Carrying your baby in a car seat?

Question

At what age do people stop carrying babies around in infant car seats? My baby is 7 1/2 months and I still carry her to the car while she's in her infant car seat. Once I get to my destination, I just click her carseat into the stroller (we've been using the Graco SnugRider stroller frame) . This was easy when she was a newborn but now she's getting heavy (18 pounds!) and my biceps just can't keep up with her....

Is it time to leave the carseat in the car, and transfer my baby to her new, "big-girl" stroller when we reach our destination? What do you do?

Answer 1

It's time to get her a bigger stroller and a car seat. She should have a toddler seat. The ones where the baby can face the front and the straps fasten in the front.

Answer 2

i would say that when it starts to be more of a hassle than a convenience it is time to swap to something else. i am planning on using slings to carry the baby most of the time that way i am able to have both arms and if i'm at the store or something and need a buggy i won't have to deal with a stroller or anything.

good luck!

Answer 3

Its better for her attachment if u hold her.  Carseats are for cars.  Its makes for a bigger, happier, healthier baby if u hold it.  With my kids, i hold the baby (shes 3 months) or put her in the sling if im going to need my arms, and my husband carries our almost 2 yr old or he walks.

Answer 4

I completely understand how you feel.  My son is a little over 8 months old and weighs about 19lbs and every morning it seems that car seat gets heavier and heavier!!  

We are planning to shopping for the next stage of carseat within the next month, and once we get a new one, that is when I plan on getting rid of the infant seat/carrier.  For now, it's more of a hassle for me to try and get him buckled into the infant seat while it's in the car than it is for me to lug him around.  Even though he's heavy in the carrier, it's near impossible for me to get him securely strapped in unless his carrier is outside of the car....he squirms a lot!  A trick I've learned is that if going to a store that has shopping carts (target, walmart, groceries, etc.) I park next to the place where people return the carts or park next to an empty spot that has an empty cart left in it.... that way I don't have to do anything other than put him straight from car onto the cart.  If I'm going to a mall or something, I still leave him in his carrier and attach it to the stroller because he prefers facing me while we're walking indoors.  If we're taking a walk at home and will be outside, he wants to check everything out and is fine in the stroller without the car seat part.

Just think.... before we know it, we'll wish they were still little enough for us to keep in a carrier!!  Good luck to  you!

Answer 5

I never used a car seat as a baby carrier.  I've always left the carseat in the car and used a sling or soft carrier for my babies.

Answer 6

I already take my baby out, he is 4 mths and almost 19 pds.  He is just to heavy with the carseat and can sit by himdelf in grocery carts and such, so why bother taking the carseat!

Answer 7

My doctor told me that she can be out of the infant seat at 20 lbs and into the other so yes. I would say leave it in the car and carry her or just put her into the stroller. I would get one of those cart covers though so that she does not teeth on the cart bar where everyone's hands have been. good luck... I have been putting my daughter in the stroller without the car seat for about 2 weeks now, she is 4 months and she loves the freedom. a little more room she is now 15 lbs.

Answer 8

You can start using just her stroller whenever you like.

My five month old is 18 pounds and I am still using the infant carrier. Yeah, it's darn heavy, but it's so convenient to click it into the stroller or shopping cart and I don't have to worry about moving him if he falls asleep.  

Answer 9

my daughter out grew the infant car seat by 6 months and i was so glad not to have to carry that thing anymore. your right it does weigh  a ton. i would just leave it in the car if it is too heavy and put her in the stroller. she will be fine.

Answer 10

They have to STAY IN A REAR FACING CARE SEAT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE!!!!  Usually its 20 to 25 lbs and a year old.

Answer 11

I would say yes. You are going to get even more tired in the next few months. As long as your baby can sit up by itself really well then the next stroller up is fine.

Answer 12

You might want to check what is states on the car seat but I think the limit is 6 months or when their legs are longer then the seat but I know a lot of people use them WAY longer then they are suppose to.

Good Luck!

Cheryl

http://www.swapsavers.com/

Answer 13

If you are no longer able to carry her - then yes, you should switch to a big girl stroller and ditch the car seat carrier once you hit your destination.

Answer 14

If we got to where we were going and my son was asleep I put his car seat in the stroller (Or grocery cart) until he was ready to go into a forward-facing one. If he was awake I would put him in the stroller or the seat of the cart.

Answer 15

my baby girl is almost a year old she will be a year old in 2 weeks. i know exactly what u mean about getting heavy in the carseat. i still put her in her carrier carseat but if she's awake and we reach our destination then i take her out of it and put her in the stroller or buggy. i also use the graco snugride and she loves it too! i would just quit using the carrier carseat after your baby is 1. but, until then you can still use it but if she's too heavy for you then i would leave the carrier in your car and just take her out of it when you get to where you are going.

Answer 16

Baby is actually better off being in a stroller when out rather than a car seat. Travel systems are meant for when baby is small and you don't want to wake them up  and you are just running in to the store for a few thing not for a long time.

Where I live most people thing that the car seat came with the stroller so you have to use them together and it's sad to see a baby in the car seat all day while the parents spend the day at the mall shopping.

Answer 17

1-I think it depends on how stable your child is with sitting with support.

2-It depends on your comfort level with having your child in a stroller opposed to a car seat.

3-there's no rule or law saying how long to keep your baby in their car seat when transporting them from your vehicle.

I think its a personal choice. :) Yeah, I'd say, if she's getting heavy - its time! I waited till my daughter was about 8mths (she was tiny), and until my son was about 3mths (he was big).

Btw, again, its a comfort level thing. Personally, I got sick of doing the stroller thing. Its too awkward. Wheels are too big. Its too heavy to get in and out of the vehicle, so I use an umbrella stroller. They're convenient and light-weight. YAY!

Answer 18

I had the same setup as you, but switched to a convertible car seat at about 5 months.  My son was 20 lbs. at that point and was no longer manageable for me in the carrier.

Answer 19

I left the car seat in the car and just got my baby out that is now 2 and i have a newborn. When they car seat start getting heavy it time to take them out and carry them and then put them back in infant car seat. The baby can't be in a big girl car seat til 1 year old or 20 to 30 pound can't remember the weight. good luck