Parents - did anyone skip the infant car seat?

[Sarah_Rose]

Here's another question that's come to mind: what do you do with your relatively newborn baby while grocery shopping? A PP mentioned putting the infant seat in the shopping cart. Do you have any room for groceries? I was planning on using a sling or structured carrier (like an Ergo) while grocery shopping, but I was wondering what other people do.

Thanks for all the opinions, and keep them coming! You guys are giving me lots to think about... and I need all the help I can get. I have huge amounts of experience with kids from age 5 on (including having coached elementary school kids and worked as a middle school and high school teacher) but I'm absolutely clueless about what to do until I get to that point. I guess that's what my prenatal newborn care classes are for...

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I don't think that skipping the infant seat is such a big deal -- I never used mine for anything other than riding in the car. But I think the Britax is one of those seats where the slot heights on the straps are too high for most newborns.

I might be wrong, but maybe go to a carseat forum and ask. Mothering.com has one. They may be crazy over there, but they know things like slot heights!

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Here's another question that's come to mind: what do you do with your relatively newborn baby while grocery shopping? A PP mentioned putting the infant seat in the shopping cart. Do you have any room for groceries? I was planning on using a sling or structured carrier (like an Ergo) while grocery shopping, but I was wondering what other people do.

Thanks for all the opinions, and keep them coming! You guys are giving me lots to think about... and I need all the help I can get. I have huge amounts of experience with kids from age 5 on (including having coached elementary school kids and worked as a middle school and high school teacher) but I'm absolutely clueless about what to do until I get to that point. I guess that's what my prenatal newborn care classes are for...

I did use the infant seat for grocery shopping for awhile, but then I started using a Snugli. I did like that better.

 

[stsomewhere]

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.

My DD (second child) was 10lbs 9 oz and 26 1/2 inches long when she was born. My doctor was shocked- had he of known I would have been induced a few weeks earlier. When we told the people in the waiting room they did not believe us. The original due date I was give was Dec.15. After the ultrasound , it was changed to Jan. 15. She was born on Jan.22.

My DS (first child) was 8lbs 11oz and 22 1/2 long.

 

[pixiegoose]

I'm not a parent yet (we're due around the same time!) but have been doing lots of research on carseats (among a million other things). Most carseat techs seem to agree that lots of convertible seats (including the Boulevard) will not properly fit a newborn despite what the manufacturers weight limits say. We decided to go with the infant seat and then once she outgrows that, we'll switch her to a convertible with a high rear-facing limit and high as possible front facing harnessed limit (most likely will go with a Sunshine Kids Radian that can rear-face to 40/45 lbs and harness forward facing to 60/80 lbs., depending on the model). car-seat.org is a great is a great site with lots of information and forums for asking questions.

 

[MegaDisney]

Also, please keep in mind- even though the Boulevard says it is rated from 5 pounds, that does not mean your infant will fit properly in the seat. For rear-facing infants, the straps must be at or BELOW the shoulders, and quite simply most newborns will not meet this criteria- the lowest harness strap setting is just too high. Obviously it all depends on the length of your baby's torso, which is something you won't know until you put them into the seat for the first time. Just one thing to consider.

 

[MegaDisney]

We posted at the same time pixiegoose!

 

[mjkacmom]

Here's another question that's come to mind: what do you do with your relatively newborn baby while grocery shopping? A PP mentioned putting the infant seat in the shopping cart. Do you have any room for groceries?

Tons of room for groceries! You put the carrier by the handle, where a child would sit. Doesn't take up all that much room. Plus, you end up talking to the baby the whole time, which is funny when you don't have the baby with you - you'll still be talking out of habit!

Also, edited to add, you can't put a baby in a jacket in a carseat, so you will have to carry baby and blanket to the car, take of the blanket, buckle baby in, and then blanket - chilly!

 

[pixiegoose]

Tons of room for groceries! You put the carrier by the handle, where a child would sit. Doesn't take up all that much room. Plus, you end up talking to the baby the whole time, which is funny when you don't have the baby with you - you'll still be talking out of habit!

Also, edited to add, you can't put a baby in a jacket in a carseat, so you will have to carry baby and blanket to the car, take of the blanket, buckle baby in, and then blanket - chilly!

Actually, it is extremely dangerous to put an infant seat on top of a cart like that and safety experts agree that it shouldn't be done- it makes the cart too top heavy and more likely to tip over, thus injuring the child. I know that our car seat owner's manual also explicitly states to NEVER put the car seat on top of a shopping cart. If you absolutely must use an infant seat with a shopping cart, it needs to be placed in the basket of the cart (thus making the cart pretty pointless for shopping).

 

[mjkacmom]

Actually, it is extremely dangerous to put an infant seat on top of a cart like that and safety experts agree that it shouldn't be done- it makes the cart too top heavy and more likely to tip over, thus injuring the child. I know that our car seat owner's manual also explicitly states to NEVER put the car seat on top of a shopping cart. If you absolutely must use an infant seat with a shopping cart, it needs to be placed in the basket of the cart (thus making the cart pretty pointless for shopping).

Hmm - I guess they didn't state this when my kids were infants. I wonder why a 10 pound baby would cause a cart to tip, but not a 30 pound child sitting in the seat?

 

[Tiger926]

Lots of people on here talking about babies growing out of infant seats at 4-6 months old. Those are old infant seats - new seats go up to 32lbs and 32" (I think?). Peg Perego and Graco make infant seats that small babies can stay in until well past a year. Gone are the days of old infant seats that only accommodated 20lbs and very short height requirements. If your babes have long legs, then they can also stay in the new seats longer as well, as the top slots are higher in order to accommodate longer torsoed kids (like mine!).

