Why do people use car seats as baby carriers?

[Polestar50]

Genuine question.
I have fairly recently has a baby and have only just noticed that most parents use their car seats to carry their babies if walking a short distance (in and out of baby classes etc.)

It hadn’t occurred to me to do that. I just get my baby out and carry him in my arms, which seems much easier to me. He normally stays asleep snuggled up to me.
I find it much more comfortable to have him in my arms than to carry a bulky heavy car seat around and it’s not as though you can leave them in the car seat for any length of time once inside so what is the benefit?

AIBU to think that faffing around with a car seat is much more difficult and uncomfortable, for both parents and baby, or is there some advantage that I’m not seeing here ?

Bertie The practice is more common than you think in the last ten years, people just dont make a fuss about it.

PolkaHots
I actually thought that too this afternoon and was going to come back here to apologise for being a bit harsh! I do understand that it’s the fear that people are trying to minimise rather than a belief that they actually are going to fall. I am sure there are loads of things that I avoid that are statistically unlikely but I would rather not risk. It just happens that falling whilst carrying my baby isn’t a biggie on the fear scale for me.

Happyandshiney
Ditto your point about people with health problems following birth.
Btw I obsessively wear the wrist strap too. We live on a very steep hill and I am (possibly rationally) concerned I wouldn’t be able to catch up if I accidentally let go of the pram handle for a second!

I used to carry my son around in his car seat and really struggled as it was so heavy. I just thought it was the done thing. Looking back I wish I’d just carried him in my arms, would have been a lot better for both of us.

OK you're quite obviously making a big deal of how you're not judgy, but you clearly are..

I am sorry but I just don’t get the fear of falling over. I know some people say it has has happened to them but it really is not very common surely?

Well I work in A&E and yes, it happens very often.

Considering you've only been a parent for a short time you're very judgemental. I think it's normal to worry about tripping over with a squishy baby. You're not some attachment parenting wonder, we all love our babies, please don't think you're special because your natural response is to carry your baby in your arms, nobody cares.

It's really common and normal to worry about falling over while holding a baby

www.todaysparent.com/baby/postpartum-care/why-new-moms-have-scary-thoughts-about-their-babies/

It just happens that falling whilst carrying my baby isn’t a biggie on the fear scale for me.

It may be worth considering whether this would still be the case if your baby had been born in Winter.

I don’t think, like Flat above, that you are necessarily being deliberately judgemental (though I see where she’s coming from) but I do think your views come across as rather blinkered.

I’d have thought that most of the things on this thread are fairly obvious if you’d just given it a bit of consideration and applied a little empathy.

You are going to potentially run into trouble at baby groups (where inexperienced sleep deprived parents are quick to take offence) if you really can’t apply your imagination to differing parenting methods.

Different isn’t necessarily wrong.

I still haven’t ever really forgiven a woman from my antenatal group who told me I was “hampering my children’s development” because I did a particular thing differently than her (and it was a decade ago).

She had one baby to my two and quite frankly had clearly no fucking idea how much harder my life was.

Five minutes reflection and a little imagination might have helped her though.

Yes Happyandshiney perhaps you're right and it's not judgemental. All I know is I have 3 with a very close age gap and if someone was a first time mum with zero experience this kind of opinion or question would really piss me off.

Also being so naive about falling not being a real risk is irritating. I've seen many babies with skull fractures.

Meant to say ** not being purposefully judgemental.

My DD is nearly 10 months and I rarely carry the baby car seat anymore as it’s just so heavy.

However I’m going to miss the convenience of it once she moves to the bigger seat. Having her strapped in and unable to move without needing to faff about with the buggy is really useful. Anything that involves more than one hand is impractical whilst holding a baby. Add in an older child too and it’s practically impossible!

I think I’ll miss it most for getting out of the house. Having one child completely ready to go and just have to be popped in the car before I start chasing down the other one is super helpful. Our whole routine is going to change!

I just used a sling if I needed two hands

My emergency c section and 11lb baby made that impossible.

