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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Does it recline flat and you just attach the infant insert? A PP said she didn't use the vista because lived on a hill. The vista is 27+8.8 for bassinet so it's a whopping 35.8 pounds before the child. Not worried about uphill but how is it on steep downhill?

[Anonymous]

A seat that reclines pretty flat with an insert is a much better option imho. Uppababy has one. The bassinet just didn’t feel secure to me at all. My newborn kept getting bumped around on rough sidewalks and I he also just didn’t like being kind of loose in the middle of the bassinet. He far preferred being snugly strapped into the regular seat with the insert or the car seat. With my second kid I never even used the bassinet.

[Anonymous]

I didn't have a bassinet and regretted it. My baby would often fall asleep on walks, but would not transfer when we got home from the car seat to her crib. I didn't let her nap in the car seat once we got home because of all the advice against that and being an anxious FTM, and I would have felt much more comfortable taking her on a walk to get her down and then letting her sleep in the bassinet. That said, with my second kid, since I already had a stroller/car seat, I didn't bother switching things up to get a new system with a bassinet, and I would let her sleep a little in the car seat while watching her. But if I were to start over, I'd go with a bassinet.

[Anonymous]

As others have said, it depends, largely on your lifestyle. If you plan to baby wear on walks during the infant months and just use the carseat for quick errands and things then you may not need a bassinet. I had planned to do a lot of long walks during the first several months, so we bought a stroller system (Joolz Day model) that had one included in the package. We liked it a lot and used it a lot.

The issue with using a carseat for walks or on loads of errands (especially if you also will have the baby in the car a lot) is that it can heavily contribute to flat head syndrome / container baby syndrome. Bassinet attachments help with this as baby can easily be repositioned and their heads are free to move around more. As infants skulls are still forming, having them in devices where their head is being cradled (bucket car seats, baby swings, etc) for long periods of time can cause plagiocephaly. In general, you want your baby to be “loose” more often than not to avoid head issues and strengthen core muscles, build good tone, etc.

TLDR, base the purchase, or decision not to purchase based on what your lifestyle or perceived lifestyle will be during the first few months.

[Anonymous]

We had a bassinet for the Uppababy (bought it used) and we used it SO much with our first, both out of the house and even at home. We would take it to a friend's house and then have a place for the baby to sleep while we were there. Or at home, we kept it in the living room, so we'd have a safe place to put the baby that was still near us if he fell asleep. Babies that young to fit in it sleep through everything. Our second (a covid baby) mostly only used it around the house, but I was still happy to have it.

For those concerned the baby will fall out--have you seen one in person? The Uppababy one at least is very deep--this was not a concern I had. Would I go on a steep incline with the kid in it? No. Did I walk up/down hills with it? Yes, without issue.

[Anonymous]

This is one of those things where the official advice - baby should ideally be laying flat most of the time - is counter to what the majority of families actually do, which is to use a snap and go type stroller. I spent a lot of time stressing that we bought a stroller without a bassinet attachment option. DD wasn't in it that much as she preferred to be worn. She probably would have liked the bassinet better but we lived in an apartment at the time, and didn't have a lot of extra space, so it would have been impractical. Also if you drive to a lot of places the snap and go is so much easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is one of those things where the official advice - baby should ideally be laying flat most of the time - is counter to what the majority of families actually do, which is to use a snap and go type stroller. I spent a lot of time stressing that we bought a stroller without a bassinet attachment option. DD wasn't in it that much as she preferred to be worn. She probably would have liked the bassinet better but we lived in an apartment at the time, and didn't have a lot of extra space, so it would have been impractical. Also if you drive to a lot of places the snap and go is so much easier.

A baby laying flat on it's back most of the time is a recipe for a flat head. The baby should be in lots of different positions, from tummy time to upright in a carrier to a bouncy seat to propped on a boppy.

Don't let the baby sleep overnight in an infant car seat. If the baby falls asleep while in the infant car seat on a stroller, just keep an eye on the baby, which isn't hard as you're pushing the stroller. If you get home, the baby will likely wake in 5-15 min once the motion stops. If it's the beginning of nap time and you think they'll sleep a very long time, just try to transition to the crib. If you're out and about for a longer half or full day, bring a carrier too and split time between the carrier and the infant car seat. Swap at eating times, diaper changes or when the baby gets fussy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is one of those things where the official advice - baby should ideally be laying flat most of the time - is counter to what the majority of families actually do, which is to use a snap and go type stroller. I spent a lot of time stressing that we bought a stroller without a bassinet attachment option. DD wasn't in it that much as she preferred to be worn. She probably would have liked the bassinet better but we lived in an apartment at the time, and didn't have a lot of extra space, so it would have been impractical. Also if you drive to a lot of places the snap and go is so much easier.

A baby laying flat on it's back most of the time is a recipe for a flat head. The baby should be in lots of different positions, from tummy time to upright in a carrier to a bouncy seat to propped on a boppy.

