Baby stuff

[dirtsniffer]

Hey, expecting our first kid and need to get basically everything. What store is owned by a beyonder?

Any tips? Haha

[taemo]

Hey, expecting our first kid and need to get basically everything. What store is owned by a beyonder?

Any tips? Haha

congrats!
subscribing cause we'll need stuff too

[Thaco]

order online from TRU NOW!! 15% off everything, ends today, customer appreciation day, this only happens once a year.

[rage2]

Kacz kids is owned by a beyonder. They’ve always treated me well there. Because of my silly car choices, they were super helpful in letting me test fit a bunch of their seats in my cars to make sure it fits.

[TYMSMNY]

Kacz kids is owned by a beyonder. They’ve always treated me well there. Because of my silly car choices, they were super helpful in letting me test fit a bunch of their seats in my cars to make sure it fits.
+1. Kacz kids. The prices are extremely competitive to other stores and online.

Service has been top notch EVERY SINGLE TIME.

[bleu]

I’ve just started looking at options too.

Kacz Kids was recommended to me, I have yet to check it out. I will this weekend.

I have been to WestCoast Kids, they seem to have a lot of selection.

[RealJimmyJames]

Walmart superstore and IKEA.

[jampack]

Walmart superstore and IKEA.

IKEA is going to be your friend especially at toddler/preschool years. They have cheap and useful stuff (cups, utensils, etc) for kids!

[TYMSMNY]

diapers (subscription 20% off the lowest price), breast pump and accessories, bottles and nipples > amazon.

butt cream, nipple cream = pharmacy, Vitamin D = costco

baby carriers (strollers, car seats, high chairs, tubs,) hard bibs etc = Kacz

clothes = carters (value for money)

[Darell_n]

Local trading post /Kijiji for a ton of small kids stuff. Depreciation for this stuff is like 30% per week and you will be getting new with tags or near new for next to nothing. Use it for the month your kids fits it then resell it. Everything my 2 kids have was purchased for like $5 each instead of $70. Exceptions were car seats and get a kickass stroller.

[SkiBum5.0]

We found this out too late - breast pumps are covered by most employer health care plans. Check with yours as all sorts of baby-related stuff is.

[bleu]

We found this out too late - breast pumps are covered by most employer health care plans. Check with yours as all sorts of baby-related stuff is.

Good to know! Thank you.

[ganesh]

We bought most of our stuff from Westcoast Kids. They have a very good selection. Their prices are little bit on the high side but very good customer service.
Bought our Crib from Lussobaby ( https://www.lussobaby.ca).

Good luck and Congrats

[phreezee]

Throw a baby shower. Register at above mentioned stores.

[austic]

I saw a racing car seat while in vegas, anyone know who makes those or if they are any good? If only Mercedes made AMG baby seats....

Just found out we are expecting our first kid now too and I am glad I bought the sedan version this year. :angel:

[Prelude_dude]

I saw a racing car seat while in vegas, anyone know who makes those or if they are any good? If only Mercedes made AMG baby seats....

Just found out we are expecting our first kid now too and I am glad I bought the sedan version this year. :angel:

unfortunately the recaro baby seat is not approved in canada.

Our car seat regulations are pretty specific.

In regards to a baby crib; i don't know what is your budget, some people spend a ridiculous amount on their crib, like 500+ easily; i've seen cribs go over 1000+. We got our crib at Ikea for a little over $100 i believe. They also sell the mattress and mattress protector at IKEA; which is a fraction of the price than like toys r us or west coast kids. In terms of safety, they are all the same; they would not be able to sell a crib that is not safe. It just comes down to design and materials.

The Ikea crib also converts to a "big girl bed", you can just remove one of the rails. She slept in it till she was about 1.5 and then we just transitioned her to like a double bed after that.We couldn't justify spending a ridiculous amount for them to sleep in it for potentially less than a year to a year and a half.

Another thing i see tons of people buying is a changing table... it sounds like a great idea.. but they never end up using it. Just get those little changing mats; we just changed our daughter where ever she was; like on the couch or on the floor. Typically people put their changing table in the baby's room or the master bed room; are you going to run upstairs every single time just to change a diaper? Just keep a small box of supplies around and move the box and the changing mats with you.

[mr2mike]

Thought that racing seat didn't meet Canadian standards?! But could be wrong.

[Seth1968]

Hey, expecting our first kid and need to get basically everything. What store is owned by a beyonder?

Any tips? Haha

My tip is just don't make that mistake again.