How many times did you have a proper full fall before having a baby?

Lots. It's a problem with having high insteps apparently.

I couldn't carry d's far in his car seat, itnwas just too heavy for me.

When he was a baby supermarkets brought in thise trolleys where you could put the car seat on the trolley. I couldn't lift it high enough to put him in!! It would have been really useful as ds is disabled and was awkward to transport

Car seats that can be altered to lie flat when out the car are a good answer to the problem of babies getting low oxygen levels when in car seat too long. That way can carry baby into whichever building but pull the handle to lie them flat (whilst they still sleep) then just reverse the steps to go back to car wtih still sleeping baby but as-safe-as-possible airway.

The cybex cloud q does this though it is ridiculously heavy
www.madeformums.com/reviews/car-seats/car-seats-from-birth/cybex-cloud-q-infant-car-seat/2080-2.html

I'm loving all the comments about using a sling.
Assuming nobody carries car seats very far (they are too heavy) surely the faf of getting the sling on, get baby in the sling and the same in reverse.
Must take much more time than just grab car seat and go. Click back into car and go.

My emergency c section and 11lb baby made that impossible.

But you were able to carry a car seat instead?

Of course, people should do what works for them but I am a bit surprised that people find it more comfortable to carry a much heavier load more awkwardly than a sling which sits close to you or just carry the baby in their arms

OP - I'm with you, I just carried the baby (in a mei-tai so they could nap while I carried them no problem).

I remember feeling sorry for some new parents who were still getting baby and buggy out of their car in the time it took me to park, get baby, have him weighed and get back out.

Perhaps it's just me, but not only are those carseats super-heavy, but every one I tried was also awkward (I am short, with short arms, this may be a factor) and I always managed to clonk them on things too.

Mind you, I didn't have a buggy either, because I lived in a city and it was just a pain (my spacial awareness I guess - but again, I just found it really hard manouvering it around) - mei-tai until he could walk, then I'd just put him on my shoulders if he got tired.

Some people don't like slings.
Some people need to get shit done.
Each to their own.

Assuming nobody carries car seats very far (they are too heavy) surely the faf of getting the sling on, get baby in the sling and the same in reverse.

I had a tie-on mei-tai - which I just wore and popped them in and out - perhaps it's more of a pain with one of the official ones with all the buckles?

You can put baby down in seat, mine used to rock.

You can get in the house etc. They may stay asleep from car. I found mine very useful

@woodhill it's a car seat. For car journeys. They are no longer recommended as rocking chairs and newborn advice is 30 mins max.
To the pp who said the op had not been a parent long, that's pretty judgey. I have been a parent a long time and never fallen over and it's low on my list of worries. The car seat I have would need to be carried over arm, its heavy and wide. The baby is small for the newborn insert and just wobbles around. I personally feel baby is better supported and easier to transport held or in a pram not in a car seat. Each to their own, but OP should not be put down, a car seat is for the car...

I used to carry DD in hers if...

1. she was asleep, it was easier to get the whole thing out than just her, and I didn't like waking her.

2. I needed to put her down when I got where I was going. Slings are awesome, but not appropriate if the doctor needs to examine you.

3. the next journey was likely to be in the other car (we had 2 bases and 1 seat).

It was heavy though so I'd attach it to the pushchair frame if going any distance.

RE: 1) when I had DD the advice was still up to 2 hours in a car seat from birth, if I were doing it again I'd probably get a different car seat so baby was easier to get out if asleep - more like the one we have now she's bigger with the swivel function.

I had the Britax Rockabye. It was 20 years' ago, i bought a Head support and babies were nearby.

Baby carrier was useless

Because when it’s tipping down with rain they won’t get wet?

Because when it’s frozty and freezing outside they can stay snug until you are inside?

I’ve done a bit of both, I’ve never really thought about it. Whatever suits at the time

It's not judgy to point out that the OP has only been a parent for a short time, it's a fact. 10 weeks is not very long, when I had a 10 week old I was too busy and tired to judge others for how they carry their baby.