Tuesday, August 19, 2008

The importance of a great infant car seat...


It goes without saying that it is essential to invest the time in researching a good, quality, durable car seat for your baby. This is just good common sense. We definitely did our research when planning for the arrival of our first baby and we were very pleased with our Graco MetroLite infant seat/stroller system. However, the reality of it was, our son ended up weighing 24 1/2 lb at 6 months and his height was off the charts. At his FOUR month check up, his pediatrician told us that we needed to buy a new convertible car seat to accomodate his length (and, also perhaps, save our aching biceps!). My point is-- we probably could have shelled out less for the infant seat and still had an adequate ride for our baby.


Fast forward to the arrival of our baby daughter. Weighing in at only 1 lb 5 oz at birth and topping out at EIGHT pounds at the six month marker, this was a whole different story. She rode in that car seat until close to her second birthday, when she FINALLY hit 21 lbs.


With a very small baby, please remember that you will potentially be using that seat for a very long time. Sure, you can buy a different one, but why? Infant seats are incredibly portable and also offer a bit of a physical "barrier" protecting your infant from the germy (well-meaning) hands of strangers.


Invest in a great one and you'll be in good shape for the long haul.
For more great tools and ideas, go visit FishMama's Toolin' Up Tuesday!

4 comments:

FishMama said...

Wow! You really have experienced a range of baby sizes! Thanks for a great post!

Ryann said...

Yes, we are still using the original Chico infant carrier for Miss Addy. She's about 18 lbs and 27 inches. Although after this past weekends long car trip we are wondering if forward facing wouldn't be ok for these long trips so we could actually interact with her a little more. I mean, at 16 months, would you like to look at a black seat exclusively for 2+ hours straight... talk about boring.
Great post!
-Ryann

Jess said...

Hi, thanks for writing this blog! I saw someone mention it on babycenter so I came over for a look! I have twin boys that were born at 27w1d (2lb 3oz and 2lb 5oz). They are almost 13mos old and are doing very well!! I'm so glad your strong little girl made it through the NICU!!! :)

JessieLeigh said...

Fishmama- thanks for hosting Toolin' Up Tuesday... this week's baby theme worked out great for me. ; )

Ryann-- funny you should mention that... I have a post about turning the car seat around coming up tomorrow!

Jess-- Congrats on your twins; I'm so glad they're doing so well. It's wonderful to see these little ones triumph, isn't it?