car seat help!?

Question

im 30 weeks pregnant and am trying to find a good carseat.
My debate is i dont know if i should get one with the z handle or straight handle. is there really a big difference?
Please Help

Answer 1

I agree that the Evenflo seats are not as high quality as the Graco seats and while your comfort is important your child's safety is paramount. Graco offers both the Snugride and the Safeseat - you can check out their specifics at www.gracobaby.com or in a good baby store like Babies R Us. Be sure that any seat you select has a front harness adjust (so you can get the baby in there tight every time), 5 point harness and will fit in your vehicle. The Graco Safeseat costs a bit more but you will be able to use it longer since it has higher weight/height limits. Your goal should be to keep your baby rear facing as long as possible - once he/she moves in to a convertible seat select one that rear faces until 33-35 pounds.

Congratulations on your new baby!

Answer 2

The Z handle is only available on the Evenflo seats, which are generally lower end carseats. The quality just isn't as high, they don't have as many safety features, etc.

IMO, the best value for money carseat is the Graco Snugride. It has a straight handle with a non-slip grip in the middle. They have versions that have EPS (think bike helmet foam) in the head area, for added impact protection and really cute prints.

Whichever carseat you ultimatley decide on, you need to ensure that it has a 5 point harness and a front adjuster (this is a pull strap between the baby's legs that tightens and loosens the harness). These things alone will make the carseat safer.

Also remember that it is not safe to use an aftermarket headrest, as they can interfere with the harness.

Make sure you read your manual and get your seat checked by a Certified Passenger Safety Technician (try safekids.org to find a local one). 8 out of 10 carseats are installed incorrectly - you want to make sure yours is not one of them!

Answer 3

The best infant seat is the one which fits your baby, installs well in your car, and you will use perfectly each and every ride. That said, some seats are easier to install and use than others.

Some things to look for in your infant seat:
-low bottom harness slots. The harness should be at or below your baby's shoulders when rear facing, so seats with taller bottom slots (like the Graco Snugride) may not fit very small to average babies well.

- a front harness adjuster

- a five-point harness

- a maximum weight limit of AT LEAST 22 lbs. There are infant seats now that go to 30 lbs, which can be very helpful if you have multiple children, travel often or have a large baby.

- ease of installation in your vehicle (For example, the Cosco/Safety First/Eddie Bauer and Evenflo infant seats are known for being difficult to install properly.)

-if you think you may have a tendancy to leve the handle up in the car, choose a seat that allows this. Some seats (like Evenflo and the Britax Companion) forbid leaving the handle up, others require it to be up. READ THE MANUAL TO DETERMINE WHICH IS REQUIRED BY YOUR SEAT.

- look for a seat that can be used with or without the base. Some seats cannot be installed without the base, which can be an issue if you switch vehicles at all.

- some seats have built in lock-offs, which can be very helpful if your seatbelts don't lock or lock when you pull them out all the way (these are called "switchable retractors" and can cause seats to tip over time.) Built in lockoffs mean you will not need a locking clip, which can be tricky to use correctly.

Whichever seat you choose, visit a local Safe Kids certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) after you install it to verify that you are using it correctly. Don't assume your local police or fire department personnel is certified or knows anything about child seats.

CPSTs are not an installation service. If you cannot install your seat yourself after having it inspected that is a problem that needs correcting immediately.

Congratulations on your new blessing!

Answer 4

The handle doesn't matter in the least, unless you plan to be one of those moms lopsidedly toting their babies around until their shoulder joints pop out of socket. Carseats should be used in the car, maybe *occasionally* when babe falls asleep on the way to the store, or outing or whatever. Being in a carseat for extended lengths is not good for babies' backs. Ideally, you should only be carrying baby in the carseat carrier in & out of the house, and like I said, on occasion if it's really important for the baby to sleep longer once you've arrived at your destination.

More important than the handle, is that you INSTALL THE SEAT 100% CORRECTLY. Read the manual front to back, understand how the seat works, read your vehicle's owners manual to see what it says in the passenger safety section. Have the seat checked by a CPST (Child Passenger Safety Technician) once you've installed it. These people are a treasure trove of information, and can show you how to get the best, safest installation in your particular vehicle, and point out common mistakes. An estimated 80% of all child safety seats are incorrectly used!

Also, when choosing a seat, look for one with a higher weight limit. Children are safest when rear-facing; the MINIMUM requirements for turning forward are 20 lbs. PLUS (not OR) 1 year of age. This is only a minimum, though-- it is safest to have them rear-face up to the limits of the seat. Some seats have a 30 to 35 lb. limit nowadays, meaning your baby could be facing the safest direction for much longer than previously thought necessary.

Congratulations and best of luck with your baby!

Answer 5

I dont know about the types of handles but the Graco Snug Ride is supposed to be one of the safer ones. They did that study from consumer reports and a bunch failed that one passed. then they found out later the study was done at speeds of 80 miles an hour and the legal test is only 30 so they threw the results out. but hey a car seat they said did the best out of all of em at 80 miles an hour gets my vote. good luck!

Answer 6

In my opinion. It's about the grip and how you want to hold the handle. Go to the store, and try them out. See how your arm and hand adjusts to the carseat. I perfer the the curved one, "straight handle". Good luck.

Answer 7

I have both and the Z handle is so much more comfrotable for me, and my husband, cause i dont like holding my baby so low to the ground, that I can just lay it across my wrist, and the straigt one, is a lil more difficult, but in my opinion the Z handle is alot easier to deal with, evenflo makes pretty decent carseats i have evenflo and graco, they are both great but my evenflo is smaller and not as long so it fits pretty well in my car, if you go to target.com or babies r us you can read the reviews on carseats, to help you pick them

Answer 8

i am a mom of five and trust me there is a diffrence get a z handled carrier they are so much easier to carry and watch the padding on the back if there is not enough it will leave little marks on there backs

Answer 9

it doesn't make a difference. the only thing i can tell you is to get one and put it in now. i delivered 4 weeks early and we didn't even have the carseat in yet. my hubby had to go home and get it.

Answer 10

i like the z handle ones. evenflo makes a great carseat