We had infant carriers for our kids, and they were too heavy for me to carry, and so hubby would carry them in, and we would remove babes from them as they aren't supposed to sleep in them. New recommendations again, as mentioned, have necessitated this change as well. We also never put the carrier in carts either - not safe to do so. So, for many of the conveniences people are talking about on here, they are outdated and shouldn't be followed anyway, so in that respect, infant carriers aren't that convenient. What they are though is a better shape for infants to sit in - 3 in 1 seats that claim to go from birth to 80lbs are horrible. Infant seats are made for babes, and are safe in this respect in regards to how the infant sits in the seat. The seat the OP is referring to might not be suitable for her infant - you really don't know until you place your babe in the seat to see if it actually is a good and safe fit.

Infant seats offer convenience, but not much, when you think about it. My babes usually woke up when the car stopped, and so we removed from seat. The biggest area of convenience for us was during our cold Canadian winters, as we could leave blankets on top of babes, and quickly remove the seat to bring them inside.

Good luck to OP and happy baby shopping, Tiger

 

[pixiegoose]

Hmm - I guess they didn't state this when my kids were infants. I wonder why a 10 pound baby would cause a cart to tip, but not a 30 pound child sitting in the seat?

I don't understand the physics of it all but actually the AAP recommends that kids be placed in the cart as a last resort.

http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/aug06shoppingcart.htm

 

[ReneeA]

Hmm - I guess they didn't state this when my kids were infants. I wonder why a 10 pound baby would cause a cart to tip, but not a 30 pound child sitting in the seat?

Or a 45 pound 7 year old? LOL...I still swing my DD who is almost 7 up into the seat of a cart when I want to contain her for awhile in the store.

I loved my infant car seats with my kids. DS outgrew his at 4 months old (he was huge - in 12-18 month size for the length), but DD stayed in it until she was 8 months old. It was so nice to be able to transport sleepy babies around without disturbing them.

 

[SDFgirl]

I won't lie, they *are* convenient. Especially in restaurants where you want a place to put the baby down for a second so you can eat. It's also just generally nice to have a free set of hands wherever you go with the baby. If you go the library, the coffee shop, the DMV, whatever - you don't have to juggle holding your baby and your purse and everything else. That, to me, is the biggest advantage.

Having said that, if you never have used one, you'll probably never miss it, KWIM? A Britax is a really nice car seat and for FREE? That's awesome!!

Congrats on your new baby!

 

[Tiger926]

I don't understand the physics of it all but actually the AAP recommends that kids be placed in the cart as a last resort.

http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/aug06shoppingcart.htm

Although a bit old, this is a good link as it states that carts are problematic and unsafe for all children, and that babies should never be placed in an infant carrier on top of a cart.

I was lucky and never had to go shopping by myself, but when we went together, we had to place the baby in the cart itself a few times as we forgot stroller in hubby's van. Our carts here are very large, and so we then placed items around the carrier, to ensure that it couldn't move at all. I held the baby's hand, in order to make sure that this was safe at all times.

Tiger

 

[SDFgirl]

Actually, it is extremely dangerous to put an infant seat on top of a cart like that and safety experts agree that it shouldn't be done- it makes the cart too top heavy and more likely to tip over, thus injuring the child. I know that our car seat owner's manual also explicitly states to NEVER put the car seat on top of a shopping cart. If you absolutely must use an infant seat with a shopping cart, it needs to be placed in the basket of the cart (thus making the cart pretty pointless for shopping).

Wow, really? I did it all the time and it was fine. I see moms with the car seats up on the handle every time I go to the grocery. Never heard of one tipping over.

 

[malibuconlee]

I agree, I haven't ever heard NOT to put the carrier in the seat of a shopping cart. My daughter survived. I do remember mine didn't fit well into one of them I think it was at Target, plus theirs are higher off the ground than the ones at Wal-Mart, which made it a little tougher for this height challenged Mom LOL

 

[design_mom]

I say give it a go without and if you decide the convenience is worth it THEN get one.

I agree with this advice. Since the Britax is free, accept it and see how things go. Infant seats are available lots of places. If you find that you really need one you can go to Target/Walmart/BabiesRUs and pick one up. It's not a decision you need to make before the baby arrives (unless, as someone mentioned, he turns out to be too small for the Britax... and even then, someone could run out and buy you a seat, I'm sure.)

If you find you don't need one, you've saved yourself some money. And if you do decide you want one, you haven't lost anything.

 

[Acklander]

I did use the infant seat for grocery shopping for awhile, but then I started using a Snugli. I did like that better.

We skipped the infant seat and went with a snugli as well. He slept better in it because he loved people contact.

 

[connorlevismom]

Actually, it is extremely dangerous to put an infant seat on top of a cart like that and safety experts agree that it shouldn't be done- it makes the cart too top heavy and more likely to tip over, thus injuring the child. I know that our car seat owner's manual also explicitly states to NEVER put the car seat on top of a shopping cart. If you absolutely must use an infant seat with a shopping cart, it needs to be placed in the basket of the cart (thus making the cart pretty pointless for shopping).

I have heard this too but really, have you ever seen anyones cart tip over from having an infant carseat on it? And like a PP said, I have a hard time believing that a 10 pound infant can tip a cart, but a 6 year old cannot.

As for the OP's question, I could never do without my kids infant carseats. They are so nice to have, and I loved beng able to transport the baby around without waking them. I found a Graco Sungride last year on sale for $45.00 at Target. They had it marked down because it was a pattern that was being discontinued. So you can fin them on sale.
Kristine