Car Seat People- Skipping the infant seat?

[MeaganS]

I am pregnant with number 4 and have been giving this a lot of thought. I think I want to skip the infant car seat and just go straight to a convertible car seat, but I wanted to see what you guys thought or have done.  My infant car seat that I used for my other 3 kiddos has been thrown away because it was expired, and honestly, with my third, I didn't really like taking it out of the car much because it was so heavy and I always needed my hands to hold hands with my littles. I think we only used it until she was 4 months old anyways. I preferred just using a sling or my ergo to carry her around because it left my hands free for my other young children. I'm a practical babywearer. I don't wear the baby unless it is more convenient to wear them than not, which for my kids was usually only when we were out an about or at church, so I don't do it by conviction or anything, so that's not really a factor. I see babywearing as just another way of transporting my child like a stroller or anything else.

 

Here are my pro's:

-don't have to buy another seat

-mostly hands-free to deal with other kids when baby is strapped onto me so don't have to lug huge carrier around (which I hate)

-we park in the garage, so it is never too cold or raining so I would want to put baby in car seat before going out.

-Our stroller doesn't really work well with car seats anyways, so I wouldn't be using it with a car seat, regardless.

 

Cons

-what if I want to put the baby down when we are out and about?

-baby falling asleep in the car seat and having to wake them up to get them out. This isn't a huge deal to me, but I guess it is a con.

 

Have any of you ever skipped the infant car seat? If so, what did you do with them when you needed to put them down when you were out and about, like at restaurants or church or coop? I'm thinking I'll just get a soft, squishy blanket and swing it.  Oh, and my babies have all been plenty big to fit in a convertible when they were born, so that's likely not an issue.

[prairiewindmomma]

We skipped the infant seat...I chose to baby wear.  When I needed to put baby down, I brought a clean blanket out of the diaper bag. 

 

Convertible seats go down to 5 lbs; generally a baby isn't released from NICU under 5 lbs anyway. :)

[DesertBlossom]

We skipped it for my last couple babies. I had the same concerns, but never found it to be a big issue. I found babywearing to be more praftical. I do keep an umbrella stroller in the car and I used that in place of a car seat when I needed to not have a baby on me.

[MomtoCandJ]

We skipped the infant seat...I chose to baby wear. When I needed to put baby down, I brought a clean blanket out of the diaper bag.

 

Convertible seats go down to 5 lbs; generally a baby isn't released from NICU under 5 lbs anyway. :)

The convertible we have for dd2 is rated down to 4 lbs :) we had originally started dd2 in a convertible seat but was given an infant seat so we did use that for a while before we switched her back over.

[MeaganS]

What do you mean no buying an extra seat? It depends what you upgrade to. For example, the Graco 4-in-1 would be the only seat you would need. I will probably get that down the line. My infant seat is "light weight" but still heavy. It goes up to 35 pounds. If weather is bad I lay a blanket over it as I walk through the parking lot. You might be wrangling with the sling in the parking lot in the rain? Just something to think about.

What I have done for my other three is infant seat (standard BabyTrend), convertible seat (Graco MyRide65) when they outgrew the infant seat until they were 2 and done rear-facing, and then forward-facing harness/booster (Graco Nautilus). If I skipped the infant seat I would just do the convertible and then forward-facing.

[MistyMountain]

I skipped it for my first two and it was fine. If baby fell asleep I popped them in a carrier at stores and learned to transfer them at home so they stayed asleep if they fell asleep in the car. That was a non issue. I pre tied a front wrap when they were little and did a back carry with a mei tai as they got older. Strollers work fine when you need to put them down. Some convertibles do not fit newborns tightly enough though. I did not realize it with my oldest and I had one of the ones that was said not to fit newborns. She looked fine to me at the time but I did not hear about it until she was older. The second convertible I had was better for newborns. I only got a infant seat for my youngest because it fit the best in the car at the time with 3 across. I rarely took it out though it was so heavy and cumbersome. It was easier to manage the toddler and preschooler with a baby in a carrier.

