Sorry for the long post...but I could really use some guidance.
I will be having my 6th baby in August and have been totally agonizing over the carseat for months now. My youngest child is 6, so it's been a while since I had a newborn.
The only reason I am considering an infant seat (wanting the Snugride 30 or 35 click connect. I do want the lock-off though since I've had the tipping base issue before & hate it) is so I can pack her up in the house through the 1st winter.
Since coats in carseats are out of the question (I've heard there are some that may be ok? But Idk which ones for infants), it's tough to wrap a baby in blankets, carry her out, strip the blankets off in the freezing cold van to buckle her in, and re-bundle her. It would be nicer on her to buckle her all up in the house and not have to freeze her. Yes, I can start the van up before having to leave most of the time (though it means briefly leaving all the kids alone 2gether in the house...not a great idea) but it takes my old van about 25 mins to start to get warm inside the van. Plus, her seat will be in the driver's side middle-row, with her sis in the center position next to her, so the door will be open as I stand there buckling her. It will be very cold and snowy on her as we get a few nasty snowstorms and temps a little below zero.
I'm NOT thrilled about having to carry her in the seat up/down the 2 flights of stairs to my apartment though. I have a chronic, degenerative, painful spinal problem...so it's not going to be fun to carry...but I'll do it anyway. Though it might be a little safer to be in the seat than just in my arms as I walk up/down the slippery outside steps...idk.
Being able to click her seat into the stroller is nice, but honestly we don't go a ton of places during the winter. I'll do a weekly grocery shopping with her, but I plan to have her in a sling, despite the strain on my spine, since I can't push a cart full of food for my big family, while also pulling her stroller...lol. (Yes, I am single btw...so have no help at all.)
I like the thought of getting the convertible right away instead and not having to buy a second seat in a year or so anyway. Money is extremely tight, so it takes many months to save up for a seat. Despite the price, I want the Britax Advocate G4. It is supposed to fit newborns fairly well. She can rear face for 2+ yrs in it and go FF for at least a couple more years b4 probably moving to her sister's Frontier when she grows out of it (it was new last yr...so will still be good by then).
So my question is, is it really worth it to get the infant carrier just for the winter so I can bundle her up inside? I just can't see any way around her freezing if I use a convertible from the start. How do other people in colder places handle keeping their babies warm in a carseat? I also worry about tucking a blanket around her (over the harness). Babies squirm and the blanket can easily end up over her face. What's the safest way to handle it?
Thank you so much for any help you can provide. I just want to stop agonizing over this everyday, make a choice, buy the darn seat and be done with it! Lol.
I will be having my 6th baby in August and have been totally agonizing over the carseat for months now. My youngest child is 6, so it's been a while since I had a newborn.
The only reason I am considering an infant seat (wanting the Snugride 30 or 35 click connect. I do want the lock-off though since I've had the tipping base issue before & hate it) is so I can pack her up in the house through the 1st winter.
Since coats in carseats are out of the question (I've heard there are some that may be ok? But Idk which ones for infants), it's tough to wrap a baby in blankets, carry her out, strip the blankets off in the freezing cold van to buckle her in, and re-bundle her. It would be nicer on her to buckle her all up in the house and not have to freeze her. Yes, I can start the van up before having to leave most of the time (though it means briefly leaving all the kids alone 2gether in the house...not a great idea) but it takes my old van about 25 mins to start to get warm inside the van. Plus, her seat will be in the driver's side middle-row, with her sis in the center position next to her, so the door will be open as I stand there buckling her. It will be very cold and snowy on her as we get a few nasty snowstorms and temps a little below zero.
I'm NOT thrilled about having to carry her in the seat up/down the 2 flights of stairs to my apartment though. I have a chronic, degenerative, painful spinal problem...so it's not going to be fun to carry...but I'll do it anyway. Though it might be a little safer to be in the seat than just in my arms as I walk up/down the slippery outside steps...idk.
Being able to click her seat into the stroller is nice, but honestly we don't go a ton of places during the winter. I'll do a weekly grocery shopping with her, but I plan to have her in a sling, despite the strain on my spine, since I can't push a cart full of food for my big family, while also pulling her stroller...lol. (Yes, I am single btw...so have no help at all.)
I like the thought of getting the convertible right away instead and not having to buy a second seat in a year or so anyway. Money is extremely tight, so it takes many months to save up for a seat. Despite the price, I want the Britax Advocate G4. It is supposed to fit newborns fairly well. She can rear face for 2+ yrs in it and go FF for at least a couple more years b4 probably moving to her sister's Frontier when she grows out of it (it was new last yr...so will still be good by then).
So my question is, is it really worth it to get the infant carrier just for the winter so I can bundle her up inside? I just can't see any way around her freezing if I use a convertible from the start. How do other people in colder places handle keeping their babies warm in a carseat? I also worry about tucking a blanket around her (over the harness). Babies squirm and the blanket can easily end up over her face. What's the safest way to handle it?
Thank you so much for any help you can provide. I just want to stop agonizing over this everyday, make a choice, buy the darn seat and be done with it! Lol.