Don't let the baby sleep overnight in an infant car seat. If the baby falls asleep while in the infant car seat on a stroller, just keep an eye on the baby, which isn't hard as you're pushing the stroller. If you get home, the baby will likely wake in 5-15 min once the motion stops. If it's the beginning of nap time and you think they'll sleep a very long time, just try to transition to the crib. If you're out and about for a longer half or full day, bring a carrier too and split time between the carrier and the infant car seat. Swap at eating times, diaper changes or when the baby gets fussy.

Newborns sleep 14-17 hours per day so yes, they should be laying flat most of the time. Recommended tummy time at 3 months is 1 hour per day (less when they are younger),

Flat head is caused by different factors such as having tight neck muscles and premature birth. Sleeping on their back does increase it, but it's also life saving. One thing we did was to put DD down in her crib with her head on a different side of the crib each time so her neck turned a different way each time to see the rest of the room.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, OP, living in the city, you should just invest in a really good baby carrier and use that until baby is old enough to sit up in a stroller. It's SO MUCH EASIER to walk around the city/go shopping/etc. with baby in a carrier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is one of those things where the official advice - baby should ideally be laying flat most of the time - is counter to what the majority of families actually do, which is to use a snap and go type stroller. I spent a lot of time stressing that we bought a stroller without a bassinet attachment option. DD wasn't in it that much as she preferred to be worn. She probably would have liked the bassinet better but we lived in an apartment at the time, and didn't have a lot of extra space, so it would have been impractical. Also if you drive to a lot of places the snap and go is so much easier.

A baby laying flat on it's back most of the time is a recipe for a flat head. The baby should be in lots of different positions, from tummy time to upright in a carrier to a bouncy seat to propped on a boppy.

Don't let the baby sleep overnight in an infant car seat. If the baby falls asleep while in the infant car seat on a stroller, just keep an eye on the baby, which isn't hard as you're pushing the stroller. If you get home, the baby will likely wake in 5-15 min once the motion stops. If it's the beginning of nap time and you think they'll sleep a very long time, just try to transition to the crib. If you're out and about for a longer half or full day, bring a carrier too and split time between the carrier and the infant car seat. Swap at eating times, diaper changes or when the baby gets fussy.

Newborns sleep 14-17 hours per day so yes, they should be laying flat most of the time. Recommended tummy time at 3 months is 1 hour per day (less when they are younger),

Flat head is caused by different factors such as having tight neck muscles and premature birth. Sleeping on their back does increase it, but it's also life saving. One thing we did was to put DD down in her crib with her head on a different side of the crib each time so her neck turned a different way each time to see the rest of the room.

Having one baby doesn't make you an expert, sweetheart.

[Anonymous]

I have 3 kids, and never used a bassinet attachment. The Uppababy Cruz seat fully reclined, and I bought the infant insert to keep babies’ heads secure.

[Anonymous]

OP, the Mountain Buggy Nano might be worth looking into. It has a full recline, optional bassinet attachment, and universal car seat adapter. It might fit all your needs for a light and inexpensive stroller.

[Anonymous]

I recommend a good baby carrier for longer walks and just using car seat for errands, dr appts etc. never needed a bassinet with this approach. And wearing them relaxes their nervous system which can improve sleep!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

are you driving 3 hours a day with a newborn baby? An occasional long trip you do what you have to, but for daily use, those bucket seats are not to be used for long periods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is one of those things where the official advice - baby should ideally be laying flat most of the time - is counter to what the majority of families actually do, which is to use a snap and go type stroller. I spent a lot of time stressing that we bought a stroller without a bassinet attachment option. DD wasn't in it that much as she preferred to be worn. She probably would have liked the bassinet better but we lived in an apartment at the time, and didn't have a lot of extra space, so it would have been impractical. Also if you drive to a lot of places the snap and go is so much easier.

A baby laying flat on it's back most of the time is a recipe for a flat head. The baby should be in lots of different positions, from tummy time to upright in a carrier to a bouncy seat to propped on a boppy.

Don't let the baby sleep overnight in an infant car seat. If the baby falls asleep while in the infant car seat on a stroller, just keep an eye on the baby, which isn't hard as you're pushing the stroller. If you get home, the baby will likely wake in 5-15 min once the motion stops. If it's the beginning of nap time and you think they'll sleep a very long time, just try to transition to the crib. If you're out and about for a longer half or full day, bring a carrier too and split time between the carrier and the infant car seat. Swap at eating times, diaper changes or when the baby gets fussy.

Newborns sleep 14-17 hours per day so yes, they should be laying flat most of the time. Recommended tummy time at 3 months is 1 hour per day (less when they are younger),

Flat head is caused by different factors such as having tight neck muscles and premature birth. Sleeping on their back does increase it, but it's also life saving. One thing we did was to put DD down in her crib with her head on a different side of the crib each time so her neck turned a different way each time to see the rest of the room.

Having one baby doesn't make you an expert, sweetheart.

Feel free to share which parts of my post were incorrect.