Open any pregnancy or baby book, and you’ll find that list: the baby essentials, the things you absolutely cannot live without. While many accessories are easily recognized as frivolous, certain items are truly indispensable: the basic necessities for life with a baby.
Or are they?
In this weekly series, we’ll be looking at several baby essentials that really aren’t. They may be useful in certain situations, but if money or space is tight, or if you’re just looking to simplify and reduce consumerism and waste, here’s how to get along just fine without these so-called “essentials.“
In Part 1, we questioned the crib. This week, Part 2 bemoans the bucket.
Non-Essential #2: The Infant Car Seat, or “Carrier”
Let me first be perfectly clear: I am not suggesting that we don’t need car seats. Obviously they are essential for safety when riding in motor vehicles. However, we can get by just fine without the “bucket” infant car seats, those only for use up to about 22 pounds, and which are frequently used as baby carriers.
Very tiny babies with low birthweight, such as preemies, require special care. This article does not apply to them and is only intended for babies of average size.
The reported advantages of the infant seats are that they fit small infants better than convertible seats, that it is more convenient to buckle baby into the seat while indoors then carry it out to the car, and that it is better to take a sleeping baby from the car by keeping him in the seat rather than risk waking him.
Best Fit for Infants?
While in general, it is true that infant carseats do fit newborns better than many convertible carseats, more and more convertible seats these days are just as well-designed to fit small infants. Two excellent newer examples are the Radian 80, and the TrueFit, which both come with their own removable infant inserts. There is also the Snuzzler, a safety-tested separate infant insert which can be used in any car seat for comfort and support. (Note: Some states may have regulations against using non-original inserts, please check before using.)
When an infant outgrows their bucket carseat — usually before their first birthday — you will need to purchase a convertible carseat anyway. All too often, parents misunderstand and believe that just because their babies have outgrown their infant seat, they are ready to go straight to a forward-facing carseat. In fact, babies must remain rear-facing until they are at least 20 pounds and one year old, and this is only a bare legal minimum. It is much safer to keep your child rear-facing as long as possible, until they reach the maximum limit of their particular seats. For the TrueFit, for example, the rear-facing limit is 35 pounds, which will last most children until they are three years old.
Since you will need a good convertible seat anyway, it is obviously much more economical to just use this seat from the beginning, rather than spend an additional $70-$300 on a seat which will get less than one year of use. You will also be left with a large chunk of plastic to dispose of, since it is not recommended to buy seats secondhand.
Seats such as the Radian and TrueFit are a more expensive investment in the beginning, but since they can be used as a 5-point harness seat up to 65 pounds, it is much cheaper than buying multiple seats for different weight and age ranges.
Getting In, Getting Out
It certainly is convenient to be able to strap baby in while indoors, and carry them out to the car ready to go, rather than wrestling with the straps while hunched in your back seat, especially in the cold of winter.
However, one fact to consider is that you will have to learn how to get your child to (and into) the car once they’ve outgrown the bucket seat anyway. Why not get used to it while they are small, easy to handle and (mostly) passive, rather than after they’ve turned into opinionated, feisty – not to mention strong – toddlers?
Is it best to let sleeping babies lie? Not necessarily, according to some research. Infants who are left to sleep in their car seat, even when brought indoors, risk collapse of their airway, with potentially deadly results.
In my experience, transferring a sleeping baby from the car to a sling results in only minimal disruption, with the baby quickly returning back to sleep once comfortably nestled in the sling. Doing this in the winter took some practice – but once again, you will need to learn to deal with a sleeping toddler anyway when they are older and have outgrown the bucket. By the time she was old enough to struggle or resist, I was proficient and transfers went smoothly.
Use as Carriers
Using bucket carseats to get your baby in and out of the car easily, can lead to the temptation to lug your precious infant around this way all the time. From the house to the car, from the car to the store or the park, lock the seat into the travel system stroller base, back to the car and home again — when do these babies get held? We know that human touch is essential to the development of healthy children, so it is nonsensical to keep them isolated for extended periods in plastic carriers simply for the sake of “convenience.”
Besides lack of human physical touch, babies carried in carseats generally experience less interaction with their parents and their environment. I have observed, all too often, families simply leaving their babies — even when awake — ignored in their carseats on the floor, while the adults talk among themselves. Once a baby is safely locked away in their plastic bucket, it is too commonly treated like just another piece of luggage to be toted about, rather than a precious and valued human life.
