Babble

Despite all the recommendations of my friends, I am not sure I want to buy an infant car seat -  we thought we'd just buy the Radian convertible car seat that goes from newborn up to kid size. But everyone is telling me to get an infant carrier car seat too.

 Heres the poop, if I dont plan to drive a lot with the baby (we live downtown) and will do most of my errands walking around with a stroller, is it REALLY that necessary? Is it really HERESY to wake a sleeping newborn to transfer her to a Bjorn or stroller, instead of popping out the infant seat and carrying that?

 I have to get a narrow, small stroller cause of our tiny apartment and narrow hallway, so those ones where you pop the carrier in and out of the base are probably too big/wide for us.

 I'm trying to keep any baby gadget purchases to a minimum... so has anoyone found it possible to live without an infant car seat? Surely its not the end of the world if I dont get one? 

 

 

 We gave our infant "bucket" seat away to friends.  For our next baby, we won't be buying a replacement.  I hated lugging that bucket.  Far easier to pop the baby in a sling or wrap and have the use of both hands!

 

 

I live in car-obssessed, sprawl-plagued Tucson and routinely popped my sleeping baby in to my sling when I needed to get him out of the car.  He would stir for a moment and settle back in to the sling quite happily.  He loved the sling and was much happier hanging out there then the infant seat. The closer a baby is physically to you the happier that baby is going to be.

I have never understood why people carry their kids around in those plastic buckets.  They are awkward to carry and put your child at dog/cigarette/get-banged-around-constantly level.  Slings keep your children up out of the fray (better then strollers that way too) and you and your baby are then much more visible to pedestrians and drivers (I have had drivers almost hit my stroller more than once - it's in their blind spot if they are turning right.) For the first year, I wore my son and used the stroller only when we were going to be out for long time and then primarily to carry any extra stuff or purchases.

My only caveat on the infant seat is that a newborn baby is really floppy and in my experience convertible car seats do not recline far enough back to give a newborn proper head support. My son was 8lbs 13oz at birth and very strong and stout but we had a hard time keeping his head from slouching even in an infant seat with lots of blankets around for head support.  My son is almost 3yrs now so maybe there are improved seats/head supports that will address this issue.  And it was only an issue for about 8-10 weeks anyways, so if you are not in the car much you can just do your best on the few rides that take place during this time.

Never worry about picking up a sleeping baby to put that baby in a sling.  Your body and your movement will quiet that child right back down if they do make it all the way awake. And I would recommend a good sling over the Baby Bjorn any day.  We had both and the sling was much more comfortable for my little guy, even forward-facing.  The Baby Bjorn seemed to force him in to this splayed out position that he didn't want to be in.  When he got too big to carry comfortably in the ring sling, I switched to a Mei Tai carrier, though with the next kid I'll probably invest in an Ergo.

Great idea about keeping baby gadgets to a minimum.  We did the same and never regretted it though it was hard to get that point across to the rest of the family (kept trying to get them to buy us children's books or diapers instead.)

Good luck with your baby.

 Kerry 

I hate the bucket. If you don't drive much then, yes, skip it. If you do drive, it is a "nice to have" not to wake the baby but they are NOT user friendly (anyone noticed how the buckets don't fit in the shopping carts anymore?!?!)

I never had one for either of my two kids and I found they actually sleep ALOT better than my friends' kids did.  To this day if my 6 year old falls asleep in the car, I can get him inside and pjed without waking him.  The regular convertible car seats are fine for infants and save you big bucks when you can keep the same seat for four years!!!  None of my friends have ever taken my advice NOT to get the infant seat, but I think it was one of the smartest things we did with our babies. 

Thanks so much for all your great advice! I feel better now, knowing there are a bunch of you out there who find it unnecessary. We have a front carrier (the Lascal Carrier) I got on EBay (its like a bjorn) and my friend gave me a nice sling. So I have two good baby wearing options for once I take her out of the car - and three if you count the stroller. Phew! One less thing to buy. (and one less thing to clutter up my tiny home)

I would also recommend looking into a Moby wrap if you're going to be wearing the baby a lot. I got my daughter one and she ( and her baby) love it!

I was just debating this very topic with some family members and my husband. My husband and I are leaning against an infant car seat because of various reasons, including the space issue and the fact that we don't drive a whole lot (we live in a tiny condo in a bustling neighborhood). But my cousin, who has a 6 month old (and lives in the 'burbs), says they're good especially in the winter because you don't have to bundle them up in snowsuits when you could just pile on blankets, and that car seat straps are hard to get around a snowsuit. Is there any validity in that? It seems like if I get a Britax Roundabout, for instance, the straps are good enough to accomodate a bigger baby anyway, not to mention an infant in bulky clothing.

