So let me get this straight. No infant car seat = no carrier??? XP

[Deleted User]

As a FTM I am completely at a loss with all things. Most recently with car seats. I was debating getting a convertible seat, however I learned that the convertible seats are stationary and do not have the base like infants seats. Meaning you have to take the baby out and carry him around. Now that confuses me because I have never seen an infant being carried around without a seat. Furthermore, when I talk to my parents and aunts etc who haven?t had kids in 20 plus years say they never had a removable car seat, but had the infant carrier that they had the kid in all the time.

So whats the deal? Did they used to make both? Is the only way to have a seat to carry the baby around in is to have an infant car seat???

[Deleted User]

LucyD1029:

An infant seat snaps in and out of a base, so you can remove it from the car and carry your baby. Convertible seats stay put.  By carrier, do you think your relatives are referring to something like an Ergo or Bjorn?

Nope, the actual seats with teh handles.

g8trkim

Infant seats snap in and out to become a carrier. Years ago, car seats were more basic and stayed in the car, and parents had a seperate carrier for hauling baby around.

Unless you plan on not leaving the house much for the first 8 months or so, or you plan on wearing baby in a body carrier whenever you're out, I would say get an infant seat.

dragon_chica

g8trkim:

Infant seats snap in and out to become a carrier. Years ago, car seats were more basic and stayed in the car, and parents had a seperate carrier for hauling baby around.

Unless you plan on not leaving the house much for the first 8 months or so, or you plan on wearing baby in a body carrier whenever you're out, I would say get an infant seat.

This.  People have different preferences.  I much preferred starting out with an infant seat with both kids.  We bought the Snap 'N Go so the infant seat can snap into that and become a ready-made stroller.  We did it this way with DD for 6 months and DS who's 10 months today is still in the SNG.  I love it and to me it's easy.  I don't typically carry him in the infant seat anymore because he is getting heavier.  If I'm not using the SNG and placing him in an umbrella stroller than the infant seat just stays connected to the base in the car.

Others don't like the infant seat because they don't want to carry the seat around prefer the convertible seat.  When going anywhere they just wear baby in a wrap (like a moby) or carrier (like an ergo) or put them in a bassinet-type stroller.  

jess9802

We have a convertible seat, because the thought of carrying around one of the infant seats made me cringe - I knew it would be murder on my shoulder, and I didn't want the unnecessary expense of possibly buying a second car seat in DS's first year of life. We have a City Mini stroller that reclines nearly flat and with an infant body pillow DS is quite comfortable in there. If we're someplace where the stroller isn't practical, I have a Moby wrap which I LOVE. My husband likes the Ergo baby carrier. And sometimes we just carry our baby in our arms. I haven't found it to be much of an inconvenience, and if DS wakes up when I take him out of his carseat, he definitely falls asleep again very quickly when he's snuggled up to me or my husband.

ajetter

I really liked having an infant seat.  If DD fell asleep in the car, no need to wake her to move her.  Just pop the seat out.  And it could pop into our stroller.  I could see how you could make it work without one if you were interested in baby wearing (moby, ergo, some sort of other carrier), but DD fit into her infant seat relatively well until 11 months.  At 2.25 she still isn't 30 pounds, but reached the height limit around 1 year I believe.

HeyJune

In the 70s and 80s, they made plastic carriers that were just for you to carry your baby around in. The car seat was a separate item.

Now they've come a lot further with that concept and combined the carrier and the car seat into the infant car seat. It is essentially a baby carrier (like the ones your parents are referring to) that is crash tested and approved to be used as a car seat. They come with a base to snap them into the car. 

Most people these days buy the infant car seat (the one that doubles as a carrier) and then around the time their child is one year old, buy a convertible seat that works both forward and rear facing. Convertible seats stay in the car. That's what we did and we have no regrets.

gimmietimmies

HeyJune:

In the 70s and 80s, they made plastic carriers that were just for you to carry your baby around in. The car seat was a separate item.

Now they've come a lot further with that concept and combined the carrier and the car seat into the infant car seat. It is essentially a baby carrier (like the ones your parents are referring to) that is crash tested and approved to be used as a car seat. They come with a base to snap them into the car. 

