Tell me about your great car seat & travel systems?

[QueSyrahSyrah]

I'm not due until June but to spread the cost of big purchases and perhaps to take advantage of the sales we're starting to think about car seats and travel systems and I'm beyond baffled.

In car seat terms I'm pretty sure we want a 360 (DH's best mate has one for his DD and DH thinks it's the coolest thing...) that will be ok from birth until as long as possible.

Travel system we've got NO idea. Has to fit in the boot of a Ford Fiesta. Ideally will be good from birth to as long as possible, but then again we probably want a running buggy at some stage so maybe only from birth until such time as we switch to that? No idea what else to look for or consider. Cost of course; keeping that under control would be good,

So, what have been hits and misses for you please? Thanks in advance.

I like being able to take the car seat out the car and put onto the travel system, which you can't do with a 360.
I love our running buggy, out and about nipper sport, but we only used from sitting. We had an ocarro for everyday but it's heavy. The running buggy became our everyday pram but the fixed front wheel was slightly difficult.

Doing it all over again and given you're looking for a running buggy too I might have gone for a Thule urban glide with bassinet or newborn inlay. It has a swivel lockable front wheel for running, you can use car seat adaptors and it's a highly rated running buggy too.

Thank you! Off to do some Googling.

The 360 systems which can be used for a long time (e.g. up to age 4) don't detach and go onto a travel system. Only infant carrier type car seats (usually sold as up to 12/15/18 months ish) do this. You can tell it's this type as it has a carry handle.

You can get some infant carrier type seats now that go onto a 360 degree spinning base, personally I don't really see the utility of this; the infant carrier is already really flexible in that you can put it at any angle in the house and spend as long as you like getting baby in, then move it to the car. Angle of the base then doesn't really matter if it rotates or is fixed?

If you go into a baby store the staff will be quick to explain that the rotating infant seat bases also take a toddler car seat and so this "saves you money", but it does not; the toddler seats that fit into those bases cost about £300 but you can get a spinning 0-4 years toddler seat, which does not need a separate base, for under £250.

The rotating bases on their own typically cost £250 compared to £100ish for a non rotating base.

Some people do really rave about the rotation feature even for infant carriers - for me personally, I do not think it is worth £200+ extra. It is worth pricing up a basic infant carrier as well as the more premium ones. For example, Maxi Cosi, Cybex and Britax all have all-singing all-dancing rotating base, reclining infant carrier seats at the top of their range and they also all sell basic infant carrier seats compatible with fixed base which is much cheaper, has the same pushchair compatibility and just as safe.

360 for the toddler stage makes absolute sense as those seats are beastlike and you don't take them in and out of the car, so it's easier to get straps etc right if the child can face towards you. However beware, in smaller cars you do have the problem the child sits so high up you are liable to bump their head on the door frame getting them in and out (this was a problem in our Suzuki Swift, but has been fine since we switched to a larger SUV style car). Also, if your baby turns out to be taller or heavier than average, bear in mind the "up to age 4" is based on an average child so larger children will outgrow earlier, and you may wish to get a longer lasting seat for the second stage.

Besafe are supposed to be bringing out a super-duper rotating set this Spring called Beyond. I really like the look of this and would definitely consider it if having a baby but I expect it will be pricey.

A good way to save money is look second hand for pushchairs. Car seats should always be new (or second hand from a trusted source) for safety reasons; you shouldn't re-use them after an accident and you need to use all the original parts, never third party replacements. The Stroller Workshop on Youtube is also invaluable.

Thanks @BertieBotts that is really incredibly helpful, and what you say about a 360 being better for toddler years makes a lot of sense. We would definitely be buying the car seat brand new and most likely the pushchair/pram second hand already, I've had a look on Marketplace and there seems to be plenty around in our area.