Parents using infant carseats as carriers are also prone to developing dangerous habits, such as setting the seat on a table or other high surface, on soft surfaces where they can tip, or in grocery carts (risk of injury from falls, and parents leaving cart and baby unattended). Often there is a false sense of security, and they are handled quite roughly and carelessly. In fact, the handles on carseats are not tested as rigorously as the seats themselves and are frequently faulty, with disastrous consequences. There have been thousands of injuries — and product recalls — due to faulty handles releasing, dropping babies onto the floor. In 2006, 14,000 infants were injured in car seat carriers from non-motor vehicle accidents.
And of course, as a baby carrier, a carseat is heavy, cumbersome, and awkward — unlike your baby, who is light and portable. Infant carseats weigh, on average, between 7 and 10 pounds. That’s like hefting a large bag of potatoes along with your baby.
Carrying your baby in a sling — or, if all else fails, in your arms — is only as heavy as the baby. A good sling will further distribute this weight across your body, so that your baby can seem almost weightless – plus, your hands are free.
Important note: if you cannot get a convertible seat to fit your car with a proper recline for a newborn, then it is better to use an infant seat. However, you will still need to find a convertible seat which fits rear-facing when your baby outgrows the infant seat.
Be sure to check out Part 3: Strollers, Part 4: Diapers, Part 5: Baby Bathtubs, Part 6: Baby Brain Boosters, and Part 7: Baby Food.
[This post was written by Heather Dunham]
Photo: [177] under Creative Commons
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree with what i think your basic points are – we should consider downsizing the amount of plastic “gear” we parents think we “need,” and that the infant seat shouldn’t be used so much that we don’t neglect our babies’ needs for human touch.
My son, though, absolutely HATED. HATED. HATED. Every sling I tried until he got a bit older. He had to be fully upright, with his legs dangling free, to be happy. Most babies will take to a sling just fine, but not all of them! So cut some new, exhausted moms a teeny bit of slack
Sometimes that baby bucket can be a sanity saver, and you can use them sensibly. We used ours for #1, loaned it to friends, and now have it back to use for #2 on the way…so at least getting lots of mileage out of it!
Amen! I was never interested in the bucket-type carseats for all of the reasons that you mention. Plus – not only is lugging the EXTRA weight of the bucket a pain in the ass – it’s AWKWARD because it’s all on one side. Can you say chiropractor bills? LOL Slings are also MUCH easier in restaurants and such.
I completely DISAGREE that these are not necessary. My daughter woke up the second I would try to remove her from the carrier and wouldn’t fall back asleep. Not to mention we only needed to buy additional bases to be used in other cars. Much easier to transfer a base from the trunk to the back seat then trying to carrying around a second car seat when my daughter had to be picked up from daycare by someone else.
Also, I could not find any sling that didn’t make my daughter scream. She has been nosy from the day she was born and would get very frustrated if she couldn’t see out.
The infant car seat was a lifesaver for me!
Why is it that people feel it’s ok to bombard mothers (especially new mothers) with their personal opinions on things? Fine – you choose not to use an infant carrier. Don’t dismiss them as unnecessary for everyone.
I’m also tired of reading about how parents who use infant carriers and/or don’t use slings don’t care properly for their babies and aren’t nurturing enough. I have 3 children, all of whom used an infant carrier and none of whom used a sling. They recieve all the love and hugs that they could possibly want and are happy, healthy, well adjusted and secure children.
THANK YOU for the wonderful post. In a time when new parents especially are bombarded with items they supposedly NEED to buy for their baby, it’s refreshing to hear someone with a simpler, healthier approach to baby care. I would highly recommend that most parents buy a convertible car seat right from the beginning and skip the baby bucket all together.
This was a great article and I’ll certainly pass it on!
Is it a coincidence that when an infant only has a plastic bucket and the ceiling to look at, the rate of autism in the country rises astronomically? Without human touch and visual interaction with the world around us from the moment we are born, we are prone to learning disabilities, social problems and dissociative disorders. So your baby cries when you wake him getting him out of the car seat. Would you rather him not be able to learn to read or worse, have aggression issues and the worst ‘terrible 2′s” you’ve ever seen? Love your babies people. That means holding then in your arms close to your body. They’ve been in there for 9 months. A plastic bucket is cruel.
We used the bucket version until our son was about 5 months, then he was no longer comfortable in it. Mind you, at 10 months he weighs in at 24 pounds!
I loved the carrier for going into restaurants when he was very small. I would only put the carrier in a well fitting and secure high chair, otherwise I just asked for a booth and slid him in next to me.
I never brought the carrier into the house. I woke him up, but him in a sling/moby wrap or just carried him.
We used the “travel system” a few times, probably less than 5 during those 5 months.
