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Attachment Parenting
madeleines_mommy
member
your thoughts on carseats
madeleines_mommy
member
I am planning on skipping an infant seat and going straigh to a convertible with this LO. I never really took DD out of the car in her infant carrier as I carried, wore, or put her in the stroller.
For you AP mama's that tend to do the same, did you skip an infant seat and go straight to a convertible, or still utilize one? I know I can always go buy one, but I want to make the right choice!
If I post this on the other boards I get " well what about shopping, carrying into house, ect..." I just don't care to leave LO in a carseat all the time b/c it's more convenient.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: your thoughts on carseats
We have an infant carrier seat (we got it b/c we knew he'd be born in winter, so I wanted him all bundled up in the carseat BEFORE we got outside), but I just wanted to comment that I pop him in and out of the Moby all the time and he rarely wakes up enough to really care... the other day we had a number of short stops and I could tell then he was getting annoyed at his sleep being disrupted, but usually he just sleeps through it.
If I had it to do over, I might just go straight to a convertible as I never took the bucket out. If he was asleep, he generally stayed asleep if I moved him to a wrap or quickly went back to sleep. In any case, it was never a problem for us.
The only time I really needed the bucket was when we started running when he was about 4 months - he wasn't ready to go straight in the jogger so I used the bucket seat on the BOB.
I feel like I've heard that buckets are safer for newborns but I don't know how true that is. That would be something I'd look into before buying either way.
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I'm as big of a fan of BW as anyone here (well, almost) but I'd still go with the infant seat. We wore Jay all the time when he was itty bitty and still do, but there are times that I was so glad to have the infant seat. Like when we were at my MIL's friend's home for a post-baby shower, and he was getting fussy. He wouldn't nap with all of the activity, so I put a blanket over the car seat and swung it, and he calmed right down. Or when I had him in church and he was done being held; I put him in the seat and he stopped fussing right away. But I have a kind of odd child - he would get to a point where he just didn't want to be held anymore. You'd put him down, and he would stop fussing and just look around. And of course, there's the random day every 6 weeks or so when he is just so upset and won't nap....take him for a 5 minute car ride and he's out. With the infant seat, you don't have to worry about waking him. We don't make it a habit, but the few times we've done it it comes in sooooo handy.
I didn't look to see where you live, but there's the whole cold weather thing where we are. It's great to keep the seat inside so he isn't being thrown into a cold seat. And it's faster sometimes to get him inside someplace. Granted, he's almost 20 lbs, but I also don't always have to worry about him fighting me about getting into the seat. It was 9 degree earlier this week....I would go insane if he was "planking" in the seat in 9* weather.
I also always felt that he was super protected and comfy in there, esp in the beginning. And those random days when he was a newborn that I had several errands to run in a row, it was really helpful. I didn't have to get him out, get him in, get him out again, if he was sleeping.
We wear him all the time and hold him in restaurants instead of bringing the seat in (well, now he sits in a high chair, but we didn't do it back when he was little). But sometimes the convenience of it was great and really helpful.
We don't use our infant seat as the stereotypical baby bucket, but it's nice to have especially in cold weather. It's been below zero here for the past few weeks and our garage is a bit of a walk from the house and I can't imagine bundling, unbundling, buckling, bundling etc. For errands I often carry him inside in his seat then transfer to the Beco if he's awake.
When M was little I could transfer him from carseat to wrap/carrier but since he's discovered the world, he always wakes up and won't go back to sleep, so it's nice to be able to leave him sleeping in his carseat.
Like any piece of baby gear, you make the choice whether to use it or abuse it.
I hate schlepping around the baby bucket and chose to wear DD as much as possible but I'm still glad that we have the infant seat. I live in the Chicago 'burbs and don't feel comfortable wearing DD out if there's ice. If I did slip and fall, I think DD would be safer if I was carrying the infant seat than if she was on my chest in the Moby Wrap.
E was born Jan 11 last year, and I'm in Wisconsin, so it was quite cold! We didn't get an infant seat... we went straight to the convertable. We used a jacket that fit under the straps, and blankets around her to and from the car, and over her in the seat. There has not been a single time in the past year that I regretted not having an infant seat.
