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Pregnancy

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Original poster

Is 2 separate car seats overkill?

64 replies

Askinforabaskin · 29/12/2022 19:13

First DD due in March.

Have bought a joie 360 spin for DPs car (won’t be the main one, but figured the newborn to around 4 year old range would be good and was reasonably priced).

Have ordered the cybex cloud Z2 for my car. It will be the main one and fits on the pram base. It should last until she’s about 2 and then we can get another cybex car seat to fit on the same iso fix base which should last until she’s 4.

As mentioned I doubt she will get much use of the joie one as a newborn, but once she gets older and DP can take her out himself then I think it will get plenty of short trip use. Also when I go back to work I can see DP doing most of the drop offs while I’ll be doing the pickups.

It just made sense to buy two to avoid any anxiety about swapping them over between cars and potentially being stuck in the house because I’ve forgotten to take one out. Also our parents maybe end up taking them out for the day etc so it made sense.

But DPs dad is saying it’s excessive and a total waste of money. In other areas of baby purchasing I admit I’ve gone OTT (seriously who can resist baby clothes). But this made practical sense to me and originally DP (who is now backtracking).

Both are still returnable, what should I do?

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RobinRobinMouse · 29/12/2022 19:29

Everyone i know has one for each car, it makes life so much easier.

user3193 · 29/12/2022 19:30

Absolutely not a waste of money. We have one in each car. The constant swapping of car seats stressed me out beyond belief. So worth it!

worriedmama202 · 29/12/2022 19:37

We did similar for DD but had 1 baby carrier and 2 isofix bases, one in each car. It was soo much less faffing about than worrying about moving seats about etc
She's now 3 and although she's rarely in DH's car we still have 2 toddler seats just for ease. Keep them both they'll get used.

Lavender2021 · 29/12/2022 19:44

I would have personally had one infant seat until you get to a point where you can't leave baby and car seat together e.g nursery. Just seat belt the car seat in one car and not worry about a second base (personality wouldn't buy the Sirona Z that fit's the base as it's not a great seat)
The joie 360 says from birth but is unlikely to get a good fit for a child depending on size until 3/4 months as the inserts are not supportive enough.

SquigglePigs · 29/12/2022 19:45

There is no way I'd have one car seat and two cars - it will get very annoying very quickly having to swap them!

smilingthroughgrittedteeth · 29/12/2022 19:46

Weve got 3 children and 6 carseats. Swapping is a pain in the backside and inevitably if your rushing around you forget to swap and cause a lot of drama. I think all our friends have duplicate carseats too

toomuchfaster · 29/12/2022 19:47

We have 1 DD and 3 car seats currently!! Definitely keep it!

Mylittlesandwich · 29/12/2022 19:49

I wish I could afford another car seat. I have a ERF 25kg seat with tethers which I love but it's a faff to move around so I usually just always take my car.

Spudlet · 29/12/2022 19:50

God no, having a car seat that lives in each car is a godsend if you can afford it. We only had one to begin with and even though I wasn’t working, it was still a pain if we ever needed to swap cars. Now we’re both working again and juggling school runs, it would be impossible. We just couldn’t physically make it work. It saves so much struggling and swearing if you can just leave the seat in the car where it lives! It pisses me off enough if I have to move it to lay the seats flat, never mind trying to swap it between cars.

Rainsdropskeepfalling · 29/12/2022 19:51

Isn't it easier to have one large car with the car seat and the stroller in the boot, and one smaller car with neither? You are going out with the baby you have the big car. I guess if one parents drops off and another picks up every day from nursery it would be tedious though - DH did all of this!

If grandparents will be moving the baby around one a week or so, sure another car seat - ours visited every couple of months, would have been an utter waste of money (plus more landfill given noone likes used car seats).

surreygirl1987 · 29/12/2022 19:52

We have two car seats. Makes it so much easier.

Stripedbag101 · 29/12/2022 19:53

Your father in law in being controlling. How you spend your money is none of his business and he needs to learn to respect you as adults who can make their own decisions.

I have this issue with my parents. You need to establish clear boundaries.

don’t explain your decisions to him - just say that is what we have decided. Don’t let him think he is part of your decision making process

Lavender2021 · 29/12/2022 19:53

I would have one in each car once they are out of the infant seat.
Please look into extended rear facing as well.
If you want two seats I would send the joie back and get something like the Avionaut Sky, besafe stretch B as they would last much longer.