[mellifera33]

We skipped the infant seat for baby #3. I found the removable infant carrier cumbersome anyway, so not having it wasn't a problem. I either wore dd in a carrier or used a stroller when we arrived at our destination. :)

[katilac]

I've never used one and don't see how they are possibly easier than just carrying the baby or using a stroller. 

[medawyn]

I don't babywear from conviction either, but have found it oh so convenient this time around. I do have an infant seat (the one we had for DS was not expired), and I have taken it out of the car about half a dozen times in her six months. I definitely will not use an infant seat for #3.

 

As for being out and about, when she was tiny, she would stay in the wrap/SSC the whole time, so my hands were always free. About four months, I always had a blanket just in case, but I usually found it easier to just pop her back in. Since she's been hanging out in there since we came home from the hospital, she's pretty content. Now that she's sittimg up, she's easy to carry/set down if I have her out of the carrier for some reason.

[medawyn]

My baby is 5 months old. I like and use my infant carrier. Some stores have Safe-Dock. I was thrilled to have this option on a recent Walmart trip, but it ruined some visibility. Still would rather that than baby wearing for the grocery store.

http://www.shoppingcartsafety.com/how-to-shop-safely-with-an-infant

 

I wanted to baby wear, but never got the hang of my Moby. I seriously fail the tying/folding test. I cannot imagine trying to push a shopping cart with my baby between me and the cart. Do you need extra long arms to pull that off?

 

We are going to dinner tonight. Baby probably cannot use restaurant high chair yet (not sitting unsupported) so we will either hold her or keep her in her seat.

 

Grocery shopping is a must with a carrier for me! DS was not quite two when DD was born, so if I wanted room for groceries, I had to put him in the front and wear her. I never did get used to a wrap though; I have always used structured carrier.

 

I will say that I was encouraged heavily to babywear, because DD screamed every single time she was in the car seat the first three months. Taking her anywhere was torture, so we never took her inside with it.

[katilac]

Different folks, different strokes. I tried wearing ds around the house with something that clipped on. He was soooo heavy. It was not practical at all. It hurt. I am a small framed woman with long babies. I don't know how people do it. I wish I could. I don't see how positioning a baby in a wrap in the parking lot is easy.

 

See, I find the baby buckets heavy before there's even a baby in them, so I don't know how that helps! It was easier for me to place them directly in a stroller or just carry them in my arms, no wrap needed. 

 

My oldest did like to be carried endlessly around the house, so eventually I got this device that strapped around my waist and had a little shelf for her to sit on. Like a hip pack, lol.  She was pretty small, but they all get heavy after a while.  She was like a little monkey clinging to me as I washed dishes and folded laundry. 

[wintermom]

I love the infant car seat for the first few months. It fits the tiny babies more snuggly and securly than convertable ones, and usually fits in smaller vehicles better, too. If your baby is due in December, and you will need to use heavy/bulky winter clothing, then the shoulder straps will not fit as sluggly. With the infant car seat that can have a liner placed inside, so that you can avoid the snowsuit thing, it allows the straps to function better.

[medawyn]

Do you have access to safe-dock? I could only find it at one store around us according to the zip code search. We have a newer Wal-Mart and it took me months to realize where they hid the safe-dock carts. They are all parked outside! They also had shopping carts for two kids.

 

Last weekend dh was going to take the kids off my hands for a few hours by taking them grocery shopping, but Kroger doesn't have a safe-dock choice. We alternate between Kroger and WM trips, so maybe soon I will get him to take the kids to WM LOL.

 

We do have Safe Dock, but there's no safe place for DS in the cart then. Plus I can't see to steer!

 

ETA: i'm typing this from my phone while watching my son kick a ball at the park and wearing my daughter. I definitely appreciate having an attached baby for chasing a toddler who is learning to listen when he feels like it.

[VeganCupcake]

I don't really like the infant seats because I so rarely take them out of the car and I don't like to carry them around with a baby in them (or without, honestly). I would have completely bypassed the infant seat this last time around but I happened to have twins. I still wore one and put the second carseat in the basket of the cart. 

 

Weight of the baby is less important to look at for newborns in convertible seats than seated height. Some seats may claim to work for 4 or 5 lb babies, but the harness slots are so high that they aren't going to fit a baby that tiny--or even one that's 10 or 12 lbs.

