I wasn't going to... but I can't help myself. Car seats.

[~breeze~]

We have the safe n sound meridien & were happy to use that from birth but when DD was about only 1 week old we went & purchased a capsule mainly for the convenience of leaving DD undisturbed while getting in & out of the car as it was a bit of a pain while she was tiny getting her in & out of the rearward facing carseat. It was also great having her rugged up in the capsule from before we left the house (especially if going out at night) & not needing to worry about blankets coming off etc as she was tucked in nicely.
I also agree that I think it is a safer option & I've heard it's not too expensive to hire so maybe look into what it will cost??

I highly recommend my safe n sound meridien, we still use it now & DD has just turned 3. Once our next bubs grows out of the capsule he will be using DD's carseat & she will go into her safe n sound booster we already have for her.
I love the way the side protection is a) there in the first plae & b) grows with your child up until approx 4 yrs! My DD is tall & it's still got room to grow with her.

I think car seats / capsules are one of the most important things to make sure the safety standards are high as its not only your driving that could cause an accident it's the people around you on the road.

I think it shows great parenting asking this question about recommendations on car seats as it shows you know the importance of the safety & your thinking entirely of your baby.

Good luck choosing, I hope I've helped

[Janie]

We also have the SnS Meridian, which I think is great. But I read somewhere recently that a car seat, any car seat, can only do it's job if installed and used correctly (I know, that seems obvious ). So yes, do your research on which seat to buy etc, but then do your research as to where/how to install it, and then make sure you know how to use it properly

[~breeze~]

We also have the SnS Meridian, which I think is great. But I read somewhere recently that a car seat, any car seat, can only do it's job if installed and used correctly (I know, that seems obvious ). So yes, do your research on which seat to buy etc, but then do your research as to where/how to install it, and then make sure you know how to use it properly

Great advice!

[Nai]

Not sure where you are located belfie but for fittings in Melbourne we used CREM, who are fantastic! They used to be in Arden St North Melb but have just moved to Maidstone. They have some relocation special deals on at the moment that we just got in the mail so maybe give them a call. We used them to fit out capsule and purchased our car seat through them as well.

[*Belle*]

We have the Safe N Sound Compaq, must say as we are having our 2nd baby soon we have gone and bought another carseat now for Julia (got the S&S Maxirider), she is 12 kgs and quite long and has already outgrown the S&S Compaq. If I had to do it from scratch again with first child, I would get hiring or borrowing a capsule and then get the SNS Meridian as its taller and will last longer than the SNS Compaq in the upright position.

[Beach Mama]

I saw the title and had a huge giggle
Now that I have stopped laughing at you! Good questions hun!!!! I have the Safe n Sound Premier and it is great, it has lots of nice snuggly padding for a bubby and we love it, however now that we are going with no#2 I am definately getting a capsule!!!! Izzy can stay in the Premier for a bit longer, and then when bub outgrows the capsule I will get the Maxi Rider- they definately are raved about on here. Capsules are just so easy when bubs is already asleep and you are visiting etc. and you don't have to wake them up. We are either borrowing from a friend who we know didn't have an accident or hiring from a reliable place like Hire for Baby - there is one in Kew and Vermont South I think- just google the name hun. Councils also hire them out. I think they do some sort of testing to make sure it hasn't been in an accident - not sure how else they know! Might check their site, but all the girls at my mothers group got their capsules from H4B.

One thing about the Premier and the other Safe n Sound seats. My girlfriend had her bub back in Jan and one day we were going to come to our place so I put her seat in our car to bring both bubs back I told her to go get the instructions in case it was tricky but told her I thought it would be ok. It was a Fisher Price seat from Kmart. Anyway turns out not only was it easy - it was EXACTLY the same as my seat for Izzy but with different branding on it. I couldn't believe it. Same factory in China obviously but they sew different badges on them and slightly different material. Ours was $300 at Baby Bunting on sale, hers was $170 at Kmart on sale and it is the SAME seat. Something to research and think about!
HtH!

[belfie]

Ok so first, you are all wonderful helpful ladies! Thank you all so much
After all your great comments, I'm thinking I should ask here BEFORE I start looking why on earth did I wait!!

So after reading all your words of wisdom - I'll definitely I'll hire the capsule from Baby for Hire (there's one nearby so that's easy - and they actually list the Safe'n'Sound baby capsule as their hire item!), and I'll also look at CREM. Re the safety component... weeell, DH is a safety nut, so whatever happens, we'll aways be going something safe... which is very good. See, I can even bash my head into this wall safely!
Ahem... silliness aside, the RACV site has a link to the evaluation they did on the various seats in Dec 07, and I agree that the seats need to be used correctly, but they did also find some differences in their testing... I should say though - in the categories we're talking about - all these models exceeded the Aus standard which is great.

*Belle* thanks so much for your comment re the compaq versus meridien. DH is very tall, so we're trying to go for things that will allow for a child who MIGHT be quite tall (for it's age) .

And finally YAY, that's one more thing I don't have to shell out for yet! WOO HOO!

Edit: hahaha thanks Tan! I missed your reply! And veeeerrrrry interesting re the Kmart brand! do you know what it was called?... DUH baby brain.. you said. I'll just shut up now! Hmm just checked the testing and none of the FP were included. DH will not be prepared to go for one that he can't see results on... *sighs* oh well

Thank you again ladies

[MantaRay]

Belfie, we managedj just fine wtihout a capsule both times. But really it's personal preference. Just note though that it's not good to leave babies sleeping in a capsule too much. Most people use the capsules so they can get baby out of the car easily without waking them, but it's bad for their spines to be left in there for long periods.

Also note that whether you hire a capsule or not, you will need a convertible car seat. Baby should be rear facing for as long as possible as it's much safer, ideally until they are 12 kgs which can be depending on the bub well after 12 months of age (my 20 month old isn't 12 kgs yet)!