Two new grandkids are creating the need for me to have a car seat if not two. Typically, I'll look at the ratings on Amazon and choose. Anything I'm missing or should be thinking about?

Primary use will be in a Honda Pilot.

If money isn't a huge concern the rotating ones are worth it, especially if you're on the shorter side or have back issues. But not the kind that have a complicated base to install like the evenflo revolve360 unless you're going to leave them in all the time.

We have a baby jogger city turn and love it, but there's also cheaper ones that would be good.

Graco MySize/Size4Me 65s were my "grandparent" and "extra car" seats. I researched it hard and that's what I came to for value, ratings, adjustability, and easy of moving in and out.

It's been a few years but we had the chicco key fit (not sure which one) and were very happy with it. Used it for 2 girls that are now 7 & 4

Nuna Rava if you want something on the higher end. They are great.

Check what's available on the local Craigslist. Parents are constantly offloading them as their kids grow up.

So one grandkid is 3 weeks old, and the next one is coming in February.

As I remember with my kids, we had an removable infant car seat with a big handle. And I guess later a different seat, forward facing, with no handle. Is that still the way it's done?

Britax has been great for us. Easy to install. Easy to take apart and clean when needed.

mefoghorn said:

---

So one grandkid is 3 weeks old, and the next one is coming in February.

As I remember with my kids, we had an removable infant car seat with a big handle. And I guess later a different seat, forward facing, with no handle. Is that still the way it's done?

---

You need the same base as the parents have. The thing the kid sits in clicks into the base and has the big carrying handle, and the base just stays in the car. They start out rear facing and move to front facing in the next car seat at some point. I am guessing the second one coming is from a different mom, so good luck with them both buying the same brand. The bases are brand specific. They stay in these for a while, I think like 18 months, maybe 24 months. It has been 5 years or so since mine stopped, so my timing might be off. As stated above, used is a no-no now. I think that is the powerful car seat lobby, but I will save that for a different discussion.

This right here. We bought the same seat New for us, found a used one on marketplace. Cleaned it up and grandparents have it. Probably will go back on marketplace once the littles are not little

If buying used check for an expiration date.

We have the Nuna Pipa Lyte (base and carry out, for infants), a Nuna Rava, and a Nuna Exec. Also have a Graco. Generally, the Nuna seats are worth the money for the creature comforts, ease of transfer, materials, etc, but it's harder to get replacement parts, warranty recalls. It's a premium product, but we've been a little disappointed when things go wrong because their help center isn't the best.

That being said, my 2.5 year old prefers sitting in the Graco for longer rides, for whatever reason. Almost like the Exec has too much padding/too cushiony.

We have the Britax one4life for our 3yr old and 5mo old. Really happy with them.

Also have the Pipa Lite. It's pretty cushy, and I think that's part of why my boys don't like it, especially because they're both big babies. As soon as the older one went from it to the Britax Boulevard, though, car rides went from torture to not so bad. He also likes sitting up more. Kinda ready for the youngest to get to that point, man it's brutal with him right now…

The Pilot said:

---

I wouldn't buy used, don't know the background, or even if the seat is counterfeit. When I had our car seat inspected (90% of car seats are installed incorrectly at least in CO) the inspector mentioned he's seen an uptick in counterfeit car seats the last couple of years.

---

Ah yes, the temu effect. Get a Doona for 50 bucks. No way it's too good to be true! Will disintegrate in a collision.

Avoid used unless it's someone you trust with that child's life. Each seat has very specific care instructions laid out in the manual and just like most seats are installed incorrectly, most folks have no idea there are care instructions. Hose the seat down after it was vomited in? You have now ruined the seat. No bueno for the internal parts to get all rusty. But very few people realize this or would even mention it when selling or giving away.

The absolute key to whatever seat you end up with is to read the manual inside and out and install it correctly. There are strict use rules about things like space required between top of head and top of seat, and strap location based on rear or forward facing. These rules are based on general crash test physics and crash test results with that specific seat.

As for picking a seat, ask the parents first. If they're like me they have strong preferences. Then if it's a seat likely to be uninstalled frequently and used between kids, ease of install and adjusting kid to kid should be priority after whether or not the seat works well in your particular vehicle. Csftl.org and safeintheseat are great resources for this kind of research. You can also schedule an appointment with a cspt to make sure it's installed and used correctly. Many seat manufacturers also offer this service remotely.

You hit on something I'm now remembering. I'm pretty sure someone told us you could contact the local fire department and have them verify that a car seat is installed correctly.

I'm biased but one of my kids is a design engineer for Evenflo. The testing they perform would blow your mind.

They offer a ton of options at various price points.

BQAg09 said:

---

You hit on something I'm now remembering. I'm pretty sure someone told us you could contact the local fire department and have them verify that a car seat is installed correctly.

---

This will vary dept to dept and even station to station and shift to shift. Only a CPST is trained in correct seat install and use. Anyone claiming to be certified should be able to provide their CPST number and/or card. My husband is a deputy chief with 25 years in the fire service. I install our seats and have to train him on each seat's nuances. He would tell you his guys and gals receive no training whatsoever in install or proper use.

You can search for a cpst near you here: https://cert.safekids.org/find-tech

BQAg09 said:

---

You hit on something I'm now remembering. I'm pretty sure someone told us you could contact the local fire department and have them verify that a car seat is installed correctly.

---

Hospitals do it too. Here in Denver, they are mostly appointment-based.

Coordinate base with parents as mentioned earlier but definitely Chicco. By far the easiest to install.

TriAg2010 said:

---

Check what's available on the local Craigslist. Parents are constantly offloading them as their kids grow up.

---

Craigslist? Get with the times man. Facebook marketplace.