Britax Convertible Car Seat or Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat?

If you can afford the expense, my vote would be to go with the Snugrides for the first year. It's so nice when they are sleeping, you can just pull the whole car seat out and take it in the house or the grocery store, etc. I know it's not cheap, but in my opinion, worth every penny.

While it seems like a lot of extra expense, I used the Graco Snugride until my son was ready to outgrow it and then bought the Britax Marathon. Infant seats are great, and it you have to get out of the car with a sleeping baby you dont' have to wake or distrub them...just carry and go!

Definitely go with the infant seats. Having the freedom to leave them in their seats and just carry them where you need them (or pop them into a double stroller) will be so much easier. The convertables are not portable and taking your babies out of the car everytime will get to be a total pain. And with the experience I've had with convertable seats--they do not lay as flat as the infant carriers in the car--so it will not be very comfortable for your baby to sleep in the car. I always used mine as long as possible just for the convience of it. Can you imagine trying to grocery shop without infant carriers, where would you put them??--ugh make it easier on yourself--you will need some peace with having 2 babies coming!! Congratulations and good luck!!

My twins are 17 mos old (14mos adjusted) and are only 191/2 pounds and just reached the height limit of their infant seats. Our seats are 22 lbs. max. so we're still using them. We were told to go ahead and switch to our convertible seats and I'm dreading it!!! I've gotten so acustomed to loading them in the seats in the house, using the stroller frame with the seats for quick trips and the ability to let them stay sleeping when we get home. I honestly don't know how I would have survived without the infant seats. I can't think of the brand, but they were $80 at target and they fit in them perfectly to come home, I even took back the snuggly things I bought. The back rest has an adjustable knob so all I've had to do as they grow is turn it to loosen the straps and raise the headrest. We had a double snap and go frame for the first few months and finally decided on the Kolcraft contours stroller. The new version even comes with two car seat holders. Soo easy, just pop em on and we're ready to go. I only use the seats when I'm going to be more than a half hour. For the convertilble seats I found Alpha Omegas on sale for $99 at babies R us and if you buy 2 big ticket items at a time you get 10% off, make sure your family asks for this if helping you buy highchairs, cribs, swings etc. So it was $200 a piece for both seats, but it was so worth it to me. And the convertibles I bought last to 80 lbs. so I won't have to buy boosters later.
Check your local Mom's of Multiples for classifieds or the Yard sale and you could probably score the infant seats and stroller frame.
Congratulations and good luck!!!

I only have one baby, but he was a big boy at birth (8.9) and still is. I loved my graco snugride b/c of its portability and light weight, however my son grew out of it by 5 months and we just bought him the Britax convertible seat. I'm not sure what you would do if you got the britax with two newborns and needed to go on an errand...just a thought. goodluck & congrats!

I think it is worth it to have the infant car seats until they outgrow that. They often fall asleep in the car as infants, and if you have to take them out of the seat to bring them in somewhere, they will wake up.

Go with the infant car seats at first. My son was born 3 weeks early and he was 4LB and 14 oz when we left the hospital. It was very tiny for the first few months and I could not imagine having him in my daughters' Britax. As you know, you will have twins and another child under the age of 2. When you are out and about (grocery store, restaurant, church, etc), the infant car seats will keep be VERY handy in keeping your twins safe and strapped in.

However, in the future I have the Graco Snugride in my husband's car and the Britax Marathon in mine and the Britax is much more user friendly and goes up to 65 LBS. It's great for my son who is almost 2 years old and a lot bigger then when he was born. :) BTW, we just bought the Britax Regent for my daughter who turned 4 last summer and it's huge but very comfortable and very safe.

I hope this helps. Congrats on all your sweet blessings.

K.

I think you should go with the infant seats in the beginning. As another mother mentioned, the ease of putting them in and out of the car already strapped in is a plus not to mention if you get the matching stroller, running errands is easier, too. My son outgrew his infant seat at four months, and I remember being really disappointed with how upright the Britax Roundabout we bought was. When he'd fall asleep in it (as he always did) his little head would flop forward and trying to prop it back up usually woke him up. At least at that age when he was awake, he could hold his own head up. That will not be the case with newbies. Best of luck!

I agree with previous posters who've said that the infant car seats are golden because they snap right out, so when the babies fall asleep in the car (as they always do) you can just lift them out. What's really great is that when you're out running errands and the babies have fallen asleep, you and your husband can take them to a restaurant have a relaxing lunch out. Meals eaten in peace, and finished while still hot, will likely be a rarity! (Unless you manage way better than me, and I only have one).

