should I just buy a convertible car seat?
Lily asked:
instead of an infant, a lot of my friends babies grew out of the infant seat fast and I was wondering if I should buy one? Should I just get a convertible seat?
i plan on getting a sling, so i would be able to shop without putting the baby in a cart
Skateboarding Gear
instead of an infant, a lot of my friends babies grew out of the infant seat fast and I was wondering if I should buy one? Should I just get a convertible seat?
i plan on getting a sling, so i would be able to shop without putting the baby in a cart
Skateboarding Gear
Tags: Babies, Car Seat, Cart, Convertible Car, Sling
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:07 pm
if you dont have the extra cash for 2 car seats then go for it. the only benefit of infant carrier is when u go grocery shopping or soemthing and need to push the cart and not stroller its a bit of a pain.
as long as you get the 5 lb one and up its cheaper for sure and they do grow out of them extremely gast
December 25th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
You would be better off to use an infant car seat in the winter months…I wasn’t going to get one either, and didn’t purchase one, I got mine from my sister. Her son is 10 months older than mine. I did buy a convertible one for this coming up summer though. Its too cold to bundle up my son and take him out to the car and then strap him in…I’d rather have him all bundled up in the house then just put him in the base!
December 27th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
i went though the same thing…..so my mom bought me my travel system and u just went out and bought the convertible car seat…..and u know what onei used…..the infant one…because it was eaier to get baby in and out of car….if he was sleeping didnt have to wake him up to move him….its all about what u like….
December 30th, 2008 at 12:54 am
It depends, they are handy for being so versatile, and they last for a great deal of time. The only real bonuses with the infant seat, in my opinion, is one: it’s smaller and two: when the baby falls asleep you don’t have to disturb him/her to go into a store, house etc.
January 1st, 2009 at 6:53 pm
You can do that. There are many conveniences to having the infant seat. They can be lifted in and out of the car if your baby is sleeping, into a shopping cart (theirs are germ filled and nasty!) in cold or heat the seat will be comfortable for your baby. Sometimes when inside it can be used as a seat for baby while you need your hands free (doctor’s office, bank, etc.) You can also take a blanket and keep it over you child while you are in areas that have germs or people that want to touch.
Good luck!
January 4th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
I never ever use an infant seat to take a baby into a store or someone’s house. The only reason I would consider getting an infant seat when I have my next one is if its winter when they are tiny its nice to get them into the seat and covered in blankets before the dash to the cold car, not to mention its safer to have the minimum amount of layers under the straps.
(I don’t preheat the car, its just an invitation to thieves, you can’t do it on the way out of a store, and I find it makes no difference if you are standing there buckling a kid into a convertible seat)
PS my first outgrew the weight limit on his seat at 4 months. If you really want an infant seat I recommend getting the one that goes up to 30lbs (there’s only one as far as I know, by graco I forget the name)
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Working mom&wife
Convertible seats recline to 40-45 degrees the same as infant seats, that’s required by law. If your seat is more than 45 degrees inclined its not installed properly.
Closer to 30 degrees is safer as long as the baby has enough head control that their head doesn’t flop forward.
Angle of recline, rear-facing
The back surface of a rear-facing CR should be between 30° and 45° from vertical, starting with the most reclined angle for a newborn and becoming more upright as the baby grows. This recommendation is a balance between crash protection and comfort. If the CR is too upright, the head could flop forward uncomfortably and possibly pinch off the airway, especially for a newborn. If the CR is too reclined during a frontal crash, the infant could slide toward the top of the restraint, exposing the head to injury, especially for the larger, heavier baby.
Each manufacturer determines an optimum back angle for its products and specifies a way, such as a level indicator, for the user to determine that angle. However, these indicators only work when the vehicle is level, so they can sometimes be misleading. The Federal standard allows the back of a rear-facing CR to rotate downward as much as 70° from vertical during the FMVSS 213 crash test, but this extreme result reflects the test conditions and would not represent good crash performance. To meet these test requirements, some restraint manufacturers may install their position indicators so the initial angle is too upright for a small infant. For these situations, installing the seat with the indicator outside the specified zone may be necessary, or one must obtain a different safety seat. The baby’s airway must not be compromised.
To set an appropriate back angle for the child, install the CR in the car and put the baby in the CR with the buttocks in the deepest part of the CR and the baby’s back straight. Jostle the CR a bit, and, if the baby’s head flops forward (while awake or asleep), it is necessary to increase the angle. For infant-only restraints, some bases can be adjusted if more recline is needed, or a detachable base can be removed and the shell alone reclined a little more. Otherwise, for these and for convertibles, insert a tightly rolled towel or sheet or a foam “noodle” under the toe-end of the CR to compensate for the slope of the vehicle seat. Increase the angle of recline just enough to keep the baby’s head from flopping forward, but no more than 45° from vertical.
