Convertible from birth-how do you do it?

abigaylebelle

Active member
For all of you folks who have used only a convertible from birth, how did you manage it? Do you live in a warm climate? Am I the only person who tried to go without an infant seat and regretted it?

I live in a place that is perpetually 40F, rainy, and often windy. Today I had to drive to pick up my ds from kindy with my one month old. We have to park and walk up to the school so I took the sleeping baby out of her seat and put her in the moby as quickly as possible. Of course she woke up because it was raining on her and I cannot hold the umbrella (which was promptly destroyed by the wind) and put her in the wrap. Tons of crying ensued. Any ideas on how to avoid this situation tomorrow?
 
ADS

lpperry

Active member
I used a convertible seat from birth with 2 of my 3 and didn't regret it. I just used a wrap carrier. They typically did wake up when I got them out of the car, but would fall back to sleep in the wrap.

I had an infant seat for the first one and he always woke up when we took it out of the car anyway. So, even if you had an infant carrier, there is no guarantee that the baby would stay asleep when you took the seat out for the school pickup.

If you think it would make your life easier, maybe you could borrow an infant seat from a friend for a few months.
 

tiggercat

New member
I mostly used a ring sling with my daughter (in MA from birth), and in inclement weather just put the sling on under my coat before getting out of the car. It's one quick motion to pop her out of the carseat and slip into sling, tighten sling and cover with coat.

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stephpook

New member
I used a convertible from birth with my youngest. We don't live in a horribly cold climate (MD), but she was born in mid-October, so it was still pretty cold when she was a tiny little thing. Honestly, there were times when I flat-out missed not having an infant seat, but I don't really regret going with the convertible from the get-go either. Depending on the situation, we used a Moby, a Snugli carrier, a Chicco Liteway, or we just carried her. If the weather was bad, I'd put the Moby or Snugli on in the car (if I was running errands I'd leave it on in the car driving from place to place) and get her into it as quickly as possible.
 

Tashinamommyto3

New member
I did it with my first and only loved it because I could climb in The back seat and get her bundled in the wrap and then the same to put her back in the seat. When my second came along there was no longer room in the car and I had a 2yr old...I bought an infant seat after a month and didnt look back. The third guy used the same infant seat too. If you have a way to get in the back seat, out of the elements maybe try that. It wont hurt to go with an infant seat either.
All three of mine were winter babies too.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Convertibles from birth with both kids. First was in North Carolina. Second in Seattle. I woke her, got her in a fleece pouch (much easier than a moby to get in and out) and that was that. She went back to sleep or she stayed awake. She was dressed to be wrapped in fleece. Sometimes I'd ask other parents to get my older daughter and bring her outside to me if younger was asleep. I never found it tough.

But some people like infant seats. I only used one for two weeks when I was writing a review on it, and Laine was already eight months old when we got it. I didn't feel I missed anything.

Wendy
 

whitneyg

New member
I have my baby in the center and my big girl outboard just so that I could load and unload him in and out of the wrap out of the elements. We have a teeny car and it is tight, but it is worth it to keep him warm and dry. If you can reconfigure so you can sit in the back next to the baby's seat that might help.
 

MunkyCrazy

New member
I love my infant seat, however my baby has a different opinion. For trips longer than 5 minutes in and out I baby wear because he will cry the whole time. I usually wear a SCC (Boba) but it takes me a couple of minutes to get him in and situated so I've been wondering what I will do when it's freezing/snowing/pouring rain. I tried slings with my oldest and never liked them. Maybe I'll have to get my Moby back out.
 

CrazyBoysMamma

New member
I haven't done it yet personally, but I'm not a fan of buckets and DH is. He insists on having a bucket, I don't understand why, all of my kids woke up when I took the seat out anyway. :thumbsdown:
 

aept

New member
I love my infant seat, however my baby has a different opinion. For trips longer than 5 minutes in and out I baby wear because he will cry the whole time. I usually wear a SCC (Boba) but it takes me a couple of minutes to get him in and situated so I've been wondering what I will do when it's freezing/snowing/pouring rain. I tried slings with my oldest and never liked them. Maybe I'll have to get my Moby back out.

