Infant Car Seat VS Convertible Car Seat??

[atlbkk03]

I view an infant car seat as a bad investment as it is usually used for less than a year, then you will have to get a convertible car seat anyway as your baby isn't ready for a forward-facing seat yet.

However, everyone I know had infant car seats for their babies... so my question is how common is it to not get an infant car seat at all and opt for a convertible seat from day 1? And what are the drawbacks of doing that?

Thanks in advance..

:)

[kedss]

We debated the same thing at our house. But, it is easier to carry a sleeping DC in an infant seat, and it's great for when you go out to eat before they can sit in a high chair. It's also nice to have a stroller/car seat comboo for taking walks.

I am going to try babywearing this time, but if that doesn't work for us, I will have the infant seat/stroller option as we will be doing a lot of walking after DD is born.

So, it's mostly for convenience sake to use an infant seat for the first few months.

[wendmatt]

DD was a big baby so didn't stay in hers for a year, can't remember how long, maybe 10 months. But it was worth EVERY penny spent on that thing. It is so convenient, especially when baby is sleeping. It was actually the only thing we could get DD to sleep in when she was little. If you plan on having more children you can use it with them too or sell it and make some money back, so I'd say it's def worth the money imho.

[o_mom]

It is fine to skip an infant seat, but there are some benefits to the infant seat and drawbacks to the convertible.

Many convertibles do not fit infants well. The big Britax seats will swallow up a newborn. I don't think they are unsafe, but it is hard to get a good fit. I put my 8+ lb DS3 in a Decathlon with all the padding and he still didn't fit well. The straps were above his ears on the lowest setting. Some other ones may fit better - Radian, TrueFit, etc - but they may or may not be the ones you want for other reasons. If you get a 40 lb seat, it may fit better for a newborn, but will likely be outgrown by age 3, so it won't save you much money. Usually by around 3 months, most babies fit well in any convertible. If you have a friend that you trust who has an infant seat, you may want to borrow one for the first few months and then switch.

The convenience of an infant seat during the winter is nice - bundle up in a warm seat inside rather than fiddling with getting a coat on and off while standing outside (no winter coats in carseats!). In the summer you have the sunshade. When the baby is sleeping and you want to run into the store you have to try and get them out of the seat and into what ever carrier or stroller you are using without waking, which never worked for me. In a restaruant you have a place to sit them. None of these are absolute needs, but they are rather convenient.

With my first, I probably could have done without and been fine. With my second, I had a 19 mo toddler that I needed to be able to keep safe. Being able to get the baby in the seat in the house and then focus on the older one in the car was very helpful. Also, if the toddler took off, I had a safe way to leave the baby to go after him.

If you get a bigger infant seat, like the Safeseat, it can last 18 months or more. Yes, you still need a convertible, but you have pushed that purchase out a year and a half and added that long to the lifespan of the convertible. We use the SafeSeat with DS3 at 11.5 mos. Now that the weather is warming up and I don't have to fuss with coats it stays in the car 90% of the time. If he falls asleep in the car I have the option to transfer him inside and let him finish his nap or put it in the snap and go to run in somewhere.

[mom2binsd]

In the hot summer months coming up...not having to put a child directly into a seat with hot often scorching buckles is very nice....even with tinted windows and a blanket or towel over my seats they still get really hot....like the others said...having it for restaurants, shopping, and when you go places is great...I can not wear a baby...my internal temp is so high and can't even fathom wearing a baby in the summer or for that fact anytime...I guess it's what would suit your lifestyle but I found our infant seat very useful...we had a snugride for DD and she lasted till 6 months (it was the older style) and DS in the Combi and he lasted 10 months.....