If E was sleeping when we got somewhere, I would put her in my sling, and she would either stay asleep, or wake momentarily and go right back to sleep. And if she was tired of being held when we were out, putting her in the sling would calm her right down and she would go to sleep.
I've actually heard that if the baby is sleeping when you get home, you shouldn't leave them to sleep in the infant seat, as it can restrict their breathing (I don't remember if I heard this from a reliable source or not, so please take that bit with a grain of salt!).
It's totally a personal decision, but I just wanted to let you know that it is completely possible (even with cold weather)!
DD is the same. If I'm going to be quite a while in the store, I'll pop her in the Moby and she's happy as can be. If I know I have several short stops, I'm more likely to just leave her sleeping and content in her infant seat. I like having both- it's also nice when we go out to eat, if she's asleep, to just let her stay in her seat, rather than worry about dropping food all over her head in the Moby!
We used the bucket for a number of reasons:
1) Safety. The research we did seemed to indicate that the infant seat was safer. Our Marathon is really big, and doesn't recline well in my car, so I have a hard time picturing a newborn DS sitting properly in it.
2) Stroller. I had a C/S, and I didn't start doing much BW until DS was about 6 weeks old. I used a Snap N Go type stroller frame with the bucket seat, as a stroller, until then. Also, other people who watch DS are not big on BW, so they also used the Snap N Go. DS was too small for our umbrella style stroller for a long time.
3) Sleeping baby. As much of a pain as the bucket is, DS would inevitably wake up when I took him out of it, so I lugged it quite a few places when he was still asleep.
4) Portable seat. When I would go out by myself or with non-parent friends, I often needed a place for DS to sit for a minute. I remember taking DS out to lunch with a male co-worker of mine who I couldn't really have asked to hold a baby - I wouldn't have been able to eat anything without somewhere for him to sit.
DS doesn't like any one mode of transportation for a long period of time, so I used everything. I used our infant carrier the most (easier than carrying him ourselves), then the stroller, then the Ergo. It was also easiest (and cheapest) going from car to car with it. We were given four seat bases by a friend and we fully used three of them between our two cars and my moms.
For us the infant carrier was indispensable for nearly 12 mos.
Now that he's in a convertible I REALLY HATE it. One of the biggest differences I've noticed is that w/ the infant carrier it was kept in our home and DS was put into it when it was warm. Now when we put him into the convertible it's FREEZING and DS hates it. I actually miss the infant carrier.
I love our infant carrier. We don't take it out that much, but it's invaluable when we do. We always take out the seat if we arrive home and she's sleeping. I'm not doing much wearing these days because it's WAY too hot and DD gets ticked off when she's hot. Plus she's starting to be more aware of the world and stays awake once she's awoken. Much easier to just carry her inside while still sleeping.
It's also a lifesaver when we are going to visit people or going to restaurants. DD is a 'hands off' baby and gets upset if she's held too much. So whenever she gets to that point when we are out to eat or at a barbecue or something, I just pop her in the infant seat and voila...happy baby.
Also keep in mind that you might have a baby who isn't a huge fan of being worn. My DD is like that
She would definitely not stay asleep if I tried to transfer her to a carrier...she'd be too busy fussing about being carried! I'm hoping it's just because she doesn't like the heat and she'll come around in a few months when it cools down. Especially since I just ordered a SBP sling in addition to my Moby and Babyhawk!
I am also going straight for the convertible car seat and skipping the infant one. I don't want to be lugging it around. Convertible ones are just as safe (many are safer) as the infant ones and kids can stay rear-facing in those until they are actually 1 yr old (some taller babies who don't reach the weight minimum have to be switched to a bigger front-facing carseat by 9 month because they are too tall to fit into the infant one properly)
As for using the convertible stay-in-the car seat during winter month in cold climate, we live in Wisconsin, so it does get fairly cold here, but there is a very simple solution of starting the car up 5 -10 min before you bring the bundled baby out. Besides, if using a proper bunting it should not be a big deal.
