Is 2 separate car seats overkill?

[Askinforabaskin]

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?

You may find that you don't get a good fit in the joie for a few months, so definitely use the infant carrier. It says from newborn but it can often take a little while for the best fit. On a car safety group we routinely see babies not fitting well I'm them and they usually advice to stick with the infant seat.

We only needed one whilst on mat leave but as soon as I was back to work we needed 2 as I do drop off and DH does pick up in different cars. On my office days there’s no way we could only have one as I don’t get home until after nursery is shut!
Most people that have 2 cars and work
need 2 seats.

If DH will be doing drop offs and you pick ups then two seats will be essential and there’s no sane way around that unless you both work in the same building and have two sets of keys for each car (And even then, mega daily faff with the potential for chaos if you forget one day all for the sake of 200 quid). Point this out like it’s the most obvious thing in the world and never have the conversation again.

We have the Cybex iCloud z with the swivel and it's been brilliant. Especially with the pram adaptors. We only had one and it was easy to transfer to other cars as you can use the seat belt feature rather than removing the whole base. However baby is now ready for the next car seat up (which is the sirona).

We actually went today to have a look and it was cheaper to buy a new Joie 360 swivel with a new isofix than to buy the additional Cybex 0-4 sirona car seat. So we're going to put the Cybex in the loft ready for a hopefully future child and get the joie 360. We will then get a second joie (non swivel) for second car / grandparents etc as you don't get the seat belt feature. Interestingly buying both of these plus new isofix was only very slightly more than one Cybex Sirona!

I do recommend the Cybex z though for newborn. It's been great.

We have two and we’ve always had 2. The same one in both cars. DS is 3 now. No chance I’m faffing about moving them around.

Also your DP can take your baby out from birth you know, in fact I’d actively encourage it! Not sure why he wouldn’t tbh.

Honestly, keep them both if it doesn't mean cutting back on other things you need.

You will really thank yourself, especially if they're Isofix as it's SUCH a pain swapping about.

What's it got to do with DP's dad anyway?!

Speaking as the DGM, keep both. It’s such a faff for DS and DDiL to swap the seats from their car to ours when we have the DGC for the weekend.

We have two, one in each car, it's not excessive and saves a lot of faff.

Have the joie 360 and it’s a great seat but my lord you want to avoid moving at all costs - it’s a beast!!

Of course is fine

once she gets older and DP can take her out himself
Get dp taking her out as soon as she goes an hour between feeds. He should be involved ftom day one. Whether pram car or other. Or you migyt wsnt him to drive you somewhere with baby in his car

I’d be surprised if you get anywhere near 2 years out of the cybex cloud as you’re planning too- I had two 50th centile babies and they were busting out of their infant carriers by about 13 months, never mind trying to carry them in it 🫠

We bought the Joie 360 as a second seat when DC1 was about 6 months old and it was a game changer. It’s a beast, but very comfortable and DC2 is still using it at nearly 4.

It's not excessive, it's worth it if u can afford it. Just ignore the comments he isn't the one that wld have to move them around!

Later down the line, it's also not practical if one of u is doing a drop off then going to work and the other picking up, u can't share a care seat then!

We have 2 cars and 2 kids so we have 4 seats. For a while we only had 3 and were transferring one over it's a massive pain! Sometimes they come out easy but won't go bk in easy or vice versa.

Infant carriers are easy to move between cars, but the next stage aren’t - we have one in each (one to 18kg, one to 25kg) just be aware the joie isn’t likely to fit until 3 months ish - unless you’ve got a huge baby! And if you’ve got a high centile child the 18kg seats can be outgrown very quick, some are age 2. Ignore the age guide given, it’s the weight or height that matters, depends if it’s isize or old regs.

@babyturtle19 they don't recommend keeping car seats in the loft due to damp/extreme changes in temperature.
Definitely wouldn't buy the Sirona Z as it's an expensive seat for the price for how long it lasts.
Please look into extended rear facing as it's so much safer for the child-25kg seats last far longer than 18kg - the britax maxway plus can be found for £199 but do use a specialist for that type of seat. Halfords and Smyth toys don't do them.
The Axkid Minikid is popular so is the besafe stretch.