Do I need a bassinet for my stroller or will an infant car seat be okay?

[Anonymous]

Hi! FTM here. We live in downtown DC and were hoping to get a super lightweight stroller with a car seat attachment for the infant months. Now I'm hearing that apparently they shouldn't be in the car seat that long and should instead be in a bassinet? Is this just a ploy to get people to buy more stuff? Do I really need to get a bassinet for the stroller?

I've got my heart set on the Graco Nimblelite travel system since it's super affordable and very lightweight.
Advice?

[Anonymous]

If your child will be in it a lot yes, get the bassinet part. Staying in the car seat is fine for running into Target. Anything longer take them out of it.

[Anonymous]

Does the Graco one you like have a seat that lays flat? If it does that should be fine. You don’t want to leave a baby in a car seat for stroller walks..

[Anonymous]

I walked around a lot and only used the car seat ( 2 x 30min-1hr per day). I felt like I couldn’t justify the bassinet purchase for just a few months of use.

[Anonymous]

We were gifted an Uppababy Vista with bassinet attachment. We never used it because we lived on a hill and it didn’t feel secure for a newborn. Our now-toddler is perfectly fine having been pushed around in a car seat.

[Anonymous]

I only used the car seat -- usually took my babies for a couple of walks a day. Bassinets are too big for such a short period for me; the car seat was fine and since I never go anywhere by car, I figured my downtown baby wasn't getting noticeably more carseat time on my walks than suburban babies get in actual cars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I only used the car seat -- usually took my babies for a couple of walks a day. Bassinets are too big for such a short period for me; the car seat was fine and since I never go anywhere by car, I figured my downtown baby wasn't getting noticeably more carseat time on my walks than suburban babies get in actual cars.

Plus one. We didn’t even have a car…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your child will be in it a lot yes, get the bassinet part. Staying in the car seat is fine for running into Target. Anything longer take them out of it.

This makes no sense. So you can keep a baby in a car seat when you drive 3 hours to see grandma but not on a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood?

[Anonymous]

Technically, you are not supposed to do the 3 hour drive in one sitting. You are supposed to stop and get out and reposition. The issue with infants in the car seat is positional asphyxiation. They can get their head into a position that can block their airway. Does it happen a lot. No. Does it happen. Yes. That is also why you are supposed to do a really good job positioning the carseat and the base to make sure to mitigate the risk.

People who work in child safety at the hospital near me really do recommend (despite it being a total pain) that you take kids out of the carseat for a target run or a quick trip to ... They are not supposed to be used for long walks. People do it. They do it all the time. Kids survive very often. But, like co-sleeping, side cars, dock a tots, swings, and sleeping on their stomach. It is not advised.

I did not have a bassinet for my older two and got one for my third and I was sad I did not have it earlier. We went on so many walks and did so much outside time and it was great to have DD3 in the bassinet and not tied down in a the car seat. And it was safe for sleeping.

[Anonymous]

If you’re walking a lot you need some kind of insert for newborn phase. I never used the bassinet but I have an uppababy vista and used the infant insert. I also did attach the car seat when going from car to walking etc.

[Anonymous]

Doesn't the nimblelight recline to (?almost) flat?

TBH i just had a doona and my baby preferred to be carried so stroller walks were in the car seat for brief periods and carried for longer periods.

But I actually agree with the PP who pointed out all the advantages of bassinet and safety considerations and knowing what I do now would try to get one from buy nothing group if I have a second child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were gifted an Uppababy Vista with bassinet attachment. We never used it because we lived on a hill and it didn’t feel secure for a newborn. Our now-toddler is perfectly fine having been pushed around in a car seat.

This is my concern (security). It seems like the baby could just roll out if anything happened!

[Anonymous]

Also keep in mind the advice keeps changing. When my teen was a baby, the ped recommended sleeping the car seat to avoid reflux. My kids both slept in it for several months. They slept so much better that way. Ten more years we will be back to angled or feet must be raised or something else

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were gifted an Uppababy Vista with bassinet attachment. We never used it because we lived on a hill and it didn’t feel secure for a newborn. Our now-toddler is perfectly fine having been pushed around in a car seat.

This is my concern (security). It seems like the baby could just roll out if anything happened!

Bear it mind it's for very little babies, by 6 months when babies can roll over and push up, it is no longer safe to use.

But when they are little newborn potato babies who need to be walked to sleep, it is so great to have them in the bassinet attachment on your stroller. You walk around and around and then when they fall asleep you can just park the stroller and let them sleep while you have your coffee or whatever. Also most of the bassinets have little zip-around covers so only their face is visible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were gifted an Uppababy Vista with bassinet attachment. We never used it because we lived on a hill and it didn’t feel secure for a newborn. Our now-toddler is perfectly fine having been pushed around in a car seat.

This is my concern (security). It seems like the baby could just roll out if anything happened!

Yes, that was our exact issue. She'd slide on an incline. There is nothing holding them in place.