Hi Everyone!
In the next couple of weeks I am going to start the process of figuring out my twins next car seat (no longer to be in infant seat - so need to send me the info from the news report distributed) and stroller combo. I was wondering if any of you could provide some recommendations for both (or any to avoid) from your experience. :)
As for strollers, I already have a front/back stroller thanks to my SIL :) but I would also like to get a side-by-side stroller.
As for car seats, ideally we need car seats that would fit both our Corolla and our new car (yet to be determined but probably in the SUV/Minivan category).
Any help is appreciated. :)
Thanks everyone... we decided on Britax Marathon and Chicco.
There was just a story on the news about a Consumer Reports test that showed 10 out of the 12 car seats they tested failed. Here's the link to the article so you can see which 2 passed.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/child-car-...
FYI - this doesn't really apply to you since you'll be on the next sized car seat, but I thought everyone here might be interested.
Consumer Reports (Feb 2007) JUST came out with new crash test data on infant car seats. Out of 12 car seats that all met government standards, they only recommended 2 - the Baby Trend Flex-Loc and the Graco SungRide with EPS.
They specifically recommended *against* the following:
* The Evenflo Discovery, which flew off its base with the dummy still strapped inside.
* The Eddie Bauer Comfort Seat, which technicians were unable to fit properly in any of five different cars.
* The Graco SafeSeat and the Britax Companion, which jumped off the seat, then slammed back again.
Here's a link to a news summary of the testing:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16473196/
You'll want to get the Consumer Reports testing data from their website or from your library.
I love my Valco and have also heard great things about Mountain Buggy. Both are very pricey, but very worth it if you do a lot of walking.
Nicole,
I also read that Consumer Reports article. (I think it is on the CNN page.) The reviews were for infant seats that snapped into bases--the bases being the part that is installed in the car. Your twins possibly have outgrown this type of seat by now and/or might be large enough to use convertible car seats. If this is an option for you, I highly recommend something by Britax, such as the Roundabout model. I won't use anything but Britax.
Amy
Hi Nicole! I saw your post and just wanted to be sure you saw this article, recently posted on MSN, about infant carseats. This is the same article mentioned by other moms below/above. I know you are moving up to the next size; however, this article is a real eye-opener for infant seats. We should all be doubly and triply careful, since apparently the tests they run them through aren't all that good. And I'm sure the same holds for toddler seats! Be sure to read the follow-up article on Consumer Reports, which is much more detailed. A link to that article can be found at the bottom of this one.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16473196/?GT1=8921
We have been pleased with our Cosco toddler seat. It does fit very tightly into our Toyota with the LATCH system.
I have 2 boys--a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old. We have always used Britax carseats (after the infant carrier seat.) We have the roundabout in our smaller car-a Toyota RAV 4. I think it goes to 45 lbs. We have the marathon in our bigger car--a Volvo XC90. The marathon goes to 65 lbs. We have been extremely happy with them. We even got my mom a marathon for her car. Also, there are several places that will install your carseat for you. We went to the Park Ridge fire dept, but there are many police stations that do that too.
I also have the Peg Perego Twin Aria which I got when my second was born. I love it. I was unaware of the bad reviews. I wanted a side by side for a lot of reasons. I wanted to see both boys. It was very lightweight especially in and out of the car. It is a breeze to open and close--this is my favorite feature.
In the front to back double strollers I didn't want the boys to fight over who sat in front and I also found it very heavy to lift in and out of the car. I did a lot of research and tried a lot of side by sides. The combi was nice, but the seats seemed very small--not a lot of room for growth, particularly for my older son. It also seemed rickety. The Maclaren was nice and I almost got it, but the opening and closing of it was cumbersome and the baskets were small and hard to get to if the child was reclining. The mountain buggy was really nice but costly and not foldable for the car. The different jogging ones were great but I wasn't confident that they could fold well enough for travel in and out of the car.
The trays are on the Aria are on the small side, but at least it has trays. The boys like it for snacks. It doesn't hold sippy cups. It doesn't bother us, but I've seen attachments you can get via internet. The basket on the bottom is quite large and easy to get to even when both seats are reclined. There's a bit of a learning curve in the beginning when maneuvering in and out of narrow doors, though the stroller is the same width as a wheelchair. My husband recommends a "C" maneuver--Angle in the doorway one way and continue forward turning the opposite angle you came in.
Anyway, the last thing I can recommend is that you think about how you're going to use the stroller. That will best determine what you should get. Good luck!
Hi,I am a sahm of two girls ages one (1/5/06) and 2 1/2 (5/31/04)...we live on the northside of Chicago. I own the mountain buggy urban double as I had to have it after having a second baby. I love it as it is strong, durable, urban looking and has all the features we were looking for. My neighbor with twins (23 mos old) has the babj jogger city series double.. and loves it too. I agree it is nice too and they are both comparative in price.. I just fell in love with the rugedness and durability of the mountain buggy and kept running into people who raved about it. As for carseats we upgraded to two matching britax convertibel boulevard matching seats from albeebaby.com and although I wasn't 100% on the color at first they were top rated and best deal we could find! My daughters seem to love them and they go up to 65 lbs I believe.. good luck with all your new shopping!! We own a Mazda mvp and love it, as a smaller size minivan with all the top features key fob opens doors, back windows roll down, leather, a/c, 6 disc cd changer etc,.. I believe car seats are most important,.. there are soo many suv/mini van type vehicles just remember the bigger the car the more impact on your own kids if someone else hits you.. (it's like a 3,000 pound bullet) and all the new minivans with the key fob that opens the side door by the push of a button are great as all you do is press and doors open for you to put the kids in!!! A friend has the Toyota sienna also and loves it! Hope I helped a tiny bit! T.
I am also looking/researching double strollers. I will be watching another baby soon and will need a twin. I was very interested in the Peg Perego Twin Aria. It is so light 14lbs and is a side by side, and has a bar across the front for snacks/cups, etc, however, on the Babies R Us website it had terrible reviews. So just FYI on that one. I hope others will share their opinions since I am looking as well.
I'm pretty sure the Nat'l Transportation Safety Board and Consumer Reports just tested a bunch of car seats. Unfortunately they found that pretty much all of them on the market except for 2 have issues. This came out just the other day, so you might want to do a little research - I'm sure if you google it you can find the report. I recall they found Baby Trend to be safe, which surprises me because I thought that was a cheaper brand. I remember them saying the Latch system is NOT a good way to have the car seat installed. Sorry I'm not more help but it was on as I was trying to calm my 2 month old. Best of luck with your twins.
A.
