Car Seat Question

[boomhauer]

I am going to the store this weekend to pick up 2 car seats for our twins due in March. I'm very confused. What I do know is, with infants, they have to be in rear-facing car seats. However, what I'm trying to decide is, do I buy 2 infant car seats now, and when they hit the weight limit (22lbs) go up to a bigger seat, or, do I buy 2 bigger seats now?

At what age (approxamiately) is 22lbs?

 

[hlbtimes2]

You can go either way. I always used an infant seat for my kids- so that I could easily take them in and out of the house and store in their seat. If you start with a bigger seat, you'll have to take them out of the seat, which can be a pain if they are asleep. But, if you buy larger ones now, they'll last you for years.

As for what age is 22 pounds- depends on the child! I would say anywhere from 9-18 months. My kids started out close to 10 pounds, so they hit 20 pretty fast!

 

[pooh4evr]

It is really up to you there are carseats that can go from infant to toddler and maybe pre-school that are rear facing then at 1 yr you just turn them around (they have to be rear facing until they are 1 yr AND 20 lbs no matter which kind of seat they are in) One plus to the infant seat is that they can lock into your stroller, and you can use them in carts at the grocery store... because they can be removed from the car. If there is a Babies R US near you I would go there the employees usually are helpful and know more stuff about the seats, and there will be amny seats to choose from and look at so you can make your decision. Good Luck!

And Congratulations to you and your wife!!

 

[minnieandme]

They should have a car seat that you can use for both rear facing and front facing. Do your research and see what you like that suits your needs. BTW 22 pounds is kinda hard to determine the age. It all depends on how much they weigh at birth and how well they eat. For my DS12 he was around 8 months old and for DS8 he was about a year old.

 

[Ms Marigny]

You can go either way. I always used an infant seat for my kids- so that I could easily take them in and out of the house and store in their seat. If you start with a bigger seat, you'll have to take them out of the seat, which can be a pain if they are asleep. But, if you buy larger ones now, they'll last you for years.

As for what age is 22 pounds- depends on the child! I would say anywhere from 9-18 months. My kids started out close to 10 pounds, so they hit 20 pretty fast!

Yep, what she said, but my DD hit 21 lbs at six months old- she is a really big baby! I still liked having the infant seat though for those first six months- it did make things easier.

 

[tink1978]

I bought mine at different times...my son was about 6 months old before he needed a front facing seat...so I bought it then....it took up less space and I did not have to spend all the money up front.

 

[boomhauer]

Wow - Thanks for all the replies!

I think I'll go with the infant car seats at first. Given that they're twins, they're likely to be a smaller as is. So, they probably won't hit 22 punds until they're close to a year. I won't mind at all buying 2 more car seats in a year. I was just afraid I'd have to run out and buy 2 more like 3 months from now.

Wal-Mart had a cute Winnie The Pooh seat made by Graco. I loved that one. The babies nursery is all Winnie The Pooh!

 

[oxfordcircus]

I'm going to go with the crowd here and vote for the infant seat that snaps into a base. To me, even though car seats can be very expensive, they're kind of like pair of shoes - they get worn out and nasty. Some fabric covers are removable( and washable), but that's about as easy as solving a rubik's cube in the dark. So, if you're like me, you might want to plan for a more immediate future and expect to purchase other seats down the road.

 

[tw1nsmom]

If money isn't a major issue, I would get the infant seats that are also baby carriers and then buy the bigger seats when they grow out of them. It's so much work getting the babies ready to go somewhere. It was nice to be able to get them dressed (especially in winter) and carry them out in their seats and pop them in the bases. It also made it possible for me to take them places alone. They also have these frames that can be used as a double stroller. You just take the baby out of the car, still in the carrier and snap the carrier into the frame. That way you don't have to wake them up if they're sleeping when you get to your destination. Stroller link

Of course, you will have to adjust to the bigger seats when the babies grow out of the carriers, but I still think they're worth the convenience if you can afford them (grandma's ussually love to buy this stuff).

 

[boomhauer]

Do all infant car seats come with these "bases"?

Edit: Actually answered my own question. It says the one I'm looking at has a detatchable base.

 

[aprilgail2]

I would get the infant one and just replace them once they get bigger. My daughter did not hit 20 pounds until she was over 2 so she was rear facing a LONG time, she was out of the infant rear facing seat and into a bigger rear facing seat after about a year. Twins tend to be on the small side when born so you may get more time out of the car seats than others will, my daughter was only 4 lbs 14 ounces when she came home from the hospital and she is still small (7 years old and 37 pounds)

 

[Frantasmic]

You've got twins! People will come see you. Ask them to just pick up some bread, milk, and a gross of diapers when they come over.

You shouldn't have to leave the house until they are big enough for the larger seats.

I just saved you some money. No need to thank me.

 

[SamIAm21]

You've got twins! People will come see you. Ask them to just pick up some bread, milk, and a gross of diapers when they come over.

You shouldn't have to leave the house until they are big enough for the larger seats.

I just saved you some money. No need to thank me.

 

[DMickey28]

I am planning this for our baby too. I am getting an infant seat that fits into our stroller. I will get a convertable seat down the road as he gets bigger.

OT: You already have the nursery done and are getting the car seats already??? Am I really behind??? I have a few things, clothing wise, but nothing else done and wasn't really planning on beginning to get stuff until mid-late January!!!

 

[boomhauer]

OT: You already have the nursery done and are getting the car seats already??? Am I really behind??? I have a few things, clothing wise, but nothing else done and wasn't really planning on beginning to get stuff until mid-late January!!!

Well, we had alot of stuff for a baby last year. Sadly that pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage. However, this time, everything is going perfectly (thank God.)

Only thing is, now I need to get a 2nd of everything we already had. Plus, I wanted to surprise my wife on Christmas buy having everything we needed. She was all worried about getting all this stuff. I have a bonus check coming tomorrow, so I'm gonna go out Saturday and buy everything.

 

[monami7]

I went with convertable car seats.

 

[my2princessgirls]

I just wanted to chime in and agree with most people here. The infant seat (we always called ours a "bucket") is so great when they are small and sleeping a lot. You don't have to worry about moving them and risk waking them up!

You might also be able to get a double stroller that comes with 2 infant seats and possibly save a bit of money if you planned to buy a double stroller anyway.

Just remember that even if they outgrow the infant seat before they turn one, they need to be 20lbs AND 1 YEAR before you face them forward. Lots of people don't realize that it's not just how much they weigh, it's also the developement of their neck and spine (as well as other things I'm sure) that is important.

Best of luck with your babies!!

 

[JeffM]

We used the bucket seat for ever. It was the greatest for when they fall asleep. Make sure they are rear facing until they are 1 AND 20lbs. My daughter was not 20lbs until she was 18 months so we had to wait. She is in the 5point harness now, and she is 5. I will keep her in there until she cant fit anymore!

 

[cats7494]

Just wanted to say congratulations on the upcoming babies!
I agree with all the other posters here; my 10 month old is still in a rear facing infant car seat. It is really a great contraption!

Good luck with your twins!

 

[laurie31]

I think your question has been well and thoroughly answered, but I wanted to say that both my DDs were over 9 pounds at birth (9'4" and 9'12") but both were barely 20 pounds by the time they turned one. So with twins, I'd be surprised if you needed larger carseats before their first birthday. (and maybe not even then, if they haven't hit 20 pounds yet)

And that is so sweet that you want to surprise your wife with a 2nd of everything!

And it never hurts to be prepared early!