Presenting, another episode of CarseatBlog Mythbusting! This week we explore a common myth that plagues many first time parents.
Myth: You’re having a baby, therefore you NEED an infant (Rear-Facing Only) car seat
We see it everywhere. The endless travel systems, the accessories to make it easier to carry that bulky infant seat without breaking your forearm, the preselected registries. It’s no wonder those who are first entering into the world of transporting babies haven’t even thought there was an alternative. And let’s face it, babies are portable, infant seats are portable, so they go hand in hand nicely.
Confirmed, plausible, or busted?
In a 3 year study done by the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists, 28.6% of infants spent between 1.5-4 hours a day in either a car seat or swing. This study was done between 1998 and 2000, and we all know the increase and abundance of travel systems has gone up quite a bit since then! As a society, we spend so much time in the car. When using an infant seat, the convenience of taking it in and out of the car instead of removing the baby while running errands is surely a luxury, but when you add up the hours the infant has spent in that infant seat, it may be startling.
Most infant seats are heavy. Heavy being a relative term but when you add an infant older than a few months, it’s like lugging around a bowling ball in a purse. They’re awkward, and do you ever think about how many weird visuals your baby has gotten when placed on the floor and looking up? It’s a world of knees and crotches!
Babies outgrow some infant seats relatively quickly. Lots of people find it difficult to squeeze a convertible into the budget after purchasing an infant seat only to use it for less than a year. Skipping the infant seat altogether can save money!
A convertible seat is definitely an option. While not all convertibles fit small newborn babies well, there are some great candidates.
These rear-facing convertible or All-in-One seats stay in the car and you can either wear your baby in a carrier or place them in a stroller. Most strollers on the market these days recline enough to be suitable for a floppy newborn. Many can reverse so baby faces you.
We understand that for many families an infant seat (RFO) really is the most convenient. Most of us hate to wake a sleeping baby and there’s no doubt that it’s a lot easier to strap baby into their car seat in your warm and dry living room when it’s freezing/raining/snowing outside. However, given the multitude of car seat options, ways to carry your baby, and tons of great strollers with full recline, the notion of NEEDING an infant car seat (RFO) is definitely BUSTED.
My babies would never stand for staying IN the infant seat when we got somewhere so I ended up carrying baby plus seat. I still sort of prefer being able to load a newbie inside when it’s cold, but my last two babies HATED the infant seat and I had them out of it by two months (different model seats for those two) after having used the infant seat a whopping three times each, then switched to the CCO.
I wish new parents would stop coming to see me and telling me that the nurse on the hospital tour told them they NEED an infant seat. Well, they can tell me, but I wish those nurses would stop saying it 😉
When I had one baby and a garage attached to my kitchen and a good ring sling, I lived fine without an infant seat. When #2 came along, I found it to be priceless on some days. Same with #3 and parking outside in a place with a much colder winter. But they all got more time in slings and in arms than lounging around in carriers (and none ever had a bald spot or flat head–some babies I see, the moms want a convertible, and when I see that baby has a really flat head, I don’t mention I can tell they’d fit in that infant seat another 6 months, because that kid probably needs to be up and out of a seat as much as possible…)
Given my druthers, I skip rear facing only seats. Even when loading constraints demand it, I leave it in as much as possible!
Ahahahaha! The view from an infant seat! I never considered that my kids were looking up my crotch–I’m dying ROFL! Good thing they can’t remember that! We used infant seats even though I wore my kids a lot too. I preferred the convenience of the carrier, especially in stores. Restaurants? Ha! We were too terrified to go out to one until we absolutely had to on vacation when my ds was a week away from being 1.
Hi, this relates to a question I’ve been wondering about. Maybe you could do a post on recline angles. 🙂 I have a Britax Boulevard CT but I know there are other seats that have the same instructions. When it says “fully reclined for a newborn but more upright for older babies” what defines an “older” baby? And as my child gets older, how do I determine what the best recline angle is?
Hi Alyssa – that’s a great question! In general, once a baby has full head/neck control (which generally occurs from 4-6 months) you can feel free to make your Blvd CT a little bit more upright. By the time babies are crawling (usually 6 months – 12 months) they tend to WANT to sit more upright in the carseat. At that age it’s generally a balance between sitting more upright while awake and still sleeping comfortably. If you have a kid who is asleep within 5 minutes on every ride, you might want to have your seat more reclined if that makes him/her more comfortable. If your kid spends more time awake – then you might want to keep the seat more upright. The good news is that with the Britax CT convertibles you have your choice within a range of acceptable angles so you can find that perfect happy medium for your child. HTH!
My kids are really small, and fit in an infant seat until at least 18 months, however, after my first two I use the convertible from the beginning. When using an infant seat, it’s usually on a stroller, so I use the stroller direct, or wear the baby.
We always preferred the convenience of an infant carrier for our three children. But this myth is not about one option being better than the other. That’s for a parent to decide of course:-) It’s to dispel the idea that a baby bucket is the ONLY option…
I cannot imagine having an infant and not an infant carseat. But we go to about 3-5 errands a day (school, etc.) and have multiple young kids. It’s often freezing, too. I would HATE to have to use a coat on an infant. It’s so easy to slip a warm cover over the carseat. For me, an infant carseat is as necessary as air and water. Plus, I get a good fit from these seats on my newborns.
I wish I would have skipped my infant seats! Way too heavy for me to carry, they never fit in shopping carts, and neither one of my kids ever transferred or slept well in them. I see why people love them, but just wasn’t for us.