Spins seats are great when little but a nightmare once the child is bigger as they are high up so the child can't climb in. My two year old climbs in her rear facing seat no problem and have poor leg room when rear facing.

BeSafe iZi Twist B I-Size will fit newborns until 18kg
BeSafe iZi Turn B i-Size will fit newborns until 18kg
Avionaut Sky will last until 25kg
BeSafe stretch B will last until 25kg

Don't forget age isn't a great thing to go off for car seats as all children are different - some kids out got the joie by 2.5 years!
Height and weight is the most important thing to keep eye on.

MamaidhMathMath · 29/12/2022 19:53

3 car seats for one kid here - ISO fix in my car and husband's car, and a seat belt one that fits classic cars, grandparents' cars, giving friends a lift.

We do a ton of driving so they all see a lot of use, and the isofix ones will last him til he's 12, so they're a good investment in my eyes

NerrSnerr · 29/12/2022 19:55

We have car seats in both cars. When they were nursery aged it was so much easier as one could drop off and the other pick up without having to faff with changing or storing them.

All our car seats are pretty much equally used.

Lavender2021 · 29/12/2022 19:57

If I was having more children I wouldn't buy an infant seat as never took it out of the car-the cybex cloud Z is heavy and only gets worse with a child in! I would buy two besafe stretch B and not have to worry about car seats until the child was 125cm or 36kg and ready for a high back booster seat!

RosesAndHellebores · 29/12/2022 19:59

A car seat in each car is essential imo.

I went one further more than 25 years ago and bought a lightweight cheap pram to keep in the boot.

You probably don't need all the baby clothes - all you really need are vests and babygros for the first three months.

What you absolutely don't need is a FIL who voices opinions about what a couple's first baby needs and tries to change his dil's mind through his son. Bang out-of order.

Speedweed · 29/12/2022 19:59

Not at all, it sounds sensible. Although in theory you could have one and switch it, it would be a huge faff and delay to going out (and with a baby there is enough faff and delays).

To try switching them about when you've had no sleep for weeks - it's not just a faff, it's dangerous, because the chances of you installing it properly every single time are not great. Safety tops frugality in this situation.

Jellybean2023 · 29/12/2022 20:01

Not a waste of money if you can afford it. It is a pain in the arse having to swap them over. Also if one of you drops of then if there's an emergency or sickness the other parent can't pick up.
We only have one car seat but if we could afford two I would do that.

Whatifthegrassisblue · 29/12/2022 20:03

Flangeosaurus · 29/12/2022 19:14

If you can afford it I would keep both! It’s such a bloody faff to swap car seats around it gives me the rage every time

This. If you must you could have a less expensive (just as safe) one as the spare, but sounds like you can afford it anyway

mynameiscalypso · 29/12/2022 20:06

We don't even have a car and we have 3 car seats (one for my DP's car, one for my PIL's car, one in case we hire a car)

PotteringAlonggotkickedoutandhadtoreregister · 29/12/2022 20:07

At one point we had 3 kids all in car seats and 3 cars so we had 6 car seats in all!

Deckthehallswithbenandhollly · 29/12/2022 20:10

Eh? WTF is DP's dad allowed an opinion? Tell him to STFU?

TheCraicDealer · 29/12/2022 20:10

We coped with one initially (I had the isofix, DH just strapped the infant seat in in his car), then once DD got to about 6mos we started using the spinny Britax I’d bought reduced and the isofix base for the infant seat moved into DH’s car. It was a lot more convienient, so then once DD was out of the infant seat we replaced it with another seat for DH’s car.

Unless one car of the two is impractical for use with a baby (like a two seater sports car or three door micro city car or something) then it just makes sense to have two car seats. The cybex will only last your baby a year anyway, might as well get four years of use out of the next size seat as opposed to three. I bet FIL has no understanding of how heavy and cumbersome they are to move between cars and fit, and recalls his own child rearing days where car seat rules were a hell of a lot more relaxed- I’m early 30’s but my mum had me and DTwin sharing a Moses basket strapped into the back seat, and that was considered completely normal!

mummatara · 29/12/2022 20:27

We have 4 car seats 😂 you can never have too many imo and keep having to take them in and out is faff

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