Most shopping carts won't let you snap in the infant car seat any more like they used to years ago (9 years ago, in my experience), so shopping excuse is not really valid in my view.
We are going to get the new Safety 1st Air car seat with side impact protection - those are good for 5-50 lbs (the only drawback is that it might be difficult to install in a small car when rear-faced, but not a problem for us)
DD was born in Jan in upstate NY (a relatively cold and snowy place), and we skipped the infant seat. I have no regrets. By saving the money on an infant seat we were able to invest in a Britax convertible w/extra head support that is good for infants. We also added a piece of foam under the base to get a better tilt for an infant (as per the police expert recommendations), so those don't have to be limiting factors for a convertible. We kept DD warm by wrapping her in blankets and sometimes warming the car before taking her out.
I hate carrying things in my hands, especially heavy things, so I never missed the "convenience" of the bucket. It always seemed so much more uncomfortable and awkward than wearing DD. The only time it seemed like it might have been nice to have was when she was pretty young and we would go out to a restaurant or a friend's house. When she was sleeping we could have put her in the bucket instead of holding her the whole time.
As far as waking, we never had any problems. She might wake a bit when we transferred her from the carseat, but as soon as she was nestled in the carrier she was right back out. Even now if she falls asleep on the way home I can usually get her up to her crib without any problems. This will probably depend on your child, though.
babies who don't reach the weight minimum have to be switched to a bigger front-facing carseat by 9 month because they are too tall to fit into the infant one properly)
I hope you don't actually know anyone who turned their 9 month old fwd facing after outgrowing the infant seat-that is absurd! We moved around 10 months to a convertible carseat, but it was and IS rear facing.
I had a baby who HATED his carseat and stroller with a passion-and I would still do the infant bucket seat for warmth in the winter months. In the winter months it is so much nicer to be able to leave the baby snug and warm in his seat covered in blankets, and bring him inside, rather than having to take him out of the seat in the freezing cold and rearrange blankets and coats. I hate the coat on and off process for my toddler-it is time consuming, but the real problem is it makes him cold!
I would 100% use an infant carrier again!
I just don't feel like I could have gotten DS as snug in the straps of his convertible when he was 7 lbs without a LOT of manuvering around, and at 7 am that is pretty hard to be consistent on, especially for DH. I just felt like it was so nice to put DS in the carrier seat, snug up his straps, and then layer on warm blankets (was a dec baby). We didn't even need a bunting or snowsuit. It felt a lot safer as we lived in a 2nd story apartment and the steps got icy. I felt much safer that if we slipped, he was fairly protected in the seat vs in my arms.
We never used it in the grocery store- just wore him till he was big enough to be in the seat, but it was super convenient if we were at a restaurant b/c he could "sit" at the table with us. Once he was big enough to start sitting up, obviously we just left it in the car and he used a highchair. Also, at someone's home, it was a nice place for him to safely rest vs. the floor.
I do think that people overuse the bucket seats- but I can't imagine not having it and going straight to the convertible seat. We love our marathons now, but they fit the needs of a 6+ month old- I don't think it would have worked at the newborn period for us.
And I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "proper bunting" but every bunting I've seen is fairly thick and bulky which is not meant to get in between your baby and the seat. Of course many people choose to ignore this safety precaution, but I thought I should mention it.
Ditto to all this. When we lived in the apartment, i wasn't about to start the car and leave it idling down in the parking lot or leave DS alone in the apartment. So unless it was DH and I going somewhere together, running down to warm up the car didn't work.
I also agree on the bunting issue- thick snowsuits, ect are dangerous in car seats.
With my first two, I only used a convertible seat that would swivel to rear facing. We didn't use a baby bucket at all. I loved that car seat, and was going to buy another one this time, but decided to use a baby bucket for a number of reasons.
Although I do not plan to use it for shopping etc. It is nice to be able to get baby all buckled in first. You obviously cannot do that with a convertible. Also, it is just as easy to unbuckle baby from a carrier one as it is from the convertible so it doesn't matter either way.
