strollers that I think look very promising but I haven't tried out yet. The Graco Snugride 35 is a great car seat from my experience, I loved being able to adjust the incline without having to try and move the seat around, just rotate the dial. It goes down to 4lbs as well. My Graco Snugride 35 went through my son, then I handed it to my sister who could not afford a seat and it went through her son (she's far less careful with car seats), and she's handing it down to my niece. It still looks in very good condition, so I'm pleased with how it's held up. I cannot say the same for the basic Snugride that I got with my daughter. That one not only got recalled but the padding and everything wasn't that comfortable and after a year of use it just didn't look good at all. The stroller that I got with my basic Snugride had small wheels, was bulky, hard to do anything with, and took up the entire backseat of our car. It was AWFUL. Again, it eventually got recalled.

But the Graco Strollers today have a wider variety. The Fast Action fold Graco lays flat. The Quatro Tour lay flat, Styllus LX, they even have a 3 wheeler now that lays flat, the Trekko. These all come with the Snugride 30, which I wasn't as impressed with, but is still going to be a good seat. The Graco snugride also goes to 40lbs now, but the problem I ran into with my Snugride 35 is that after about 10 months old my son wanted to sit up more and when we switched him to a convertible that allowed that he stopped crying. My nephew right now (my sister is still using the seat) screams when he rides in her car seat with her... but when he rode in my car just twice all complaints stopped and he is an angel in the car (she doesn't believe me, but he is.) That recline is great for babies, but once they hit about 10 months it seems they want to sit up.

If it was me, I would not get a travel system. I'd look at the different seats and try picking them up and carrying them and putting a doll in and out of them, then decide what works with my family. I would not stress the weights, though I would probably get one that goes to 4lbs just 'in case'. Then I'd look at different strollers, some of the ones that Graco has released really interest me with the bigger wheels and lay flat abilities. However, with my son I tried carrying my son in an Ergo and he didn't want out until well over a year old, meaning the lay flat would be more of an option. Consider what you'll use the stroller for; walking in parks, off-road areas, just shopping malls and zoos, up and down stairs and buses? Different wheels work best for different uses. Lighter is always nicer it seems. And see how small it folds up because you don't want it taking up a seat in your car.

What do you think of the Baby Trend brand stroller/car seat travel system?




wonderingi


Particularly the "Venture" style. And, did anyone order it direct from the website? If so, where can you take it if there is a problem?


Answer
Love the stroller, hate the car seat, would never buy the travel system.

You can try out the strollers or at least some of the models at Target and Toys R Us/Babies R Us. I love them, they're comfortable for my kids, easy to maneuver, easy to go through sand, dirt, grass, whatever, and I haven't tried out a nicer stroller. I love the large wheels that are bicycle wheels so that it's easy to fix them and for them to go over obstacles. :)

However, I don't like the car seat because you can try them at Target as well, and you have to put the two hooks together then push them into the seat-belt latch, and when working with a restless baby that would be a nightmare. Graco and other infant seats let you push in one side then the other, which makes it a lot easier when you're working with a restless baby.

I also don't like people putting the baby in a car seat outside of the car. It makes the car seat at risk for knocking against things and becoming damaged, as well as it curves the baby. SIDS research says over and over that we need to lay the baby flat or be carrying the baby, and research has proven that while car seats save their lives in an accident you should limit their time in a car seat (or anything that tilts them) to less than 3 hours in a day and no more than 1 hour at a time, and basically not use it in anything but the car.

So the stroller is nice, get the stroller, but order it through something like Target or Walmart's or babies r us so that you can take it there if there's a problem. Skip the car seat, get one that is better and will work better. Carry the baby for the first 4 months, either your arms or a Moby Wrap for a cheaper alternative to something like an Ergo, it's really not hard. Do a search on car-seat breathing and you'll find the studies done about the dangers.

Add: Looked at the stroller. It's not the jogger that I prefer. If you're going to go with that style of stroller, look at the Chicco strollers. They lay completely flat, so it's better for the SIDS aspect, and have better reviews. I honestly wouldn't get a Baby Trend stroller that's not the jogger because they don't push well, don't maneuver, don't move well. It's all about the wheels and those little wheels always are a pain in the neck on strollers.

This is one similar to what I thought you were talking about. They're approved for babies about 2 months up.




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