Is an infant seat really necessary?

ally2011 · December 2012

Sorry ladies to double post on car seats, but I have one more question for STMs....is an infant seat REALLY necessary or can I make due without one and use a convertible from the start. I want to baby wear as much as I can because I hate lugging stuff around, strollers, etc....though I know there are times when I will want to have a carrier and a stroller. But how often is that, really? I know you aren't supposed to wake a sleeping baby, but if she were sleeping when I brought her home, I would move her to her bassinet as I thought you weren't supposed to let them sleep forever in car seat anyway. And if we were out, in theory wouldn't she settle back down once in a wrap or whatever?

I know this all might sound naive, I just hate the idea of buying such a big hunk of plastic that will be used for such a short amount of time before needing to be in a convertible seat anyway.

Thanks for any advice.

bandwife · December 2012

Depends how much time you will spend in a car with your LO.

We lived downtown with DS and mostly walked/used stroller/wore in carrier. We would have been fine with a convertible but a friend loaned us an infant bucket seat. I was also a SAHM.

If you're commuting by car every day and take an infant in and out of a car seat to daycare/home I'd pony up for an infant car seat. Would hate to have to constantly have to wake a baby up from a car nap.

watermellens · December 2012

you can certainly make do without it if you're trying to cut costs, but I thought having an infant seat was invaluable!

pitterpatter129 · December 2012

Someone gifted us an infant carrier with DS and we used it for a couple of months and then switched to the convertible. Half the time, I just left it in the car and wore him anyhow because it was sooo heavy. I don't think one is necessary at all.

meansbaby2013 · December 2012

I like the infant seat with the carrier. It is especially handy when we take the stroller to the park and can set the seat on the stroller.

FutureMrsTowns · December 2012

I've actually heard that sometimes the convertible car seats are a little big for newborns

ally2011 · December 2012

I am going to stay at home so there won't be a daycare drop off issue.

Also, couldn't I just get a stroller for when I might want one for whatever reason (errands, etc.)?

Thanks for the advice so far, I really appreciate it!

momofmanyinthemitten · December 2012

We were on a strict budget with DD and I have a bad back, so the infant carrier never even made it on the radar. As it turned out, she hated being in the carseat anyway-never slept in it. I carried her in the Moby everywhere we went. She was much happier that way.

dalzien · December 2012

ally2011:
I am going to stay at home so there won't be a daycare drop off issue.

Also, couldn't I just get a stroller for when I might want one for whatever reason (errands, etc.)?
Thanks for the advice so far, I really appreciate it!

If this is the case, and they are on sale, you could try a travel system. I know they had them on sale at BRU for almost the same price as a regular stroller. What my SIL recommended (I am a FTM, but her son is almost 6 now) was an infant seat to start and then buy a convertible car seat when the infant one is outgrown. If not you will be stuck buying another convertible (which is more expensive than an infant one) when the seat expires in 5 years and your child will still need the booster/convertible. I know the laws are different between Canada and the US, but I would imagine that they have plenty of similarities.

shibby00 · December 2012

I'm a sahm and I found the infant seat to be invaluable. It was a huge pain to get her buckled and unbuckled in the heat and cold once we switched to a convertible at 6 months. I wore her in the store most of the time, but when she did fall asleep in the infant seat it was glorious to just let her sleep. Also my kid never stayed asleep if I woke her to get her into or out of a carseat. She just isn't made that way and LOTS of screaming would ensue.

jglenn4 · December 2012

I went back and forth on this but finally decided to just do a convertible car seat. I live in Manhattan and so it is highly unlikely that LO will be in a car seat until we take her to visit the grandparents (which won't be until she's about 3 mos - everything is in walking distance/subway accessible). We ended up going with the Britax Marathon 70-G3 and I ordered the infant positioning insert. Quite a few of my neighbors bought an infant seat and thought it was a waste. Others bought used ones but that was not a chance we were willing to take.

breannep · December 2012

The weather where you live also comes into play - I had a winter baby, and thought I wanted to carry him. Turns out - when it is -25 C, and are parking in an unplowed parking lot, I just wanted to grab the infant seat and run inside - not mess around with carries and such in the cold... My friend had a summer baby and regretted buying her infant seat because she just carried him in the wrap everywhere she went... and she had a stroller where baby could lie flat in the bottom - so she didn't need any sort of travel system with the car seat... So I think it mostly depends on your lifestyle... some people prefer the bucket, others don't

OhSewCrafty · December 2012

When they are really tiny, the bucket seat is really helpful to have. I wore DS a lot, but what about situations when you can't really wear them and there isn't room for the whole stroller? Like getting your hair cut, or at a restaurant, or a doctor's appointment for you? There are a lot of situations when its just really helpful to be able to keep them in one safe place and tote them along.

doremi29 · December 2012

Imo, yes it's necessary. I mean, technically, the convertibles can hold a nb, but when we moved DS into his at 5 months he had a really hard time in it. It just isn't as reclined as the bucket/infant seat (atleast ours wasn't and I think it's a normal convertible seat). His head would flop so far forward and he looked so uncomfortable. I wore DS a lot but it wasn't practical for me to do all the time. We went on a lot of walks with him in the infant seat.

My nephew just turned 1 and was in his until 10 months, so it definately allows for time to save up for the convertible if you can't afford both right now.

ehicks · December 2012

If we didn't have DDs bucket seat we would go straight to a convertible. Its a pain getting baby in and out, especially if you need to get other stuff out too. But if you plan to babywear and not put the bucket in a stroller then go for it. We got a convertible, Britax, when DD was 5 months and loooooove it!!