 

ETA: the same thing about harness slot height is true for some infant seats, too. They may say they fit 5 to 35 lbs, but some, because of the lowest harness slot, are not suitable for tiny babies.

[VeganCupcake]

Oh sorry--I didn't see that you weren't worried about fit.

 

Where do I put baby down? Well, on a blanket in a corner where she won't get stepped on, or I pass one off to a friend, or most often, I wear one and thus can hold the other or wrangle one of my other children. In the very early days at church, I occasionally had one in a carrier on my chest (a woven wrap or soft structured carrier like a Kinderpack, usually) and held the other in arms off to the side.

 

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

Honestly, I think it is dangerous to skip the infant seat especially if you are the driver or sitting in the front seat due to air bags. Infant seats are designed to help protect an infant in a crash. Having worked in a trauma center and taken care of many victims of car crashes there is no way I would ever skip a proper infant or child seat,ever.

 

Also, nowadays they seem to have infant seats that hook easily onto stroller and are seamless to use compared to when my kid was young.

[medawyn]

Honestly, I think it is dangerous to skip the infant seat especially if you are the driver or sitting in the front seat due to air bags. Infant seats are designed to help protect an infant in a crash. Having worked in a trauma center and taken care of many victims of car crashes there is no way I would ever skip a proper infant or child seat,ever.

 

Also, nowadays they seem to have infant seats that hook easily onto stroller and are seamless to use compared to when my kid was young.

I don't think anyone is advocating no car seat, just starting with a convertible car seat rather than using an infant bucket for the first six-twelve months. The convertible seat we use is rated down to five pounds and has a very low strap setting, so it would be appropriate for most newborns.

[MeaganS]

Honestly, I think it is dangerous to skip the infant seat especially if you are the driver or sitting in the front seat due to air bags. Infant seats are designed to help protect an infant in a crash. Having worked in a trauma center and taken care of many victims of car crashes there is no way I would ever skip a proper infant or child seat,ever.

 

Also, nowadays they seem to have infant seats that hook easily onto stroller and are seamless to use compared to when my kid was young.

I'm not suggesting not having my child buckled in properly. I'm suggesting using a convertible instead of an infant seat, both of which properly fasten a child in.

 

ETA: I still remember a conversation I had with Dh's grandmother where she assumed that I agreed with her that car seats are crazy. "We didn't use them and all my kids are still alive today."😲

I think I didn't make a friend out of her that day. "Yeah, but lots of people's kids aren't. How do you think I would feel if I didn't and they got hurt and I could have prevented it? Also, illegal."

[wintermom]

I'm not suggesting not having my child buckled in properly. I'm suggesting using a convertible instead of an infant seat, both of which properly fasten a child in.

 

 

What the instruction manual says a convertable car seat does, and what is safest for infants are not always the same. Just look at the size difference between newborns and toddlers, who both fit within the weight and height range of the seat manufacter instructions. Which child is going to fit better in the bigger seat? And you don't know how big your baby is going to be. If you end up with a 10 pounder, the convertable would probably be great. 

[AnnE-girl]

I'm following, because I have a love-hate relationship with infant/bucket carriers. Baby #3 is due in November and it's going to be cold. I like being able to keep the baby in lighter clothes for better fitting straps and blankets over for warmth, but I hate lugging the seat around. We got rid of the old one when it expired, so we need to buy new too.

[wintermom]

In all honesty, for the low price an infant car seat is in the US and the added safety it provides an infant, it is worth it, in my mind. You don't even have to carry the seat, just use it as a permanent seat in the car. It's just a way better fit for small babies than the convertable seats.

[barnwife]

I love the infant car seat for the first few months. It fits the tiny babies more snuggly and securly than convertable ones, and usually fits in smaller vehicles better, too. If your baby is due in December, and you will need to use heavy/bulky winter clothing, then the shoulder straps will not fit as sluggly. With the infant car seat that can have a liner placed inside, so that you can avoid the snowsuit thing, it allows the straps to function better.