I think this style of car seat/carrier has a place, and can be useful for parents if used properly. I agree that shuffling your child from car to house to stroller without ever touching is NOT how these should be used. We live in a mild climate, but I could see folks in cold weather wanting to get their little one bundled up and comfy in the house before trekking out into the cold.
I’m glad that we had one, and I have saved it for future children. However, we easily could have lived without it and for parents on a budget, starting into the convertible car seat is the way to go!
I have to agree with this as my daughter had completely outgrown her infant car seat by six months. I had always wanted to be a baby wearer but could never find a sling that worked for us. Baby Bjorn was also very uncomfortable. Could you recommend a baby carrier that works well for large chests? It may be to late for my daughter but I would like the opportunity to do this with future babies.
We used a convertible car seat from day one and loved it. I am not a fan of the bucket car seats and never felt the need to use one. I think (for most people) they are a huge waste of money as well as awkward, heavy and just unnecessary. Maybe we were lucky, our baby liked the sling and could fall back to sleep if we woke him while getting him out of the car, but even so, I would not bother buying one of these.
I think so many parents (esp. new parents) are so overwhelmed by everything that they don’t always think about whether or not certain baby items are essential or not. It is very easy to get caught up in buying things that you are told you need. I love these articles! Keep up the good work!
Whoa, Annie. I think it’s a bit of a leap – and a harsh one – to connect using an infant carrier seat with autism. I was the first commenter who said that we used ours sensibly with our first child, who at 21 months was speaking in complete sentences, using correct subject-verb agreement, verb tense, and possessive pronouns. And he’s a perfectly normally social little kid as well. I’m not sure what actual purpose you thought your comment might serve – as I see it, you only meant to scare and cut down other people.
Aubrey – many large-chested women like wraps, because they’re so versatile. Mei tais are also often good, many are available with extra-long straps as an option, if necessary. Mei tais are probably the easiest carrier to use for back carries, as well, which can be easier for large-chested women as well.
That being said, it’s all very personal, some large women can’t stand wraps and prefer pouches, or vice versa. The best suggestion (for ANYONE considering what kinds of slings to use) — well, the first best is to try a whole bunch yourself but that’s not always possible, unfortunately — is to go to thebabywearer.com, read all the articles and ask on the forums. There are many larger women on those forums who will gladly share what their favourite carriers are!!
Another issue with baby buckets – and other similar devices (cribs, swings etc.) where some parents leave their babies for hours on end – is “bucket head” where the back of the head flattens out and the kid then has to wear a helmet to correct it.
Like some of the PP, my oldest absolutely HATED the sling. THAT ended up being the total waste of money for me, NOT the infant car seat.
Another advantage for our family of having the carrier was that it takes up quite a bit less room in the back seat. I have 3 kids and an economy car. I can fit 1 infant seat, 1 regular car seat, and 1 booster. Or I can fit 1 regular car seat and two boosters. I can NOT, however, fit 2 regular seats and 1 booster. My 2nd is still too small for a booster at the moment, but he should be big enough by the time #3 outgrows the infant seat.
My daughter, whom I used a bucket seat with, is far from unloved and nurtured. To assume because I used one that she did not receive enough love and attention is narrow minded thinking. I didn’t use it as an alternative to carrying her in my arms, I used for a car seat that she happened to fall asleep in. To assume you don’t love or provide a loving environment for your child because you let her sleep in a car seat is the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard. I don’t live with her father either and we share custody, does that make me a horrible mother?! Open your eyes people. You are not to judge because one person does not do things the same way you do.
in MN winters, i found our bucket seat invaluable. sorry.
I am going to be a new mom for the first time in June. I have been going back and forth with what car set to buy. I found both sides of the argument to be helpful. I want to be economical and also be comfortable, and I believe getting a car seat that will go further than six months is the best choice. I also see that the bucket car seat isn’t that comfortable for the baby when they fall asleep; not to mention heavy and burdensome even if you don’t wake them up to get them out of the car. I will risk it but I will buy a sling and carry baby with me. If she cries then she cries, what baby doesn’t cry.
Another good carseat, especially for smaller vehicles is the Combi Cocorro which can easily be had for under $200. My baby is not born yet, but this looks just as snuggly as many infant bucket seat, which from years, and years of babysitting I have learned to hate. I admit they are convienent at times but they make your 10 lb baby feel like she weighs 40 lbs or more. And I know, babywearing is not for everybody, but know that slings aren’t the only sort of baby carrier, there are those – like wraps and baby bjorn styles – that do hold your little one upright in a position more are prone to be fond of. If you look and try a few different sorts, you are bound to find one that works well for you.
