Which type of carseat?

[sharond101]

We cannot decide whether to buy a car seat with carry handle which can easily be taken in and out of car, the sort that lasts until around 12months of age or the longer term 0+1 versions which are not so transportable and stay in the car lasting until child is around 4 years old. We are purchasing a carrycot so shouldn't need it for the pram but maybe just for convenience the carry handle car seat would be more practical? Any advice or opinions/

Get one with a carry handle. It is SO handy. Believe me.

I would go for a portable one as if the baby falls asleep in it, you may not want to wake it by taking it out.
FWIW, I used the car seat on the buggy far more than the carrycot for the same reason. I wouldn't consider a buggy that I couldn't attach a carseat to now.

So handy to have a handle! It's also a bloody brilliant work out for the old bingo wings! Being able to attached a car seat to your buggy is a godsend.

Much safer for DC to be in a rear facing seat until about 12 months. Then swap them into a front facing seat later.

What the others said :) Handle and the ability to attach to buggy invaluable.

We had a maxicosi seat which has been great and can use it with all the travel systems I've looked at so far.

maxicosi is the way forward. :)

My carseat never once came out of the car with my son in it. I can count on one hand the times it came out at all.

Sharond I'm expecting dc2 and have both types of carseat - I'm experiencing the dilemma of deciding which goes in dh's car and which in mine. Not easy to decide as there are advantages to both - moving carseat with sleeping baby is very handy, on the other hand it can be VERY heavy to hoik in and out (esp if you have a cs) and one already in the car without lots of straps to fiddle with can be good.

I would be lost without the Maxicosi portable one that just clips in to the isofix base, no fiddling with straps. It also attaches to the travel system and I couldn't hope to count the number of times I've taken him out of the car still asleep, either into the house or into a shop, someone else's home, etc.

i rarely took the car seat out for any of my 3, so portability wouldn't be high on my list of priorities.

but, i would want to keep my child rear-facing as long as possible, and as the ones that go from birth-4 years need to turn forward facing at about 13kg i wouldn't buy one of those as it would be a waste of money,

SO, to conclude, I would buy an infant carrier, and then an extended rear-facing seat.