We don't use a bucket for restaurants or anything, we always held the first two. So I guess this time we will be a bucket, and then a larger seat when she no longer needs to be rear facing.
FWIW, I bought the Graco Snugride 32, which goes up to 50 lbs.
Prism207 wrote: "I hope you don't actually know anyone who turned their 9 month old fwd facing after outgrowing the infant seat-that is absurd! We moved around 10 months to a convertible carseat, but it was and IS rear facing. "
i unfortunately know of a few people who have done so (and no, not me - i happen to have small babies who linger in the 15 - 25 percentile on the growth charts). That is what people end up doing to save money - not every seat can be installed rear-facing, and the expense of buying a travel system and then another convertible seat may be more than some can afford. I am not advocating that people do it, just pointing out that investing in a good convertible seat from the start would be a smart choice. The age / weight limit restriction for front-facing is based on average estimated development. What freaks me out more though is how many people who don't bother to install their car seats properly and the seat wiggles all over the back seat, rear-facing versus forward is a smaller issue compared to that....
Here is a perfect example: I gave a ride to a lady i met at a parent meeting once who had a 4 month old in an infant seat with her, she was going to just sit her son strapped in the car seat (buckle NOT on his chest but all the way down over his abdomen) on the back seat of my car next to her. I told her i won't move the car unless the car seat is properly secured first - she thought i was joking. I quickly realized that she had not a clue on how to even secure the car seat without the base, and i had to show her how / do it myself. She had no clue on how to adjust the recline with a rolled up blankie underneath the seat and that the seat should not move more than half an inch in either direction ... Unfortunately i believe this example is more of a rule than an exception.
I just want to say that depending on where you live, it is a necessity to start your car to let it warm up before driving it. Where I am it can get down to -40 quite often and if you don't warm up your car, you are doing more damage to the car and it is almost impossible to drive cold. We don't have a garage, so our vehicles sit out in the cold, which would make it very uncomfortable to put a baby in a car seat that is at a -40 temperature, so warming up the car is a must regardless of environmental conditions or living arrangements. But that is where I am from and if I lived in an apartment I would definately have to find a creative solution......
Daughter #1 - February 12, 2010
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Daughter #3 - January 19, 2014
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Yikes! I can't imagine...everyone I have spent time with has their carseats installed by the fire department and at least half of the people do extended RFing...
We never put anything thicker on Sam than his normal clothing with a nice snuggly fleece over it while he is in his carseat. His winter coat goes over his lap as a blanket as well as an actual blanket. The winter coat is too bulky for use in his carseat-and we never used buntings or so on in his infant seat for the same reason. Same with those bundle me things...nothing aftermarket gets attached to the carseat in any way!
Those of you who say you start the car up before putting the baby in it, what do you do when you are out at the mall or so forth, alone with the kid? Can't exactly warm the car up then.
This. It's much easier for me to just grab him out of the carrier and put him in the moby or beco than to lug the carrier and a three year old into a store.
I also think it has a lot to do with the baby and their temperament. If you have a high strung baby they may not take too kindly to this.
I would skip the carrier if I were you and go for the convertible seat. You will need it in a few months anyway so it's not as if it's a wasted purchase. If it doesn't work out at first then go buy an infant seat.
FWIW - I take my son into restaurants and to my inlaws over the holidays in his carrier. It was no way as a convenience for me. He was perfectly happy to sleep in his carrier and everyone knew to leave him be since he was sleeping. Once he was awake I pulled him out.
The one thing that was really awesome those first 2 months or so with the infant carrier is that we could carry her into restaurants with us. All the white noise put her quickly to sleep.
So we, as two new parents, could reconnect over a nice meal while our LO napped in her carrier next to us.
Don't undervalue that time you two can spend together in public at a nice meal, lol! I guess you could do the same thing in a stroller if you know you have one that a baby will want to sleep in.
You'll definitely survive without one, so feel free to go straight to the convertible if you want.
i'll mention something no one else has.... ds has really bad reflux and sleeps in his carseat to keep him elevated at the proper level. we were originally going to skip the infant seat and just use a convertable seat but i'm really glad we didn't.