newborn+ car seats vs carry seats

[1stTimeMumTw1ns]

Hi :)
First pregnancy and just found out its twins which we are over the moon about! Thought I would get ahead, spread the now doubled cost of getting everything over the next few months and looking at buggy's/car seats. It might be baby brain but the whole thing is confusing the hell out of me!

Carry car seat has the obvious advantage of the kids staying asleep when you take them out the car and they attach to a buggy but they can only stay in them 2hrs max and then you swap them to a carry cot?? Carry seats are only good until the babies are a certain size and then you have to swap to a car seat anyway?? But you can get car seats now that accommodate newborns right through.

Are my options and what is the best course of action -

• 2 carry seats until a certain age (carry cots for anything over 2hrs as needed) and a buggy that allows us to click them in, then 2 car seats when they get bigger
• 2 car seats that will last the whole time but you cant carry the babies around or attach them to a buggy

Any help welcome - trying to avoid buying 4 seats in total but will the ease of being able to carry them make up for that cost??

[mitogoshi]

As its twins they are likely to be smaller - I found the seat that stays in the car was quite large for my 6lb baby so I would perhaps suggest that is a factor in your choice. People with more recent experience can suggest models but this is my historic experience so to speak. Perhaps other twin parents can offer advice?

[JC89]

It's hard to tell how much you will carry the car seat as it varies so much. It can be useful for a quick trip to the shops (so you're not transferring out of the car seat then back in again 10 minutes later) and if they fall asleep at the end of a short car journey, but as you said you shouldn't leave them in it for longer than 2 hours.

The swivel car seats that stay in the car are good but can be expensive! Being able to swivel makes it easier to transfer them in and out of the car seat though, also you can get the ones that will rear face up to 4 years old if you want that (generally it's safer to have them rear facing for as long as possible if you can).

The carry cot is another one where some people use it lots and others barely at all - if you are only using it with the buggy you may just be able to use the normal buggy (some will go completely flat and can be used from birth). You can use it as a separate sleep space but they grow out of it in a few months. Some babies don't like going in them - although with twins I guess they will just have to get used to it! Having said that I do use mine a lot, baby is nicely sheltered in there and I often change her nappy in there especially if we're in the park.

[Totterytumble]

We found the carry car seats invaluable when they’re sleeping and just bringing them inside for a bit. Or if you were nipping to the shops or even baby groups where you don’t want to get the whole pram out or have room for it inside you can just carry them in in the car seat.

[BetterBlues]

I would imagine infant carriers would be invaluable with twins - but yes you definately need carrycots/a lie flat pram too. Be cautious around the '2hrs' rule - in reality this is for older babies and newborns shouldn't be in those bucket seats for more than 30mins, esp if they are small or premature (which is not unlikely with twins).

The seats that stay in the car can last longer, there are some really good seats out there too. However in general seats that try to be all things to all men - lasting from newborn through to 4 or 7 or 12 tend to not be as safe as seats with a smaller age range. A new born simply has far different needs than a four year old! Often these seats are not reclined enough for a newborn even in the lowest position, causing issues with heads flopping around and restricting airways.

[welshweasel]

For twins (likely to be smaller) I would 100% get infant seats as they are unlikely to get a safe fit in other seats.

The avionaut pixel pro is consistently rated highly for smaller babies (and is the lightest seat on the market which is important if you have to carry 2). I would buy two of those.

By 8 months or so you will know what centile they are following so you can then make an informed choice as to what seats you buy next - if they are higher centile then a seat that only harnesses to 18kg will be an expensive mistake x2 as you will need one that fits up to 25 or 36kg.

[FamilyAreEverything]

I second what the above poster has suggested about the Avionaut Pixel Pro. The isofix bases aren’t necessary as it’s just as safe to belt them into the car, and this can also provide a better fit if your car seats are quite tilted. Then from there you could move to a ERF seat to take them to at least 5, then into a HBB.
If you can find your local independent retailer, they can often do discounts for multiples. The Extended Rear Facing Facebook Group is run by admins who are also independent car seat retailers, so they should be able to help.

[MrsKintner]

The infant seats will be much safer in the car than the bigger seats. I'd get them to use for the first 12-18 months and then you can move on the to bigger seats.

[BertieBotts]

I'd see if you can find an independent car seat specialist locally and make friends with them. You'll save a lot of money if you can avoid buying the wrong thing in the first place. Some retailers also offer a twins discount.

Look here and see if you have any nearby stockists. You don't necessarily need to buy Axkid, but anyone who stocks Axkid is likely to know their stuff WRT car seats:

https://axkid.com/uk/find-a-retailer-near-you/

[BertieBotts]

I'd also recommend reposting in the Multiple Births section on MN so you'll get actual twin mum experiences, rather than car seat safety focused replies : )

[Koalaslippers]

It can be difficult to get a good fit for a newborn in the bigger seats especially if they are small even though they say from newborn.

[1stTimeMumTw1ns]

Thank you all for the words of wisdom - I defintitely feel like I know abit more about things and what I should doing 😊

[DappledThings]

I had the type of seat you can unclick from the car and put on the buggy chassis.

Absolutely pointless. Did it once ever across two babies. It was heavy and awkward.

Seat only ever came out of the car on the rare occasions we were using a different car.