Most people these days buy the infant car seat (the one that doubles as a carrier) and then around the time their child is one year old, buy a convertible seat that works both forward and rear facing. Convertible seats stay in the car. That's what we did and we have no regrets.

Try into the 90's. DS had a convertible, the infant car seats just came out. They had lots of problems and recalls, and we skipped the infant seat all together. The made a hard shell carrier that resembled an infant car seat, but had straps more like the swings used (actually, it was a lot like the swing seat shell with a handle). Mine stayed at home, we had it instead of a bouncy seat (it was only $15), but tossed it as the plastic cracked after a few months - I wouldn't have been comfortable toting it around, they weren't that sturdy. I mostly wore ds or he rode in the stroller.

We only really got an infant seat with dd4, but it lived in the car. We're accustomed to not carrying around the infant seat, and prefer convertibles. Honestly, it comes down to personal preference, as long as the seat you choose fits a newborn well. I'm one of the few that's been around since the infant seats became popular, and I know how to deal without one, I just didn't see the appeal.

If you like the idea of an infant seat, then get one. You have to do what works for you. But yes, convertibles stay in the car.

HeyJune

gimmietimmies:

HeyJune:

In the 70s and 80s, they made plastic carriers that were just for you to carry your baby around in. The car seat was a separate item.

Now they've come a lot further with that concept and combined the carrier and the car seat into the infant car seat. It is essentially a baby carrier (like the ones your parents are referring to) that is crash tested and approved to be used as a car seat. They come with a base to snap them into the car. 

Most people these days buy the infant car seat (the one that doubles as a carrier) and then around the time their child is one year old, buy a convertible seat that works both forward and rear facing. Convertible seats stay in the car. That's what we did and we have no regrets.

Try into the 90's. DS had a convertible, the infant car seats just came out. They had lots of problems and recalls, and we skipped the infant seat all together. The made a hard shell carrier that resembled an infant car seat, but had straps more like the swings used (actually, it was a lot like the swing seat shell with a handle). Mine stayed at home, we had it instead of a bouncy seat (it was only $15), but tossed it as the plastic cracked after a few months - I wouldn't have been comfortable toting it around, they weren't that sturdy. I mostly wore ds or he rode in the stroller.

We only really got an infant seat with dd4, but it lived in the car. We're accustomed to not carrying around the infant seat, and prefer convertibles. Honestly, it comes down to personal preference, as long as the seat you choose fits a newborn well. I'm one of the few that's been around since the infant seats became popular, and I know how to deal without one, I just didn't see the appeal.

If you like the idea of an infant seat, then get one. You have to do what works for you. But yes, convertibles stay in the car.

Yep, I remember them being around in the 90s too. Where we live, the infant seats are much preferred over the convertible seats because of our hot climate. Most people prefer to keep their car seat in a climate controlled area rather than leaving it in the car. We had temps of 110 degrees outside last week so the car seats get really hot, even with a cooling cover over them. We always keep our baby's seat indoors.

BLPL101

Get the infant seat. I am very frugal, but this is something that I think is worth the extra expense.

g8trkim

HeyJune:

In the 70s and 80s, they made plastic carriers that were just for you to carry your baby around in. The car seat was a separate item.

Now they've come a lot further with that concept and combined the carrier and the car seat into the infant car seat. It is essentially a baby carrier (like the ones your parents are referring to) that is crash tested and approved to be used as a car seat. They come with a base to snap them into the car. 

Most people these days buy the infant car seat (the one that doubles as a carrier) and then around the time their child is one year old, buy a convertible seat that works both forward and rear facing. Convertible seats stay in the car. That's what we did and we have no regrets.

