Car seat debate!

[KirstieeAndbump]

So we have a three door car, my boyfriend seems to think we need to leave the car seat in the car and remove the newborn baby by hand? baby has not arrived yet but already having disagreements about this? I would feel safer taking the car seat out with the baby and putting it in the car, with the baby just until it can support its own head. what do you think?

[Beatrixpotty]

Car seats are really heavy and babies are not meant to sit in them for long periods anyway so I would be looking to lift the baby out of the seat and put them into a sling or buggy.
Getting the car seat in and out of a 3 door car is also a right pain!
I'm afraid I agree with your boyfriend.

[MortifiedAdams]

While dd was in her infant car seat, I disables the front airbag and put her on the front passanger seat and dh was relegated to the back. It was mainly due to the fact that my rear seatbelts were too short to go aroubd the little.seat but it was also very convenient.

Once dd moved up.into her ERF seat, I left that in the back (belt doesnt need to be as long for this seat), and dh would climb in the back, clip her in, and then stay there while I drove.

Thankfully we now have a five door

[pudtat]

I find getting DS in and out of his seat in the car hard enough and we have rear doors. While they shouldn't be in them for long periods, I got his seat out to transfer to buggy or sling rather than drop him or waggle his head too much. Dumped seat back in car until return journey then, iykwim. I suspect he will change his tune the first time he tries to crawl into the back of your car holding a newborn! My dh made me do the straps up in the end he was so scared of hurting him on our journey home! And that was in the hospital.

[StatisticallyChallenged]

We had a 3 door for a while with DD, and we got an infant seat with an isofix base so we could lift her in and out easily and the reduced access didn't impact on us fitting the seat safely

I don't think we would have managed to get enough access to take her in and out of the seat, plus she slept in the car and we would often want to clip her on to buggy or carry her in to house so she would stay sleeping

[lenats31]

With a htree door car I would prefer to take the baby out with the infant carrier.

It´s much easier - especially consdiefring the fact that the baby must be placed rearwardfacing in the car for the first - 15 months of it´s life by the time it arrives.

A new Britax seat is due out in about a month now. It is called Dualfix and it swirvels 360 degrees on the base - something that will come in very handy later since rearfacing as 5 times safer than forward facing even after the first 15 months.

You will regret taking the baby out and not the car seat. I can guarantee you that.

[lenats31]

it´s going to be right pain in the AR.E putting the baby into the car seat while it is in the car facing backwards as it should by law. Then comes securing the child in the seat, which is going to be much worse.

So baby out of the car IN the car seat - if you choose an infant carrier. as the first seat and not something like the Britax Dualfix

[YoniBottsBumgina]

Much easier to put the baby in the car in the seat, I think. Doubly easy if you get a base - you can get both ISOFIX bases and bases which fit in with a belt, if you don't have ISOFIX. Then you just leave the base in and click the car seat in and out.

It would be really fiddly to put the baby in and out of a rear facing seat in a 3 door car. You'd have to climb in and out holding the baby and it's difficult at the best of times, with two hands free! That would probably unsettle them and then you'd have to be finding the straps etc and doing them up with the baby all wriggly and unsettled. Holding a carseat, you can either lean in and click it onto the base, or lean in, put the carseat on the back seat, then get in yourself to secure it before getting out again (or just stay in the back to save yourself the bother!)

[stargirl1701]

Buy a 5 door car. I struggled for 6 months. It's just a PITA.

[KatAndKit]

Buy a base for the car seat that swivels round if your car has isofix. But yes, get a 5 door car. It will make life much easier. If you can't then I'd try and work out how to get the seat in the car with the baby in the seat already. Can't see how you'd manage otherwise. If you get a seat with an isofix base or even a belted base it will be much easier as you just have to click the seat into place and no messing around with the seat belt each time.

[poocatcherchampion]

babies are designed to be held so I think you will be OK holding it once out of the car seat. I always found car seats bulky and heavy and no fun to lug around even with a 5 door and wheels to clip it onto.

[YoniBottsBumgina]

Yes but poo, the problem isn't holding the baby, it's getting them in and out of a seat that you can't easily get to.