wonderingi
Particularly the "Venture" style. And, did anyone order it direct from the website? If so, where can you take it if there is a problem?
Answer
Love the stroller, hate the car seat, would never buy the travel system.
You can try out the strollers or at least some of the models at Target and Toys R Us/Babies R Us. I love them, they're comfortable for my kids, easy to maneuver, easy to go through sand, dirt, grass, whatever, and I haven't tried out a nicer stroller. I love the large wheels that are bicycle wheels so that it's easy to fix them and for them to go over obstacles. :)
However, I don't like the car seat because you can try them at Target as well, and you have to put the two hooks together then push them into the seat-belt latch, and when working with a restless baby that would be a nightmare. Graco and other infant seats let you push in one side then the other, which makes it a lot easier when you're working with a restless baby.
I also don't like people putting the baby in a car seat outside of the car. It makes the car seat at risk for knocking against things and becoming damaged, as well as it curves the baby. SIDS research says over and over that we need to lay the baby flat or be carrying the baby, and research has proven that while car seats save their lives in an accident you should limit their time in a car seat (or anything that tilts them) to less than 3 hours in a day and no more than 1 hour at a time, and basically not use it in anything but the car.
So the stroller is nice, get the stroller, but order it through something like Target or Walmart's or babies r us so that you can take it there if there's a problem. Skip the car seat, get one that is better and will work better. Carry the baby for the first 4 months, either your arms or a Moby Wrap for a cheaper alternative to something like an Ergo, it's really not hard. Do a search on car-seat breathing and you'll find the studies done about the dangers.
Add: Looked at the stroller. It's not the jogger that I prefer. If you're going to go with that style of stroller, look at the Chicco strollers. They lay completely flat, so it's better for the SIDS aspect, and have better reviews. I honestly wouldn't get a Baby Trend stroller that's not the jogger because they don't push well, don't maneuver, don't move well. It's all about the wheels and those little wheels always are a pain in the neck on strollers.
This is one similar to what I thought you were talking about. They're approved for babies about 2 months up.
Love the stroller, hate the car seat, would never buy the travel system.
You can try out the strollers or at least some of the models at Target and Toys R Us/Babies R Us. I love them, they're comfortable for my kids, easy to maneuver, easy to go through sand, dirt, grass, whatever, and I haven't tried out a nicer stroller. I love the large wheels that are bicycle wheels so that it's easy to fix them and for them to go over obstacles. :)
However, I don't like the car seat because you can try them at Target as well, and you have to put the two hooks together then push them into the seat-belt latch, and when working with a restless baby that would be a nightmare. Graco and other infant seats let you push in one side then the other, which makes it a lot easier when you're working with a restless baby.
I also don't like people putting the baby in a car seat outside of the car. It makes the car seat at risk for knocking against things and becoming damaged, as well as it curves the baby. SIDS research says over and over that we need to lay the baby flat or be carrying the baby, and research has proven that while car seats save their lives in an accident you should limit their time in a car seat (or anything that tilts them) to less than 3 hours in a day and no more than 1 hour at a time, and basically not use it in anything but the car.
So the stroller is nice, get the stroller, but order it through something like Target or Walmart's or babies r us so that you can take it there if there's a problem. Skip the car seat, get one that is better and will work better. Carry the baby for the first 4 months, either your arms or a Moby Wrap for a cheaper alternative to something like an Ergo, it's really not hard. Do a search on car-seat breathing and you'll find the studies done about the dangers.
Add: Looked at the stroller. It's not the jogger that I prefer. If you're going to go with that style of stroller, look at the Chicco strollers. They lay completely flat, so it's better for the SIDS aspect, and have better reviews. I honestly wouldn't get a Baby Trend stroller that's not the jogger because they don't push well, don't maneuver, don't move well. It's all about the wheels and those little wheels always are a pain in the neck on strollers.
This is one similar to what I thought you were talking about. They're approved for babies about 2 months up.
Which company has a better product? Safety 1st or Graco?
nikkirwhee
I am looking to purchase a Travel System for my first child, and I want to know which is the better brand to buy. Graco seems to be a little more expensive but Safety 1st seems to be very popular. What do you mothers think?
Answer
Chicco. Much better car seat, much better stroller (lays fully back so you can use it safely from newborn up. Graco and Safety 1st don't lay fully back so they should be avoided for use on a newborn.) Also, even though they're made for it, you don't want to put the car seat in the stroller and push them around like that. The car seat doesn't lay flat back, and that can compress the chest and cause breathing difficulties. So really there's no point in getting a travel system, at least safety wise it's not good. But if there was a travel system, then Chicco looks the best.
Second best would be Baby Trend in my opinion. Their 3 wheeled jogging strollers use bicycle tires and are much easier to maneuver than any other stroller I've tried yet. They go up and down curbs without an issue, and they go through sand and dirt and such without any problems. Their car seats are also top rated for safety, though the buckle is annoying in my opinion.
Really though, I would suggest getting something like a Graco-35 Infant car-seat, as it looks very safe from my point of view (side-impact, the angle adjuster on the base, the high weight limit, etc) and then get the stroller separately when you have time to try them out. Forget the travel system. For the first 6 months, unless it lays fully flat, then it can cause breathing difficulties anyway, so it's better to just put them in a baby carrier (not a sling, those can also be dangerous). Car seats are for car travel, not for riding in strollers or sleeping.