I know though that there are things you can buy to make a convertible seat snap in an out of a stroller, maybe you can look into those? I saw them at USA Baby.

Good luck!

R.

Being a child passenger safety technician and instructor I would normally advise you go with the Britax since, as you mentioned, you will need to move to a convertible anyways. However, being that you will be having twins, you might have them come home from the hospital before they reach 5 pounds. Both seats you mention have a starting weight of 5 pounds if I am not mistaken. There are some infant seats that do say from "birth to ??" whatever weight and you might have to go with one of those if one or both of your twins are less than 5 pounds when they are coming home. Otherwise, if they are over 5 pounds, go with the convertible! Best of luck to you!

The infant seats are for convenience sake. If you don't mind getting your sleeping babies out of a car seat to carry them, go lay them down, or move to a stroller. then , its no big deal. I can completely sympathize with the cost issue though. Keep in mind too though most babies grow out of their infant seats way before 1 year. Although with twins if they are small they may stay in a carrier longer. If their heads are peaking out of the top or their feet extend beyond the bottom they are too big. It is unsafe.

Having the infant carrier has been a sanity-saver more than once for me. I'm on the verge of getting a convertible seat for my 14 month old but there are still days when he's asleep in it and I can just take out the whole carrier and run in the store without waking him. Traveling and being able to use it with the stroller is much easier as well.
Good luck with your double blessings!

For twins I am not sure how it would work out, but I'll tell you I made the "mistake" of getting a convertable carseat for my first born. What a pain in the butt to get him in and out of the car and into the stroller, or carry him everywhere I go. I went out and bought an infant car seat after like 6 or 7 weeks. Its just so much more conveniant. lthough with twin your not going to be carrying around 2 infant seats all the time, but it would still probably be easier to click 2 seats onto a stroller than to unbuckle out of car seat and buckle into the stroller. Just a though. Good luck!

Hi JM,

I also would recommend, if your budget allows, to get the baby carriers and later switch to convertibles ($200-$260 for two snugrides). My 18 month-old is still under 21 lbs and can still fit in her carrier, but we just bought her a convertible (Radian80) which she can use until she no longer needs to be in a carseat. I'm expecting in late August/ early September and my husband wants to get another for the baby but I'm opposed to using it before the first year. I LOVE that I can put baby in the seat while still indoors. Great for bad weather and for not disturbing sleeping baby. These are also great when used with the stroller system though I'm not sure if you have to have 2 strollers or if they have one that would accomodate both seats. With a convertible you'd have to bring one baby out/in at a tme and likey wake them each time. Ultimately, I know finances can trump convenience, but if you can swing the extra $200-$260, I would highly recommend it. Good luck and congratulations on your new arrivals.
-I.

HI, I have twin boys and I recommend the infant car seat. It is much easier to place them in the seats to carry them in and out of the car, especially, when you are by yourself. Plus when they are sleeping you will not want to wake them... believe me that is precious time!

I would suggest buying them used and purchasing the snap n go stroller. If you haven't already join Terrific Twosome Moms of Multiples cub. They really helped me prepare and are very supportive.

what you really want with new borns are car seats you can snap in and out and carry the baby in their car seat. Its a must for the grocery store to have your baby in a carrier. Its a must when they are sleeping to get them from point a to b and allow them to stay sleeping by not having to transfer them from car seat to carrier. Car seat carriers are really the only way to go. When we finally moved our 7 month old into the big car seat I said to myself, I would never put my new born in this thing! The reasons listed above are enough to not start with the big car seat but also consider, you cannot see your baby behind that bohemoth of a back when its rear facing. You wouldn't be able to look over your shoulder and see if they are choking, crying, sleeping. You won't even be able to reach back and stroke their heads to comfort them while driving. It costs more money, but I recommend the carrier car seats until they grow out of them.

The main difference is that the snugride also serves as an infant carrier/seat for your babies. With my first I carried him in the carrier a lot. It allowed him to stay asleep easier. With my second I used a sling and he would fall asleep or stay asleep in that. My sister in law had twins and she loved the double snap and go- it is nice and light and kids transfer easily because they are in their seat. I guess that's the other benefit of the carrier- most kids don't fit in a stroller until about 6 months without it. At least that has been my experience. Congrats!

