Buggies and car seats.

If you can afford it, buy your own car seat so it is fitted by a reliable dealer and buy a light weight fold up pram/pushchair for your own use.

The In Car Safety Centre is excellent for impartial advice - agree though, better to start a new thread.

1Kathleens

Where can I take my car and baby seat to check it has been fitted correctly?

This is an old thread from 2022 so might be worth starting your own thread on this different issue.

Where can I take my car and baby seat to check it has been fitted correctly?

My daughter was told last year that small babies should not go in car seats on a buggy frame because of the risk to their breathing. It’s a maximum of 30 minutes, I believe. The baby should be lying flat in a carry cot or a lie-flat buggy.

I was a car seat fitter for years and this is true and has always been known but the young people find it so convenient to “not disturb” a sleeping child.
It makes me shudder when I see chaises with babycariers attached on busses to be wheeled round the shops for hours.
A baby in an infant carrier is in the equivalent of the brace position you assume in a plane crash. The best place to be if there is an accident, but not where you want to spend all day!
Much better to take a wee one out of a fixed car seat and put them in a pram or buggy.
There is even the horror of a Doona stroller so the poor wee mites done ever get taken out the seats.

GrannyGravy13

Le30 speak to the parents, not all car seats fit all cars.

At 13 weeks it’s not recommended that babies are in a sitting position for long, so unless the buggy can go flat it probably would not be suitable.

Good luck, enjoy your GC and start taking the vitamins now as you will definitely need every ounce of energy in the coming months ?

At 13 weeks it’s not recommended that babies are in a sitting position for long, so unless the buggy can go flat it probably would not be suitable.

That is a really important point and safety issue. Babies can stop breathing if left too long in a seat, their heads may slump forward and constrict breathing. Our friend's DD was warned about this when they went shopping for baby equipment.
www.southampton.ac.uk/engineering/news/2016/10/infants-prone-to-breathing-problems-car-seats.page

Best consult the parents and yes, I think having a car seat permanently in the car and separate pushchair which goes flat would be best.
The seats aren't easy to click in and out of the Isofix bases.

1summer

I would really recommend an isofix spin car seat, you might need someone to fix it. I have had 2 firstly a Chicco one but I didn’t like so replaced it with a Joie one - expensive but the spin is so worth it. My daughter wouldn’t let me get a second hand one as she said thats not recommended. But I did buy quite a decent second had pushchair, I had a choice of quite a few but wanted a light weight easy to operate one and in fact mine was an Aldi one, easy to put down and put in boot of car. My granddaughter was one when I started looking after her.

This was what I had (the Joie). It was actually value for money because it fit him until he was nearly 5.

Thank you so much for the help and advice. Swivel car seats sound great. Also lie back lightweight buggies. I will research but feel better about my decision not to go for a ca seat that turns into a buggy. I'll buy them separately.

The seats that fit on to the buggy are sometimes difficult to manage. You would be better with a car seat that lasts from birth to age 3 (tend to be according to weight as they get bigger). And a foldable buggy that can be used from birth to age 3. Ask the parents advice first. It's also easier to have your own equipment eg. changing mat, high chair, nappies, wipes and some age appropriate toys which stay at Gran's house rather than having to cart lots of stuff on handover. You can often buy stuff second hand and friends sometimes pass on things they are finished with. It's hard work but very special so congratulations.

We had and still have a small car and the equipment took up a lot of space. Getting shopping in, or luggage if going away or giving someone a lift meant taking it all out. Really builds up the muscles. Choose carefully, it’s a minefield.
After all thats been said, it’s lovely, enjoy.

There are fully lie-back stroller type buggies in Argos. They start at about £75. Just make sure it's a "from birth" type.
And yes, definitely speak to the parents. They may have preferences.

We bought a car seat to go into our car for when he had the GCs, from birth. Separate to a buggy, which we also kept here.

MzOops went onto various web sites to find the most crash resistant car seat.