Add: For the record, I got the Graco Snugride system with my daughter 2 years ago about. The car seat was alright, but only went to 20lbs. That was fine for US, but most babies are bigger than my daughter is, and she was uncomfortable by a year old anyway, so we had to go to a convertible car seat at that time. I really like their Snugride-35 that they have now. The design is much better.
The stroller was a monster. It wouldn't fit in the trunk (and for the record, the trunk of my car is LARGE) so we had to put it in the seat next to her. It wouldn't fit in my husband's car at all, not on the seat not in the trunk, nothing, so we couldn't take it anywhere with his car. It was difficult to push and had a T harness (just across their waist and between the legs) which at one point my daughter fell through and hung by her neck when we were trying to go over a curb (it didn't handle curbs, cracks, or anything.) It wouldn't fit in stores, was very wide, and the fence gap at my local park was too thin for it to go through so we had to go around the long way to get to anything fun. The wheels were small and would dig into sand so that it was impossible to deal with. It was recalled about a month ago though, so I dumped the thing at Toys R Us and got 25% off the new baby's crib. I was never so glad to get rid of something in my life.
The Baby Trend jogger we replaced it with was much easier to push. It's so much lighter. It's still very large, but if you take off the back wheels it fits in either of our cars which is a huge improvement. The wheels are bicycle wheels so they handle curbs and sand and dirt and everything I've thrown at them. It's thinner than I am, so any doorway or gap in a fence that we come to, if I can go through it so can the stroller. :) I was beyond delighted to be able to walk right to the park, right through the dirt, the sand, the grass, and not have any issues. We have taken it on dirt mountain trails, and the harness held her tightly so she wouldn't fall out even if we were going up and down at bad angles. She loves the cup holders, loves the safe feeling of not falling out, and loves the stroller. While we had both sitting out there she never once asked to go back in the Graco, but would run to the Baby Trend.
Chicco. Much better car seat, much better stroller (lays fully back so you can use it safely from newborn up. Graco and Safety 1st don't lay fully back so they should be avoided for use on a newborn.) Also, even though they're made for it, you don't want to put the car seat in the stroller and push them around like that. The car seat doesn't lay flat back, and that can compress the chest and cause breathing difficulties. So really there's no point in getting a travel system, at least safety wise it's not good. But if there was a travel system, then Chicco looks the best.
Second best would be Baby Trend in my opinion. Their 3 wheeled jogging strollers use bicycle tires and are much easier to maneuver than any other stroller I've tried yet. They go up and down curbs without an issue, and they go through sand and dirt and such without any problems. Their car seats are also top rated for safety, though the buckle is annoying in my opinion.
Really though, I would suggest getting something like a Graco-35 Infant car-seat, as it looks very safe from my point of view (side-impact, the angle adjuster on the base, the high weight limit, etc) and then get the stroller separately when you have time to try them out. Forget the travel system. For the first 6 months, unless it lays fully flat, then it can cause breathing difficulties anyway, so it's better to just put them in a baby carrier (not a sling, those can also be dangerous). Car seats are for car travel, not for riding in strollers or sleeping.
Add: For the record, I got the Graco Snugride system with my daughter 2 years ago about. The car seat was alright, but only went to 20lbs. That was fine for US, but most babies are bigger than my daughter is, and she was uncomfortable by a year old anyway, so we had to go to a convertible car seat at that time. I really like their Snugride-35 that they have now. The design is much better.
The stroller was a monster. It wouldn't fit in the trunk (and for the record, the trunk of my car is LARGE) so we had to put it in the seat next to her. It wouldn't fit in my husband's car at all, not on the seat not in the trunk, nothing, so we couldn't take it anywhere with his car. It was difficult to push and had a T harness (just across their waist and between the legs) which at one point my daughter fell through and hung by her neck when we were trying to go over a curb (it didn't handle curbs, cracks, or anything.) It wouldn't fit in stores, was very wide, and the fence gap at my local park was too thin for it to go through so we had to go around the long way to get to anything fun. The wheels were small and would dig into sand so that it was impossible to deal with. It was recalled about a month ago though, so I dumped the thing at Toys R Us and got 25% off the new baby's crib. I was never so glad to get rid of something in my life.
The Baby Trend jogger we replaced it with was much easier to push. It's so much lighter. It's still very large, but if you take off the back wheels it fits in either of our cars which is a huge improvement. The wheels are bicycle wheels so they handle curbs and sand and dirt and everything I've thrown at them. It's thinner than I am, so any doorway or gap in a fence that we come to, if I can go through it so can the stroller. :) I was beyond delighted to be able to walk right to the park, right through the dirt, the sand, the grass, and not have any issues. We have taken it on dirt mountain trails, and the harness held her tightly so she wouldn't fall out even if we were going up and down at bad angles. She loves the cup holders, loves the safe feeling of not falling out, and loves the stroller. While we had both sitting out there she never once asked to go back in the Graco, but would run to the Baby Trend.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
