Buying the right car seat for baby

In this week’s baby bargainista column, Rebecca Atkinson shares her experience buying baby’s first car seat and learned an interesting lesson along the way. A must read for all expectant first-time parents!

One of the most important purchases you make for baby while you’re still pregnant is choosing a car seat. Mark and I knew we had a line on a bassinet/stroller combo, so we didn’t need/want one of those three-in-one car seat/stroller deals. My husband, Mark spent countless hours researching car seat options for us. As an automotive journalist, he often has a different car each week, which means the space for a car seat varies greatly. We also don’t have a ton of storage space at home, so we thought it would be nice to have one car seat that could grow with the baby as long as possible.

We finally settled on the Sunshine Kids Radian Car Seat because it was foldable for easy storage, and the narrowest car seat around. The company claims you can put three abreast if needed. The price was a hefty one, nearly $300, but a worthwhile investment since it would definitely grow with our child.

It was a great concept in theory, until Meredith was born and we actually needed to use the seat.

We first began doubting what we thought was the smartest purchase we made before we’d even made it out of the hospital. When they discharge you, you’re required to bring your car seat inside and show the staff you a) have one and b) know how to put the baby in it. The nurse took one look at our car seat and asked my husband how he planned on carrying it. He looked at her and said, “With the carrying strap.” After rolling her eyes, she said, “I meant, how do you plan on carrying it with the baby?”

We stopped and looked at each other. We hadn’t planned on that. I guess in our heads thought we would just carry the baby if we had to take her out of the car seat and weren’t using the stroller or Snugli. Mark said he’d just carry the seat, with the baby strapped in, the nurse rolled her eyes yet again, sighed and sent us on our way. Before we even got to the car we realized how awkward the car seat was and that we hadn’t considered portability on our list of requirements when we bought it.

We spent the next week or so taking the baby out of the seat every time we had to run an errand. Neither we nor baby liked this method of transport as it often woke her when she was sleeping. Neither of us wanted to admit our mistake, but one night as we were going out to get stock up on diapers, we somehow got on the subject of the car seat and sheepishly admitted to one another that we should perhaps look at an easy-to-carry infant car seat.

I can tell you now, that was the best $100 (with tax) we ever spent, and the same seat has been on sale for about $60 since. Sure she’ll outgrow it and it takes up a fair amount of space when rear facing, but both Mark and I can carry it (for now at least) and if she’s asleep, she can stay asleep which any parent will agree is definitely a plus.

While the other car seat will come in handy down the road, it is not something I would recommend for new parents.

Biggest lesson learned? You can do all the research in the world but sometimes you have to learn things the hard and expensive way – by living through it.

Exploiting Chaos sparks innovation and a free preview

Here’s a little guessing game for you. Stick with it until the end, and you’ll get a little treat. Promise.

Did you know...
These iconic companies were all found during times of chaos, specifically during economic recession?

Disney, CNN, MTV, Hyatt, Burger King, FedEx, Microsoft, Apple, Gillette, AT&T, Texas Instruments, 20th Century Fox, IBM, Merck, Hershey’s, IHOP, Eli Lilly, Coors, Bristol-Myers, Sun, Amgen, The Jim Henson Company, LexisNexis, Autodesk, Adobe, Symantec, Electronic Arts, Fortune, GE, and Hewlett-Packard.

- Jeremy Gutsche, Exploiting Chaos

(Candice Faktor made a similar case about innovation at a TGGD, earlier this year.)

Jeremy Gutsche, chief trend hunter, TrendHunter, lives in Toronto?

I was invited to attend my first flash mob today to help launch his new book, EXPLOITING CHAOS: 150 Ways to Spark Innovation During Times of Change, arriving in stores this Tuesday, September 1?

I missed the flash mob fun because I’m sick? Ya, I know, it sucks big time. He was giving away all kinds of free stuff including advance copies of his book to the first 100 people – and I would have been there on time for sure.

Fleishman Hillard’s Innovation Practice Group and Trend Hunter have arranged for you to have a sneak peek? It’s true. Download chapter 1 for free.

After you’ve read the preview, let us know what you think.

(Full disclosure, Fleishman Hillard is the parent company of iStudio, my employer. When people download chapter 1 of Exploiting Chaos from this page, TrendHunter will help drive traffic to Innovation What are We Thinking, FH Innovation practice’s blog. My invitation to the flash mob launch was a totally random, I received it from a Facebook friend. Oh ya, and I’m thrilled to be a new member of the FH Innovation practice group.)

SPC cards - worth the $8.50 investment

I’ve told some people who asked me to if I’d be writing another back-to-school post that I’ve written one and I’m done. Well, that’s only sort of true. I’m done writing about anything that isn’t from direct personal experience doing back-to-school shopping with my kids.

A couple weeks ago, I was with Mr. B at Shoppers Drug Mart and saw a display full of Student Price Cards (SPC cards). I remember our eldest son mentioning something about them last year so I called him and asked if he’d like one. Immediately he told me about all the discounts his friends got during lunchtime at the nearby food court – yes, he wanted one. At $8.50 a year and a 10-15% discount from participating retailers and restaurants, it was a small investment and worth the gamble. It seems like the list of companies participating in the program has grown – not surprising during tough times when many retailers are doing what they can to earn your business.

The card has already paid for itself and it’s good through the end of July 2010. You can also buy it at other stores, university and college book stores, high schools (and get a $10 Bluenotes gift card) or online and choose a $10 gift card from Blue Best Buy, Bluenotes, Esprit, Jean Machine or Pizza Hut – if only I had known.

You can check the SPC website, follow along Twitter or become a Facebook fan to learn about weekly perks and other offers.

SwapSity Swap Meet & Garage Sale

It’s great when members of the community are starting their own swap meets and ask me to help them share their event news with you. SwapSity is a new community founded by Marta Nowinska, that’s focusing on helping Torontonians live a little greener through swapping.

What?
SwapSity Swap Meet & Garage Sale
This green event will bring together savvy swappers, eco-enthusiasts, parent barterers and thrifty shoppers, all under one roof. Keep useful things out of landfills, find new treasures, free yourself from the clutter and have tons of fun trading! With both swapping and selling taking place, it will be the ultimate garage sale and a swap meet rolled into one.

Where?
Walmer Road Baptist Church
Ground floor, enter from south side
188 Lowther Ave. (Spadina & Bloor) (map)
Toronto

When?
Saturday, Aug. 29
1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

How Much?
General Admission: $3.50, now $2
Table Rental: $5, $9, $16 (book in advance)


(Note: I don’t know Marta and this event seems less grassroots that then swap meets you’re used to seeing posted on Bargainista.)