So much misinformation here....A convertible carseat and infant bucket seat must pass the same safety standards. An infant seat is not necessarily more "snug and secure" than a convertable one. It may appear that way to your eyes, and any given baby may think a certain seat is more comfortable, but it terms of safety, if it's on the market in the US, it meets standards.

 

Also, bulky coats and carseats do not mix, regardless of the weather outside. Even in cold climates, a baby/child should not wear a bulky coat in a car seat (straps can cause the coat to compress in accident, thereby making them too loose and allowing child to slip out). The easy way to check a coat is to put baby in carseat and tighten the straps appropriately. Remove baby and put coat on baby. If the straps need to be loosened to accommodate the coat, it isn't safe to wear it in the car.

 

If it's cold, throw a blanket over baby. Put a hat on baby. And warm the car in advance if possible.

 

While we do use an infant seat I rarely take it out of the car. Like another poster, I find them so heavy and awkward to carry even before baby is in it. Plus I like babywearing. (I, like another poster, dislike the Moby/wrapping. I prefer mei tais and my Boba carrier.) And since we have two 18 month gaps between kiddos, it was nice to always have hands free when numbers 2 and 3 came along.

 

 

 

[barnwife]

In all honesty, for the low price an infant car seat is in the US and the added safety it provides an infant, it is worth it, in my mind. You don't even have to carry the seat, just use it as a permanent seat in the car. It's just a way better fit for small babies than the convertable seats.

I know I already posted, but it bears repeating. An infant carseat is not safer for an infant than a properly fitted convertable carseat. All carseats meet the came safety standards. Period. If your child fits in the seat size-wise (height and weight), the seat is safe for him/her.

 

ETA: Here is a link to explain more/better than I can. 

[wintermom]

So much misinformation here....A convertible carseat and infant bucket seat must pass the same safety standards. An infant seat is not necessarily more "snug and secure" than a convertable one. It may appear that way to your eyes, and any given baby may think a certain seat is more comfortable, but it terms of safety, if it's on the market in the US, it meets standards.

 

Also, bulky coats and carseats do not mix, regardless of the weather outside. Even in cold climates, a baby/child should not wear a bulky coat in a car seat (straps can cause the coat to compress in accident, thereby making them too loose and allowing child to slip out). The easy way to check a coat is to put baby in carseat and tighten the straps appropriately. Remove baby and put coat on baby. If the straps need to be loosened to accommodate the coat, it isn't safe to wear it in the car.

 

If it's cold, throw a blanket over baby. Put a hat on baby. And warm the car in advance if possible.

 

While we do use an infant seat I rarely take it out of the car. Like another poster, I find them so heavy and awkward to carry even before baby is in it. Plus I like babywearing. (I, like another poster, dislike the Moby/wrapping. I prefer mei tais and my Boba carrier.) And since we have two 18 month gaps between kiddos, it was nice to always have hands free when numbers 2 and 3 came along.

 

 

 

 

US safety standards are not my idea of great standards, anyway. In Canada we have much higher standards, and I am a trained car seat installer and have worked closely with our Ministry of Transportation. Yes, a convertable seat has to pass the minimal standards, but that doesn't mean a convertable seat it is the best seat for every infant. I would ensure the safest seat possible for my infant.

 

As far as ensuring a snug fit with the harness, I didn't say that using a convertable seat meant using a snowsuit, just that there are convenient products available for using in infant car seats.

 

I found it much easier to use an infant car seat, and I had a double stroller for my closely aged children. I didn't have to carry anything, and could place all shopping, extra clothes, etc. in the stroller storage. I missed having that stroller when they outgrew it.

[Kerileanne99]

 

The umbrella stroller idea is smart, but not practical if they are only a few weeks old probably. They would not be able to sit up. And a spare blanket is not gonna help in a restaurant setting so I guess one would wear baby? Not sure if that is practical/possible in a booth. Just don't eat out I guess lol

We do have in infant seat (Chicco Keyfit 30) but it stays in the car except for the very rare occasions daddy might use the companion stroller. Because of the wheelchair, there really wasn't anyway to carry the infant carrier other than balance it in my lap, which just isn't safe. My dd and now new baby Max have always been in my lap...although Max is benefitting hugely by the use of a K'Tan. It is SO much easier to keep him safe in my lap in the wheelchair and be hands free.