My nieces were born in 95 and 98 and still had these.

fyziksgirl

I think the infant car seat is nice but not necessary. It is great for if you're going somewhere and baby falls asleep in the car and you want to just pull out the car seat, snap it into a stroller, and go. No need to wake baby. We got the Britax system for that (B-safe/B-Agile). It's also nice for at restaurants, weddings, etc, where you're just walking in, not walking around a lot, and may be there a bit and may want a place to put the baby down if she falls asleep. However, I still use a carrier (mei tai, moby wrap, etc.) for things like grocery shopping, since it's not safe to balance the infant carseat on the cart and I can't push a stroller and a cart. If I needed to it would not be a big deal at all to take baby in and out of the car seat, it's just nice to not have to. I think my favorite application is when I get home from being out and baby has fallen asleep in the car, I can just carry the carseat in and let baby finish her nap, sleep is precious!

gimmietimmies

HeyJune:

gimmietimmies:

HeyJune:

In the 70s and 80s, they made plastic carriers that were just for you to carry your baby around in. The car seat was a separate item.

Now they've come a lot further with that concept and combined the carrier and the car seat into the infant car seat. It is essentially a baby carrier (like the ones your parents are referring to) that is crash tested and approved to be used as a car seat. They come with a base to snap them into the car. 

Most people these days buy the infant car seat (the one that doubles as a carrier) and then around the time their child is one year old, buy a convertible seat that works both forward and rear facing. Convertible seats stay in the car. That's what we did and we have no regrets.

Try into the 90's. DS had a convertible, the infant car seats just came out. They had lots of problems and recalls, and we skipped the infant seat all together. The made a hard shell carrier that resembled an infant car seat, but had straps more like the swings used (actually, it was a lot like the swing seat shell with a handle). Mine stayed at home, we had it instead of a bouncy seat (it was only $15), but tossed it as the plastic cracked after a few months - I wouldn't have been comfortable toting it around, they weren't that sturdy. I mostly wore ds or he rode in the stroller.

We only really got an infant seat with dd4, but it lived in the car. We're accustomed to not carrying around the infant seat, and prefer convertibles. Honestly, it comes down to personal preference, as long as the seat you choose fits a newborn well. I'm one of the few that's been around since the infant seats became popular, and I know how to deal without one, I just didn't see the appeal.

If you like the idea of an infant seat, then get one. You have to do what works for you. But yes, convertibles stay in the car.

Yep, I remember them being around in the 90s too. Where we live, the infant seats are much preferred over the convertible seats because of our hot climate. Most people prefer to keep their car seat in a climate controlled area rather than leaving it in the car. We had temps of 110 degrees outside last week so the car seats get really hot, even with a cooling cover over them. We always keep our baby's seat indoors.

May as well practice for when you have convertibles! Kidding. You'd still have the same problem when lo needs to be in a convertible. Except for this summer, I usually spend my summers in 100F+ heat, we just put damp/wet beach towels on the car seats  and put cooling pads (the ones you put in coolers) in them. What sucked was when the ac went in the car.

Winter time is thick blankets on the seats.

And to pp, it's not recommended to let lo sleep in there (that's why the lack of popularity here - my location), our public health nurses discourage it. If you let lo sleep in the car seat for a nap, make sure the handle is all the way down and baby's head isn't slumped forward.

dufferoo

Have you seriously never seen someone carry a baby without a carrier?? That makes me so sad! I used to love to carry my daughter, either in my arms or with a BabyBjorn. Babies loves that closeness and comfort! I would definitely get an infant carseat, because the carrier feature is worth its weight in gold for the times that your baby falls asleep in the car and you don't want to wake her up to move her, but don't think of the carrier as your main mean of carrying the baby. They're only so little and cuddly for a short time

GirlWithTheMostCake

I actually wish they still had those old school carriers which were different than car seats. Don't be shocked if you see them make a comeback with all they are learning about the health problems too much use of car seats can cause. The old carriers were designed for carrying, comfort for the child and a better position than the 45 degree angle that is optimal for inside the car. Car seats are designed for car safety and we have sadly gotten to accustomed to using them outside of the car when really they aren't ideal for the baby. Thanks so much to all the companies that capitalized on us, knowing it wasn't ideal. However, I would get an infant seat bc it's nice in the winter to bring baby in the house as opposed to unstrapping in the cold and for quick run ins here and there it makes sense, but it isn't ideal imo for regular use. So get one, but use it sparingly. It is not another form of child seating and it is definitely not a stroller seat.

