Skip the infant carrier?

Brindy · Sep 28, 2009

My husband and I are due with our first in April, and I have a question about how necessary it is to start with the infant carrier. I would rather spend a lot of money on a good convertible than split the finances between the 2 seats, one of which will only be used for a few short months.

From a safety perspective, it is my understanding that neither an infant carrier or convertible is better than the other. Please correct me if this is wrong.

On a personal-preference basis, do you feel that the carrier seat is necessary? Will it save my sanity and thus make it worth it for those 4-9 months, or will we get along fine without? The baby will be coming in spring, so they would most likely be out of the carrier by the time the really cold weather strikes (And if they aren't out of it by max. measurements, I certainly wouldn't be able to carry them in it anyway!!).

Thanks in advance for your input!

skiersnowboarder3 · Sep 28, 2009

I too plan on skipping the infant carrier. I feel like most infants spend too much time in them and I don't want to pay the money for something that's only used for a few short months. They only safety aspect about using a convertible for a newborn is to be sure that you get a convertible with low bottom slots. A few convertibles that are good with newborns are:

radian
true fit
scenera
safety first enspira
evenflo triumph advance

NOT britax

An Aurora · Sep 28, 2009

This is my third baby and with all three the convenience of the carrier was lost on me. I usually leave the seat in the car and wear the baby anyway, so we could have gone with a convertible. DS fit very well into the True Fit from birth.

jujumum · Sep 28, 2009

An infant carrier was essential with my first 2 babies (I returned to work outside the home full time when they were each 7-8 weeks old). With my second two children, I was a SAHM while they were infants and an infant carrier was handy, but not essential.

nomatt · Sep 28, 2009

I think that with my first two, the infant carrier was a waste of money. My boys hated it and I loved the sling. That being said, we are having a big age gap this time and think that with the added activities that our third will have to come to, I think I'll use it.

I agree with the pp, I also don't want my kids to spend too much time in it either - not good for their development. I love a sling and an ergo carrier where I can talk to the baby all the time.

You should also know to get a stroller that fully reclines if you plan on using a stroller at all as a newborn.

Sandy

ketchupqueen · Sep 28, 2009

I brought my third home in a convertible (a Radian), after bringing 2 home in carriers, I LOVED it. I'm a babywearer so there's just no point for me. I never have the baby in the infant seat except in the car anyway, and I don't live where it gets super-cold in the winter (which is the only reason I might consider a carrier ever again.) I plan to bring the next one home in a True Fit Premiere unless something better is out by then.

I got rid of the infant carrier and don't ever plan to use one again.

I do have times when I put my kids in other peoples' cars; for that I'd probably get a Scenera as a backup, so you don't have to uninstall and re-install your primary seat as often, if you do that as often as I do.

all together ooky · Sep 28, 2009

My first was a winter baby so the infant carrier was handy (it gets COLD here). But, she outgrew it by 5 months old so not very cost effective. The second was a spring baby and I just used the carrier from the first baby. Plus, I was going to hand down the Marathon and didn't know if she'd fit from birth (amazingly she did- huge and had a long torso). If I have a third I'll probably skip the infant seat entirely. I hate lugging that thing after the child is about 15lbs so it's not really convenient to me. And now there are good seats that fit from birth.

wendytthomas · Sep 28, 2009

I've not used an infant seat with either of my daughters. They've gone straight into convertibles. And I can't say I miss it (I tried one once. What a pain!!).

Wendy

kittykate · Sep 28, 2009

Well, both of my boys were peanuts (5 lbs 15 oz and 4 lbs 13 oz, with the former being full term and the later being a month premature) so for us an infant seat was a necessity because neither fit in the convertibles we had at the time (an Evenflo Triumph for DS1 and a Scenera for DS2)

ketchupqueen · Sep 28, 2009

kittykate said:
Well, both of my boys were peanuts (5 lbs 15 oz and 4 lbs 13 oz, with the former being full term and the later being a month premature) so for us an infant seat was a necessity because neither fit in the convertibles we had at the time (an Evenflo Triumph for DS1 and a Scenera for DS2)

Yes, but there might now be seats they would fit, were they born today.

The Combi Coccoro has super-super-super low bottom slots, a newborn insert that really changes the way newborns fit, and starting with the 2010 model will be rated from 3 lbs. with the preemie insert.

armywife12 · Sep 28, 2009

The infant seat was a waste for us. Caleb hated it and would wake up every time the car stopped anyways. All crying stopped once he switched to a convertible seat. I plan on going straight to the convertible seat next time and wearing my baby. I have a Myride and True Fit so, if I still have those seats around, I'll probably use those when we have another one, unless something better is out of course...lol. They both fit newborns well, along with the Scenera, Triumph Advance, and Radians as a pp mentioned earlier

TheNimpsGirl · Sep 28, 2009

We have an infant carrier and we liked it. DS was born in December, in a snow storm and well weather is just yucky hear till about spring. It was nice being able to bundle him up safetly inside and then take him down to the car (we don't have a garage or even a car port) versus covering him in blankets and bringing him down. We got the SafeSeat 1 which is now the Snugride32 (which will soon be the Snugride35) and DS still fits in it with room to spare (he is a peanut though). We will use it again this winter to bundle him up in and after spring, assuming he still fits in it which I can't imagine he won't, it will be the back up seat when he gets his convertible.

However, if we had a garage, we didn't live in Michigan, he hadn't have been a December baby and I was a baby wearer, then I would have skipped it. So I guess I would say, it depends on your situation and your life style.

mimieliza · Sep 28, 2009

If cold weather isn't a concern, my pick for a newborn would be the First Years True Fit Premiere. The premiere version has an anti-rebound bar to help stabilize the seat when rear-facing. It also is a very tall seat with high weight limits, so it will last you a long time. But, while the baby is small, you can remove the headrest so the seat takes up less space front to back. This is especially important because for a newborn you want the seat reclined at a full 45 degree angle.

austinmomtr · Sep 28, 2009

I had this same question and decided to go with the infant seat. Now, 11 months later, we are still using it (she is not yet 20 pounds and it goes to 30). I think it was indispensible, really - when she would fall asleep in it - it was nice to take the whole seat out and let her rest longer. It was also nice in grocery stores, etc. We didn't leave her in a lot by any means, but was convenient, for sure. I was wanting to skip that stage, but I glad we didn't. They have so much time in the next stages of carseat - it was and still is nice for us.

AmandaR · Sep 28, 2009

The infant seat was a waste with DD. She got heavy, and FAST. We moved her to a convertible before 3 months. This time we are starting DS in a convertible, the True Fit Premier.

FrogJuice · Sep 29, 2009

Both my DD's were very tiny, they lasted a long time in the carrier, we had a snugride and they both last somewhere from a year to a year and a half in it. I like having a carrier, it's nice when you just need to run in somewhere fast you can just click the seat out and in, vs. having to unbuckle and rebuckle baby in. I don't feel like my kids were in the seat to much, they never sat in it in the house, and we did leave it in the car a lot depending on where we were at.

amy919 · Sep 29, 2009

Although I don't like infant buckets in general, both of my girls were born in December and the bucket was convenient until the weather got warmer. Kaylie used hers for maybe 7-8 months to a year, but Teagan hated it and was out of it within a couple of months. Even still, with 2 kids being dropped off at 2 different schools on a daily basis, I know the bucket will make my life easier during those cold winter months. I will be buying one again, but will most likely move to a convertible as soon as spring hits. DH needs a 3 across solution in his Fusion, and I don't see any way to fit a bucket in there. I do the majority of dropping the kids off and picking them up from school, so the new baby will likely be in a Radian from birth in his car.

lpperry · Sep 29, 2009

I got a convertible for my fist baby, but I also have a snugride left over from my stepdaughter.

I could have easily lived without the infant seat and will not purchase one for the next baby.

I did not like using the infant seat in Target/grocery store/etc because when my baby was tiny, he was really fussy in the seat. I preferred to use my sling. Now that he is older, he enjoys being in the infant seat in the store, so we have used it a few times.

I did like the infant seat for the stroller because he could look at me while we were walking. Now that he is almost 6 months, he just sits in the regular stroller seat and looks out.

I hate carrying the infant seat, plus if my baby falls asleep in the car, he wakes as soon as the car stops, so I could never just carry a sleeping baby in the infant seat inside.

I think the infant seats are nice, but not necessary. I'd rather spend the money on a convertible that I really like. If you want an infant seat for your stroller, you could always get a used one from craigslist and just use it for your stroller.

Maedze · Sep 29, 2009

Is it necessary? No, of course not, as long as you buy a convertible that fits a newborn well.

That being said, I LOVED my infant carriers. If I ever have another baby, I will absolutely use one again.

I loved the convenience of being able to gently transfer a sleeping baby from my arms to a waiting carrier in the house (not so easy in the car). I loved being able to tighten the adjuster from dead on, rather than mussing with it from an angle.

When going into a restaurant or similar venue, I loved having a safe place to set the baby down. That's the toughest thing when you're out and about...you're in a public bathroom...where do you put the baby when you need to pee

Once I had a newborn out when I was freshly postpartum. I wear my babies, and I only intended to be in and out quickly, so I left the carrier in the car. Well, as luck would have it, I had to pee (nature's call in those first few months can't be ignored as you tend to have some incontinence immediately after birth) and I was STUCK. I ended up sticking the baby in the diaper bag :ROTFLMAO:

TheNimpsGirl · Sep 29, 2009

Maedze said:
...where do you put the baby when you need to pee

Once I had a newborn out when I was freshly postpartum. I wear my babies, and I only intended to be in and out quickly, so I left the carrier in the car. Well, as luck would have it, I had to pee (nature's call in those first few months can't be ignored as you tend to have some incontinence immediately after birth) and I was STUCK. I ended up sticking the baby in the diaper bag :ROTFLMAO:

Just so you know, that made me chuckle at the mental immage. And I think the thought of where to put the baby is one a lot of people have, I know I did! I even called my mom in a panic a few weeks before giving birth because your pregnant brain gets frazzled and I was beyond worried about how to handle situations just like that one. Her answer? "Um, you hold them on your lap? I don't know, that's what I always did and you seemed okay. You know your a mom when you can pee holding a baby on your lap." The funny thing is, yup, I've done it in a pinch.

Oh and I wanted to touch base on buying a used seat. I would never reccomend a thing, specially from someone you don't know personally. Car seats on CL/second hand stores/etc should be considered seats with an unknown history and you should never ever use a seat with an unknown history because, let's be honest, people lie about things like crashes, washing straps, missing parts, recalls. Unless you would trust that person who is giving you their car seat with your child's life, don't purchase/use it. No amount of savings is worth your child's life :twocents:

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