When I go places where I might need to put him down, even in a restaurant, I take one of those fold up portable baby beds. It folds up like a purse with a strap and fits perfectly in a booth or on the floor as a diaper changing area. I can't ever use the diaper changing tables in public places anyway, so it works really well:)

 

http://m.toysrus.com/skava/static/product.html?type=TRU_product_us&url=%2Fproduct%2Findex.jsp%3FproductId%3D21199466%26cagpspn%3Dplab_15899380%26camp%3DPLAPPCG-_-PID15899380%3ABRUS%26eESource%3DCAPLA_DF%3A21199466%3ATRUS&domain=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.toysrus.com&productId=21199466&cagpspn=plab_15899380&camp=PLAPPCG-_-PID15899380:BRUS&eESource=CAPLA_DF:21199466:TRUS

[barnwife]

US safety standards are not my idea of great standards, anyway. In Canada we have much higher standards, and I am a trained car seat installer and have worked closely with our Ministry of Transportation. Yes, a convertable seat has to pass the minimal standards, but that doesn't mean a convertable seat it is the best seat for every infant. I would ensure the safest seat possible for my infant.

 

As far as ensuring a snug fit with the harness, I didn't say that using a convertable seat meant using a snowsuit, just that there are convenient products available for using in infant car seats.

 

I found it much easier to use an infant car seat, and I had a double stroller for my closely aged children. I didn't have to carry anything, and could place all shopping, extra clothes, etc. in the stroller storage. I missed having that stroller when they outgrew it.

 

I guess I didn't explain well. There is no "best" seat. At least here in the US, all seats must pass the same standards. No seat is safer than another. (That is, a seat either meets standards or doesn't. There is no "this seat did this much better than this standard" for example.) Now, whether or not a certain seat fits any particular child better than another is a different story. But all seats (infant and otherwise) meet the same safety standards.

 

A properly fitted infant seat is neither more nor less safe than a properly fitted convertable seat. 

 

As far as winter gear, you are correct that you didn't say that. But someone (you? someone else?) did mention winter gear and carseats. I just wanted to make sure that anyone considering carseats knew the correct information about it.

 

Clearly, we'll have to disagree about strollers. I detest double strollers with a fiery passion. I find them heavy, difficult/awkward to maneuver, and a general pain in my rear end. My mom constantly offers to get me one. I finally told her that she can, but I'll be donating it a thrift store that same day. She hasn't mentioned it again.

[AnnE-girl]

I guess I didn't explain well. There is no "best" seat. At least here in the US, all seats must pass the same standards. No seat is safer than another. (That is, a seat either meets standards or doesn't. There is no "this seat did this much better than this standard" for example.) Now, whether or not a certain seat fits any particular child better than another is a different story. But all seats (infant and otherwise) meet the same safety standards.

 

A properly fitted infant seat is neither more nor less safe than a properly fitted convertable seat.

 

As far as winter gear, you are correct that you didn't say that. But someone (you? someone else?) did mention winter gear and carseats. I just wanted to make sure that anyone considering carseats knew the correct information about it.

 

Clearly, we'll have to disagree about strollers. I detest double strollers with a fiery passion. I find them heavy, difficult/awkward to maneuver, and a general pain in my rear end. My mom constantly offers to get me one. I finally told her that she can, but I'll be donating it a thrift store that same day. She hasn't mentioned it again.

I'm not sure if you're thinking of my post. I didn't mean to imply that I would have bulky winter gear on a baby under car seat straps. It just can be easier to have baby in the bucket seat, covered with blankets etc, rather than having to take baby out of the convertible seat and put on winter gear or get settled in a wearable carrier and covered warmly enough. I hope that makes sense, pregnancy brain is hitting me hard lately :-)

[vonfirmath]

Different folks, different strokes. I tried wearing ds around the house with something that clipped on. He was soooo heavy. It was not practical at all. It hurt. I am a small framed woman with long babies. I don't know how people do it. I wish I could. I don't see how positioning a baby in a wrap in the parking lot is easy.