KateLouise · December 2012

Could you hire one?

I loved mine for those times when I just wanted to pop into a shop or run a 10minute errand, and didn't want to mess with a carrier, or disturb my sleeping baby.

It's not vital, if money is tight, but of all the extras, I think it's a good one.

Eleventy11 · December 2012

Unless you have a super super baby, you're not going to be able to unbuckle, get inside and lay them in a bassinet without a wake up. It doesn't matter that you shouldn't let them sleep forever in a car seat...you will learn to take sleep however you get it.

My 9 1/2 month old is still in her infant carrier and has three pounds and two inches before she's too big. You can get a lot of use out of it.

It is not a necessity, but it is super convenient. Like PP said, there are going to be places you can't baby wear that won't hold a stroller. In a restaurant, they aren't able to be in a high chair when they're little. It can be done, but its easier to not baby wear and eat!

ally2011 · December 2012

OhSewCrafty:
When they are really tiny, the bucket seat is really helpful to have. I wore DS a lot, but what about situations when you can't really wear them and there isn't room for the whole stroller? Like getting your hair cut, or at a restaurant, or a doctor's appointment for you? There are a lot of situations when its just really helpful to be able to keep them in one safe place and tote them along.

These are good points and have been my primary reservations. Both of our parents are very close, very competent and this will be their only local grandchild (my sis has 2 but she is 4 hours away and my SIL's son is 20). There will be no shortage of babysitters so I was kind of thinking that I could combine errands that won't work for baby wearing into one day and let one of the moms watch her....but I realize that won't always be possible.

Decisions, decisions....and so much to consider!

Thanks so much to everyone who has responded!

ally2011 · December 2012

Also, to clarify, while I don't love the idea of spending extra money on something that won't have a long life span, that is not my main driver. I am slightly crunchy (which most people find surprising about me for some reason) and I hate the idea of adding a big piece of plastic to a landfill after very little use. Although we are getting licensed as a foster home, so it could potentially get a lot more use...its just hard to know.

All of these opinions have been really helpful ladies, thank you!

Kingston54 · December 2012

You can definitely get away without an infant seat but I wouldn't try it

Like you said, it's nice because you don't have to move them in and out of a seat if they fall asleep somewhere. And if they are sleeping and you're going somewhere, you can just take them in where you are going right in the seat. I also liked it for the fact that LO (and this baby) were born in the winter. Easier to get them bundled up in a warm place and click them in than standing by the car trying to get them in and covered.

lbonga1 · December 2012

I'm a FTM so I asked my mom this question too. I told her I was concerned about waking up the baby when getting her out of the car. Her response was, "Sleeping babies are pretty durable." Haha when I laughed at her she explained she meant that I'd probably be just as likely to wake up the LO trying to get the infant seat out of the back of my little 2 seat car. We ended up getting a Safety First convertible seat and a Britax B-Agile stroller. We also have a carrier so that I can wear the baby. I sat down in the convertible seat when we got it, and the half of my butt that fit was super comfy! Haha

saturdaynightdoubletree · December 2012

No, not necessary. However helpful when baby is sleeping transporting in and out of the car. Safer when you have a lot to carry in from the car. Quicker when it's raining, etc if you don't have a garage to pull into. Super easy to bring baby who otherwise won't sit up until 4-6 months into a restaurant, etc. Good place for baby to nap while visiting people who don't have a crib. Depends on your lifestyle - I was seriously considering going straight to a convertible seat this time around, but then I remembered how much faster and easier it is to have the infant seat, and how sad I was when both my kids grew out of it.

nyki06 · December 2012

I used a convertible from the start and never regretted it. I just made sure to bring my Moby wrap with me when we went places and would move her from the carseat to the baby carrier. I found that to be a lot more convenient than awkwardly carrying around a heavy carseat, but that was just my preference. I also enjoyed not having to buy another car seat, my daughter is 21 months old and is in the same seat that we brought her home in.

IncogNeato · December 2012

No, you don't NEED it but I wouldn't have gone without. Of course, my baby was small so she used it for a long time. The combo of the infant seat and a snap n go was my favorite way to get around. I loved babywearing, too, but there were times where I just wanted to put her down for a bit and the carrier/snap n go allowed me to do that. Then if she fell asleep in the carrier I could just pop her back in the car. My kid was fussy and a crappy sleeper so I NEVER woke her if I could avoid it. Many times I brought her in from the car in her carrier so she could nap for a few more minutes within eyesight.

Also, dropping her off at the babysitter was so much easier when I could just pop the seat out and take her in that way. Also, my DH and mom had bases as well so then it was easy for either of them to come and pick her up without everyone having to have a huge convertible seat in their car. Of course, now that she's 2 they have big seats installed but it was nice to postpone that for a while.

Angela814 · December 2012

For me, yes I think it's 100 necessary. We just bought a new infant seat since our old one expired, and I bought a model with a larger height limit to get us hopefully through the whole 1st winter. You can take a baby in and out of an infant seat and bundle them up, but it's so much more convenient to keep them in it just to get inside the building. Plus in the newborn stage, it's nice not to have to wake baby. You never know what your baby's temperament will be. I had two that didn't like to sleep and were a pain to get down for a nap, so I would have done anything not to wake them.

PatchChild · December 2012

It all depends on the baby. My son never stayed asleep when the car stopped so his infant seat never left the car. I just kept a sling in the car and transferred him.

That said, he was such a peanut that he fit better in an infant seat than in his convertable for the first couple months.

Is an infant seat really necessary?

Re: Is an infant seat really necessary?

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