[dirtsniffer]

It's too bad you can't go back in time with your tin foil time machine and give your parents that advice.

Everyone else, thanks for the support and the tips. Congrats to all the other expecting people as well.

[schurchill39]

We are going through this process too and what I have learned is that those stupid mom groups on facebook are TERRIBLE. Not only are they supper catty but it turns into a pissing match over who has the fanciest and most expensive stuff. For women with baby brain and aren't thinking the most logically as it is its turned into a constant shit show in my house of "the mom groups are raving about it and the reviews are really good". I don't want to be Mr. No but my god groups of pregnant women suck.

Figure out a budget for what you want to buy new, and then go from there. Not every kid is going to love the gadgets you buy so figure out what the essentials are and let everyone else gift you or hand you down things. And do everything you can to minimize your partners exposure to the facebook mom groups.

[bigbadboss101]

Good info. A bit early for the original question but later on when you need toddler shoes. The place in Aspen is very good. My wife likes them as they have good selection and are very helpful. I have heard the same from other moms.

http://www.littlefootprints.ca/

[cycosis]

Kacz' kids here, lemme know how I can help! We'll match across the board to any in city retailer if they have promos running.

[s_havinga]

Get a good stroller, one that maneuvers well and can easily be steered with one hand. If you drive a car, make sure it folds down to fit in your trunk with minimal disassembly. Once you confirm that, sell the car and but an SUV or minivan.ha. Kids come with a ton of crap.

Probably going to want some sort of swing or bouncy chair (likely both). Something that your can put the baby down in well trying to make dinner ect. These can be frustrating as different kids like different things and it sucks to drop $300 on a swing that your kid hates. Try borrowing one if you can.

A little further down the road you'll be looking for wagons, chariots, small bikes, lots of great deals on kijiji / facebook groups for these types of items that kids grow out of so fast.

[drtoohotty1]

Just found out we are expecting our first kid now too and I am glad I bought the sedan version this year. :angel:


Congrats Cody!

[colsankey]

unfortunately the recaro baby seat is not approved in canada.

Our car seat regulations are pretty specific.


Not sure where you heard that, but we bought a Recaro seat from Kacz Kids last year. I saw it, thought it was cool and wife said she didnt care either way. So no beyond discount or anything, but race car won out :)

[dirtsniffer]

What should I use for a camera?

[rage2]

Not sure where you heard that, but we bought a Recaro seat from Kacz Kids last year. I saw it, thought it was cool and wife said she didnt care either way. So no beyond discount or anything, but race car won out :)
Recaro has a model approved here a couple years ago, but the cool looking ones that look like their grown up race seats are still not approved here.


What should I use for a camera?
I used an iPod/iPhone app for the last 6 years across 3 kids. Can’t beat $5 haha.

https://cloudbabymonitor.com

[speedog]

Car seats, a good thing really. I remember my one younger brother at about three years of age falling out my parent's car while turning onto a gravel road from my grandparent's farm when the rear passenger door on our Rambler station wagon popped open (vehicle doors did that sort of thing way back then) - my Mom got out, picked him up, dusted him off and we were on our merry way.

[C4S]

Congrats!

You will have lots of fun! I still feel like a new daddy ..... lol

[ganesh]

What should I use for a camera?

We used Withings Baby monitor. Really happy with it.

[v2kai]

What should I use for a camera?

At home just use a normal IP camera (something like this https://amcrest.ca/amcrest-1080p-wifi-video-security-ip-camera-pt-white.html)
costs less
has the same if not more features than most baby monitors (two way, audio, night vision, alerts etc)
available for viewing across all your devices at home and over the internet if you set it up - tablets, smartphones, PC's etc

added bonus, once your kid grows up you can re-purpose as a security cam for the house

Have to say though the Withings Baby monitor Ganesh mentioned looks like one of the better ones out there that actually has some neat extra features like temp and humidity monitoring over an ipcam

[Darell_n]

I used the Dlink baby cam. Powering from a 5v USB cable and having its own wifi was handy making it portable.

[nickyh]

pick your battles for what you want to spend your money on.

for me, things like car seats, mattress, and crib were not things i wanted second hand. i bought my car seats at Kacz, they were awesome with info and fitting into my cars. i bought my strollers there as well.
you underestimate how much time a baby spends sleeping, you probably spent time researching a good mattress for yourself so why skimp with your kid. i'm not saying there is anything wrong with Ikea or kijiji cribs and mattresses, so buy what works for you and your budget.

forget cute baby outfits and shoes. get as much off kijiji as you can or local buy sell facebook groups.
it's my first stop when i need something for my daughter. most newborn clothing and gadgets are used for such a short amount of time it's not worth buying new. most items should list between 50-75% off retail depending on condition, then you can sell back on kijiji so it's like renting.
get an amazon prime membership and subscribe to their diaper program if you are going to use disposable, they come to the door and you get 20% off, this adds up! stock up on wipes at Costco when they have their sales.

i agree with the comment about not needing a proper change table, 90% of the time i changed my daughter on the floor when i was downstairs with her. i only used it in her room and then i bought an ikea shelf and turned it on its side, i put my contour pad on top - then i had lots of storage cubbies for wipes, diapers, etc.

the best tip i was given. make the crib twice. mattress then waterproof protector, then crib sheet. then another waterproof mattress protector then crib sheet.
when cleaning up puke, poop, or any other fluid, it's nice not to make a bed at 3am, just strip off the mess.
don't waste money on a crib set. seriously, they look cute but they are for you. you kid won't care about a coordinating theme. just get some sheets for the crib and you can't use blankets for newborns.

let the grandparents shop and pay retail if they want to spoil their grandkid, let them and enjoy having new stuff, but kids need a lot of crap at various stages and it adds up.

[timdog]

i've had a couple people ask me advice when they are about to become a parent, and i feel wrong giving advice because we are all just fucking winging it and have no idea what we are doing. not to mention there are 100 different parenting theories that all conflict and all are treated as the best, so it's a crapshoot. you are going to fuck up, and you are going to lose your patience and you are going to have plenty of bad parent moments. if anyone says they dont, they are lying or they are delusional.

my ONE piece of advice I am willing to give, which is more specific and practical than most advice, is: do sleep training. sleepsense is a good, there are other programs too. if you can really commit to it, you'll have your kid sleeping 11-12 hours a night without interruption by the time they are 3-6 months old and good sleep will continue throughout their lives. it's the best gift you can give them, yourself and your wife. every night once they are in bed, we have freedom to do whatever we want. spend time together as a couple without the interruptions of children screaming, get errands done, or just veg out and watch TV. i love being a dad, but sometimes there are hard days. no matter how hard the day is, we always know we will have that down time in the evening.

i realize maybe you were asking for advice around what to buy, etc, but I feel pretty strongly about this, lol

[ExtraSlow]

I'm another sleep training fan too. We did it with our first because she was fucking terrible, and it was magic. The second one wasn't bad at all, so we were lazy and didn't do it, kid is in elementary school and still can't put herself back to sleep without help if she wakes up in the night, which happens a lot.

[sabad66]

i've had a couple people ask me advice when they are about to become a parent, and i feel wrong giving advice because we are all just fucking winging it and have no idea what we are doing. not to mention there are 100 different parenting theories that all conflict and all are treated as the best, so it's a crapshoot. you are going to fuck up, and you are going to lose your patience and you are going to have plenty of bad parent moments. if anyone says they dont, they are lying or they are delusional.

my ONE piece of advice I am willing to give, which is more specific and practical than most advice, is: do sleep training. sleepsense is a good, there are other programs too. if you can really commit to it, you'll have your kid sleeping 11-12 hours a night without interruption by the time they are 3-6 months old and good sleep will continue throughout their lives. it's the best gift you can give them, yourself and your wife. every night once they are in bed, we have freedom to do whatever we want. spend time together as a couple without the interruptions of children screaming, get errands done, or just veg out and watch TV. i love being a dad, but sometimes there are hard days. no matter how hard the day is, we always know we will have that down time in the evening.

i realize maybe you were asking for advice around what to buy, etc, but I feel pretty strongly about this, lol

just had our baby last week. more details about sleep training please? is sleepsense an app or something? Obviously don't think it will help us now since he needs to feed at night, but would like to look into it now when we can start doing this.

[asp integra]

You can start sleep training around 3 months old. No point trying right now.

[ExtraSlow]

There are a bunch if systems. We did kitty Raymond. I know others who have done others. I don't think one system is much better than another. Or at least I don't know any better.

I did send my wife out of the house for the first night of sleep training so I'd only have to listen to one girl cry all night. I recommend that.

[Prelude_dude]

i've had a couple people ask me advice when they are about to become a parent, and i feel wrong giving advice because we are all just fucking winging it and have no idea what we are doing. not to mention there are 100 different parenting theories that all conflict and all are treated as the best, so it's a crapshoot. you are going to fuck up, and you are going to lose your patience and you are going to have plenty of bad parent moments. if anyone says they dont, they are lying or they are delusional.

my ONE piece of advice I am willing to give, which is more specific and practical than most advice, is: do sleep training. sleepsense is a good, there are other programs too. if you can really commit to it, you'll have your kid sleeping 11-12 hours a night without interruption by the time they are 3-6 months old and good sleep will continue throughout their lives. it's the best gift you can give them, yourself and your wife. every night once they are in bed, we have freedom to do whatever we want. spend time together as a couple without the interruptions of children screaming, get errands done, or just veg out and watch TV. i love being a dad, but sometimes there are hard days. no matter how hard the day is, we always know we will have that down time in the evening.

i realize maybe you were asking for advice around what to buy, etc, but I feel pretty strongly about this, lol

+1 on this. Sleep training is a godsend.

Speaking from my own experience, my daughter was as picky and troublesome as you can get.

We stocked up on formula and diapers, trying to be as a prepared as possible. She wouldn't take the boob so we relied on forumula; but in terms of brand she ONLY drank the Nestle brand, anything else she wouldn't take. Ended up wasting a bunch of formula. Was able to return the rest.

For some reason she gets a rash when she wore huggies; so we had a ton from baby showers and we bought a bunch our selves (FYI costco is huggies). Mind you we preferred pampers as the shape on pampers we found easier to deal with. Pro tip - superstore will take back any unopened boxes and let you exchange them for a bigger size. I am pretty sure i got some from walmart or other places and superstore just took em and let me exchange them.

So I guess with the above in mind, don't stock up too crazy on one thing. You never know what the baby likes or doesn't like until you try.

Also google was my best friend. As another poster said, we had no idea wtf we were doing with our first. No amount of baby classes that we took prepared us for this. But with google and baby center at your finger tips it definitely made life a lot easier.

[bigbadboss101]

We didn't do sleep training properly so for the longest time one of us had to stay by our daughter for between 30 to 90 minutes for her to fall to sleep. 6 or so weeks ago (she is 2 years and 9 months now) we changed things up and told our girl that we will leave the door to her room open and we will be next door. Now she is ok to be in her bed alone and she will ask us 'is the door open' and then she will fall to sleep in 2 to 30 minutes.

[timdog]

just had our baby last week. more details about sleep training please? is sleepsense an app or something? Obviously don't think it will help us now since he needs to feed at night, but would like to look into it now when we can start doing this.

it's never too early to start good sleep habits. but full on sleep training shouldnt really be done until 2-3 months (both of mine were sleeping 11-12 hours before they hit 3 months). sleepsense is a book/method/person - https://sleepsense.net/
i think it's like $50 or something for the book and you get access to ask her questions and stuff too. she has a podcast as well. this is just the one we went with based on a recommendation and it worked great. there are others. Kitty Raymond is local but she is hardcore. basically her sleep training can be summed up in one sentence: put them in the room, shut the door and let them cry and dont go back in the room, period. a bit too hard for some people.

I would get the book NOW and start reading.

[nickyh]

We sleep trained my daughter when she was around 9-10 months, the key for her was she needed to be a certain weight before we stopped the middle of the night bottle. After that, we began.
It was so easy, my husband on the first night wanted to rush to her not me. I always thought it would be the other way around.

Whatever method you use, be consistent during the day and night. Who ever watches your child needs to be on the same page as you otherwise it's all a waste of time.
I did the SleepEasy Solution, it was more detail with steps and i needed that.

[SOAB]

sleep training is definitely harder on the parents than it is on the kids.

my daughter was sleeping on her own through the night at 3 months. put her in her crib and walk out. it was great! but the 4-5 nights of hearing my baby girl cry was torture for me.

my son took 3 nights and he was done. easy peasy. they both slept through the night until teething started. ugh.

[bleu]

sleep training is definitely harder on the parents than it is on the kids.

my daughter was sleeping on her own through the night at 3 months. put her in her crib and walk out. it was great! but the 4-5 nights of hearing my baby girl cry was torture for me.

my son took 3 nights and he was done. easy peasy. they both slept through the night until teething started. ugh.

I know I will be crying as well when we start sleep training. My poor husband. LOL

ITA that children thrive on consistency and routine. Sleep training will be a priority for us.

This thread has lots of great advice! It is all appreciated.

[LUDELVR]

It's been said but go on kijiji! Firstly, everything is a fraction of the price you would buy brand new in stores on online. This of course if you don't mind second hand. Secondly, you will go through things so quickly that it's not worth the price you pay brand new. I bought cute clothes brand new and honestly, my kid has worn these clothes once. So not worth buying it brand new unless you're a baller and don't care that you'll be getting rid of it in a couple of weeks.

We bought literally bags of clothes for like 10 or 20 bux and there are actually so many cool and cute clothes in there and the ones that we didn't like, we just gave to other people who had kids the same age. Also, we had friends whose kids have grown up and their old clothes were the same size as our kid's so we used those and then passed them on.

You'll save heaps of cash and probably find some pretty awesome clothes in the process. But if you like buying brand new, hey, it's your cash! :rofl:

[timdog]

sleep training, if done right and consistently, is a lifetime skill. teething, whatever else, should not impact it. in extreme teething situations (2 or 3 nights in total) we went and got our son, gave him some tylenol or whatever, soothed him for 10 mins, put him back down and he slept the rest of the night. But we've been through teething, transition to a non-crib bed, potty training, all the stuff that can mess up sleep, and we've been good. We have maybe 1 hard night every 4-6 months, like if one of them is up sick puking or something.

also alot of parents are worried (I was one of them) about making sure their baby is getting enough to eat, and they think they shouldnt go a whole 11-12 hours without a feed. there is alot of conflicting info out there, but there is some real science that says once they are 12-13 pounds, not only can they fast through the night, but they actually should - it's good for them. obviously for some babies, if they have health issues it's a different story. but for a normal healthy baby they dont need to eat throughout the night once they get to that 12-13 pound weight.

anyway, I'm not an expert but me and my wife were pretty hardcore. we read multiple books, watched videos, listened to podcasts and stuck with it through the difficult times (sleep training is not easy), so PM me if you have questions. I liked Sleepsense because it is very prescriptive, and has alot of specific direction in a step by step fashion. and the author is really positive and makes you feel better about what you're doing in those moments that you feel defeated or like you are doing something wrong.

the last thing I'll say - alot of people give up on sleep training or only follow it 80%, which wont work. it's hard. it requires discipline and it will absolutely interrupt your life more than you might like. Naps have to be regimented, bed time routines very consistent. in the early days, when babies nap like 3-4 times per day, we would only ever let one of those naps be in the stroller/car seat, the rest were always in their cribs, and bed time was at the same time and at home with the same routine, 29 out of 30 days of the month.

[R-Audi]

Our go to for sleepers was Superstore! The Joe Fresh ones were decent and quite cheap. No need for $40+ sleepers when they end up with shit stains or puke.

For other items, we liked:

-Chicco Keyfit 30 bucket car seat
-Diono convertible car seats
-City Select Stroller (Its expandabe, so no need to buy another if you have a second kid)
-Peg perego high chair (Easy to clean.. )
-Baby Bjorn balance chair (Comfy, bounces, easy to move, both boys loved it)
-Any electronic swing chair (This might have saved our sanity)
-Chariot Stroller (Great for winter, or being active, but tougher to move in tight spaces--grocery stores, malls etc)

We shopped at a mix of Kacz, WestCoast kids and of course Kijiji.

[ExtraSlow]

Always found Kirkland diapers fit best (better than brand name). Liked clothes from superstore. Best stroller of the five we went through was a basic graco from Walmart. All other stuff was ikea or used.

[Strider]

The Pekkle brand sleepers at Costco are way better quality than any other sleepers we bought or had handed down plus they're cheap.

Get a cheap audio only baby monitor and a china IP camera (hikvision, etc)+tinycam app for looking in when needed, then you can repurpose the camera later.

I stalked used Chariots daily with a kijiji alert for over a year. The only decent savings were on old models or ratty faded ones stored outside, otherwise people were listing at 60-90% of MSRP. Better off to wait for the Bow Cycle blue light sale and get a brand new one for 20% off.

I would skip the electronic swing. Tons of people recommended it, so we bought a fancy Mamaroo swing (again new on sale because the resale market is ridiculous, 60-80% of MSRP unless you want a 5 year old model), but all of the sleep training methods say to avoid sleep aides or "crutches", so we barely used ours.

[sabad66]

-Baby Bjorn balance chair (Comfy, bounces, easy to move, both boys loved it)


This looks like something that would help us. Let me know if anyone has one of these in good condition they are willing to part with! They aren't too bad brand new ($210 on amazon) but cheaper is always better :D

[R-Audi]

Unfortunately we sold ours to my brother in law.. they worked great on the floor during dinner as you could rock it with your foot while eating.

