How bad is it really to use the car seat on the pram for walks?

[Honeyhoney2]

I live in a tiny top floor flat with no lift. Because of this, we have to leave the base of the pram in the car downstairs and when I’m on my own with my baby I just use the car seat which clips onto it for walks. This is because the carry cot attachment can’t be carried up and down the stairs with the baby in it, and our car is a tiny 3 door so the carry cot doesn’t fit in there, so of I were to use it I would have to carry my baby in one hand and the huge carry cot in the other down four flights of stairs, never mind what else I might be carrying, which is just a disaster waiting to happen imo. When DH is home we use the carry cot as we have enough hands for it, but he works in the office all week and I need to go out everyday or I’ll go stir crazy.

I am aware of the 2 hour guidelines for the car seat and I do a walk of anywhere between 30 mins to an hour everyday. Today in the park another mum decided to come up to me and tell me that it was bad for my baby to be in the car seat when I’m just on a walk. She didn’t really say why, just said it in an accusing manner and walked off. I had half a mind to tell her where to put her unsolicited advise considering she doesn’t know my situation, but now it’s made me worry that I’m doing something that’s unsafe for my DD. In my head it’s no different to a car journey everyday, but maybe that’s not advised either?

was the comment unnecessary or is there truth to it? Is it really bad for my baby for me to have my daily walk with her sitting in the car seat rather than a carry cot? We’re hoping to get a bigger car soon which will solve this issue as I can just leave the carry cot in there and carry my baby up and down the stairs, but for now the car seat seems like the overall safest option as opposed to stumbling down the stairs holding a baby and a carry cot whilst not being able to see my feet! Are there risks associated with using the car seat daily that I don’t know about?

My understand from when my DD was a baby 7 years ago was that you should avoid using them for prolonged periods, but what you are describing isn't a prolonged period IMO.

I am fairly strict about what I do with my PFB but even if think that ifbyiu read all the of the guidelines and followed them down to a tee we'd never go anywhere, do anything, or eat anything. I also think back to what I was allowed to do as a baby/young child, and I survived.

It doesn’t make any difference whether you’re in the car with baby in the carseat or she’s in the push chair in the carseat. You’re clearly aware of the guidelines on how long babies should be in the carseat for before changing posture and stretching out and you’re following them. I guess the difference might be that car journeys might be necessary for a lot of people but it’s not usually necessary to have a baby in the carseat for a walk.
Don’t overthink this. You’re aware of the risk and you’re managing it perfectly.
Can I suggest getting a structured sling? You can take your baby for walks in that. Or put her in the sling and have your hands free to carry the carrycot down the stairs too.

The women who spoke to you will have been assuming you drove somewhere then kept the baby in the carseat. When you do that it’s very easy to go over the 2hr limit.

Yeah what you are doing is what I often did, especially with second.

But for nice pram walks if it's worrying you, leave carry cot part across front seats for storage when DH away at work. Carry downstairs in car seat, move to wheel and carry cot and off you go. Then swop back when home. Presumably car is sat there if wheels in it? No harm in chucking pram carry cot bit over front seats while not in use.

Could you use a bath carrier instead?

Christ, what a busybody that woman was! We had a lie-flat car seat that attached to our pram so I didn't really worry about time limits, but I wouldn't worry about the situations you are using yours in. The problem with them is more when you do a substantial drive, and then use it on the pram for two hours, then drive home, or something. And even then, it's not exactly a death sentence, just something to be aware of.

Don't worry, you're well within guidelines. The 2hr guideline is to stop people from keeping their babies in car seats for hours.
I'm sure she meant well!

As far as I am aware for young babies it’s the issue of pressure on neck/spinal cord when they can’t hold head weight - why it goes from 20 minutes max newborn upwards to 2 hours as they gain strength.

There’s also the issue of overheating as car seats are very snug.

I spoke to HV and doctors about this as we have a very refluxy baby and we are having to hold him, or positioning him at that car seat angle for prolonged periods - so not necessarily in a car seat but same problem.

They said it was fine and they are not too concerned. When I said about the car seat they said it’s more so people don’t just leave them in there permanently ie. drive round block and leave them to sleep and repeat.

So I wouldn’t worry.

I used my loads with my first born as she had reflux and would couldn’t lie flat. The GP even told me to do it. I wouldn’t do it for hours at a time but for short bursts it was fine. They aren’t great for babies to be in for hours, I used to sometimes break a walk and get her out and sit on a bench with her on my knee for example. The woman was interfering, she was very rude.

When I visited family with my newborn, I used the car seat attachment so that when they would pick me up in their car from the station after the train journey, the car seat could be used.

I would just make sure to take them out for a bit on the train and have them in my arms before going back in etc.

If it were a walk situation, I'd just do the same, find a bench or some grass and get them out for a bit and then carry on.

It should be avoided if possible.

Can you carry the baby in a sling downstairs with the carrycot in your arm? I did that with mine.

I am struggling to understand how the carrycot is larger than you or your dh?

I also can't work out how you can't manage the carrycot with the baby in it but can without. I'd suggest just using a sling. That is what I did when I had to go anywhere with stairs (most outings involving public transport).

I had a refluxy baby too and used the car seat in the pram for him because he hated being laid flat. He's 9 now and suffered no long term problems as a result.

I cannot understand how that woman would feel it is acceptable to approach you like that.. how did she know how long baby had been in car seat?? Anyway I wouldn't worry.. as long as you are aware that baby can't spend hours in the car seat it's fine! You are doing your best.. my fiend is a HV and I have a refluxy baby and she has advised me to use the car seat instead of the pram when out and about..

@eurochick She doesn’t mean it’s impossible to carry the baby in the carrycot. The carrycot will have a warning notice on it somewhere saying it’s unsafe to carry your baby in it.

When I did my paediatric first aid training, the trainer was very clear that car seats can cause issues to babies and while there is a 2 hour rule. She advised from a first aid perspective 20 minutes in one position. We all gasped that surely this cant be right. However it does make sense from a child perspective and first aid perspective. 20 minutes is too low though and 2 hours makes most sense within 24 hours.

When a baby is in a semi-upright position when a baby is in a semi-upright position for a prolonged period of time it can result in:
Restricted airflow to baby's lungs, causing breathing issues

A strain on baby's developing spine

Restricted airflow to baby's lungs, causing breathing issues

A strain on baby's developing spine

@Sbena "It should be avoided if possible."

Why?

How strange. We carried our baby in ours and there was no such warning. I thought the clue was in the name that it can be used to carry...

I used to live on a top floor flat.

Why can't you leave the carry cot option on the base downstairs?

Wrt carrying something large downstairs -put baby in it's cot ,get the car /pram ready,go up and get baby. Takes 2 minutes. I used to be super fit in those days with the stairs 🤣

@Bloodyhelldog because it's not flat, overheating risk, all the reasons there's a limit to carseat time. It's not meant to be used all the time.

The OP isn't using it all the time.

As a PP said, just take your baby out of the seat for a little while. If the weather is nice, take a picnic blanket so your DC can stretch out.
The woman was rude.

When I had a newborn there is no way I'd have done this as I'd have been worried about overheating, breathing problems, and the fact that it's not recommended.
That's because I had a PFB and I was massively anxious and stressed all the time!
Needs must. Obviously don't keep him in there for long periods of time, watch that his chin is raised up from his neck and be aware of the temperature. He'll be fine I'm sure.

Sorry - she x