http://www.gracobaby.com/Products/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=1790732#sthash.j80kpDUc.dpbsThis our car seat. We have a 2005 two door hatchback Hyundai Accent, which we own outright and have no interest in "upgrading". We live in Bozeman, MT, which means cold and snow at a moment's notice.
Our son was born a month early, and we hadn't even looked at carseats. My dad had wanted to get us one and had said he'd take care of it, which turned into express-ordering this when I went into labour and sending it to the wrong address... let's just say now it's a funny story; then it was worrisome.
Anyway, he also bought us this stroller frame:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/17376972.
We already had a three wheel, epic schwinn jogging stroller (
http://www.schwinnbikes.com/gear/jogging-strollers/turismo-swivel-wheel-jogger-single-blue) that my in-laws had bought us, but... let's just say my family's pretty clean-shaven. We try, but... they don't listen well. Anyway, we thought it would be too excessive, but when they're this little, being able to pop the carseat out without having to climb into the seat to drag him out when he was sleeping was awesome. Ditto for bundling up inside for cold weather. Super important with the premie babes out here. Don't get me wrong, there were many days when I loaded him up in his moby wrap and walked places, but having the stroller frame hang out in the back was legit, especially for visiting the grandparents. We'd never have fit that jogging stroller in the car.
Was it super necessary? Not really, but it was nice. If you have four doors and live somewhere warm, installing a carseat once and leaving it in there might make more sense. When he's forward-facing, that's what we'll be doing, because it won't be a full on struggle to get him in the back. But my husband and I also aren't the tallest people around.
***Bullet Points for Bucket seats***
Get one with a clip-in base. You don't need the base to install it, but it's a pain without.
Definitely harder than just using a wrap, but easier in winter.
Kids are not supposed to have bulky clothing under the straps!!! They can slip out in an accident. So if you have winter with a tiny baby, an option that lets you bundle them inside is awesome.
The frame is cool for a dedicated car stroller, but ultimately unnecessary for the more mustachian lifestyles you cool folks likely lead.
The jogging stroller we have can fit the carseat in it, which we use all the time for walking to the grocery store. Now that we have a bike seat, we do use it less, but unless you go the bakfiets with infant bucket route, this was seriously invaluable, as our sidewalks aren't the best in our older section of town, so the shocks kept him from bouncing too much. The only change I'd recommend there is getting on that converts to a bike trailer.