Not using an infant seat?

doriansmummy · Feb 11, 2013

I am on the fence and I am trying to figure out what to do, I am hoping some outside thoughts will help.

I am either looking at getting a Coccoro or an infant seat for bebe due in July. I am thinking I may just use the Coccoro from the start instead of using an infant seat. I am wondering how much of a pain this could possibly be? The only time I can think that I would take the infant seat out would be for the grocery store, as I will not be using a travel system (getting a city mini). Am I thinking this through?!

Any input would be fabulous, thank you!

With our DS he hated the carseat, so we never took it out of the car.

TyAndCheyMommy · Feb 11, 2013

I posted a similar thread a bit ago...

Some things brought up to me were instances of cold weather, going out to eat, going places that there isn't a safe place to set a baby down, and chasing young kiddos.

kaharris83 · Feb 11, 2013

We've been using a CCO since birth and no regrets here. My 2.5yo is a runner and I cou.ld never lug an infant seat and chase him. I pop the newb in a carrier and off we go. DS1 would never in the infant seat in the restaurant anyway.

sb518 · Feb 11, 2013

Dd was born in July and the car got so dang hot I was glad I could bring it inside. Wouldn't want to put a newborn in a seat that hot.

doriansmummy · Feb 11, 2013

Never used a carseat at a restaurant with DS, but he hated it. I mean cried 95% of the time in it for about the first 10-12 months.

It does not get super hot/cold here, and when it does I start the car prior to leaving. So that is a non-issue. I could see when it is pouring rain (which happens a lot here), that having an infant seat would be nice to run into the store or shops. That is the one reason I am hesitating, but then when I think I really would only use it for a few months it seems silly.

geekKT · Feb 11, 2013

I used a TFP from birth for DS, an April baby. It was fine, and I can only recall two specific instances that an infant seat would have been particularly useful.

I had planned to do the same with DD, but ended up buying a Via for her last week. I'm finding myself kind of indifferent to it. I still babywear 95% of the time - the grocery store and bulk store carts wouldn't fit a seat inside, I don't like lugging it around, and I can chase DS more easily with her in a carrier anyway.

The biggest advantages of the infant seat for me are having a safe spot for her while prepping to go somewhere and having an easier time getting between the car and house. Its also nice to worry less about bundling her to go out and be put in a cold car.

Were she not a winter baby, I don't think I would have bothered with the bucket. I think you would be fine, unless super hot seats are a concern for you like the PP mentioned.

ETA: I should add that DD is a car screamer at this point. She cries as soon as I put her in the seat, fusses for a good while until she finally crashes, and wakes up to cry when we stop. It doesn't give me any extra incentive to just leave her in there when we go shopping or anything, lol.

Kobain's Mommy · Feb 12, 2013

If I'd skip the bucket I'd go for a CCO. It's light weight and easy to install/uninstall if need be. I have a flash frame for mine (I don't think they make them anymore) but there is another universal snap and go I guess it works with. There have been times DD is asleep and we get to the store so I just unLATCH it and carry it in and set it in the cart. I also use LATCH to keep it upright in the cart basket.

Blondie87 · Feb 12, 2013

I liked using the infant seat, not to take it in places, but to take in and out of the house. That way I could get them all buckled in the house, then take them out to the car, and vice-versa. Especially when they are newbs, they sleep so much I hate having to wake them up every time you get in or out of the car, but then they also shouldn't be sleeping in their seat more than they have to. It's great when it's cold too, you can get them all bundled in the seat after they are buckled in the house, then move it to the car.

T4K · Feb 12, 2013

I loved the infant seat and my kid loved it, too. She likes being in car seats.

I had no problem leaving her in the seat if she was sleeping which seems to be the minority around here. So I was the bad bad mother who took her grocery shopping in it and went to restaurants while she slept. I didn't keep her in it for hours on end but I really appreciated eating hands free when she willingly took a nap

I also like buckling her in while inside before having to go outside.

Lastly, I traveled a lot when she was young and it was sooooo easy with a bucket.

bella_1818 · Feb 12, 2013

I got a stroller with a bassinet and we're going to try not getting a bucket. With DS, I stopped using the bucket ASAP, around 3 months, because it was soooooooo heavy! I'm having a section this time and can't imagine lugging a carrier plus one of my 9 lb monster babies.

I figure if we realize we screwed up and should have gotten a carrier, they aren't hard to find locally.

If I find a killer great deal on an Aton, I'll get it.