Personally I prefered having the infant seats when my boys were young. I didn't have twins which I'm sure will make a huge difference. But I liked the convenience of being able to lift the whole seat out of the car - very handy with a floppy, sleeping newborn. It is also nice to be able to buckle the kids up inside the house and then just snap the seats into the car - especially when it is really hot or really cold outside. My kids have been in the Britax Marathon seats since they were big enough and they are great seats. But I'd worry about a newborn in them because they don't recline like an infant seat. Especially for a really small newborn.

Congratulations on your babies!

T.

With our first daughter we used the Snugride until she was 14 months old. She was small and we would have used it longer, but loaned it to a friend. We then moved her to the Britax Marathon. We had a base in each car for the Snugride, and then invested in two Marathons - one for each car.

I had twins 6 weeks ago and we're again using the Snugrides (had to borrow one from a friend). Mine were a little over 5 weeks early, so not even 5 pounds when they came home. I could not imagine getting them in and out of a car seat at each errand or appointment. The Snugrides are wonderful!

With my older daughter, we got the Graco Travel System. That stroller was so large and bulky that we didn't use it much. Instead, we got a Snap N' Go and loved it. I bought a double Snap N' Go at Once Upon a Child...worth looking into, as they are $100 new at BRU. I wouldn't do it any other way...the Snugride and Snap N' Go are life savers.

When the twins are big enough (at 6 weeks, neither one is on the growth charts yet), we'll move them to the Marathons. I don't know that we'll get two for each car this time around and will have to see what our childcare situation is at that point.

Congratulations...and I hope you have help lined up. We don't have any...my husband doesn't think we need it. Since he's not doing the lion's share of 'chores,' he's fine with it. No LOL here...

While it does seem silly to put out the money for an infant car seat that they will outgrow in a year, the benefits of having a removable seat that you can carry the kids in (or that can hook onto a stroller) is invaluable...especially with twins! (I'm currently 5 months along with b/g twins and have a 2 year old daughter).

There were so many times when she would fall asleep in the car and we could just lift the infant seat out and carry her inside without disrupting her sleep. Plus, it was great at restaurants or family gatherings to have a place where she could sit/lie comfortably while we were all eating. The list goes on and on as to all of the ways the infant car seat can be used while they are still small. I think it would be well worth the money.

I'm all about buying the carseat once...we've had the Britax covertable car seats for both our kids and they've worked great. More than likely, even if your twins are early they'll be close or close enough to 5 lbs by they time they are able to leave the hospital. And, they only spend a short time that small, most of which you are not be-bopping around town and needing the car seat. You should, however, ask about twin discounts when you buy anything. Most baby stores have some sort of discount for buying two of a lot of bigger tickets items!

Good luck.
-M

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the BRITAX convertible carseat but not for an infant. I used a GRACO infant car seat / stroller combo with my daughter and it worked great. If you don't get an infant seat you would lose the option to transfer a sleeping baby from car to elsewhere (stroller/house/etc) and vice versa!

Plus I can't imagine a newborn (especially twins) being big enough for the Britax. We switched to it around 9 months and my daughter looked so tiny in it.

Good luck!

What kind of stroller do you have/getting? alot of them are infant seat ready. I would go from there. With multiples a stroller is EXTREMELY important, if you are going to be out frequently. With the first couple it was not hard carrying them but when I had a couple so close in age, the infant seat was so much more handy, not leaving the child in the house or car alone with a piece of mind is priceless!

We actually have both. We started our daughter out in the Graco Snugride-this is ideal when you are running errands, you just put the seats in the carts or snap them into a stroller. This way the babies can sleep while you are out and you don't have to worry about constantly waking them to move them in and out of the car. When they get older you can put them into the Britax. Both are GREAT car seats.

I think you've gotten the jist of the advice -- invest in the infant seat! I have to agree. Even though you use them for a short while (though both of my girls were petite enough that they were in my snugride until 18 months and could have stayed longer), it's well worth it.

The other advantage that I don't think has been mentioned is the availability of extra bases. This is nice to have if you think that your babies will be needing to ride in second car (husband, grandparents, etc). For about $20 each you can buy the base rather than extra car seats or having to move them from car to car.

Britax is better. But I bought for my baby after couple car seats...Maxi Cosi Priory 2009 - very comfortable for the baby. Anyway try before you by the seat and watch if the babies head will not hang after he falls asleep!!!