Do I need a bassinet/carrycot seat on my pram?

[Rosebell100]

Hello, looking for some advice, or at least to check I’m not being terribly naïve.

Plan A was to not spend a fortune on a pram, but after trying the uppababy cruz we’re in love. DH wants the leather handle bars . We are trying to justify it by not getting the carrycot and instead making do with the carseat and sling for the first three months. Does that sound like a terrible plan?
My thinking is, 1-3 months I can walk round the park with just a sling, and anything further afield would be in the car anyway. I might do the odd trip into London which I’d have to use the carseat on the pram frame for. I guess in that instance he might be in the car seat quite a while, but we’d get him out and hold him etc.
Any advice welcome.

I used the carry cot bit as a downstairs sleeping area as I didn't have a Moses basket

What are you planning to do from months 3-6? They shouldn't really be sitting in the seat until then.
I'm a massive sling user but think you would really struggle without the option for them to lie flat properly and sleep

Young babies shouldn't be in car seats due to the angle for more than I think it's 40 mo utes at a time whilst very young then 2 hours, it can compromise their breathing!

Buy one 2nd hand? Just be careful from a smoke/pet free home?

Can you get a second hand carrycot?

Are you planning on buying a lie flat car seat? If not then I’d reconsider a newborn shouldn’t be in a car seat for more than I think 45 minutes at a time. And the carrycot is excellent for naps. I’d either look for a second hand one or find a pram you can afford- you really don’t need leather handlebars!

3 months is a long time to not have a pram. And if it doesn't lie flat I think the guidance is 6 months plus. Can you look for a second-hand carrycot on ebay and buy a new mattress?

Constantly taking a newborn baby in and out of a carseat every 30 minutes for 15 minutes is a hassle (especially if the baby is sleeping!) and not necessariy practical depending on your location.

Slings are great but not always practical either. 2 month old DS is not always keen on being in a sling when wide awake and wiggling, and I can only carry so much in a backpack compared to my pram basket. I've also been unable to use a sling for periods due to blocked ducts/mastitis and another friend had similar issues with her c-section scar.

I couldn't do without my carrycot - and we also use it for daytime naps at home. If I was going to do without one I'd get a buggy that lies flat and is suitable from birth.

I loved the idea of a sling then hated the reality

I agree with LeeMiller that you want a lie flat seat you are going to make do without a carrycot. I had a carrycot for one child and didn't for another and with hindsight, I wish I had it for both. My pram has a lie flat seat so it wasn't essential when under 6 months but so useful for taking a sleeping baby in and out the house and also getting naps when out and about at other houses. Also, my first absolutely despised her carseat so taking her in that would not have been an option

I would try get a second hand one and replace mattress if I were in your shoes

I didn't get a carrycot for baby 3 as the other two didn't use theirs much. But I got a pushchair which reclined to flat. She did look tiny for the first few weeks but it was fine.