 

I, too, failed at figuring out baby wearing. Twice.

:)

 

So its not just you.

[wintermom]

I guess I didn't explain well. There is no "best" seat. At least here in the US, all seats must pass the same standards. No seat is safer than another. (That is, a seat either meets standards or doesn't. There is no "this seat did this much better than this standard" for example.) Now, whether or not a certain seat fits any particular child better than another is a different story. But all seats (infant and otherwise) meet the same safety standards.

 

A properly fitted infant seat is neither more nor less safe than a properly fitted convertable seat. 

 

 

Sure, all infant and convertable car seats are required to meet the minimum safety standards that our individual governments dictate, however not all car seats perform the same in various tests. Transportation Canada (government agency for road safety in Canada) have completed crash testing and published the results of a variety of rear-facing infant car seats on their website: https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/safedrivers-childsafety-programs-testing-program-922.htm

 

There is a difference in the amount of movement a crash-test baby's head moves upon impact among the various car seats, and the movement of the actual car seats in various vehicles. There are a lot of factors involved. It's really interesting to read these results. 

 

I'm all about safety, BTW. I could care less how you choose to move your baby around when it's outside a vehicle - stroller or "baby wearing" is completely individual preference. The baby's safety inside the vehicle, is what I'm focusing on. Yes, the convertable seat will meet the safety standards alright, but when my Transport Canada friend who picks up the pieces of the car seats after crashes recommends infant car seats for young babies, I listen.

[Deee]

I had a reflux baby. The infant seat (we call them 'capsules' here) was a nightmare. It folded him in half and made him reflux. He never fell asleep in it, but screamed instead. And it was too bulky to comfortably carry around, despite the fact that I am tall and strong. Ditching it in favour of a reversible seat on the paediatrician's advice, was one of our better decisions in a pretty rough year.

[MeaganS]

 

Clearly, we'll have to disagree about strollers. I detest double strollers with a fiery passion. I find them heavy, difficult/awkward to maneuver, and a general pain in my rear end. My mom constantly offers to get me one. I finally told her that she can, but I'll be donating it a thrift store that same day. She hasn't mentioned it again.

I wonder if you would hate my double stroller. I have a Phil and Ted. I hated the idea of pushing a bus or not being able to get inside somewhere using one door, but this double stroller is awesome. It is so compact and I can use it as a single stroller as well. While it has a car-seat attachment I can buy, I'm not interested and use it without one. My favorite is that I can lay the main seat down flat (for the baby) and have the extra seat attached to the front. So essentially the baby can't be seen from the front of the stroller. Only I can access her from the back. Like this.

[Stratford]

We skipped the infant bucket seat with #4 and I don't regret it at all.  I only regret not skipping it with the other 3.  (They all hated the darn thing anyway.)  I had a good selection of baby carriers and used those when we were out and about.  FWIW, I had a larger baby (over 9lb) and it was great not lugging the heavy baby seat around with the heavy baby in it.  

[MistyMountain]

Convertible car seats are just as safe as an infant seat if the straps are low enough. Actually there are a few infant seats that did not test well. The car seat tech parents on the car seat forum who are anal about car seat safety even say that a convertible is just as safe as an infant seat if the straps fit. It is not less safe for a a baby to use a convertible car seat.

 

I never had the arm problem with carriers and grocery carts and I am not tall and my arms are not long. I never felt like I didn't have enough arms but maybe it makes a difference what carrier you use. To me having a baby in the carrier was so much easier to manage then the car seat. Those things are so heavy to me and make my arm hurt. I can barely carry it and add a heavy baby and it is much worse.

[kbutton]

Our babies were long and grew out of the infant seat length requirements by 3 months. I would nix the infant car seat if they won't fit it for long. I enjoyed mine, but it made me sad that they outgrew it so fast. I think the newer seats allow 2-3 more inches in height than they did when mine were little.

 

I recommend using a car seat inspection station--there are so many factors involved in installing a seat properly, and they will usually educate you about it, not just stick it in your car. We were told that is probably the MOST important part vs. the "right" seat (though I agree that some seats work better for some cars and some babies).