The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends that infants born at less than 37 weeks gestation be monitored in a semi-upright position prior to discharge to detect possible breathing, oxygenation level, and/or heart rhythm problems (AAP, 2006). If a baby needs to be more reclined than 45°, he must be tested similarly in a car bed to see if discharge is appropriate, and if so the car bed must be used for travel. There is also evidence that prolonged (over an hour) semi-upright positioning may lead to reduced oxygen saturation levels even among term infants. It is therefore recommended that very young infants not be left undisturbed in their rear-facing child restraints for long periods.
As the child grows, becomes heavier, and can hold his head erect, the angle can be decreased, making the restraint more upright, to provide better crash protection. For a sleeping baby, this angle should be at least 30° from vertical. In addition to improved comfort, keeping the back of the baby’s head in contact with the CR provides better protection in a crash. In some vehicles, the back seat may be too small to accommodate a convertible CR that is reclined as far as 45° in the rear-facing position. For older babies, the CR may be used at a more upright angle to make it fit in the car, but a newborn may require a smaller infant-only restraint. (9/07)
January 7th, 2009 at 8:54 am
I got a alpha omega 3 in 1 car seat, its awesome. I’ve noticed that convertible car seats cost less than infant seat. Strange huh?
January 7th, 2009 at 11:08 am
We used the infant seat until 7 months. It was nice because the baby could tilt/ lay back as where a convertible seat doesn’t recline as much which leaves less support for their heads. It was easy to take the baby out while still sleeping in the infant seat and carry her around in it. Our seat attached to our stroller so we didn’t have to lift her in and out and it also attached and turned into a baby swing. We bought two convertible car seats. One for my car and one for my husbands after 7 months and at the age they are perfect. We will never have to buy another car seat again. I suggest an infant seat at first and then the convertible. Infant seats are not that expensive and well worth every penny.
Actually Mystic NOT ALL convertable car seats recline back 45 degrees. Which is the recommended semi-reclined position for rear facing babies. This is why I said the infant car seat allows them to recline back (no matter which one you get , it will recline back).
January 8th, 2009 at 3:54 am
To workingmom&wife: yes, all convertible car seats DO DEFINITELY recline to 45 degrees. Its how its installed. Infant carrier seats are NOT a required stage in car seats, and offer no more protection than a properly fitting convertible seat. Newborns can go home from the hospital in a convertible seat.
Good for you for having the sling! It will be you and baby’s best friend, I promise. lol
It is really completely up to your preference, but, here’s my 2cents. Personally, I’d pick out an awesome stroller (since the ones that come in a travel system often aren’t all that great!) b/c the stroller is the part that you will be using for the next 3-4 years. You really need to like it, and have it be quality so you don’t find yourself with a busted stroller in a year. Also, you can save money by purchasing a high quality used stroller, whereas if you buy a travel system, you can’t get it used b/c it is not safe to get a used car seat. You could however, get a used stroller and check its compatibility, and get a car seat new that would work with it. That’s what I did.
All that said – as a single parent on a seriously limited income, I now realize I should’ve completely skipped the infant carrier stage. Its not a ‘needed’ stage in car seats, its just a convenience thing, and a recent – as in the last 15 years or so – invention to have a stay in car base and separate carrier. Here’s why I think its a waste: doesn’t last babies very long at all. You spend $60 and up on this carrier that is only going to last 5-8 months! And then you have to purchase a convertible car seat, and somewhere down the line a booster seat. If you skip the carrier phase, you just eliminated one seat. There is now one carrier on the market that promises to fit 99% of babies up to at least their first birthday – Graco SafeSeat1, goes to 30lbs. However, there are limitations to this awesome seat. It really will fit most kids that long, but that’s a catch-22. You really going to carry your 25lbs baby in a carrier?! My son was a BIG baby (still is a BIG kid!) and outgrew his carrier at 4 months. And, after baby gets above 10lbs or so, they are a pain in the butt to carry – quite awkward. So its not as convenient as it may at first seem. And some of the ‘convenient’ ways people use them aren’t good.
