The Ridiculous Infant Seat
Due to the seventeen thousand obscene spam comments posted in one day to this article in it’s original incarnation, I had to delete the original post and am reprinting the text here. AND, all comments will now require approval prior to posting! Here’s the blog post again for all the real readers:
It’s not that I don’t think moms everywhere can use all the help they can get. As far as I’m concerned, mothering is the most valuable job there is and I don’t know a single mother who thinks it’s easy.
So I apologize in advance to all the moms who carry around the infant car seat, but I don’t think we should make it easier to carry!
- Flying Falcon Car Seat Harness
Holding your baby is one of the best things you can do for your baby. Sure, this culture makes it difficult sometimes. While driving, for example. And that’s why the car seat was invented. But putting a handle on it was going too far, and putting a strap on it is another step in the wrong direction.
Instead of making it easier to keep your baby at arms length, maybe we should brainstorm ways to make it easier to hold your baby. Instead of making it more convenient to mistreat your body by carrying one of these heavy, unwieldy contraptions, perhaps we should rethink the lifestyle that requires it.
I do not condemn a parent for using the infant car seat to carry their baby. But it’s an inconvenience that should remain inconvenient to encourage us to find a better way
Arguments for the car seat harness:
It won’t increase infant seat use, just make it easier for when it is used. I disagree–new moms are bombarded with gadgets to make their lives easier that really won’t. And those gadgets get in the way of their finding out about the simple things that can make a difference…like a functional baby carrier.
It’s easier on mother and baby to let the baby continue sleeping peacefully when you get to your destination. Easier, maybe, but not better. Most babies can be transferred easily from carseat to a wraparound baby carrier without waking up, or will settle right back to sleep with their heads against our hearts. For those who insist that their baby will wake up and scream through the entire errand, may I recommend learning to nurse in the wrap? It’s a rare baby who isn’t appeased by the boob.
With more than one young child, the infant car seat is a necessity. I applaud parents of multiple children. I want a herd myself. But the more kids you have to wrangle, the more you need your baby content and your hands free. It is the wrap, not the carseat, that will provide that. In the wrap you are not carrying significantly more weight than your baby. You have two free hands. You are able to run if need be. You can pick up an older child. You can hug other children.
You can’t wear a baby when you are pregnant. Yes you can! Much more comfortably than you can carry an infant carseat, which I would not think would be advisable while pregnant!
It makes eating in a restaurant so much easier. First, I find it very easy to eat in a restaurant while wearing my baby. If I’m eating with family, I usually don’t even get to wear her because everyone wants a turn and she is passed around. Second, even if it made it easier, it is not worth it to me. Being there for your baby, physically, is so much more valuable!
There’s no sense taking baby out of the warm carseat in frigid weather. This is the argument I am most sympathetic with. But I still wouldn’t do it. The wrap is a very warm place, and transferring baby into a pretied front carry takes less than a minute, so unless it was really cold, I would do this, and close my coat over both of us. When it’s seriously cold, I suppose one could climb into the car to transfer the baby with the door closed, if possible. Or carry the carseat inside and then remove baby, but if you’re at the mall, you still have to carry the carseat at this point! So I would expect to limit mall trips on freezing days.
Using the infant seat allows me to put my baby down and get some chores done. Hey, the wrap allows you to hold your baby AND get some chores done!
I don’t actually hold my baby constantly. I pass her off to friends and family. I put her down on a blanket on the floor or on the grass. She sleeps in our bed, not on my chest. But when we’re running errands? That’s not a time to put her down. That’s a time to keep her close.
And for those parents who find the occasional use for the infant car seat, that’s fine. But let the inconvenience of the thing give you pause to consider whether the situation really warrants it!
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Michelle April 28, 2012 at 7:27 pm
I was agog when I saw that picture. How on earth is that “easier?!” I admit it took some practice learning how to wrap and back wrap in the car during Canada’s subzero winters, but to me, it’s much easier on my back to wrap my baby and be handsfree than have that horrendous strap digging into my neck with my poor baby bouncing in the carseat! I agree with all your point, if only more people knew. Carseats belong in cars!
Stephanie April 29, 2012 at 12:42 am
I thought an infant car seat was a must-have. It has it’s perks, but after 2 kids and not using it for very long (they outgrew it pretty fast height-wise), I decided to forgo the infant seat with #3. He got a convertible car seat (which lasts until he’s about 4 yrs old). I love wearing him around at the store. I can briefly leave my cart and chase my 2 and 3 year old if they run off at the store without trying to figure out how to get the car seat to come with me. I there’s actually room in the cart for groceries AND one or both of the other kiddos. All the while, baby is strapped to me. He was a winter baby, and I never had issues keeping him warm as I transferred him to the wrap. He might wake up for a few seconds, but he always fell right back asleep when we got inside. And my back thanks me for not having the awkward weight and contortion of carrying around that heavy infant car seat. NEVER AGAIN!!
Bekkie May 4, 2012 at 8:49 pm
I am a first time mom, but I have been a nanny for years and taken care of my cousin’s kids and nephews. When it came time for me to get a seat, I got a convertible graco smart seat that stays in the car. I wore my son everywhere, and still do. If we went to restraunts I had a seat with a handle in the trunk til he could sit in highchairs and carts.
I also watch my friends daughter who is same age as mine. She did have a handle seat, but I always took her out and wore her and my son together in,the same wrap, and now I wear them each in a seperate sling, one on each hip.
My opinion is, it is a great, useful seat, but if you are always carrying your baby in it, you miss out on a lot of special bonding time, plus can kill your back.
Katilyn Prickett May 5, 2012 at 12:36 am
Bahahahaha! That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen!!! It’s like a lame excuse for a wrap…or a sling… But it’s just NOT! It’s all wrong! I can’t believe anyone would choose a carseat and harness over a comfy cozy totally easy wrap. I have 4 kids (age 5 and under) so a wrap is a life saver in the store!!
Tegan May 7, 2012 at 12:06 am
Carseats are definitely great for cars! (Lifesaver, obviously).
When my babies were newborns, I carried them in and out of the house from the car in the carseat because I felt safer buckling them in my home and could easily pop them in the car and go.
I can’t imagine putting a strap on it. That just doesn’t make any sense to me.
Good post. 🙂
car seat for baby August 30, 2015 at 2:21 pm
I am a initial time mom, but I even have been a nanny for years and brought care of my cousin’s children and nephews. When it came time for me to get a seat, I got a convertible graco sensible seat that stays within the automobile. I wore my son everywhere, and still do. If we went to restraunts I had a seat with a handle within the trunk til he may sit in highchairs and carts.
I also watch my friends daughter who is same age as mine. She did have a handle seat, but I continually took her out and wore her and my son along in,the same wrap, and now I wear them each in an exceedingly seperate sling, one on each hip.
My opinion is, it is a great, helpful seat, however if you are continuously carrying your baby in it, you neglect a lot of special bonding time, plus will kill your back.