[xixstar]

We borrow an infant seat since we only use it for about 2 months, but it is really helpful for those 2 months.

 

 

[happypamama]

I didn't skip the infant seat, mainly because when I bought the seat for DS2, I knew I'd be switching cars a lot, between my big gas guzzling vehicle and DH's small vehicle (we used that for most family outings, or when I took DD and the baby to ballet in the evenings when DH was home with DS1; gas was almost $4 a gallon then), but I got the one that goes up much higher, and it held my last three babies until about eighteen months. But I almost never used it as a carrier. I much preferred to leave it in the car and use a sling or wrap for everything. With my last baby, I needed the seat part of the shopping cart for my two year old, so I just wore the baby. Usually I pretied a wrap, but if I didn't, and the weather was bad, I would just grab baby and carrier and put the carrier on once I got to the store. But I had older kids who could hold the infant for a minute too, which helps. I just pretty much wore the baby all the time, even at church, co-op, shopping, dinner, etc. I don't even have a stroller and haven't missed it (except for it would be nice for lugging bags and coats!).

 

I did appreciate being able to have the seat in the house so it didn't get too cold or too hot, but that wasn't that big of a deal. I have the huge Graco MyRide as my extended rear facing seat for toddlers, and it's great for those, although it's quite huge. It did come with a good support, so I think it could have worked for an infant, better than some convertible seats. But I was using it for my toddlers when I had the most recent infants because we do rear facing until at least three. If we have another baby, my infant seat expired, so I'd probably just use the MyRide for an infant and get a Nautilus for my toddler.

[katilac]

  I didn't say that using a convertable seat meant using a snowsuit, just that there are convenient products available for using in infant car seats.

 

 

Can't you just toss a blanket on them? 

[wintermom]

Can't you just toss a blanket on them? 

 

You clearly have no idea how cold it can get in the winter in some parts of the world. Tossing a blanket is not going to cut it with a tiny baby - for one, it's going to be ripped off baby in the bleeping wind chill.  It's a completely different world out there for peole who live in cold climates. 

 

[DesertBlossom]

For years I used an Instep Double Jogging Stroller. It manuevered like a dream! Sometimes it got hung up in doorways, but usually not.

 

Now that I don't have 3 under 3, I've been happy with a cheaper umbrella stroller. I think mine is a Chicco. It reclines just enough that it was fine for a small baby. It's not like I left the house the first few weeks anyway.

 

Babywearing takes practice and sometimes practice using a variety of carriers. I loved the comfort of the Moby for my gigantic winter baby, even if it was a little cumbersome to get on. For my next two summer babies (who were considerably smaller) I fell in love with the ring sling. Not quite as comfy as a Moby, but super easy to slip on and off as I ran errands into various stores. Once they could sit up I was more inclined to put them in the shopping cart, but it was still great to have on me if the baby fell asleep in the car. In fact, I kept the ring sling in the car. I rarely used it at home, but often when out and about.

[MistyMountain]

I live in a very cold climate and I used a convertible using fleece suits or ponchos on the baby. If we were going to be outside for a while I had winter stuff stored in the car to get on after we arrived but that be needed anyway even with a car seat with a fleece cover. To walk into a store or a building it is not a big deal to have on the fleece suit with gloves and hats.

[fdrinca]

Sure, all infant and convertable car seats are required to meet the minimum safety standards that our individual governments dictate, however not all car seats perform the same in various tests. Transportation Canada (government agency for road safety in Canada) have completed crash testing and published the results of a variety of rear-facing infant car seats on their website: https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/safedrivers-childsafety-programs-testing-program-922.htm

 

There is a difference in the amount of movement a crash-test baby's head moves upon impact among the various car seats, and the movement of the actual car seats in various vehicles. There are a lot of factors involved. It's really interesting to read these results. 

 

I'm all about safety, BTW. I could care less how you choose to move your baby around when it's outside a vehicle - stroller or "baby wearing" is completely individual preference. The baby's safety inside the vehicle, is what I'm focusing on. Yes, the convertable seat will meet the safety standards alright, but when my Transport Canada friend who picks up the pieces of the car seats after crashes recommends infant car seats for young babies, I listen.

