More About the New Carseat

The new carseat is the Graco My Ride 65, in "Flair."

It's got the highest weight limits for both rear- and front-facing that we could find: 5 - 40 lbs rear-facing and 20 - 65 lbs front-facing.

Although, legally, we could turn her around at one year and 20 pounds, based on the most recent recommendations, we plan to keep her rear-facing as long as possible - either all the way to 40 pounds, or until we just can't cram her little legs in there any longer. Given her build, I suspect we'll hit the weight limit before the leg limit. I sort of wanted, just as a matter of principle, to wait until her birthday to switch them out, but I think I will probably to do it sooner.

Now that it's sometimes-I-have-a-jacket-sometimes-I-don't season, it's been a real pain in the ass to loosed and tighten the straps everytime she puts her jacket on or takes it off.

On the baby seat, for each strap, there's a lever to release it and then you pull it one way or another, and it really takes two hands - one for the lever and one for the strap - but you can't get both hands back there while the seat's installed, and ugh!

On the new seat, to tighten them, you just pull that strap between her feet, and to loosen, you push a little lever under the little flap by the strap and pull on them.

Easy-peasy, and just in the nick of time!

I should also add that it is a birthday gift from all her grandparents. Even though we've asked for donations to Children's Miracle Network in leiu of gifts, you had to know that the grandparents would break the rules.

Shrike's parents knew we were planning to get a new carseat, so they offered to buy that for her, but knowing how much it was going to cost, Shrike suggested that we go halfsies on it.

I don't know that we ever really got them to agree to that, but when Anonymama asked what Peeper wants/needs for her birthday, I thought "Aha!" and suggested that they go halfsies with Shrike's parents.

(Funny story - When I told Shrike "My parents are going to give Peeper the other half of the carseat for her birthday," she said her first thought was, "It comes in two halves?!?")