Out and About Without an Infant Seat
As I have written about before, we never used an infant seat with Mac. Many people would question us about how we managed to make things work without one. It was much easier than expected to carry her around. There are three, very simple ways we managed to still go out and about without an infant seat. Two were helpful when she was younger and the third is one we still use today.
Baby Wearing for the Win
The easiest way to run errands with Mac in tow was to wear her. I used a stretchy wrap to front carry her once she was a few weeks old. (Before that, we mostly stayed home because it was the middle of winter.) Before I left home, I tied the wrap on and put my jacket on over it. Once I got to the store, I would quickly put Mac into the wrap and carry her in. Once we were inside, I could adjust her and make sure the wrap was tight enough.
Mac loved to be in the wrap. She could see everything and everyone, but was still close to her Mommy and could sleep if and when she wanted to. Baby wearing really was the solution to so many problems. There is a bit of a learning curve, but after watching a few videos I was able to quickly get the wrap on and Mac in it.
We Have Arms For a Reason
A lot of places we went, we would just carry Mac. I didn’t see a reason to wear Mac if we were just walking from the car into a family member’s house where she would be passed around anyway. Or into the doctor’s office where we needed to take her out and get her undressed.
Usually these were places that both Andrew and I would go, so one of us could hold her while the other filled out paperwork or grabbed the bag out of the car. I know tag-teaming doesn’t work for everyone, but it did for us.
Cart Rider
Once Mac was physically able, we sat her in the cart seat. For her, it was a bit earlier because she has developed her physical skills earlier. I would bring some soft blankets to put around her in the seat as she was still a bit small, despite her physical capabilities. The cart is still exciting for Mac even now that she can walk (make that run) around the store.
Tell me, do you have any tips and tricks to get around without the infant seat?
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Why I Didn't Use an Infant Bucket Seat - Quirky and the Nerd | 31st May 16
[…] Going to the store meant I would wear her in a wrap. I used a Moby wrap that I would put on myself before I left home, covering it with a jacket. When I got to the store, I only had to transfer her from the car seat to the wrap and head inside. Once I was in the store, I could make any needed adjustments. Doing it this way meant I didn’t have to try and wrap her while standing in the cold or lay her in the cart while I put on the wrap. (Read more about how we went out and about.) […]
What the Heck is Montessori? - Quirky and the Nerd | 8th Jun 16
[…] Helping in the day to day things like running errands […]
Stacey | 19th Jul 16
For our first child we didn’t use an infant carrier either and we managed just fine. But then we had twins. The infant seats were a lifesaver. They clicked into the pram so we didn’t need to carry them. School runs were simple and quick.
I would highly recommend them to parents with multiples or older children.
Mikki | 19th Jul 16
Twins is a whole different ball game! I think anything more than one baby would mean I would be purchasing infant seats.
Teaching Your Toddler to Behave In Public - Quirky and the Nerd | 4th Aug 17
[…] best things I can do is simply bring Mac along while I run errands. I have been doing that since she was a baby. I get things done while also fulfilling her need to be around people. But toddler tantrums are a […]
Frances Solivan Timpe | 19th Jan 18
This is exactly what I am hoping to do. What did you do in restaurants, without a lot of family members to pass the baby around ?
Mikki | 19th Jan 18
Honestly, we would just take turns holding baby with one hand and he baby with the other. I’ve become very adept at eating with one hand ?