Changing bags and car seats

[Trickytricky]

Hi all, I'm 24 weeks & starting to think about getting some things so I'm not left with lots to do at the v end!

I am completely baffled by all the options of car seats and need some help. Majority of my friends have MaxiCosi. Is this the best option? Our car had isofix do will prob go with one of those bases. Advice please...

Also changing bags - I want something DH can use (so not girlie). I was thinking Pacapod (just the cheaper ones). Are they any good?

I would look on Amazon for change bags. I got a decent sized one (bigger than I could find in the shops but without being cumbersome), that is neutral coloured stripes, and was much cheaper (and sturdier) than any I found on the High Street (especially brand names).

www.amazon.co.uk/STRIPE-Changing-Change-Hospital-Designs/dp/B00NXQZ044/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434985175&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=stripey+change+bag

I think that as the one.

One bit of advice about changing bag is to get one with a zip. If you're anything like me, it will double up as your handbag and you don't want your purse or phone to fall out as its not fastened.

I use maxi cosi car seat with isofix base and think they're very good. Much easier than having to strap in with the seatbelt although it does have that option in case you are ever in a different vehicle without isofix.

I have a pacapod rucksack that I love. Looks great on DH as well as me!

We have the Stokke car seat to match our pram, really handy.

I bought a grey tweed Babymel changing bag at a secondhand sale. DH is happy with it, you can get them on Amazon.

We had a maxi cosi car seat which fitted with the base of our pram travel system, great for just nipping into shops and stuff. Also worked with isofix base which I'd strongly recommend, so much easier.

If you're getting an isofix base make sure the seat is compatible with your pram / travel system. We had a maxi cosi family fix base and a cabrio carseat. Clipped out of the car really easily (was fantastic when ds had fallen asleep in the car) and it was compatible with our uppababy vista. Made journeys so much easier only having to fasten him in once.

Now he's older and is close to the weigt limit for the cabrio we considered getting the next stage maxi cosi seat which fits onto the isofix (pebble I think?), but the cost of it was nearly £200. We went for a britax with great reviews half price online, it's extended rear facing which the pebble wasn't but it is secured with seatbelt rather than isofix
For us the cost of the isofix base for use with just the first stage car seat was justified for the ease of clipping it in and out while ds was still small enough for it to be mobile. Obviously the next stage seat is fixed in place and if ds falls asleep he has to be lifted out when we reach our destination!

You might want to look at the new maxi cosi 2 way base as that's i-size compatible which will become legal standard before your baby is 4 (2019). We had a cybex car seat from my sister at first but just got the maxi cosi 2 way pearl which is rear facing until 4 and i size compatible. I think it's the pebble as the baby seat

I just want to reiterate Kitty's comment. I'm only 16 weeks, but we are expecting twins so keen to get organised sooner rather than later. We found Mamas and Papas hugely helpful. They will try different bases and seats in your car and did some really clear comparisons of the car seats to help us decide what would be best. We will definitely be going with the Maxi Cosi Pebble with i-size.

You need to figure out what pram you want first then, assuming you want to use car seat on it, which most people do, see what is compatible.
Maxi cosi cabriofix fits most prams and buggies. You can get an isofix base for it which I would recommend if your car has isofix, but it can also be attached with belts.
Re changing bags I have a pacapod and like it but it's very overpriced!

We've just bought the maxi cosi cabriofix- I'm amazed at hiw lightweight it is but still great quality. We'll get the i size 2 way fix base go with that so that in a year's time we can get the 2 way pearl to fit in the base. We did consider the britax isofix birth to four years I think it's called the max fix 2, it worked out half the price but all te reviews I could find said it looked uncomfortable for a newborn and it didn't support the neck well hence going for the more expensive maxi cosi set.
Changing bag, I'll be using a backpack as will dh with a miracle bag insert- you can buy them on Amazon and they're fab and simply go in any bag you want.

Thanks all! I honestly find the whole car seat debacle very very confusing. I was thinking of getting the cabriofix with the familyfix base then moving on to the pebble. Thoughts? I was going to go for the family fix as that allows front and back facing. I may need to go to a shop and get someone to talk me through it (tried that a couple of times but just come away confused!).

I'm planning on getting the icandy Peach All Terrain as will be walking the majority of the time as moving to a town with lots of amenities. Everyone suggests the flexibility of having the car seating clipping straight onto buggy so we'll get the adapters.

Hi all

Have been reading this thread with interest. What is meant by isize compatible?

I size is a new set of regulations re car seats that isn't compulsory yet, but is running alongside current guidelines. The main difference is children are rear facing until 4 years.

We're getting the maxi cosi pebble with the 2-way fix base, which works with the pearl when baby's bigger. Apparently, it means baby can rear-face for longer (up to 4, I think). After a fair bit of obsessing over car seats and safety, I concluded that this is the safest option... hth

The I-size regs keep children rear-facing until 15 months, not 4 years, although the longer the better from a safety perspective. They won't be in force for a few years yet either. That being said, if you can afford to buy isofix base etc now, it might be worth doing it as they are safer, just don't feel you have to.

www.i-size.org.uk

And here...
www.which.co.uk/news/2015/04/i-size-car-seat-regulations-come-into-force-399945/

I regretted not getting a maxi cosi as they were a lot lighter than the m&p branded one I bought to go with our pram.

Changing bags - I bought a pacapod as everyone raves about them, but didn't like it. The two pods took up most of the space (not surprisingly ????) and thee wasn't much flexibility in terms of how you could use the bag space.

This place currently has decent oilcloth change bags for £20 (closing down sale). I've had other stuff from them which has been really good quality:www.theoldbagcompany.co.uk/New-Catalogue/Circles/Emma-Baby-Bag-Circles

I got Cybex Aton car seat for DC1, which is a very decent one, no complaints. However, if I would do it again, I would skip the first stage all together and just go for Cybex Sirona from the start.

It's not good for them to be in the car seat for long walks, should rather be transferred to pram. And they will get heavy quite soon, so you don't want to carry them around with the baby seat. Therefore personally I don't think having a seat that you can use on your travel system is worth the extra money.

As for changing bag, I used a random large messenger bag, also didn't think I needed all the bells and whistles of a changing bag.

I suggest choosing the safest car seat you can afford and then working out which pram is compatible. The other way round seems bonkers to me-car seats are about keeping baby safe, not a nice-to-have accessory to match the pram. Sorry to be a bit blunt but it's a real bugbear of mine.

I don't understand the whole 'car seat on buggy ' thing. My third is the only time I used it, because he was often in and out of the car on the school run when sleeping . Any time you are going somewhere for longer they should really be in the proper bassinet.