Friends,
I plan to buy a stroller and car seat for my soon to be born baby. Based on your experiences, please let me know what are the things I should be considering and pay more attention to.
Thank you all.
Shriya
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you may be someone to the world but for someone you are the world.
Location: God's own country
Posted on: 28-12-08 01:26:41
if you plan to buy a new one from a Canadian retailer, Nothing...
Just go to Walmart and get the cheapest one. It comes as a set (the stroller, car seat and attachment to fix the car seat to the car). In fact, you can buy it at Sears or ToysRus too, except that it will be more costly.
Hope this helps.
Peace
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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.
Quote:
Originally posted by shriya
Friends,
I plan to buy a stroller and car seat for my soon to be born baby. Based on your experiences, please let me know what are the things I should be considering and pay more attention to.
Thank you all.
Shriya
The first one we bought, we looked for a v sturdy one. It is big and so is helful to carry more stuff and to cover completly in case of snow etc. Most imp., a new born feels v comfortable in it. But after some time as the child grows (after 18 months) , we found it was too big for car trunk and to handle. We saw others using very sleek ones, foldable.
If you are travelling by car, small is good for trunk and if by bus, even then small is good. So then we bought another smaller one.
As TK says, Walmart is good. We recently bought one and got a deal from Zellers. I believe, Zellers got more variety for the same price of Walmart. Sears, The Bay, ToysRUs and other baby shop stops are costlier options.
Keep an eye on Zeller's flyer, if you can wait...
Graco and Safety first are good brands for sure.
Congratulations for the Baby!!
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Like you - a Canadian .. but still DESI 
I will disagree slightly about the "buy cheapest" suggestion.
You get what you pay for.
Car seats, strollers (and baby stuff in general) is /always/ overpriced in general.
If you look at the item vis-a-vis the price, it will appear expensive.
Think of toys, basinets, cribs, swings, etc.
Therefore, if you go for the cheapest option, you will likely end up with a crappy product and you would have overpaid anyway.
IMO, it is better to pay a little more and get something that has better value in terms of safety, comfort and ease of handling.
There have been some recent concerns and recalls about the safety of some of the car seats, so check the brand you are buying.
Also, some of the cheapest onces are not comfortable for the child, esp. during longer drives or in traffic when they have to sit strapped in for over an hour.
The car-seat/stroller combos ( called "travel system" ) are slightly more expensive but offer convenience and value.
Identify the ones you need and then wait for a sale to buy it.
That way, you get a better product at a reasonable price.
We bought a Graco travel system from Sears when our first was born and it served us well for many years.
We recently gave it away to another family with new-born kids and they are using it now, so it's still going strong.
Maybe once they grow out of it, it will serve a third family too.
I feel it has been good value.
When picking these things look for the quality of the cushion, the type and number of harnesses and restraints (ideally 5-point harness), a head rest and a well cushioned seat bottom.
It should have side hooks and not just a back hook for strapping into the car.
For the stroller, look for something that has 360 deg. rotating front wheels and plenty of storage space within the stroller for carrying baby stuff (trust me, you will need every bit of space).
Good luck !
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"Mah deah, there is much more money to be made in the destruction of civilization than in building it up."
-- Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind"
pratickm has covered fantastic. Travel System is good to consider specially in Winter where your baby can stay warm & you can bundle her/him up inside rather than bending your back in storm.
A strong but lightweight is good too, specially if you could steer easily with one hand.
While at buying stroller - look at Sun, Wind and Rain shields as well.
And when you look for well cushioned seat, make sure fabric is either Stain-resistant or easy to clean/wash
At the end - A model that folds easily with one hand (almost all of them these days).
Congrates & Good Luck ...
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Mumbai Maazi Ladki ...