janecanadian

I couldn't have imagined putting DD in a convertible seat from birth.  We have a Britax Boulevard and even though it's supposed to be suitable for babies as small as 5 lbs, we got it when DD was about 4 months because there was a sale on and she was definitely too small for it then.  The infant carrier held her at a much nicer angle and provided more support for her body.

wannabigfam

We skipped the infant car seat.  The reason is, baby really should ONLY be in the infant car seat when in the car.  Not while grocery shopping, eating at a restaurant, finishing their nap that they started in the car, etc.  It puts a lot of pressure on the back of their head (it can cause flat spots to appear!) and it also puts baby in a passive position that doesn't encourage development of his/her muscles.  I'm a pediatric therapist and it drives.us.crazy (therapists) to see baby spend so much time on his / her back.

We bought a convertible car seat and used it from birth.  That means I had to carry baby around w/ me everywhere when shopping, eating out, etc but it never was a problem.  I used an Ergo Carrier and loved it.  I also made sure to purchase a stroller that could be used from newborn stage upward (so the seat reclines flat - needed for a newborn to sit in the stroller properly).  I also just carried baby a lot.   My mom said when we were little, she would put a blanket down in the shopping cart and let us lay on our back in the cart or even let us have tummy time (when we were a little older).  There are lots of options.  I LOVED holding baby every possible minute and can't imagine just carrying one of the "bucket" car seats around w/ baby strapped inside it all the time.

People will probably argue w/ me on here that the car seat doesn't hurt baby to stay in, but it's not true.  Therapists are seeing the negative consequences of these seats in terms of development.

Oh, and another argument you'll hear is that you want to be able to get baby out of the car without waking him / her up.  Babies learn whatever you teach them; since my baby was always in a convertible seat, he has never had trouble staying asleep when I get him out of the car if he happens to take a nap while we're driving. 

rbrooks2013

HeyJune:

In the 70s and 80s, they made plastic carriers that were just for you to carry your baby around in. The car seat was a separate item.

Now they've come a lot further with that concept and combined the carrier and the car seat into the infant car seat. It is essentially a baby carrier (like the ones your parents are referring to) that is crash tested and approved to be used as a car seat. They come with a base to snap them into the car. 

Most people these days buy the infant car seat (the one that doubles as a carrier) and then around the time their child is one year old, buy a convertible seat that works both forward and rear facing. Convertible seats stay in the car. That's what we did and we have no regrets.

This! get the infant seat which can be used as a carrier outside the car (with the car seat base staying put in the car) and upgrade to a convertible later... 

biblionerd

Meh, the only reason I'm using one for dd is because I still have it from ds. If they were farther apart and it had expired or something then I wouldn't have gotten a new one. My babies are big and it's SUCH a short time that they were even possible to carry in the carrier. Dh is 6'2" and quite strong, and even he said it was a joke to carry one of our kids in them! 

vickyluvssteve

I remember when my parents had my little brother (waaaaaaaaay back in 1988) - all they had was a convertible car seat and a stroller, even when he was an infant.

penguingrrl

Yes, for many people the infant carseat doubles as an infant carrier. I think you need a certain type of child for those to be useful. My kids outgrew it young and never liked it. They slept in the car but the second we cut the engine and the vibrations stopped they woke up, so we never reaped the benefit of continuing a nap for them. We stopped using it outside the car by like 6-8 weeks for both because they didn't like being in it and switched to a convertible early on. I'm not sure if I'll even bother pulling our infant bucket out of storage this time or just go straight to a convertible (we have a radian waiting and they're known for fitting newborns well).

I personally found the seat bulky and uncomfortable to carry and found it a lot easier to just pop the baby in a moby wrap than carry a heavy item on one side of my body. But my SIL loved hers and both of her teeny tiny kids fit in it until they were over 1 and she used it for as long as she could because they would sleep through being moved in it.

AprilAngie

LucyD1029:

An infant seat snaps in and out of a base, so you can remove it from the car and carry your baby. Convertible seats stay put.  By carrier, do you think your relatives are referring to something like an Ergo or Bjorn?

 

this.. I remember years ago - as car seats were manditory and mothers held babies while they drove- they did make "carriers"  they look like car seats-- now we are talking '80's and even early 90's they made "carriers that look like car seats.. when I was  a babysitter I saw these in my early years