Carseats, Strollers, and Slings... Oh my!

Car Seat:
Graco snug ride car seat (shown below but available in many colours and patterns) got the highest safety rating according to my research. Keep in mind that a car seat should never be bought used. The only exception to the rule is if you get a hand-me-down from a trusted relative or friend and are sure it hasn't been in an accident. On a convenience note Graco infant car seats can be "snapped" into many strollers. This a great feature! When your baby is sleeping in the car the lasts thing you want to do is wake them. All you have to do is remove the car seat and snap it onto the stroller. All the while baby is sleeping happily. Brilliant!


A must have for your car seat~ The Kiddopotamus Cradler. (Available at TJ Kiddies) Unlike those horse shoe shaped supports this iParent Award winner really works.
* Adjustable head support
* Helps prevent the baby’s head from slumping forward or sideways.
* Secures in place around harness shoulder straps.
* Soft fabric connectors adjust with self fasteners to create a secure, custom fit for your child.
* Grows with your child from newborn to toddler.
* Crash tested for safety.



Strollers:
Get a good stroller. I love my Rock Star Baby stroller. Expensive, but if you can get a stroller lightly used. It's totally worth it. The Rock Star is a lot like the Bugaboo and the Uppa Baby- they all have the light weight chassis that you snap either a bassinet, infant car seat, or toddler seat onto. I love this design! So easy to use, folds up nicely, turns on a dime- one handed even. Be sure to buy the car seat adapter, and the sun and rain attachments. Below is a picture of the Rock Star. It's a limited edition stroller and the Infinity model is no longer available. We found ours (very lightly used) on Craig's List- Yay! There is a new model available now. It actually won best new stroller in the Canadian Family Magazine for 2009. You may like to check out the Uppababy and Bugaboo, they are the same concept.
http://www.uppababy.com/products/product.php?id=1
http://www.bugaboo.com/



Baby Carriers:
We love our Ergo Baby Carrier. Very ergonomic/comfortable and useful from infancy and well beyond. Both Chris and I can wear it. Spencer seems to like it. He has fallen asleep in it a number of times! We also have the Baby Bjorn but we didn't find it quite as comfortable as the Ergo.
http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/






Another must have carrier is the Hot Sling. I keep mine folded up in my diaper bag. It's a huge help for those quick runs into the store. Both Spencer and I are quite comfy for a good period of time. For lengthy trips I always opt for my Ergo though.