MommyShannon · Feb 12, 2013

We skipped it for #4 and went right to Britax convertibles. I wear her everywhere. She was born at the end of June but our van cools quickly and we have very dark windows so their seats never get too horribly hot. We hardly had any rain her first few months. we have a van thouh so i could have ducked in the van to put her in. Like mentioned above, wearing while eating out is awkward but not bad. DD3 is 7 months and can use a high chair now. I had to take her to my p/p check up so I laid her on my chest. I took a FP rock n play when we went to houses so I could set her down. A bouncer or blanket would work fine but I have 3 other kids who might run her over. I really liked the Baby Ktan and Moby at first. Now I mostly use the ergo or Beco butterfly II since I can put her on my back. I can't imagine shopping with a stroller unless its just for a few things. Baby wearing is key to grocery shopping for me.
ETA: DD2 had an infant seat but I always wore her at the store.

stephpook · Feb 12, 2013

My youngest was in a My Ride 65 from birth because we couldn't justify spending the money on an infant bucket for what we knew would be our last child. I'll be honest - there were times when I very much missed having a bucket (many of the reasons have been stated above) - but at the same time, we did fine without one too. I had a Moby, a Snugli, and a Chicco Liteway (a stroller with newborn recline was a must for me because we didn't have the bucket). We took turns holding her in restaurants until she was old enough to sit in a high chair.

tiggercat · Feb 12, 2013

I skipped the bucket with my middle child, born in August, and didn't miss it at all. She went right into an old style MA and fit well. I carried her mostly, and used a stroller occasionally, and it worked for us.
That being said, I did get a bucket (SR32) for Sam, and was happy with it too. I did move him out of it before it was outgrown, and often left it in the car, but I liked having the option to put it on the snap n go frame in that first winter.

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CTPDMom · Feb 12, 2013

I'll confess I did not read all of the replies but wanted to chime in and say that you can use the CCO, and ALSO have an infant seat on hand in the trunk (no base) for things like grocery carts (the LARGE part!! LOL), restaurants, carting into the house if it's icy or rainy and you want extra coverage. That infant seat can be used, crashed, expired. You can get a free one hand me down and bleach the heck outta it and it won't matter. Still usable for all of those purposes.

tiggercat · Feb 12, 2013

CTPDMom said:
I'll confess I did not read all of the replies but wanted to chime in and say that you can use the CCO, and ALSO have an infant seat on hand in the trunk (no base) for things like grocery carts (the LARGE part!! LOL), restaurants, carting into the house if it's icy or rainy and you want extra coverage. That infant seat can be used, crashed, expired. You can get a free one hand me down and bleach the heck outta it and it won't matter. Still usable for all of those purposes.

Oh yes! I had forgotten, but I did have a SIV with a snagged harness that I used a handful of times with my daughter in just those kinds of situations. Excellent suggestion.

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JsMommy · Feb 12, 2013

I'm debating this now for my next kid due this July. With DD we rarely carried the bucket around. We didn't get a second base for the other car. She didn't like sitting still in just about anything, so leaving her in the seat at a restaurant (the couple times we went) or at a grocery store wasn't happening. But I found a new OnBoard 35 for about $60 and went for it. The instances where I could see it being useful is quick trips like drop off or pickup of DD from daycare, if the baby is asleep. For the other car, we will probably get a CCO.

mominabigtruck · Feb 12, 2013

None of my 3 youngest have been that into the carseat and I very rarely leave them in it if we're not in the van but a bucket is helpful when you've got alot of kids to wrangle and you need someplace to put them. My kids in harnessed seats don't buckle themselves so it's nice to just be able to sit the bucket down next to the van or on the front seat while I crawl around in the back and not have to worry about their seat being in the way or one of the other kids whacking them with their stuff on the way to their seats.

lorismurph · Feb 12, 2013

I'm having twins and using one bucket and one CCO. I figure I can wear one baby if we go places and if it's like a doctor (someplace where my ginormous double stroller won't fit), I can click the bucket onto the single stroller, wear the other baby then once inside, I can take the bucket off the stroller and still have a place to put the other baby.

If I were you, I'd probably pick up a used seat just for a carrier. Use it at the grocery store, restaurants, etc.

Kel · Feb 12, 2013

I'll skip it next time. I've used it less with every baby, and I've baby worn more each time.
I never new about the cco until coming here. I bought two for my 10mo old DD. I put her in them at 5 mos. Next baby will go strait into these. And she'll move into a MR 65, unless something else great comes out.
If you want something longer lasting the MR is great for newborns.
I got good deals on my cco, so that's the way i went. Their so cute!!! I love mine, plus I new I'd pass them down later.

Also, I find it MUCH easier chasing my 2yr old while wearing my 10no old, lol.

justanothersmith · Feb 13, 2013

There's no way I'd skip an infant seat. I'm a babywearing mama and wear my babies in wraps as often as possible, but I've also had some VERY poor sleepers and when they'd fall asleep in the car (with my carseat hater that was usually after screaming her head off, which was horrible since we live a good 30 minutes from town...but FWIW, changing to a convertible made ZERO difference with that, she just screamed until 14 months old!!), those catnaps were very valuable for ALL of us. They did NOT transfer asleep...never worked even once! And we don't have LATCH so popping the seat in/out as simply as that like previously suggested isn't a possibility (and that just doesn't seem very practical in my case). We don't lug the seat around regularly, but it is great for in/out of the house, especially if you have many other little ones to deal with at the same time. And in very hot/very cold weather (where we live we see both of those). I know there are solutions to all those things in order to make it work without an infant seat, but there's just no way I'd pass that up.

Not using an infant seat?

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