It would seem to me that if your car seat can fit any size from newborn to four years old... it could certainly fit a newborn in a snowsuit.

I'm starting to wonder if there is a great conspiracy by the 'we bought everything' pepole to try to convince their friends that they need to buy all these gadgets and things too - lest it be exposed that they've been had!

I only bought one because I did have to drive alot and it just made sense to me to have a seat that fit the baby better.... I do NOT believe in using the base portion in the car... the are not safe in a side impact collision anyway. So for the most part the seat was semi-permenantly installed in the car and stayed there anyway. I rarely ever carried Alex in his bucket seat. Heck I'd rather carry a cuddley infant than a heavy platic contraption.

 In your case... the thing is totaly unnecessary :)

It's the heaviest thing on earth once the baby passes the 10 -15 lb. mark. If I had a second kid, I may still think about getting one, but ONLY because I have to drive every where I go in Miami and I think it may be more comfy for really young babies (for them, not us), . If you don't drive much, then I wouldn't worry about it. As for the stroller, if you are going to get a smaller one, go with the umbrella Maclerans and make sure it reclines for the sake of the baby's comfort as well otherwise their head will be dangling all over the place!

It's not the end of the world. We did cave and get one and, yes, it was nice when we went out to dinner to have a place for the baby to sleep. But, it gets too heavy too quckly. It's easier at first just to carry the baby! You'll want to anyways! And, after that, you can totally get away with a stroller. You'll even get good at moving the baby without waking her.

Seriously, you don't need much gear. We lived fine without a swing or a bouncy seat or any of that. A crib, a good play mat and a Bumbo (don't leave the child unattended) will totally get you through the first six months. 

If you don't drive much then I can totally see avoiding the bucket (carrier) type seats, but if you do any amount of driving they are awesome. I personally think they are one of the best inventions known to man (for people with kids at least). My 10 month-old has outgrown his and I am going to miss it. The carrier is heavy with him in it now, but I've got a stroller frame (super lightweight) that you just pop it into and it is fantastic. If I'm just popping in somewhere fast, it is much faster and easier to pop the car seat into the frame than it is to take him in and out and carry him. For situations where it is easier to carry, you take him out. You've always got the option for whatever best suits the circumstances.

With respect to the comment about not using the base, I think that is a little crazy. At least for ours the seat is much more secure in the base than if it is installed just using the seat belt. Maybe that wouldn't be the case if you didn't have the metal LATCH system in the car, which we do.

I also just wanted to mention that zooper (www.zooper.com) makes an umbrella stroller (the Twist) that gives MacLaren a run for their money. For the same price as a MacLaren Triumph you can get a full-featured umbrella stroller with the same weight limit and more extras.

To sum up, if you need to drive with your baby I would say to go for a carrier type seat (try to get one that has the strap adjustment up front) and an inexpensive stroller frame along with a good umbrella stroller for walks and for when they outgrow the bucket.

Cold weather can make it difficult to just pop your baby out of the car seat and into a sling or carrier. I live in North Dakota and my baby was born just in time for the frigid winter temperatures. I was so grateful to be able to keep her in her infant car seat. The car seat was fitted with a fleece Bundle Me that was very warm and could be zipped almost completely up. My daughter stayed pretty toasty in the car seat even when temperatures were well below zero. From what I understand it is not advisable to strap a baby into a car seat when he/she is wearing a snow suit (or even a big winter jacket). The bulk of the snow suit/ jacket can interfere with the fit of the straps making baby less secure in the seat. Something to consider.

I LOVED our "punkin seat" (as they're called around here). It was greaat when dining out, and it fit just right on the front of shopping carts. I had the Graco Snugride. I can see the logic in NOT wanting one, but maybe purchasing a *gasp* used one in a baby consignment shop just for the unupported head weeks would be a viable option?? Both our cars are pre-2000 models w/o LATCH, and I've found this little gadget gets ANY car seat to stay put: http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Kids-Mighty-Tite-Tightener/dp/B000056JHP I can never get either LATCH straps or seat belts tight enough, and suffered many broken nails and bruised knuckles before a coworker showed me hers. I guarantee, your car seat will NOT BUDGE. In fact, when transferring our car seat to my parents' 2008 Honda Odyssey, I don't even bother to tighten the LATCH straps with the built-in tightener, but rather run it thru the Mighty-Tite, which also helps for a quick release. Good luck with your travels, however you make them!