capsule or convertible car seat?

[tina_k]

just wondering if a capsule is necessary? im having a c setion so wont be able to carry anything heavy for the first couple of months (ie a capsule!). i guess a capsule would be helpful if Dh and i were going somewhere together and he could carry it. Im wondering what situations you have found just having a capsule that comes out is more convenient than just having bub in the pram?

I was hoping i could get some advice as to how useful it was having a capsule, or if you went straght to a convertible car seat?

[SamiH]

I have never used a capsule, my reversible is currently getting it's third use!

The only benefit I can see is that if bubs is sleeping, you can move the whole capsule instead of a transfer. However, this has never worried me and babies usually go back to sleep anyway if they wake. Also just like a car seat, babies shouldn't be in a capsule for any longer than 3.5 hours (ish) without a stretch for their backs etc.

[AliBaby]

I think a capsule might be handy for going over to peoples house with bubs rather than have to get the pram out as well, also maybe shopping as you cant push a trolley and a pram (but you could always jsut use a sling or a baby bjorn for baby instead....

Cant really thnk of any reasons. If you want to save money I would just get the reversable car seat. That is waht we are doing..I think!

[Visitor8]

I brought a capsule with my first... waste of money. He only used it for a month then I had to pay ANOTHER $300 to get a car seat...
I had the one that clips in the pram.
I would just go a car seat thats from birth to 18

[Doing my best]

Hi,

we used a capsule for about 3 months until DD rejected it and preferred the reversable seat.. I had a c/s and lifting the capsule wasn't a drama (well DH was home for the 1st 2 weeks) and I drove from about 4 weeks.

We are planning using a capsule again when we have a 2nd bub.. We just liked the convenience, and when I was going shopping on my own, I would place the whole capsule in the trolley as some of the trolleys capsules are gross..

But to answer you q, a capsule isn't necessary, just depends on what you think you would prefer..

[KimmyF]

Hi we had hired a capsule from our local council and it was the BEST! Perfect if you wre just ducking in and out of a shop or post office etc, it meant i could pop bub down and still have two hands free much easier than carrying baby or getting out the pram for a quick job. i was devasted when bub got too long for it at about 4 and half months! I would not buy one as we had the option of hiring one which cost about $40 with a $50 bond that we got back when we returned it.
It seriously was great, especially if you got home from being out and bub was still asleep we could just carry him in and he would usually stay asleep.

[sweetpea678]

Hi,

I had just a carseat reverse for my first hated, she was a winter bub had to unwrap/rewrap all the time. DD2 hired the traditional safe n sound one, liked that but tricky to lift into car and not realy meant to be a carrier as well.

With this dd we brought the unity capsule and profile stroller travel system love it, capsule snaps straight on. and also the capsule is desinged to be a carrier so has been great with older kid pick ups at school etc.

But realy is own preferance.

[nagromeyk]

Hi we had hired a capsule from our local council and it was the BEST! Perfect if you wre just ducking in and out of a shop or post office etc, it meant i could pop bub down and still have two hands free much easier than carrying baby or getting out the pram for a quick job. i was devasted when bub got too long for it at about 4 and half months! I would not buy one as we had the option of hiring one which cost about $40 with a $50 bond that we got back when we returned it.
It seriously was great, especially if you got home from being out and bub was still asleep we could just carry him in and he would usually stay asleep.

Yep I have done the same thing! Was great for him as a NB, didnt have to worry about waking him up if I just wanted to quickly pop into a shop but K has very quickly outgrown it so I am changing to a carseat (which I purchased when I was pg) this week.

You could maybe even look at a 'travel system' (where the capsule clips straight into the base of your stroller - steelcraft do one; the strider DLX) so you dont have to take the baby out of the capsule at all. In the excitement in finding out I was PG I went out and brought a Valco Runabout stroller without really doing much research first and I kind of kicked myself for a while but then thought K wouldnt of lasted long in it anyways as he is 4 months old and already nearly 9kg LOL

[AnyDream]

Capsules are the best in winter or cold weather. You put the baby in the capsule inside where it's warm, snug them up in their blanket, etc, then transfer straight out into heated car. With a car seat you have to unwrap them in the cold in order to do buckles up. Big consideration here where we have sub zero temps.

Carrying the capsule after a few weeks should not be a big deal for you if you have a normal CS recovery. I was able to carry ours around (with our increasingly heavy baby LOL) at week 7 - even though I'd had a post-op infection that set me back by a month or so AND residual pelvic instability pain. I could carry the capsule better than I could get the pram out of the boot.

I suggest hiring one if you can. Bub will be in it for 4-6 months (or a bit longer if they are small) so this is most cost effective way of doing it. The one we hired was brand new anyway.

[LuluHB]

I hired a capsule with DD#1 and borrowed SIL's for DD#2. Complete waste for both my girls - they were both reflux babies and so the angle that the capsule puts them on aggravated their tummies and so they were both soon in a convertible car seat.

Be careful with thinking that travel systems etc are a great way to go. You shouldn't leave your baby in a capsule for extended periods of time due to the curve it puts on their spine.

[MrsC_Aussie]

we've bought the new strider dlx, we decided cause bub is due end of march, and winter can start as early as april in ballarat (lol) that it would be best and easiest for the first few months to be able to get bub in and out without having to muck around with unwrapping and all of that. however, we have also bought a convertible car seat (on a good deal) to have ready as soon as bub outgrows the capsule so that bub is in the reverse position for as long as possible

[Pandora]

I had a convertible car seat for DS, but will be either buying or hiring a capsule for this bub. I hated having to unwrap and rewrap him all the time to get in and out, in the cold, or the rain, (and this usually woke him up) when I could have been doing it all inside if he'd been in a capsule.

[luey]

I had a convertible carseat from birth - SNS Meridian. It has been great and I love how it can be rearward facing until 12kg which is safest. Apparantly there are some scary videos on you tube about forward facing seats until the kidlet is 'big enough'.
I have not had a problem but TBH because we live in the country I didn't drive that much (had a bassinet - beema Q) on and it was when we went to the big smoke we would be in and out of the car all the time. Then a capsule would have been good when little because you had to try and time feeds then sleeps with appointments etc because I didn't want to wake him to leave. But you do have to be careful about the length of time they are in the capsule for their backs. What we ended up doing was getting wherever we were going earlier and would just put DS to sleep in the pram.
A friend purchased a SNS unity and she found that her bub got too heavy in it well before she outgrew it - about 5kg. Apparantly the bub never stayed asleep getting in and out anyway.
If there is a next time around we might hire a capsule, will see. Our meridian carseat is so much more padded and supportive than the traditional SNS I am not sure it is worth it for the few days it would be an issue.

I had an emergency c-section and for the first week or two I had difficulty getting DS in and out of the car to put in the convertible as our carseat is in the centre. After a while it settled down.

Good luck in making your decision. You could always hire one and buy a convertible as well and if you have 2 cars have a carseat in each. I think it is only $60 or so to hire so is relatively cheap and if you don't end up using it you haven't lost huge amounts of money. Believe me there are plenty of things you spend $$$ on or get given and don't use

[Papillon]

For me we just hired a capsule with each birth, so a total of $60 for over 7 months... we found the capsule INVALUABLE at times like when bubs would fall asleep while driving, we could get out, do all we had to do and bubs never woke or knew any different... REALLY handy for those times when you are alone and need to duck out to get something... but then as you said, you cant carry anything for awhile. ESPECIALLY came in handy because our first born was not a good sleeper so a quick trip in the car always did the trick then just take her back inside inside the capsule and easy done....