I am only one week away from the half way mark. I feel like this is a huge feat, but at the same time, the finish lines seems rather far away. In my mind, August feels like it will be here before I know it. So does the end of school. However, it seems like forever since we found out we were expecting. I know that the road before us will be swiftly driven through with the details of the baby, the nursery, and all of the supplies needed for the baby and the nursery :)
Last night, Andy and I ate with our good friend Kristen. Her and her husband, Daniel, are the cupids who set up Andy and I! Kristen is one month ahead of me with their second child, and is having a boy too!!! They live in Texas, so we don't get to see them much, but this was a special treat! I have a belly pic of the two of us, but I'll have to post that later. We really enjoyed getting to talk to an expert mom who is now at the same stage we are. She answered tons of our questions. We've got lots of things to think about, but here's one of our current troubles:Stroller talk:
We have pretty much decided that we will be going with a Chicco travel system. There has been a little blurp, though, that has slowed us down in making our final decision. Chicco makes 2 versions of their travel systems- 1 where the car seat holds up to 22 lbs, and one where it holds up to 30 lbs. And, to make matters worse, each one offers different colors!!! The weight thing was a small detail that I almost didn't even notice, but it has proven to be a big deal.
If you have a Chicco stroller, what weight limit do you have? Here are our pros and cons:
*Pros and cons for 22 lb.:
*the car seat itself weighs 9 lbs + baby = max weight of 31 lbs... HEAVY
*we like the colors in the 22 lb. group
*we can find this stroller in stores...in colors we like.
*If Tucker is like Stone, he will weight almost 20 lbs. around 5 months old, leaving us with 7 months of no car seat solution until he turns 1 and can face forward...Big Baby
Pros and cons for 30 lb.:
*the car seat itself weighs 9 lbs + baby = max weight of 41 lbs... HEAVIER
*this carseat will hold any size baby for the whole first year...no additional cost of new carseat
*the colors are not so good. we've only found one that we really like...it's not in a store...Andy found it online, though!
We're pretty much set on Chicco, but I would love to know your favorite feature about your stroller!
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Thank you for sharing your comments! Every little bit helps, and believe me, I have lots more questions coming up!!!
11 comments:
Ok, here goes my input... :D
We also have the Chicco system, which is a great choice!
By the time your kid is 20lbs, you won't want to be carrying him in the carseat carrier anymore- way too heavy! Plus, by then Tucker should be able to sit up enough with support so that you don't need to carry him in the carrier, you can just sit him in the grocery cart, and he'll enjoy that more anyway. I wouldn't worry about the "no carseat solution" thing. For example, we went ahead and got the "big carseat" when Avery was 6 months, and plenty of brands can face backward AND forward. We have an Eddie Bauer convertible seat that can face backward or forward and holds babies and children from 5-100 lbs. So you still only have to have 2 carseats in Tucker's life, can get the Chicco you like, and don't have to worry about it!
Ok, I was going to say pretty much everything that Megan did---We also have a Chicco (I think it's the Cortina) the green and grayish set. I agree, you really won't want to lug him around in it past 20 lbs. After Gracie was a few months old I started taking her out of the carseat and putting her in a sling or front carrier when we were shopping. Also, I don't know if you realize that the Chicco carseat doesn't fit in the top of the shopping cart at most stores, it is too big. This wasn't a big deal for me because that's not the safest spot for them anyways and we preferred the sing or carrier. We also switched to a convertible seat at about 10 months that we used as rear facing until she turned a year old.
I love the Chicco!! It's great and easy to use. My personal opinion is to go with either one, but know that you will not want to lug the carseat and a 30lb baby around. So, the 20lb one will be fine for you. You can always register for a convertable carseat that can be used after Tucker is big enough and after he is one! It's such fun registering:)
Alright, you asked... so this is my "expert" advice:
- We love the chicco carseat, and it has held up now for three babies. It looks almost as new as it did the day we got it!
- Get the 22 pound rated. You'll not want to tote him around any heavier. As he gets bigger, you'll need to get a convertible carseat which can go rear or forward facing. Our Britax roundabout (which we LOVE, and you can get great prices on at diapers.com) is rated rear-facing to 33 pounds and forward facing to 40 pounds. You can put them in these seats as soon as they start sitting up on their own, I think.
And here's my vote on the travel system: If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't do the travel system. They're bulky and hard to fold. A little known fact is that you can use your car seat on all kinds of other strollers... that are SO much easier to use. A dear friend of mine has an Inglesina stroller that is INCREDIBLE. It's a little pricey, but it would at least be worth looking into. (Our double stroller is a Joovy, which is another great brand.) I was shocked to learn that you don't HAVE to do the travel system! :) [By the way, the travel system works just fine for us and I use the chicco stroller ALL the time!]
Kelly, Ashley Daugherty(Hough). We have a Chicco and love it. My only complaint about it is that you can not fit the car seat part in ANY shopping cart. I was going to say exactly what Megan said. We bought Logan the next size carseat before he was a year and just turned it around. Buy the STROLLER you like the best...it is the most important piece.
Most people I know (including me) moved to a convertible car seat because the baby got too long for the infant carrier not because of their weight. The convertible car seat will be used longer than the infant car seat. But I do agree I don't think you are going to be able to carry a 20lb baby in an infant car seat. By then he should be able to sit in the stroller with no problem.
We have the chicco. The 30 pound one in gray and green. I love it. I still carry micah in it although he is 20 pounds because he goes to work with me and its just easier. Plus when ur outside, using the travel system keeps the sun and wind off of him rather than putting him in the big part. I use mine everyday and it so east to fold and its very lightweight when putting it in and out of the trunk.
Kim Taylor
I agree with everyone that a 20lb baby is too much to carry in the portable carseat. We have the convertible Eddie Bauer carseat too and it is great! One important thing to note though is that you should not turn your baby around at 1 year! Babies should remain rear-facing as long as possible, up to the rear-facing limits of the carseat (35 pounds usually). I have a very large son, who is at the top of the growth charts. He is 16 mos now and is still quite comfortable rear-facing in 3 different carseats in 3 different vehicles. If you want any more info on it, just google "extended rear-facing" and keep that baby turned around as long as possible!
I'm not a mom but I do have an opinion. It seems that although you might not have your most favorite color with the heavier one you will be saving money in the end not having to buy another car seat. also, your husband is a beast who could lift a car if he wanted to. now i know he will not always be around when you go out with Tucker, but i remember Melissa Hanley saying that your body goes into "survival" mode in situations where you have to move something heavy for the sake of going to the grocery. it seems that the best bet would be to get the heavier one and start your work out now...if allison can carry stone in his...i'm pretty sure you too can do the same! Can't wait to see you this weekend!
I have the Chicco 30 pounder...I love it, would recommend it to anyone. Your body just gets used to carring the infant seat, your baby will gain weight gradually, so you will become numb to noticing a weight difference. Plus, you can always leave the infant seat in the car (as you would a car seat for older children) if it gets too heavy to carry around with baby in it. I did that with my daughter...after she was 9 months old the infant part stayed in the car as a carseat, when I used the stroller she was big enough to sit in it without the infant seat attached. When we went in the stores I would just sit her in the top of the shopping cart with her shopping cart cover to protect from germs! Good luck....you'll love the Chicco!
I will have to agree with Kendall seeing as how I am not a mom either, and your husband does appear to be quite strong. However, go with what more mom's recommend, and then soon enough I will be asking your opinion on all those baby things!
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