Baby carrier recs and questions

[SoonerTexan]

Anybody have the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio? MIL wanted to buy us a car seat and she raved about Peg Perego and we liked it at first glance in the store, so we just went with it. We got it today at the shower and realizes we should have done more research. It is REALLY heavy and the hood doesn't come forward far enough to cover anything. Even DH was frustrated with it.

So I think we are going to get something else, probably cheaper. Any recs? We need something that works with the Bob, so maybe a Chicco?

Also, worth it to get an extra base for whoever watches her?

[madeintaiwan]

I like the Chicco. A few of my friends have the perego and I think they are way over rated. IMO, they are so not worth their inflated price. And I think the extra base would be nice. Not necessary, as they are pretty easy to install and uninstall, but not having to do so would be nice.

[v-girl]

All my friends with the Chicco infant seat love it. I hate lugging the seat around. We just did the $65 Graco seat and switched when the boy was 6 or 7 months. The extra base is definitely worth it. We had 3 bases (for our cars and the sitter). And have bought 4 car seats since he outgrew the infant seat. That's painful.

[scrub-jay]

All my friends with the Chicco infant seat love it. I hate lugging the seat around. We just did the $65 Graco seat and switched when the boy was 6 or 7 months. The extra base is definitely worth it.

This. Graco was great and fit in the BOB perfectly.

[SuzySunshine]

We had the Graco Safe Seat 2 (I think) and an extra base and it worked great for both of my kids. It also fit the BOB with the car seat adapter which you would need with any car seat. The hood goes all the way forward and I think its like 9 lbs or so.

[Thirteen]

Count us in the Chicco group: we had the KeyFit30 and loved it!

[ladymoreta]

My friend has a Chicco and loves it. We went with a Graco Snugride (Pippin design), and I loved it. It only went up to 22 lbs, but I was ready to switch it out way before DS got that heavy. (He's just over 24 lbs now - 50th percentile, so that's average for 18 months.) The carrier is very light compared with my friends' carriers since it doesn't go up so high in weight, so that was nice.

[Tenacious_D]

We also used the graco snug and ride until the boys turned 8/9 months and then switched to their toddler car seats. An extra base would be a plus but not required.

[MrsK]

Graco Snugride 32 here too. And we have a base for each of our cars.

FWIW, they are all heavy. But you'll surprise yourself. You'll develop Momma Gorrilla Arms and you'll be able to lift and carry more and more as your baby grows. BabyK weighs over 30 lbs now (he's got a very dense compact build and a broad chest). If you asked me two years ago, I never would have been able to carry 30 lbs on one hip with a diaper bag and infant in the carseat on the other arm. Now I do it all the time.

[SoonerTexan]

Thanks! Both the Chicco Keyfit and the Graco Snugride look great and are the other two that fit with the Bob. We'll also be able to buy a new carseat and extra base for the same price as the Peg Perego seat alone. Wish I had asked this question earlier!

[SoonerTexan]

Okay 2 more questions:

--The difference between the Graco Snugride 30 and 35 is basically $50 and 8 lbs of max weight difference. I'm leaning towards getting the lighter one with the lower max weight. Anybody every truly went up to the max weight in the carrer?

--Is it awful to get a black carseat? I like minimalist design, but I worry about Texas heat. Maybe not for this baby, but if any other baby has to use it during the summer, that makes me worry a little.

[MrsK]

There is no way my 30+ lb kid could fit in the Snugride. Even if he was within the height and weight limit, the straps would be too tight. Seems that most of us moved our kiddos to a Britax big carsear before their first birthdays.

[Thirteen]

Bean was going to outgrow the height limit way before the weight limit, so there's that too. If you get the lower weight limit, I don't see it being a hindrance.
I might avoid black, only because it really does attract the sunlight (if nothing else, think about the buckles getting really hot, even when it's not seasonally warm).
Or, just ignore me and do your own thing. It's truly up to you!

[MrsK]

FWIW, my Britax is black and it was 118 here this summer. The seat never got hot.

[v-girl]

The carrier isn't usually left in the car so I wouldn't worry about it.