Question Agonizing over infnt seat or Convertible 4 infant in cold winter. Pls help put me out of my misery;)

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.

Sorry no advice about keeping a newbie warm in a convertible other then dress him/her in a few thin layers, but a couple ideas I'll throw out. For the cost of the Britax you can buy a Evenflo SureRide and a Comfy Carry Infant Seat. Can one of your older children carry the infant seat up the stairs for you while you carry the baby?

I might lean towards a long lasting bucket with the plan to leave it in the car like a convertible as the baby gets older. Like the Safety 1st Onboard 35 or Graco Snugride 40 (can't remember if it's click or classic connect, I think it's click and it's more $$ than the Onboard). Then you have the bucket through the cold winter and once spring/summer gets there, you can start leaving it in the car like a convertible.

Or like the previous poster suggested a Comfort Carry and a Evenflo Sureride.

This link may help

http://carseatblog.com/18971/how-to-keep-your-baby-warm-this-winter/

I would get a lighter bucket (infant seat) and then leave it in the car once it starts to warm up and she gets heavier. If you just tuck around her lower half and have a sibling in the back seat with her, I would worry about a blanket ending up on her face. By the time she could wiggle enough to get it on her face, she could also get it off her face on her own.

I love britax, but I'd skip the Advocate. The Marathon or Boulevard, if you want the thicker headings, are more than adequate. Plus, those wide sides on the advocate make it difficult to fit other people or seats next to it. The Sureride that the others are recommending will last longer than the britax convertibles. A lot longer. But if you've got a frontier coming down the pike then that may not be a concern.

I don't live where it's normally very cold, but for us, this past winter was very, very cold. My dd was born at the end of November and we used a Cocorro, which is a convertible. I don't have a garage and we had icy back steps I had to go down every day. I was very uncomfortable carrying my daughter in my arms down the steps. It was nerve wracking for me. I also was extremely painful due to my surgical birth and autoimmune issues. It's still tough now.

Personally, if an infant bucket seat would have worked for me (fit in my tight 3 across), I'd have done it. I'm so glad it's warm out now and that I'm doing so much better. I was considering the Graco Click Connect 35 also. I went with the Combi mainly b/c it fit the best in my car's three across AND because I've had trouble w/the Graco buckles (and that problem is now totally resolved, so not a reason not to consider them).

There are seat covers that we call "shower cap" style. You put them over the top of the infant seat and they insulate and keep baby warm. They usually zip up so you can leave the cover on the seat, and zip/unzip to get baby in or out. They obviously have an opening for their face, but some have a flap style cover to cover their tender cheeks while you move them from house to car. They don't go behind the baby at all or interfere w/the harness straps. And if baby is put into the seat while inside the house, she will stay warm if she's properly covered up while you carry her to the car and get everyone safely buckled up. She can wear a warm hat, thin fleece coverall made for winter over her clothes, and little booties/shoes over socks (like Robeez--Target has a cheaper version). I think it's more likely and possibly more dangerous for people to *over bundle* baby in the car b/c of being worried they will get cold while getting moved into the car. After a few minutes, it starts to warm up.

Here's one of the shower cap styles (NOT the "Bundle Me", which goes behind baby and interferes w/the harness!): http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4389487
Congratulations!!!

I have a Snugride 35 classic connect and love it. I can't imagine carrying a newborn to the car to then buckle them in. Much easier inside. One thing about the snugrides with the higher weight limit is that they are heavy - without a baby. I think the Comfy Carry is more than 2.5 pounds lighter. If carrying up and down stairs I would get the lightest one and use it for the winter then switch to a convertible. Finding a convertible with low edges will make putting the older baby/toddler in easier with less bonking heads etc...

Another option would be to use the baby carrier for the stairs to and from the car. Having a the weight of the baby close against your body (and without the weight of the car seat) would be easier. Doesn't solve the cold weather problem, but might work in the spring.

Congrats

I had 3 winter babies and skipped (for the most part after some fit issues) the infant seat for the last one. I used a fleece jacket and a blanket. I am not a bundler much anyway unless we are going to be outside for a while.

I am horrible at walking on stairs. I've been know to fall UP them. That's without ice. Having my center of gravity thrown off by the size of an infant seat (it's not just the weight, it's the extension) while doing so would be just a matter of time until I fell. I much prefer to tuck a baby in a sling and have my hands free to hold the railings.

As for keeping baby warm, tuck baby in a sling then zip an oversized jacket around the both of you. Start the car warming as soon as you get there, then buckle the older child up with baby still zipped inside. THEN pop baby out of sling and into the car seat, buckle fast, then throw the jacket (still warm from your body heat) over the babe instead of a blanket. On particularly cold days you can even throw a microwaved heating pack (super easy to make by putting dry rice inside a infant sized T-shirt and sewing all the openings closed) into the baby's seat to preheat it while you buckle the big kids., then use the heat pack on your lap until the car warms up since you'll be jacketless too (jackets aren't great for seatbelt fit in general, not just car seat fit)

I agree with using the sling to/from car with oversized coat on you and baby in layers. That way, you could slide into the other side of the van and close the door, and kneel/stand in the middle of the van (captain's chairs?) and buckle baby in.