Carseat for the Carless

Archived Q&A and Reviews

Feb 2004

I do not have a car. I will soon have a baby. I need to buy an infant carseat that is safe and easy to move from car to car (i.e. taxis, citycarshare cars, rental cars, friend's cars) and is fairly lightweight. It seems like most of the carseats I've seen are these huge things that come with a base that stays attached to the car. From all the warnings I've seen about incorrectly installed carseats, it sounds like installing them is very complicated. I'm wondering if there is anything in existence that would work well for me. Does anybody have any specific recommendations for carseats that are easy to move between cars? For public transit and walking I think I'm going to get a Kolcraft Universal Carseat Carrier which is supposed to fit with pretty much any infant carseat. Does anybody like or dislike the Kolcraft carseat carrier? I really like walking, so I'd like to know how they do for the more long-distance walks during which a baby sling might get too heavy. Spike's mom

I recently had a baby and decided to get a Graco carseat which I like. However, I will not recommend that one since you do not have a vehicle yet will recommend the Graco stroller/ carseat unit. When I went to visit my sister-in-law in LA, she had one and it was wonderful. it was not heavy at all and was easy to attach to stroller. I can get the model # from her if you would like. Fatima

If I were in your situation, I might look at the ''Sit 'n' Stroll 5-in-1 Travel System''... it's one of those car seats that sprouts wheels and a handle so that you can push it like a stroller.

For an infant car seat I think they are all about the same for ease of use, but you do not need to use the base they are mainly for making it easier to get the carseat in and out of the car. (Lugging the base around would be a real pain.) I could of course be wrong about this, so of course it is best to have a demonstration/talk with your local fire house.

I feel almost every infant related product is flawed in some way, (bjorn kills your back/ strollers have tiny baskets, etc.etc.) So you'll know that I mean it when I say: besides a sling one of the best gifts I got was one of those universal 'snap and go' infant carseat strollers. They are so handy and not bulky.

Do not in your pregnancy induced hormonal state buy one of those travel systems. Strollers that are bulky enough to carry a car seat belong on pourches not in a trunk. Unless of course you are very strong.

Lastly you don't need it now but once your baby has outgrown the infant car seat I would HIGHLY reccomend for your carless lifestyel (bless you!) a ''sit and stroll''.

http://www.babyant.com/bv012065.html

I travel a lot so although I own a car here I have extensivly gone without. (Mostly trips to see inlaws in europe). Anyway the one thing that worried me about this stroller is that you have to put it in the seat then buckle the child in, then buckle the car seat in by placing the seat belt over the seat (not under), which I thought would make it harder to use, but actually it makes it so much easier to buckle the car seat in. I use mine (which I thought I would just get rid of after our trip to brazil) as an extra carseat and I love it. It is MUCH easier to transfer form car to car than my HUGE britax.

(And Just f.y.i. though most of the big cars seats say they work for babys as small as 5lbs that is a joke! And every parent I know bought an infant car seat for their newborn- which lasts for an average sized baby from newborn to 5 months).

Hope this helps, aprill