Surreal

Yesterday, I had another one of those moments when I realized, In just a few more months, I'm going to be a mom.  I am going to have a CHILD.  Of my OWN.  To take care of. 

I had ordered our carseat and stroller, even though its still early, because I had a coupon and there was a promotion going on that ended in a GREAT deal on the combo.  So we jumped.

They were delivered yesterday while we were at work, and since Josh was working overtime last night, I packed them up and took them to Mom's for dinner and so we could tinker with them.  I had to take the carseat and base out of the box, because there was no way those two huge boxes were fitting in my little Honda with Molly.  I carried the stroller box in first, and then walked in carrying the infant seat.  I saw my reflection in the mirror, and that's when it hit me.  It was such a weird image- seeing myself carrying this seat that will soon be used by my own baby.

We put the stroller together, and Mom and I took turns pushing it around the house.  I then loaded it up, and took it home so Josh could see it when he gets home.  He loved the stroller and carseat as soon as he saw them, and was equally glad we jumped on the opportunity.

Then again, this morning, I got up and stumbled to the kitchen to make Josh's lunch and coffee.  And there they were again.  Still sitting in the same place as last night, but I had forgotten they were there.  A constant reminder of what is to come.  Those same thoughts running through my head as when I saw myself carrying the carseat.

Starting to have baby gear, clothes, diapers in our house is really getting me more and more excited for this fall!

Stroller Decision!

So I posted last night about researching strollers and carseats, and then after I hit "post", I did some more researching. 

I have long loved the Britax B-Ready stroller and its variety of configurations.  It has great reviews on a multitude of websites, and really just seems to fit what we want out of a stroller.  The only problem was the price.

Britax currently has a promotion going on where you can get the Britax Chaperone infant carseat for free when you purchase the B-Ready stroller, which is a $239.99 value.  Amazon is also selling the B-Ready for a reduced price (Britax is making way for new spring colors), and I have a 10% off coupon also.  This makes the B-Ready entirely affordable for us, since previously mentioned family member is contributing to the cost (in place of purchasing the carseat separately).  Here is the cost breakdown:

Original Cost:
Britax B-Ready Stroller $499.99
+ Britax Chaperone Infant Car Seat $239.99
= $739.98

Current Cost:
Britax B-Ready Stroller $399.99 (on sale through Amazon)
+ Britax Chaperone Infant Car Seat $183.99 (on sale through Amazon)
- 10% off Amazon Coupon
- $183.99 (Free Carseat promotion)
= $341.59

That's almost $400 in savings!!

We of course had to pay sales tax, but since I have an Amazon Prime account, we get free 2 day shipping, so it should be here Wednesday!  So glad we found this promotion and sale- we now can get what we really wanted!

Strollers and Car Seats

Josh finally agreed to go to Babies R Us with me today to browse and start narrowing down our choices on some big-ticket items.  The crib, changing table, and dresser are all decided, which is a huge relief.

Our main concerns right now are carseat and stroller.  I have heard time and time again to avoid the big, bulky, heavy travel systems, and I think that advice is pretty sound.  I started looking at lightweight, umbrella-type strollers, and also a Snap'n'Go to use with the infant carseat for the first few months.

Then, I found a few lightweight strollers at BRU today that you can use an infant carseat with!  Makes needing a Snap'n'Go pointless!  Here are our (current) options:

(I'm going to use the Chicco KeyFit 30 in all of these options, because it works with every option we have.  Also, the colors in the photos may not be the actual colors we choose.)

Option #1:  Chicco KeyFit 30 infant carseat + Snap'n'Go stroller + Chicco Liteway = $394.97

Pros:  The Snap'n'Go stroller is very light and folds down small, which is nice for my little Honda and for Josh's truck.  The Chicco Liteway has great reviews, and also folds down small and is light.
Cons:  Having to store the Snap'n'Go once the kiddo is old enough to sit in the Liteway.  That the Liteway can't be used with an infant carseat.  Cheap wheels.


Option #2:  Chicco KeyFit 30 infant carseat + Britax B-Nimble Stroller = $379.98

Pros:  The Britax B-Nimble is also very lightweight and folds small.  It has the option of using an infant carseat with it, with a variety of brands accepted.
Cons:  The Britax Chaperone infant carseat snaps into the stroller, but other brands use a weird strap system that I don't know if I'm comfortable with.  The Britax Chaperone is $20 more than the Chicco KeyFit 30 carseat.  Cheap wheels.

Option #3:  Chicco KeyFit 30 infant carseat + Baby Jogger City Mini Stroller = $489.93

Pros:  This stroller has big, solid, rubber wheels that can really hold up on uneven ground.  It accepts infant carseats with the purchase of an adapter.  Still folds up relatively small.
Cons:  Most expensive option.  Not as lightweight as other strollers.  Have to purchase adapter for carseat.


I should mention that a family member has graciously offered to purchase the infant carseat of our choice, so that cost really won't be factored into the total cost of our "travel system".

So mommas, what's your opinion?