Car Seats and Strollers

The Stroller and Car Seat 411

Let me start by saying that the world of car seats and strollers can be totally overwhelming (there are literally hundreds of choices). But don’t worry, we’ll guide you through it — w00t!

In the first three months of life (give or take), your baby will not have head or neck control, which limits where and how you can place them. A regular stroller seat, for example, won’t work until your babe is about 4-6 months (depending on the recline of the seat).

To remedy this, you can attach an infant car seat to most types of strollers, which turns the whole thing into what’s called a “travel system.” This term doesn’t mean it’s made for travel, per se, it simply means that you can pop your infant car seat on top of the stroller – and off ye’ go.

Many higher-end strollers come with a bassinet attachment (or the option to buy one). This also solves the problem, but you can’t (obviously) use your bassinet as a car seat. Bassinets are especially popular in big cities and other places where you’re getting around on foot more than by car.

Generally speaking, the most important thing to know before you buy anything is that compatibility is very important. That is, infant car seats fit onto strollers using adapters — and all car seats do not fit with all strollers.

Example: let’s say you fall in love with the sleek Nuna Pipa infant car seat that you would like to use with the Britax stroller your sister handed down to you: it’s not going to work! Many people fall into this trap and get stuck with pieces that are incompatible.

Does this mean you have to buy everything as a package? No, not necessarily, but you do have to be cognizant of your choices. Let’s step through it ~

Starting with: Infant Car Seats →