Ummm, how do I choose a carseat?

So my mom said that since I am due Feb 13 she wants to have my shower before Xmas and I should start thinking of registering. Well, bedding was easy to choose. DH and I test drove strollers and that was easy. Other fun things don't seem that confusing.

The big one that confuses me is the carseat. Do I need an infant carseat and then a convertible or just a convertible? Is one safer than the other at certain times? The convertible seem to say they are safe from 5 to 35 lbs but I don't know.

Any help would be wonderful. My mom said she didn't even have a car seat when she came home from the hospital. It was not necessary or popular

Message edited 8/12/2006 4:01:19 PM.

Re: Ummm, how do I choose a carseat?

You need an infant seat first, and then you'd switch to the convertible. The infant seat is safest in the beginning, and also very convenient since you can take it out of the car if the baby is sleeping!!

For the infant seat Britax Companion and Graco Snugride are popular choices. For the convertible Britax (Roundabout, Marathon, Boulevard) or Evenflo Titan are some good models.

Re: Ummm, how do I choose a carseat?

Thank you so much. This is very helpful. By reading the description, it sounds like a convertible could do it all but the idea that I could just take an infant out of the car in the car seat sounds much easier than battling a big convertible.

Thanks for the recommendations, too. I was going to ask that next.

Re: Ummm, how do I choose a carseat?

I would also recommend doing an infant car seat (we had the Graco SnugRide which is the highest rated in Safety) and using that and then switching to a convertable seat when the baby grows out of the infant seat, or when your arm gets tired -- since you get tired of carrying the baby in it! It gets heavy after a while!

For the convertable seat I would HIGHLY recommend the Britax for your main car. An evenflo triumph is the next best for a 2nd seat or if you can't swing the Britax, since they are pricey, but worth every penny IMO!

For the Britax the roundabout is the cheapest, and is good up to 40 lbs, the Marathon is a bit more money but holds up to 65lbs. The new laws say that children need to be in a car seat (regular seat or booster) through 7 years of age now so the Britax is a good way to go since it can hold such a big child!

Good luck and keep the questions coming. Us BTDT moms have done the research and can definately share our experiences as well!!