For Aubrey: I am large chested and I love the Moby wrap, it is infinitely adjustable and can be worn several different ways, comes in many colors and patterns, and isn’t that expensive – just $40.
Last month, my youngest son, then 6 months old, left a bright yellow mess in his infant seat on the way to a wedding. For the rest of the weekend, we used my older boys’ outgrown convertible seat. The boy hated it. He could not get comfortable in it at all. We returned to the infant seat the following day and my happy boy had returned. Now, of 3 boys, he has been my biggest and my happiest – and the least impressed with the seat that both of the older boys had used. He cried from the moment he was put in it. A month later I am looking to buy a new seat – Triumph Advance – and crossing my fingers hoping we won’t have a repeat experience. All of my boys thus far have been acceptable weights to be in the infant seat for the full year – and beyond, for one – but I choose to put them in a convertible seat around 7 months because THAT is the point when a convertible seat loses its benefits for me. I wear my son with my mei tai, but there are times when for speed purposes I would rather heft the bulky plastic.
Thanks for this! My mind is finally made up. I am sticking to the convertible seat + a good sling.
Wow, talk about being an alarmist. I agree that bucket infant seats aren’t right for everyone, but as a first time parent, it was exactly what I needed. Newborns are so tiny, wobbly and hard to carry sometimes. I can’t imagine trying to do that those first few weeks, especially since he was born in late feb when we still had snow and ice. And I guarantee you that my son isn’t missing out on any love or any warmth of his parents touch. Mothers may not have needed them way back when, but they also didn’t have the miles of aisles at superstores to walk with a heavy baby in their arms. Dare I admit that I also use a swing to help pacify my son? Oh, the horrors!
We chose to go straight to a convertable seat and it was a great choice economically. There have been a few times when my husband or I have sat in the car with her while she slept and the other person ran into a store, but it’s a small inconvenience. When she was an infant she would usually got right back to sleep once she was in the sling.
I do think not using an infant seat promotes more contact with babies because a parent or care giver will be holding the baby even when it is sleeping. But, as long as parents remember that the “baby bucket” is first and formost a car seat (to be used in the care 99% of the time) and not a baby carrier they have their place.
Before my daughter was born, I had both a bucket seat & a convertible seat for her. A few weeks before her due date, I installed (yes, properly!) the bucket seat in my car, as part of cleaning the car out for a trip the next day. Well, on the way home from that trip, I was in a wreck. A bad one, at hwy. speeds. My car (an Outback) got too friendly with both a Suburban and a pick-up. It was _squish_. Subaru makes VERY crash-worthy cars. Aside from the seat belt breaking my water & sending me into labor, I was bruised & that’s all. That bucket seat, however, came detached from its base and ended up halfway in the back part of the station wagon. Thank Heaven there was no baby in it! When we brought our daughter home from the hospital a week later (after 6 days in NICU with some breathing issues), she went straight into the convertible Roundabout I had at home. No bucket seats for us–I’ve seen all I need to know. I have a 3 year-old and a 20 month-old & have never had trouble transferring either one from carseat to sling.
While we do many alternative parenting things–co-sleeping, EC, that whole “check list” I will admit I do like the bucket seat for the first six months or so. It gets very hot in the car here during the summer months, and I like being able to carry the seat inside. That way I’m not shoving her into a burning hot seat. The argument that you’ll eventually have to learn to deal with a toddler in a regular seat is missing one fact–toddlers can understand hot/cold and are not tiny, floppy, and fragile…
I do dislike those travel systems where you switch the bucket from the car to the stroller. That makes it easy to never touch your baby! Car seats are for cars, and the bucket has some advantages when used for it’s intended purpose: as a car seat. I’m fairly certain it has nothing to do with Autism, either.
Heather (previous commenter) your bucket seat in a wreck is scary!! I will admit we have had trouble getting our bucket seat secure in the car even when it’s installed correctly and has been checked at the fire station. It tips to the side very easily despite the fact that it’s in right and the seat belt is tight on the base.
Forgot to mention–when I carry the seat inside I then take the baby *out* of the seat regardless of whether she’s asleep or awake!
I did not have a “bucket” seat for my first who was a March baby, but did use one for my 2nd who was born in Dec, but only until spring. (We live in Canada with sometimes severe winters.) But the best purchase I think we made was a strolex – it was a convertible 5 point harness car seat that was good for 5-40 lbs and could be converted into a stoller in moments. It wasn’t great in the winter as the wheels weren’t meant to go through snow, but all the rest of the year it was amazing and it took many trips including New York City (great for in and out of cabs). Plus it was also FAA approved and thus could be used on airplanes. I had to order it online – originally I saw it in the SkyMall catalog (the shopping catalogs on airplanes), but that was over 6 years ago and I have since seen it at Costco online and also at “one step ahead” – also a catalog company with great baby and kids items. It was about $200 but worth every penny.
