Babywearing vs infant seat

[Liziz]

I almost never keep DD in her carseat carrier, but I am glad I had the option. 95% of the time, I take DD out of the carseat and put her in the carrier (I loved the Moby till about 4 months, since then I'm loving the Pikkolo). She doesn't necessarily stay asleep, but mine is a light sleeper, and taking out a bucket seat and snapping it into a stroller wakes her up too, so I prefer to get her out of it. And then having her in the carrier rather than carrying around the bucket or pushing a stroller is so much easier to me -- hands free.

The only two times I'm happy to have the infant carseat carrier.....1)when she was under 2 months and I had a *quick* (under 10 minute) errand. Then I'd just take the carrier and snap it in the stroller. (any longer than that and I'd take her out, I was really paranoid about restricting breathing and flat heads!) and 2)when we go out to eat. It's nice to just have the small carseat carrier, rather than a large stroller, as a place to set down the baby so you can eat with two hands!

[lizzywednesday]

I found the reverse to be true - I didn't want to leave my DD in the infant seat because the dang thing's so freakin' heavy!!!

Also, she spent her first two weeks in the CICU at a children's hospital due to a prenatally diagnosed heart defect, so I was EXTRA paranoid about random strangers touching her. Wearing her helped keep them - and their filthy, germy hands - away from her.

Also, if I was going grocery shopping, it took up the space in the cart I wanted to use for groceries, so wearing her was a better option.

If she woke a little after I moved her from the seat to the wrap or the Ergo, she went right back to sleep because she was close to my heartbeat (and I was moving around, which lulled her to sleep no problem.)

Nowadays, since we've moved her up to a convertible seat, I've mastered the art of getting her into the carrier (in a back carry position no less) without waking her up ... or, if she does wake, she goes right back to sleep. I've done an entire grocery shopping trip with her snoozing on my back because she fell asleep in the car on the way to the store!

[BabyBearsMom]

It isn't an unreasonable thought though I prefer to have both. I find that if I am running in quickly (picking up something at the pharmacy, running into the post office etc.) I really like to have the infant car seat. I especially like it when I am picking DD1 up at daycare so I don't have to strap DD2 in and out a bunch of time. But if I am doing anything for a longer time (going to the grocery store, walking around the mall etc.) I like to wear the baby.

[azazela]

I did a lot more babywearing with my second child. It was much easier to pop him in a carrier and wear him when also dealing with a toddler. I can imagine dragging a car seat with me when doing preschool pick-up or anything of the sort. He got worn pretty much all the time unless we were doing something that was stroller-worthy like a long walk, long trip to the mall where I'd want to try stuff on, etc. The infant seat only came out of my car the first month or so to go the house and back.

[hellbennt]

do-able! I wore both my babies a lot.

I did have the infant seat, too, but found that it was easier for me to just pop baby into pre-tied moby, pouch or ring sling and then get out & do whatever it was...the infant seat is good for using in/on shopping carts, but I always had my moby/pouch/ring sling with me (on me empty sometimes!) for when baby got fussy in the seat...

[Melaine]

I like to have both options. When I am going to be in a store for 5-10 minutes, I like to have the snap 'n go just in case he is asleep. Most of the time he ends up in the Beco though. I usually stick the Beco in the bottom of the stroller and often end up pushing the stroller empty.

[AnnieW625]

It depends on the kid.

With DD1 we had a Bjorn and she didn't like it much, but I was never comfortable with a tie sling or a ring sling so it is what we used, and because she didn't like it much we didn't use it much. Most of the time though I just moved her from the infant seat to the stroller. I would carry the infant seat for quick trips to the pharmacy, the post office, and a couple of times I even carried it into the drs. office vs. pulling out the stroller. I never had anyone want to touch her when she was in it.

With DD2 I had a Beco Butterfly that I bought when DD1 was a year old. I used that with DD2 for the store so I didn't have to worry about putting the infant seat in the basket of the carseat. Most of the time in the first two months she'd sleep in the Beco, but by the middle of month 3 she wouldn't sleep in it much at all so if she was really asleep and I needed to go to the market I used my Vista stroller as a stroller frame. DD2 had reflux and would not sleep at home during the day so I took full advantage of the Vista and infant seat combo. An extra 20 minutes of sleep was priceless in our house. I also loved the infant seat and stroller frame combo for picking up DD1 at preschool, and later for going to the store when I had both girls because DD1 would do a better job holding onto the stroller vs. the side of the shopping cart.

[citymama]

Babywearing fan here. We actually did both, carrier and infant seat, depending on where and when. Most of the time, baby was in the carrier (Maya wrap and Pikkolo mostly, sometimes the Kangaroo Korner, Bjorn). However, when we went out in the car, and baby fell asleep in her infant seat, we would snap the seat into the carseat frame stroller and go about our day with her in the Snap N Go. We didn't use a regular stroller till close to 1 with both kids!

[rin]

Echoing PPs here; I think it depends so much on your baby and your preferences. I also like having both. Neither of my kids have been deep sleepers, so getting taken out of the carseat would always wake them up and end the nap. I keep a Baby Bjorn in the car, and when I want to do a big shopping trip, or if DD1 is also with me, I'll just end DD2's nap and put her in the Bjorn.

I've never used a snap n' go or had a stroller that the carseat snapped into, but if I'm going into a store that has carts I will take the whole carseat in and then just put it in the big part of the cart. Obviously you can't put as much in the cart with this, but it's a tradeoff for getting a longer nap! I also love having the carseat for quick errands, like picking up DD1 at preschool, so I don't have to be messing with multiple transfers from carseat to carrier to carseat in 5 minutes. The carseat is also nice for restaurants, etc, so that you have a place to set the baby down.

[Jupiter]

Wow thanks so much for all your input. I am definately going to try the babywearing. I have to get a carseat so that will allow me to have both if needed.

Thanks again!