Baby Car seat / carrier?

Yes, an infant carrier is one with the handle, it can snap into a stroller, and it snaps in and out of a base that you put in your car. If you go with a convertible seat right away, yes, you'll be saving the money of the infant seat. But, an infant seat is a Godsend in those early weeks/months when you're getting no sleep and sometimes the baby won't sleep well unless you're holding him/her. It's great to have the baby sound asleep in the carseat and be able to just leave him or her sleeping there while you get some stuff done!

i think many people (including experts) will agree that the infant seat fits a newborn baby a lot better than a convertible seat. that said, you do have to factor in the cost...which is why I opted for the graco safeseat...it should get me through to a year and then I can go straight to a combo - toddler/booster seat and skip the convertible seat. Either way, you're going to have to get a booster seat when your baby outgrows the convertible....The other benefit to an infant seat is the snap in and out of base feature...small babies always fall asleep in the car, and you're really not going to want to wake the baby up to take them out of their car seat. If you do end up getting an infant seat, you can either get the infant seat frame or a travel system...i opted to get the graco frame...they're pretty inexpensive and I thought all the strollers that went with the travel systems were pretty bulky. Once we're done using the snap and go, we have a super light maclaren stroller waiting....

Oh yes, an infant seat was a must when Ryan was a newborn. Newborns sleep all the time. So anytime you go somewhere you can just unclick the seat without having to unstrap the baby. I could not have imagined not having an infant seat..... They also snap onto strollers. Mine came as a set for under 150$. I have seen cheaper ones at K mart. Heres one.. I just did a quick search, you may be able to find cheapers ones.http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_024W387523110001P?mv=rr I highly reccomend one of the infant seats.

Yes, if the baby is sleeping it is alot easier as well as if you need to set the baby down it won't be a problem. They attach to most carts and then you don't have to hold them the entire time (hands free shopping) I did the carrier/stroller/car seat and then went to the convertible one. The solace I gave myself is that the stroller is good quality and if you purchase an extra base ($20)you can have one for your car and daddy's car and not have to remove it. I love to save money as well but thought the investment was worth it.

I did find the infant carseat to be too heavy to really use myself. On top of that my son hated to be in his carseat whether in the car or in the store so it was useless. I wouldn't bother investing in it again, I would go for a convertible seat if I had to do it all over again. I'm sure they are wonderful for babies that don't mind using them but my son wasn't one of them. I found a sling/carrier to be more useful. I used a moby wrap and sling when my son was really small and after about 4 months used an Ergo carrier. I never used the travel system at all. I use the stroller separately now that my son is older but never used it before.

I have the travel system where the car seat snaps easily into the car seat base (which stays in the car) and also right into the stroller. It is very light weight and easy to carry around. Very convenient and good for up to 30 lbs

I think I would DIE without her carseat carrier. I can take her to the grocery store and just pull the infant seat out and place it in a shopping cart. All the while the blanket protects her from the wind and she stays fast asleep. It is an invention from God. lol Congradulations on your baby!

Convertible car seats can help save money but depending on the size of your baby they can be a bad thing. They don't usually recline enough for younger babies to be sat comfortably in. Infant car seats I think are actually a wonder thing to have. They help a lot when trying to move a sleeping baby even in and out of the house without having to wake him. Also in colder weather or if it's raining they are a huge asset because then you could just cover the carrier and still carry it without having to worry about baby getting cold or wet.

My friends swear by their travel systems. One friend loved hers especially for walking with the baby around the neighborhood. The are good for using the car seat as a carrier. You don't have to wake baby to get them in and out. And you can use the seat on your shopping cart as you've seen women do. I don't think it is that heavy. Plus the strollers that come with these tend to have more features. I have a baby coming very soon, and chose this route. I was also thinking that since we plan on having a second child that the expense would be offset when this carseat gets used for the new baby. By that time, this baby will be in a convertible carseat.