My daughter was told last year that small babies should not go in car seats on a buggy frame because of the risk to their breathing. It’s a maximum of 30 minutes, I believe. The baby should be lying flat in a carry cot or a lie-flat buggy.

I’d keep the car seat in the car and buy a lie-flat buggy. We have a basic Silver Cross buggy but it goes flat.

I urge you to speak to the parents . Yes, it is their baby but if you are giving them childcare you must ensure that you have equipment you can manage. Lifting a baby in his car seat out of the car then fixing onto a pram frame is no easy task ! and babies get heavier by the week!!! My strong advice is to have a baby seat fixed permanently in your car and to have a folding buggy in the boot. I have always done and my daughters have been happy with the arrangement. I feel that if I am providing free child care I should have a say in what I need in order to do the job safely. Enjoy and let us know how you get on .

I would really recommend an isofix spin car seat, you might need someone to fix it. I have had 2 firstly a Chicco one but I didn’t like so replaced it with a Joie one - expensive but the spin is so worth it. My daughter wouldn’t let me get a second hand one as she said thats not recommended. But I did buy quite a decent second had pushchair, I had a choice of quite a few but wanted a light weight easy to operate one and in fact mine was an Aldi one, easy to put down and put in boot of car. My granddaughter was one when I started looking after her.

I'd ask the parents what they feel comfortable with as a car seat and pram.

Lots are light weight

Like most things baby related they grow out of equipment quite quickly. Assume the parents will buy the items needed as they aren’t cheap. The striped foldaway buggies we used to use would not now be suitable because of lack of support .
I had a look at pushchairs in JL 12 years ago and missed the final zero. When I realised, I needed a sit down and a strong cuppa in the cafe to recover from the shock. eeek!

13 weeks is going to need a backward facing quite chunky car seat.
I think it's too young for an ordinary buggy.

My DGS had a swivel car seat. It was worth every (very expensive) penny, because it would turn around so I could lift him out easily. Much easier than doing it from the side, over the edge of the seat.

I don't drive baby GC - at baby car seat ages.

Your GS could be delivered to your home.

If preferring to drive GC I'd have asked their parents to select and install proper baby car seats. Their baby, their choice.

Buggies - we have our own, we selected and purchased what was easy for us to use and store - nothing at all to do with a car seat.

When DGD was a baby, I permanently had a baby seat in the back of my car, an ordinary buggy in the boot.
If you're buying a buggy, check you find it both easy for you to manoeuvre and the right height for you. (Obviously it needs to ge easy fold up.)
Enjoy - it's wonderful.

Le30 speak to the parents, not all car seats fit all cars.

At 13 weeks it’s not recommended that babies are in a sitting position for long, so unless the buggy can go flat it probably would not be suitable.

Good luck, enjoy your GC and start taking the vitamins now as you will definitely need every ounce of energy in the coming months ?

I had my own carseat and buggy. My daughter was with me when we bought them - I paid as it was my choice to have them. I got a spin seat as easier, but I think most are now anyway?

Baby car seats these days are a bit of a minefield especially the Iso fix bases, they accommodate car seats as the child grows. You will probably be better off having one of these that will fit the baby seat, you can transfer easy from car to car. It will need to match the parents one for easy use.
They are a bit expensive, but you will be using it for a long time. Have a look at John Lewis for info.

But I can recommend the buggies that fold like a back pack. They are smaller and quite robust.
When our GD was born 6 yrs ago we bought a stick buggy to use, but now these newer "back pack" type buggies are great value and so easy to use and so compact.
Both our DD and DS have them for their younger ones. My DS wife found one on ebay for a silly price, have a look there.
Enjoy your time with the little one.

We really struggled with car seats and pushchairs, which are just huge these days, too many buttons to push and pull at the same time, and so heavy! Never straightforward or easy and probably the worst part of looking after the GC.
Be prepared, you really do need to discuss with parents.