| The Chicco key fit car seat in evergreen [source] |
The reason we waited is because the local children's hospital has a safety center sponsored by Kohl's where parents can buy safety gear including car seats, gates, latches etc. at a discount (doing a little browsing online, I'd say we saved somewhere around $50-$60 shopping there rather than in a retail store). However, it's only open a limited number of hours per week and only after work on Tuesdays. We finally made it in yesterday evening, and it was BUSY, but the staff was very helpful and -although the selection there wasn't large - we're happy with our choice. There are so many positions, latches, buttons, straps, etc. that I'm glad we had someone just show us how to install it rather than trying to do it based on reading the manual.
We also took the plunge and bought a stroller - or rather a base to plug the car seat into that acts like a stroller.
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We went back and forth on the stroller thing quite a bit before we decided to buy this one. The big "con" is that it only works with the baby car seat. Once he's too big for the infant seat, he's too big for the stroller. However, it was so so so so much lighter and easier to push and fold than a stroller that works with both a car seat and converts to hold a toddler. We decided that at the point it was time for him to go in a toddler-sized stroller, we'd hopefully be able to get one that was just made for forward facing that would be easy to push and fold as well.
Although the car seat was 100% necessary, I am having a tiny bit of buyer's remorse about the stroller. I guess I'm just afraid that we're not going to use it enough to justify the cost. A stroller is one of those things that you are "supposed to" buy, but when exactly do you use it? You can't take it to the grocery store because you can't push a stroller and a cart at the same time. You can't take it to church because... I don't know... it seems like it would get in people's way. You can't take it to the mall because once you have a baby, you better stay away from the mall ;). I can see myself taking the baby out for a walk when it gets warm enough, but wouldn't I just want to carry him in one of those Ergo things? It wasn't that expensive, but I dunno...
Moms - what do you think about the stroller thing??? Are we wasting our money??? Are we going to be glad we have this thing??? Should we return it? We still have (I hope - Daniel picked it up) the receipt.
It's getting real...
You have to remember babies grow and weather does improve and after a while you will want to go out. We got two strollers that our first car seat clamped to - the big jogging stroller is more an all terrain vehicle - great for walking around town, walking to the grocery, going to an outdoor art festival, walking thru a big outdoor event, etc. and is great for a toddler now too. It's most recent adventure involved toting an exhausted Gabby home from trick or treating. The second stroller was a gift and very similar to what you got, basically a rack that the first car seat clamps to. I loved it because it was lightweight and would fit easily in my car (unlike the big stroller). Plus it would hold the diaper bag underneath, so I could actually carry something else while pushing baby thru the mall, the post office, the grocery (if you are only buying a small handheld basket of stuff for dinner it works great). And it was exhausting to carry a sleeping baby in a car seat everywhere, so the stroller helped. One challenge of going anywhere with a baby or toddler is you are often hauling extra stuff for them so it is not just about the baby's transit but everyone needed to care for the baby. I also love my changing wallet - it holds a couple of diapers, a couple of bags and a wipes case - the whole thing can fit in a big purse - so you can easily change the baby anywhere on a clean surface.
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