[cycosis]

This looks like something that would help us. Let me know if anyone has one of these in good condition they are willing to part with! They aren't too bad brand new ($210 on amazon) but cheaper is always better :D

I have them on clearance right now, 6 colours in stock!

[CLiVE]

Anyone need carseat? I have a Chicco Keyfit 30 bucket seat in red with 2 bases, and a stroller adapter (keeping the stroller). My kid has grown out of it. It is about 1 year old, good condition, purchased from Kacz's kids, no accidents. It is just taking up space - send me a PM if there's any interest. Don't feel like going through the hassle of kijiji.

[againmet]

Hey, expecting our first kid and need to get basically everything. What store is owned by a beyonder?

Any tips? Haha

Congrats

[drtoohotty1]

https://m.costco.ca/Graco-4Ever-4-in-1-Convertible-Car-Seat-2-pack%2C-Tuscan.product.100371525.html

Great deal if you have 2 cars and want to be 1 and done with car seats also 25 bucks off if you sign up for masterpass. Also one of the highest rated safety seats.

[CLiVE]

Anyone need carseat? I have a Chicco Keyfit 30 bucket seat in red with 2 bases, and a stroller adapter (keeping the stroller). My kid has grown out of it. It is about 1 year old, good condition, purchased from Kacz's kids, no accidents. It is just taking up space - send me a PM if there's any interest. Don't feel like going through the hassle of kijiji.

Chicco carseat, anyone? Please take it.....$Free.99

[CLiVE]

Chicco carseat, anyone? Please take it.....$Free.99

Spoken for. Thanks. Glad I could help someone out.

[gyromonkey]

Hey Guys.

My wife and I just had our First baby 2 weeks ago and have been totally frustrated with car seats and I was hoping you guys have had some experience with the couple we have narrowed it down to.

Clek Foonf or the Diono Rainier

the seat will be installed in my Tundra CrewMax

Any pros or cons would be greatly appreciated

[ExtraSlow]

I'll recommend what I always recommend. Cheap common brand, best is Graco. High end baby shit is a total waste of money, isn't safer, and usually isn't as durable and easy to use.

[gyromonkey]

I totally agree we currently have the Graco click connect bucket and I am quite happy with it. we have found a lot of car seats don't adjust in the center clip of the 5 point harness and with that people complain about the lap belts rubbing on the tops of the legs causing discomfort. the two seats we have narrowed it down to have a bit of different design and they allow more adjustment and space available space, from what we can tell using the stores dummy baby. we could be out to lunch but My wife does not really want to buy one and then it rubs on the kid as they grow witch forces us to replace it over and over.

[R-Audi]

Diono Ranier convertible has been great for us, we have the Radian convertible as well. Easy to clean/take apart but heavy to move.(Think the clek is the same way) Dionos are also one of the slimmest IIRC

[Tik-Tok]

I'll recommend what I always recommend. Cheap common brand, best is Graco. High end baby shit is a total waste of money, isn't safer, and usually isn't as durable and easy to use.

Not entirely true. They all meet minimum standards, but that doesn't mean some don't perform better than others.

I bought the Diono Rainier because it was the only one that I could put the 60/40 rear seat down with, without having to move the carseat (in my Subaru). It's heavy as fuck though, not something I would buy if I were moving between different cars, or planning to use on an airplane. Now that she's older though, and forward facing, I wish it had a cup holder.

Edit: Since it's for your crewmax, the biggest thing to look for is CLEAN-ABILITY. Is the padding easy to remove and clean? If not, skip it.

[chongkee_]

Diono Ranier convertible has been great for us, we have the Radian convertible as well. Easy to clean/take apart but heavy to move.(Think the clek is the same way) Dionos are also one of the slimmest IIRC

That's what I've noticed as well.
Know a guy who has three installed in his Tundra.

[Tik-Tok]

That's what I've noticed as well.
Know a guy who has three installed in his Tundra.

They fit three across in a 2nd Gen Impreza, now THAT'S impressive.

[cycosis]

Come in for a test fit. Im a certified car seat tech and give you a hand with either brand, ask for Brennon.

[gyromonkey]

Thanks for the info guys! I will pop down over the holidays and see how they fit. This seat will be full time in my truck and we will get a second one for the wife's SUV

[sabad66]

Anyone have any recommendations for a chair/bouncer for a 1.5 year old who is about 25 lbs? Looking for something with an option that can restrain him.

We have been using a babybjorn bouncer but he is getting really close to its max capacity (29 lbs). Actually I think they tell you to flip the fabric to the chair-only side after 20 lbs but we like the side with restraints.