Bringing It All Home

I think everyone has that certain tangible thing that makes it all "real" when it comes to having a baby. Maybe it's an ultrasound picture, buying a crib, or feeling the baby kick. For me, it's a carseat.

Before I even had a well-thought out rationale of why that is, it just was. Without rhyme or reason. I avoided getting one for so long for fear of it sitting in an empty room collecting dust waiting on a baby that would never occupy it.

A carseat is obviously a big ticket item on a baby registry. Though my mom has gotten us some seriously big ticket items, you never expect people to get your big ticket items for you. If anything, Josh and I registered for things we plan to buy regardless, because Babies R Us will give us a discount on everything on our registry closer to our due date. And when you need multiple "big ticket" items (i.e. car seat, bases, stroller, pack-n-play, gates, high chair, glider, etc), it's a no brainer!

If you have nothing at all, no crib, no clothes, no diapers, nothing, they will still let you take this precious infant home with you. However, if you don't have a carseat, forget it. Baby doesn't leave the hospital. It's the one thing you HAVE to have to take that baby home. This is my rationale as to why that one particular item makes everything so "real" for me.

I spent a fair share of time reading about carseats, but not an eternity. This is such virgin territory, and I feel so clueless about baby stuff. In the event I am put into a situation like such, I thrive in educating myself. While I'm not nearly as educated on carseats as I am tires (another similar situation), I was able to distinguish that the most important element is safety. Apparently car accidents are the #1 cause of death in children ages 1-12. I researched the safest carseat with the highest ratings. The safety ratings all seemed to be top notch on most brands. So, onto consumer reviews.

I consistently found raves about the Graco seats, particularly one called Snugride. An important "extra" feature that was not on all carseats was machine washable cushions. Um hello?! That's a tad important isn't it? How many grown adults can say they have never thrown up in a vehicle, let alone as an infant?! That was a big plus with the Snugride. In fact, the only complaint I could find about the newer version of the carseat was how large it was. People were complaining that it would not fit in their cars. The backseat legroom in our pickup is larger than most SUVs, so that was no problem for us.

At Babies R Us, Josh and I glanced at the other carseats, but went straight for the Graco. We played with the base and the carseat, clicking it in and out repeatedly. It was very easy. I imagined standing in the rain trying to get this thing out of our big truck. One easy click and it was in or out. It was heavy. I'll give it that. It's the newest version, holding up to a 40 lb child. Of course, it's going to be big! I played with the canopy, the handle, the base, everything. I wanted to see how easy it was going to make my life since the thing that would be riding in it wouldn't be participating in that aspect. Overall, I was very pleased. So, it was time to play with strollers.

Josh and I agreed on a stroller having to be compatible with the carseat we chose, not the other way around. And with a sleeping baby, we figured putting a carseat in a stroller would be easier than transferring baby out of the carseat to go in a stroller. After trying out a few different Graco strollers that the carseat was compatible with, we found one we liked. It had cup holders (a must!) and was comfortable for Josh and I both to steer (there's a whole foot of difference between our heights!). The bottom basket was roomy and I could easily get to it with the carseat in the stroller. We were going from isle to isle with this empty stroller like we had a newborn in it. I walked around with it while looking at other items in the store, turned it on a dime, and I even role-played that I was in a busy grocery store and needed to get it out of the way. We were convincing enough that I know I saw people looking in the stroller for a baby. Ha! They probably gave us the "crazy look" when they saw it was empty.

So, we bought the Graco Snugride Click Connect 40 carseat. And it was 20% off! Score!

There was no "careful unboxing." Josh took a knife, ripped through the tape like flesh, and pulled it out of that box like he was delivering a baby! It seems like he had it completely unpackaged within mere seconds! It looks so cozy! I can just imagine our tiny little guy in there :)

And so it is. It feels as real as ever that we will be bringing home a baby. This baby. Baby Luke.