While I completely agree you don’t need an infant carrier (I had one for my son and hated it, he went into a convertable at 4 months. My daughter has always been in a true fit) it is DANGEROUS to use any add-ons that the car seat manufacter does not sell for that seat. These add-ons are NOT tested with every seat and there is no telling what they will do to their performance!
I always found my son’s infant car seat quite awkward to carry, especially as he got bigger which didn’t take long at all because he loved him some milkies.
I like the idea of reducing waste. The one (IMO the most important) topic that has remained over looked in these threads is the amount of toxic chemicals that are in car seats (bromine, lead, etc). There are ratings on healthystuff.org but they are very limited in scope and often brands will have very different ratings within the same model. The PBDEs are on the fabrics that touch skin and can attach to dust particles to be inhaled. It would be great to know more about the chemicals used on the recommended convertible seats.
As for autism being linked to spending too much time in a car seat…well, there is a recent but intensive study that is showing strong evidence of a DNA link for autism.
I think it is safe to say most parents, especially ones concerned enough to be on a green parenting web site use carriers primarily for what they are meant – transport. There is nothing wrong with finding the method of transport that works best for parent, as well as baby.
I really never understood the “OMG you must have these!” mentality of the infant seats. They’re a relatively new invention. Our parents did without them. I never had one for my son, and people thought I was crazy for actually carrying my son around in my arms or Ergo versus the infant seat. We did absolutely fine without one. We saved money and we don’t have a big chunk of plastic sitting around catching dust in case we have another child before the seat expires (or worse — sitting in a landfill). And my son was born in November in New England. We had a stroller with an incline that we also used with a Snuzzler, and that was fine as well.
It seems there are so many “essentials” with babies these day. We have found one we simply can’t do without, Sleepy Bee. (sleepybees.com) He’s a little stuffed bee with ocean wave sounds that fastens to the car seat, stroller or the crib. Sleepy Bee drowns out the busy world noise so out baby girl can sleep anywhere. Definitely a must!
I completely agree with Chandra & Amy – not a necessity, but definitely useful. My 6 mo little girl has been carried in a sling for a large part of her life both at home and away, but her infant seat has been a huge help. While she is just now almost ready to sit in a high chair while we are out, and I have eaten while holding her in my lap or in her sling many times, the bucket car seat was a great place for her to sit at the table with us, and sometimes sleep in, while we ate. Sometimes you want to eat something messier than a sling will allow
Also, when she was a newborn there were a few trips to the store – either in the cart or her stroller – that she slept through entirely because we were able to safely and cautiously keep her in her car seat while shopping. Now that she is older, she will wake up whether or not we take her out of her seat, so I go ahead and wear her, but as a brand new mom needing groceries in hurry, the car seat was a huge help.
I have to admit, we do still carry her in the house in her seat so that we can easily buckle her in inside on our next trip, but even at only 14 lbs, this is becoming more work than it’s worth if my husband isn’t here to do the toting. I don’t keep her in her seat when we get in the house, except for the occasional quick bathroom trip, but I suppose setting her in her co-sleeper would also suffice.
And while I know I am a couple years behind in reading and posting on this topic, I have trouble due to my large breasts but have found 2 wonderful carriers: the Becco
Gemini and the Balboa Baby Sling. The sling is easy, fast, and very portable, and the Gemini is so supportive and comfortable, unlike the Baby Bjorn, making it great for long periods. My Moby was great for the first month, but once it went over 90 degrees, I was ready for less fabric and less time spent in the hot sun wrapping up.
If not a sling, what about a snuggly or a Mayan style wrap? The wraps seems more flexible and people tie them on the back so the kid is upright and out of the way…Maybe that’s better for older babies?
You forgot how no infant bucket seat has ever been made to sit on a shopping cart. And no shopping cart is made to hold an infant bucket seat. There have been warnings about using them like this for decades now, but go into any store and you’ll see the idiot parent with their baby up on the shopping cart in the bucket seat. Bucket seats make it easy to do that, and it makes parents more likely to do it. I hate them for that. Parents think “It’s raining, I better leave him in where he’s safe” and carry him in, then “Oh, I’ll just put it up on the shopping cart” and boom, baby is in the most dangerous spot he can be at. Ugh.
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