car seat and stroller recommendations - Peg Perego

I think this has been asked before, but wanted to see what everyone thought of the Peg Perego car seat (Primo Viaggio) and stroller (Venezia)? Trish - I think you said you were registering for this too.

Any real problems/concerns with these items? Is the car seat too small for a growing baby? Is the stroller a PITA to operate or lift?

Is there something you'd recommend more for another reason?

Thanks

I have the Primo Viaggio and I really like it. I have had no problems with it at all, and Nicolas doesn't mind riding in it.

I have the Peg Aria stroller, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It's so light and easy to use, and has a one hand fold.

I was going to go with the Venezia, but I wanted the lightest stroller I could get. The Venezia is definitely more plush.

I have both the car seat and stroller. I absolutely HATE the car seat. She always looks squashed in it. A friend of mine hates it too... and I actually think that Jenny11.9 has this car seat and doesn't really like it either.

The stroller is okay. It's a bit big, but then again I don't really use it all too much. It was a bit confusing for me to operate in the beginning, but now i think i got the hang of it. What i still can't seem to figure out is when the baby is small. Madeleine is 4 1/2 weeks and we use the carriage as a pram, but there is no way to seat belt her in... well you could belt it around her waist, it just seems so strange. Maybe they don't need to be belted in... who knows.

I don't know if i would get the carriage if i had to get a different one... i definitely wouldn't get the car seat. I've never used the travel system feature for the simple fact that she doesn't look comfortable in the darn thing... so we take her out and lay her in the carriage.

Hope this was helpful...

Thanks Jenn! I'll have to look into your stroller as well

sn00k - that's right! i remember your posts about the car seat. I wonder if they're all supposed to be a little snug, but that sounds a bit too tight.

When I looked at the samples of car seats in the store, they all seemed to be of standard size. I guess they do vary, or maybe some are more plush than others on the inside?

When you mentioned the stroller, what is a pram?

Teri-

Yes, I have registered for both Peg items - the Primo Viaggio infant car seat and the Venezia stroller (the new 2004 model just came out at BRU, and I liked it better than the Pliko3, so I changed my registry to that version). I based my decisions on testing them out; Consumer Reports; and recommendations here and from my brother and SIL who have the same in a different pattern.

I was concerned when I heard a few people say they hated the car seat. But I will stick with it (baby will be in it through the summer and fall and won't be all bundled up) and consider a change if it doesn't work out.

As for the stroller, I just love all it has to offer (and can't believe it's $339!). I have also registered for a lightweight, smaller stroller by Chicco, so if I need a smaller lighter one, I have the option. My shower isn't until May 1st and I don't expect to get anything until then, so I will just have to wait and see if my family and friends are generous enough

Thanks Trish.....I should definitely read up on Consumer Reports - there's so much to look out for with these gadgets!!

What is different about the newer Peg stroller? I was planning to register at BBB but if I find something that I love at BRU I'll go there for the few other things.

I think I'm having difficulties with the car seat because it is plush, plus I have the bundle me on top of it to keep her warm.

A pram is a bassinet-type of carriage. It looks as if it's a pram because it has a boot on it. Hope I'm explaining it correctly.

oh that car seat! well here's the deal. I like it now okay. I think the key is to NOT ADD ANYTHING. We had added this Eddie Bauer head rest plushy thing, and these plush strap covers with bears....the more we added the more Sophia was squished in. Since we removed that stuff she is MUCH better in it. I can't tell you the difference. My complaint was always the snugness and it's depth, and I have to say that I was thrilled with both features when the carseat flipped off the piano bench that day (see my post on dropping baby!) There is part of me that feels it would be super safe in an accident God forbid as the baby is really snug in there. I would just suggest you dont' bundle baby too much and skip the damn bundle me thing if you can. I never find that Sophia seems cold. If anything she's got too much on. I dress her and just tuck a warm blanket around the seat and she seems fine.

Otherwise, the seat has great ratings and it looks really nice. I never liked the patterns on the others. All in all, I have turned my opinion around a little on this. I am not as unhappy as I was before, and snook as Madeline gets older and sturdier you'll see she doesn't look as squished. Sophie can hold her own in there a little better now.

Oh - another thing - I noticed that the head piece it comes with to hold the head in place is really uncomfortable for my baby and was part of making her feel squished I think. Now that shes a bit older, I am not so afraid to just kind of rest that thing around her head instead of really pushing it in there. She has better head control now....