If you have the infant seat, I would just bring baby inside the store in the seat and then once inside the warm store I would find a non-busy spot to take them out of the infant seat and I to the carrier. Yes, then you drag an empty infant seat around with you. I'd just put it in the shopping cart, sometimes piling stuff right into it if I ran out of room.

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Phineasmama

New member
If you have the infant seat, I would just bring baby inside the store in the seat and then once inside the warm store I would find a non-busy spot to take them out of the infant seat and I to the carrier. Yes, then you drag an empty infant seat around with you. I'd just put it in the shopping cart, sometimes piling stuff right into it if I ran out of room.

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I did this too. I didn't wear her every time but when I did want to wear her I certainly didn't want to get her out and into the carrier in the parking lot. And the only thing I can wear is an Ergo because I have a terrible back and joint problems, a sling or wrap did not cut it.
 

Ninetales

New member
Me too. At the grocery store I carry the infant seat in one hand, hold my 2yo's hand in the other, pick up a cart with a bench in the back, put baby in the Beco, the bucket under the cart, and the 2yo on the bench.

It just gets too cold and/or wet here in winter for convertible-from-birth for me.
 

Baylor

New member
I could not have. I had ds1 in summer so It was nice to not have his seat be 100 degrees when we got in the car. And DS2 was born in feb and it was freezing.

I loved my buckets.
 

MommyShannon

New member
I skipped it this time with our 4th. I need my hands free for other kids and doing stuff. I had her the end of June. It was very hot, but we didn't go many places. We've also had a drought so rain hasn't been an issue. Lots of rain or snow probably would change my mind. I can kneel in my van a little while getting her out if I need to. I take our FP Rock n Play along to relatives' houses where I want to put her down. I'd use a blanket on the floor if I didn't have 3 others kids who might run over her! Now at 5 months and 16lbs I'd have moved her out anyway. Our weather isn't too extreme though. I've only missed it maybe 3 times.
 

abigaylebelle

Active member
I have my baby in the center and my big girl outboard just so that I could load and unload him in and out of the wrap out of the elements. We have a teeny car and it is tight, but it is worth it to keep him warm and dry. If you can reconfigure so you can sit in the back next to the baby's seat that might help.

This is a great idea. I can't get anything next to the blvd70 in my car unfortunately. My ds's boosters are all too wide. Then with the seats outboard there is no room between the seats for my bum.

I think part of the problem with this situation is that I was only out of the car for a few minutes so it wasn't long enough for baby to fall back to sleep in her wrap. With my ds we used an infant seat and I wore him if I was going to be inside for a while but if it was a very short errand it was easier to bring him in his infant seat.
 

lucid501

New member
We used a Combi Cocorro from birth for my son. He was born in Nov and we live in Ohio, so definitely some cold snowy weather....but if it was bad out I just put him in a chest carrier for the walk to the car, in case I slipped.

We're planning to do it again with the new baby (due in Feb), but if someone were to give me an infant seat I would use it. I just dont plan on buying one myself since the combi is still good, and I'm cheap, lol.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Fleece pouch, definitely. When dd2 wasn't in her bucket, she was in that.
As for my non-bucket baby, we parked in an attached garage and I wore him in a cotton ring sling, and we just handed him back and forth at restaurants and tried not to drop food on him :p (With the girls, I was just too mobile with other kids and living situation, I really needed a bucket).
 

nospam

New member
I'm the DH (doesn't seem to be many dads here). We are expecting our first in June and planning to use the Coccoro. Weather is mild here in So Cal near the beach and our vehicle doesn't get too hot with window tints. We park in a cool garage at home and will start the car to cool down first when we are out and about on extremely hot days.
 

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