 

But in this article you've linked to:

1. the dummy used is equivalent to a 12-month old child, not a newborn;

2. the conclusion is that all seats provide "excellent protection";

3. it appears that only 4 of the 86 seats tested were not infant/bucket;

4. and without the raw data, we can't really tell if these results are statistically different from one another.

[EmseB]

One thing to consider, which may or may not make a difference to you - infant carriers come with a base so you can buy a spare base rather than a second seat to use it in a second vehicle. We only own one vehicle, but I left a spare base at my parents' house for when I visit in case I want to drive my dad's car and dh is out with our car.

Just to add to the confusion that is this thread, you don't need a base to install an infant car seat, it's mainly for convenience. You can do a seatbelt install with most all infant seats. Usually there are little plastic tabs/grooves so that the seatbelt would be fastened over the top of where baby's legs are. And a proper seatbelt install is just as safe as a properly installed base. In fact, unless you're checking your base every time to make sure the install hasn't loosened on it, then it can be less safe than doing up the seatbelt every time.

 

All that to say, you probably don't need a base to take the seat in someone else's car.

[Guest]

I went the other way. We used a Britax Marathons for our first three children from birth, no bucket. They were big enough and we didn't have the budget for two car seats, so we just bought one good one.

 

Then with my fourth and fifth I used buckets for the first time. With this one, I even got my first stroller after years of baby wearing. When I am hauling stuff and people, especially to co op, baby wearing wasn't very practical and I was killing my back and shoulders trying to carry five bags and the baby, too. Having a car seat I could have him in safely and having it fit a stroller where he was safely secured while I dealt with students was really necessary for me. When I didn't have to do the crazy co op thing or physical activity I still definitely recommend baby wraps and not hauling the infant carseat, but we get a better and more comfortable fit on babies less than six months old with our infant seat than our convertibles. We just do. I denied it for years and multiple kids but experience has shown me these things are more convenient for me as a parent by far. I didn't need them with my first few, but speed, comfort, idiot proof design, and ease of use are all on the side of the infant seat. The convertibles were just a pain in varying degrees for tiny babies.

 

And the bags.

 

I cannot believe I went five kids before getting a stroller. I was an idiot, because that sucker is awesome. That, and my hatch bags to strap to it to carry my junk.

 

/britax b-safe and b-agile love.

[happypamama]

The base shows a level and it lets you know if the angle is right (on my base). I don't know that it would be advised to bypass the base, but yes I have seen grooves.

My seat itself had the level indicator, but I preferred using it with the base because it was faster. I had two bases, one for each car, which was really nice. I didn't like the couple of times we did the seat without the base because it was much harder to get the baby's feet out.

[EmseB]

The base shows a level and it lets you know if the angle is right (on my base). I don't know that it would be advised to bypass the base, but yes I have seen grooves.

Usually the seat will also have a level indicator, even if it is just a line on the seat itself.

 

But, only the manual will tell you if it is ok to install without the base. I was just putting it out there because there's misconceptions that it's somehow safer to use the base, or mom is stuck if she doesn't have it. A proper install without the base is just as safe as a proper install with the base, and it's important to read the manual to figure out what's advised.

 

I think it's important that people realize with seats and installs there's not really a continuum of safety. If it's in the manual as a proper install then it's safe per all the testing standards. A car seat manufacturer would be under huge liability if they, for example, made it so the seat could be installed without a base, but it wasn't as safe or as advisable as installing it with a base. Car seat instructions and testing don't work that way.

 

 

The bases definitely are easier if they are properly installed!

[MotherGoose]

I had infant seats with the first two and will buy another with this one (our budget is friendly to it though). I was not good a baby wearing, and I really liked picking up the whole seat, sticking sleeping baby in the grocery cart or highchair or whatever at a restaurant without disturbance.

[katilac]

You clearly have no idea how cold it can get in the winter in some parts of the world.  

 

 

I'll have you know it got cold enough here for a jacket AND a scarf this winter!  :lol: