Parents - did anyone skip the infant car seat?

[Sarah_Rose]

As an incentive through my DH's employer, we got a free Britax Boulevard car seat that normally costs $310. I am strongly considering just skipping the infant seat stage and using the Boulevard from newborn. The Boulevard is good from 5 lbs (up to 65 lbs) and seems to be one of the safest convertible car seats on the market. Is it really worth spending $150 for an infant car seat, when it seems that what we already have (for free!) should work just fine, and be extremely safe?

What is the benefit of having an infant car seat? I understand the convenience of being able to transfer the baby in and out of the car without having to wake them and remove them from the car seat, but is this really such a big thing? I am not planning on using a travel system stroller (I don't like how bulky they are) - am I going to regret this entire decision? All my friends with kids think I'm crazy, but my mom pointed out that infant car seats didn't exist when we were kids, and I survived just fine. Is the benefit of being able to transport the baby in the seat the only advantage to the infant seat? Is my newborn going to be dwarfed by the giant convertible seat?

Help out a (soon to be) new mom, here! Thanks!

 

[stsomewhere]

My DD was in an infant seat for 2 weeks. She was a big baby ( the Dr told me she was the size of a 3 month old. We moved her into a convertible seat because her legs were too long for the infant.

 

[ccgirl]

I think the whole transfer thing is big....you know..don't wake a sleeping baby. Plus, it is a safe place for the baby to be if you are somewhere say at a friends house and not holding her. She can nap in there etc. They make the snap 'n go strollers now that are just a frame the infant car seat can lock on to. Really great concept and fairly inexpensive.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

I had no problem with it. I was a poor 19 year old when I had my child and I saw absolutely no reason to spend extra money when it wasn't necessary. Would the infant carrier have been convenient? Sure, but it wasn't worth the extra $100 to me.

 

[Buckeye Princess]

New advice is now that you should not let your infant sleep in the infant car seats out of the car. When the infant seat is set on the ground it is not at the same angle as in the car. As a result some babies have suffocated when their head tips forward.

 

[padams]

The infant seat allows you to move a sleeping baby from the car into the house, restaurant, mall, etc. It also gives you somewhere to put the baby when you are out (ped's office, friend's house, restaurant, etc.) so you don't have to use a stroller or hold the child.

While sleep might not seem like a big deal now, when you are a sleep deprived parent of a newborn (which is likely) or if you have a fussy baby, you will value greatly the ability to let the baby continue sleeping.

On the other hand, if you never have an infant seat, you won't know what you are missing.

 

[LisaNJ25]

Having 4 kids I could not do without the carrier. It was so much easier when out shopping or even getting out of the car. Especially my last 2 who are 12 months apart. Could not imagine getting a newborn out of the car and a 1yo. Was easier having the newborn in the carrier.

 

[mjkacmom]

I would've payed $500 for the convinience of the infant seat. Buckling up in the house is easier, you have a place to put the baby when you're out, especially when you start solids, you can move the baby sleeping in the carseat into the house, you can get away with buying a stroller frame like a snap-n-go to keep in the car for outings like the mall (I even had a double for my twins)... I kept my kids in them until they outgrew them - a couple didn't until close to 12 months!

I had a friend who insisted she didn't need one with her first - guess what she bought with her 2nd!

 

[mjkacmom]

My DD was in an infant seat for 2 weeks. She was a big baby ( the Dr told me she was the size of a 3 month old. We moved her into a convertible seat because her legs were too long for the infant.

I don't think leg length has anything to do with carseat safety, and I don't know of many 3 month olds who are too big for an infant seat (as long as they're not 20 pounds or their head is within 1 inch of the top.

 

[WDWorBUST]

I say give it a go without and if you decide the convenience is worth it THEN get one. I had the same discussion with DH recently. I'm seriously considering skipping the infant car seat this time and I did have one with my DD. My situation may be a little different though. I am due in mid-November so odds are I won't really be getting the baby out a whole lot when she/he is little with it being the middle of winter. DD was born November 1st and we just didn't get out much....I expect my dad will take and pick up DD to school the first couple of months too so I kind of anticipate not getting out much again with this baby that the infant carrier would make that big of a difference. Also it seems silly for 6 months or less to spend the money for the seat and 2 bases *at a minimum* when I'm going to have to turn around and then spend the money for at least two more seats....and as of now I'm looking at Britax Marathons (it's what I had with DD and LOVED them) so the money saved on the whole infant set up will be a big chunk towards one of the other seats. I would just wait and see how it works out for you. You can use the boulevard for getting home from the hospital and then for a few weeks until you decide.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

I honestly gave it a lot of thought and was leaning toward it with my soon-to-be DS, (DDs seat is pink! ) and I was really leaning toward not using an infant seat so I wouldn't have to re-buy one. I think I'm going to go with one this time, too. It's definitely easier in the early days in restaurants, in the stroller, etc. I do wish she was one of those babies who continued to sleep when they were transported from the car to the house, though. Ah well.

It really is nice in the winter when you can buckle the baby into his/her seat in the nice warm house instead of the cold car!

 

[malibuconlee]

I wouldn't skip the infant carrier. You could put the baby in a sling most places, but if you are at a restaurant would you really want to HAVE to eat with the baby on you? Heck I'd be afraid of spilling on the baby LOL.

I missed the carrier when I switched over at 7 months. She was still taking 3 naps a day and it was SOOO much easier when I could go shopping or out to lunch or do WHATEVER while she was in her carrier and she could sleep whenever/wherever.

Putting them in the seat while in the house and having the easy lock and easy release of the carrier is SOOO easy!! I miss that.

 

[daisyyy]

Yes.... the OP's original question was can you skip the infant seat... We never used an infant seat on all 4 of my kids. We just used the one that you can turn around, and the starps were adjustable so as they grew we moved the straps, and at 12 months turned them around to face forward. I'm sure you'll get a lot of different pros and cons for both, but, really the other ones are fine if it says from 5 lbs and up... really, my sister had one and I think her baby was out of it by the time she was 4 months old. (I know it's hard to believe, but they out grow the infant stuff in a blink of an eye. seroiusly... one week to the next, you can't believe it. My DH used to call those seats that you carry them around in the kid buckets. I know you run the chance of waking the baby up, and sometimes we did when we transferred them from seat to seat, or carry them, but, honestly, it gives you more contact with your infant.. and that's a good thing.. and IMHO, I think it helps the infants develop their muscles a little better... all my kids held their heads up, and sat by them selves early, and began WALKING between 8 & 9 months.... (which.. may or may not have been the best thing.. but hey... why not)...

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I skipped the infant seat with 3 of my kids. My 1st I had the bucket seat and he hated the car seat so I always took him out of it as soon as the we arrived where we had to go. He NEVER slept in the thing. He would cry- and cry and cry.....and cry. It was heartbreaking and I hated putting him in it. With my 2nd there was no way I was dealing with that. We got a Britax and in she went from day one. Thank God she liked the carseat. With #3 and 4 we also used the Britax. I never had a problem and they are all close in age so I always had more than one little child. This time around though I did get an infant bucket seat. I figured I'd try it again. So far so good. Keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[mjkacmom]

Also it seems silly for 6 months or less to spend the money for the seat and 2 bases *at a minimum* when I'm going to have to turn around and then spend the money for at least two more seats....and as of now I'm looking at Britax Marathons (it's what I had with DD and LOVED them) so the money saved on the whole infant set up will be a big chunk towards one of the other seats. I would just wait and see how it works out for you. You can use the boulevard for getting home from the hospital and then for a few weeks until you decide.

Just so you know, it's very easy to use the seats without bases. To save money, I got a budget seat for #1, and it didn't come with a base. I was so used to not using one that it was just as quick to belt in as it was to clip in a base.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I don't think leg length has anything to do with carseat safety, and I don't know of many 3 month olds who are too big for an infant seat (as long as they're not 20 pounds or their head is within 1 inch of the top.

It is height and/or weight with the infant seats. My son was out of it by 4 months old.

 

[mtemm]

honestly I would give it a try and see how it goes, then if you feel like it isn't working for you, get the infant seat then.

congrats on the free boulevard. that is quite a coup!!!!

 

[mtemm]

if I remember correctly infant seats are weight OR height (as opposed to turning forward facing, which was both age AND weight). most babies outgrow in length (usually 26 or 27") their infant seats long before the 20lbs. my kids were all out of theirs by around 6 months.

 

[mjkacmom]

It is height and/or weight with the infant seats. My son was out of it by 4 months old.

But not total height - length from waist to top of the head, not whole body height. It doesn't matter how long their legs are. I would say average babies grow out of them around 6 months, some earlier, some later.

 

[Minnesota!]

I don't think leg length has anything to do with carseat safety, and I don't know of many 3 month olds who are too big for an infant seat (as long as they're not 20 pounds or their head is within 1 inch of the top.

Having a carrier was a must for me with both of mine. Like others said, it was nice to be able to keep the baby sleeping in a restaurant, shopping cart, etc. It allowed me to get more done...not having to base things around a sleeping baby, and I always had my hands free.

My older son was out of it around 3 months - he was 18# at his 2 month check up and over 20# by 4 months. He was also very long. My younger son (used the same seat as older son) was in it for longer - can't remember exactly how long. Probably 7 months or so. So I got a good almost year of use out of it! Works for me!