Can I survive winter with a newborn in a convertible car seat

Braggmom2be

New member
Hi I am new here and am due with my first in late October, I have been car seat passionate for several years though as I have nannied for several kids in the past. I am trying to figure out if it is reasonable to skip the infant seat? It would save us a lot of money in the long run I think, I never have really loved infant seats anyways. I plan on babywearing but my only concern is when we go out to a restaurant I would like have somewhere safe to put the baby or church. Also there is the winter aspect, now winters are unpredictable where I live, for example it has snowed once this year and we had one ice storm. But next year there could be a blizzard. Any suggestions advice? Thanks
 
ADS

Phineasmama

New member
I live in Wisconsin and I loved having the infant seat; otherwise she would scream getting in and out of the car because it was so cold, and she was already fussy enough without having to deal with that crap!!! Unless budget is a huge concern I would just get an infant seat. Because you can always leave it in the car and babywear, but you have the option to take it out if you want. And if you decide you didn't really need it, you can always sell on Craigslist when the baby outgrows it and get a convertible next time around!
 

krasota

Well-known member
We have a bucket, but almost never took it out of the car this winter. I can't lift the thing very easily.

In our case, a bucket was a good thing. DD was a preemie, so the geometry of fit was better with a bucket.
 

Braggmom2be

New member
So the 3 buckets I'm thinking about are
The snugride click connect 35 lx (I really want the lock offs and the no rethread harness)
The britax chaperone (like lock offs, easy latch, and the anti rebound bar, plus it comes in cowmoo!)
Or just go with the cheap evenflo embrace 35 since I really don't want to spend a ton of money on a bucket, the one on diapers.com does have easy latch

I plan on getting the city mini gt or the bob motion, ill probably get a snap and go if I go with the cc35
 

KaiLing

New member
October due date? That means not serious winter with a teeny newborn, right? I don't think of really frigid until late December (though who knows). My winter baby outgrew the infant seat before we used it much and my summer baby didn't have one. I really had no use for the infant seat: we did fine (though I'm not one who's inclined to take babies out until they're 8 weeks old if I can help it and my babies are so heavy that carrying that infant seat is truly awful). I would take a stroller with an infant seat if I needed it (buckled the infant seat in the back seat and put the stroller in the trunk), but mostly I just wore the baby. I'm so much more comfortable in cold weather with the baby under my coat: I know he's not too cold or too warm.
 

jordansmom

New member
I would probably choose a bucket, if I could find one I wanted cheap enough, just in case and leave it docked in the car if not needed. DS1 was a mid June baby and by the time winter came around, I never undocked the infant seat, but just wore him. I think we switched to a convertible in Feb/March. DS2 was born 10/26 and we used an infant bucket for a couple months, but typically didn't carry the bucket. Although I did have a snap n go that I used occasionally. By February, I switched to a convertible and that was still winter here.

Have you ever taken a look at NBD.com? There are a couple of the seats you mentioned marked down considerably right now...in the $50 to $60 range. Might be worth looking at!
 

kaharris83

New member
My DS2 was born Nov 2012 and we skipped the bucket completely. With DS1, a July baby, we hated the bucket and couldn't replace it fast enough. DS2 went straight into a Coccoro and we haven't missed the bucket at all. I babywear so pop him right into the carrier and if he was asleep he goes right back to sleep.
 

Harmony96

New member
All of my kids were fall/winter babies.

DD was born in early December, in Missouri, and when she was three weeks old, we had an ice storm so bad that it knocked power out in 95% of the city. We used the bucket seat with her and took it in and out of the car with her in it.

DS1 was an early October baby, and we lived in Dallas then. We still had the bucket seat for him, but this time, we primarily left it in the car and babywore.

DS3 was born 12/31 and he's in a convertible. On the (very few) coldest days we've had, I just make sure he has a warm hat, a thick blanket, and warm clothing, and he's good to go.
 

Mangosink

New member
Loved the bucket with all 4 of mine...summer, spring and fall babies. I loved if babe was sleeping, I didn't have to wake them to do a 5 minute errand. I loved being able to cover the bucket with a blanket when we were in germy places like the peds office. I'd never go without a bucket seat.
 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Regarding the restaurant - my favorite trick is to find a super-cheap infant seat on CL or get a hand-me-down (I had a super-expired one we usually used as a feeding chair) and leave it in the trunk. Convertible is used in the vehicle, but you have a bucket available as a restaurant baby-holder or whatever.

I am so torn on buckets. C was born in early Nov and we used one - but as much as I loved keeping her snuggly warm I hated carrying the thing. Switched it over a week or two ago.
 

glockchick

New member
You can but it sucks. ;) I did with my oldest, but poor kid was always freezing getting in and out of the car. I'd have to wake a snuggly warm baby to take him out of his seat and go in wherever we were going. He protested loudly. ;) With the rest of the kids I had an infant seat and it was so nice to be able to get them in the seat and warm and snuggly in the house/car and leave them that way to take them to the car/places we were going.

I've had a different infant seat with each kid. My favorite seat still being made is the Chicco 30. DS still fit in it at 15 months when we got in an accident and I replaced it with a MA. My favorite overall was the Fisher Price Stay in View. That thing was awesome. I wish they still made them. They had a strap to sling over your shoulder instead of a handle and were super light weight. I :love: that thing.
 

Tashinamommyto3

New member
I skipped the bucket with our first and loved it! With only one cr installed I could start the car ahead of time and get it warm, cover my daughter with a nice warm blanket and climb in the back seat to uncover her and buckle her in. It was great! When we were done with our errands I would climb in the back seat, reach up and start the car...stay snugly warm and nurse, which gave the car time to warm up. I would buckle her back in and we were on our way home. I never regretted skipping the bucket.
When number 2 came along though, I had no more back seat to climb into. He got a bucket when he was about 3 wks old. Lol
I also loved the bucket for all the reasons other have listed.
It's obviously your choice, but if you have more then one little one planned you can pass a seat down if you need to. That will save money down the road.
 

Athena

Well-known member
I couldn't. Where I live, we have winter. It can be a mild winter or we can have many storms, many subfreezing days, and a blizzard in October or April. However, I wouldn't get one without a stroller frame for it. I can't believe how many people I see carrying those awkward things. They are horribly unergonomic. In the end, it was a good investment for me to get a nice infant seat and stroller frame because it made life so much easier and I did well reselling them on CL. I hope whatever you choose, it all works out great for you. Congratulations!
 

Tashinamommyto3

New member
Probably everyone knows this, but just in case a very sleep deprived new mom is reading this (we've all been there, right? :)), anyone with their car in a garage should not do this.

Yes! Thanks for pointing this out...I didn't have a garage back then so it didn't occur to me to mention it.
 
The snugride click connect 35 lx (I really want the lock offs and the no rethread harness)

FWIW, I was told by Graco that none of the 35's have lock-off. :( I really wanted a 35 but we went with the 40 for that reason (hardly any difference, it still felt lighter to me than the regular SR35 and the cost was the same in the end). They didn't specify the LX vs the regular CC35 (someone here mentioned the LX may have lockoff), just said that that only the CC40's have lock-off, so perhaps there IS a difference...but just might be something worth checking! :)
 

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