Carriers should NEVER be placed on grocery carts. It makes the carts unstable and they can tip over, seriously injuring the baby. Also, not all car seats fit all carts, and they don’t lock on, they’re just sitting there, posing an obvious threat. And some of the carts are shaped or sized in a way that it puts the carrier at an unsafe/uncomfortable angle for the baby. I’ve seen babies laying in carriers on carts with their head lower than their feet – not a good idea for digestion or spit up.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says Parents and caregivers should never Place an infant carrier on top of the shopping cart. “Many infant-only car safety seats lock into shopping carts, and many stores have shopping carts with built-in infant seats. This may seem safe, but thousands of children are hurt every year from falling out of shopping carts or from the carts tipping over. Instead of placing your baby’s car safety seat on the cart, consider using a stroller or front pack while shopping with your baby. ”
Also, we are seeing rampant developmental delays becuase babies are in these carriers (and swings, and bouncy seats…) so much. Look around everywhere you go and instead of holding their babies, people have them in these carriers. When on their back and harnessed (and any time a child is in a carrier, he needs to be harnessed, even though its not in a car!) they can not work the muscles they need to develop to crawl, sit up, and walk. In the manuals for these carriers, it even says specifically ‘for use in cars and strollers only’! But we all seem to miss that part.
So I highly recommend skipping the carrier phase. I think they are more a pain than a blessing, and a wasted of money if you don’t have a lot to throw around. Instead, get a convertible car seat that will fit a newborn (more on that later) and a sling, pouch, or wrap. Not one of those silly snugli or infantino carriers, but something like a ringsling, moby, or maya wrap. Wearing your baby gives everybody what they need. Babies get much needed closeness to mom (or dad, or anyone else for that matter!) and you get your hands free to do what you need to do, as well as you can even breastfeed in one! They offer many different positions to use them in, too, and go higher than carrier car seat weights (20-22lbs). Most go to at least 35lbs, so you will get much more use out of it for your money.
OK – so if you choose to skip the carrier phase, be careful about the convertible car seat you choose, b/c not all will fit newborns well. You want it to have low bottom slots.
Perfect options:
The Evenflo Triumph Advance (not the original Triumph, make sure it says Advance) is a great seat. $150 version at Babies R Us has padding similar to Britax seats, top slots of 17″, harnesses to 35lbs rear facing, and 50lbs forward facing. $120 Walmart version just has little less plush padding. Wide open belt path, easy to install, though it doesn’t have built in lockoffs. The harness adjusts at the front of the car seat, you don’t have to take the car seat out of the car just to raise/lower the straps. and it has infinite harness adjustment so the harness always fits perfectly until its outgrown. You tighten and loosen the harness using knobs on the side of the seat. It can be used in a recline position even in forward facing mode.
Cosco Scenera – $50 at Walmart/Kmart/Target. Great seat for the price. Goes up to 35lbs rear facing, 40lbs forward facing. Great rear facing seat, but is outgrown very quickly forward facing b/c of short top slots and short shell. You’ll still get you’re $50 worth out of it, though, as it will last most kids to at least 2 years, quadruple the amount of time of an infant seat!
As you’re shopping, remember these rules about seats:
1)the BEST seat is the one that fits your child, fits your car, and will be used correctly 100% of the time. (This is why convenience features DO make a difference and ARE worth the money! If its easy to use, you’re more likely to use it correctly.
2)Children should stay rear facing AS LNOG AS POSSIBLE!!!! The 20lbs/1 year rule is outdated and provides a bare minimum for turning kids forward facing. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration both recommend keeping kids rear facing as long as possible, up to the limits of their seat, preferably until at least 2 years of age. For good reason: A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 4 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age. A child’s vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone. In other countries, rear facing 2 – 3 – 4 year olds is standard, they understand that its safer.
3)Once you do turn them forward facing, they need to stay in a 5 point harness as long as possible. 4 years/40lbs is the minimum for riding in a booster, and most 4 year olds have no business using one yet. If they can’t sit upright for an entire trip, they need the harness of a car seat still. And, even if they do sit properly, a 5 point harness is safer, so you want to keep them in one as long as possible. This is important to consider b/c most car seats only forward face to 40lbs.
If you choose to go with an infant seat I would pick the seat you (stay away from Evenflo infant carriers, too many recalls, crappy recall fixes, overall a very cheap seat) and get a universal car seat stroller like Baby Trend Snap n Go, Combi Flash EX, Kolcraft makes one, too. That way you can spend a little less, sell it when you’re done, and get a higher end stroller that will last better.
DANGEROUS ON SHOPPING CARTS::&mstr=/ZZZT24LYQMC.html&soc=AAP&srch_typ=NAV_SERCH
WHY REAR FACING:
In the foreground is a forward facing seat, in the background a rear facing seat. You can see how much trauma the forward facing dummy has to endure. The rear facing child simply rides it out.
Here’s another video. You can see how there is NO trauma to the baby, it simply sits there waiting for it to end.
TOO MUCH TIME IN SEATS: