5.02.2011

Practical car seat question

OK, this is probably a dumb first-time-mom question, but here it is:
If your baby outgrows his infant car seat before he can reliably sit up well, and he needs to switch to a convertible car seat, how to you take him out to eat? He'd be too floppy in a high chair- do you just hold him on your lap while eating dinner? Or keep the infant seat in the car as a 'baby carrier' bucket? Or get an infant seat that will accommodate him instead of a convertible seat? Or, just not go out to eat until he can use the high chair? (This option's best for the budget!)
In most instances, I won't mind carrying him, wearing him, or having him on my lap, but while eating, it could get annoying (and, as demonstrated last night, he will get crumbs on his head, and keep grabbing at my plate).

9 comments:

Karen said...

Judah hasn't outgrown his infant seat yet, but I rarely use the carseat in restaurants. I did when he was newborn, but these days he wakes up and throws a fit, so I have to get him out and hold him anyway. I've always worn him while eating. He usually tolerates it better if I turn him around in the carrier to face the table. Do I get food on him? Yes, always. But I just brush the crumbs off. Lol.

Kacie said...

This is a short time in between now and when he will be sturdy enough to sit.

Have you heard of a SuperSeat? It's sorta like a Bumbo/high chair/activity center thing. We have one and you can take the bumbo-like insert out when the baby is bigger. You can use that chair like a high chair since it straps onto a chair. You could take this into a restaurant with you and he could sit in that.

With Johnny, I just held him on my lap and sorta angled him away from my plate. We have a little toy that suctions to a table and he can occupy himself with that while I'm eating. But it usually was a big game of "pass the baby".

Viv doesn't really like being in her car seat while we are eating either -- she wants to see what is going on!

Does your seat have low upper limits or something? I have the same seat Karen does and Viv has about 5 more inches to go and maybe 13 lbs. before she is too big.

Kacie said...

I don't think you should go get another infant seat, but borrowing one might be fine.

Lisa said...

As you know, our child didn't outgrow the bucket early, he just wouldn't sit in it, outside of the car.

So, either the lap or the no-going-out-to-eat it was. As the other posters said, he'll be sitting up soon. Some restaurants have a "baby high chair" with an actual tray, which is better for floppy babies, call ahead & ask! Or try out some of those strap on the chair ones with their own tray.

Consider yourself fortunate to have a child that is pleasant enough to be take-out-to-eat-able.

Joanna said...

We have a Snugride manufactured in 2005, expires at the end of this year. The problem isn't the weight limit, it's the fact that the straps no longer fit him. Based on Googling, it seems like he may have outgrown the height limit, and that this isn't an uncommon occurrence for this particular seat. Reportedly, some people call Graco and get strap extenders, but I'm not sure that's worth it. We knew we were going to need a convertible seat soon, but not THIS soon!

alissa said...

we moved sam to a convertible seat around 4 months or so, because he had outgrown the height requirement.

i think we just held him if we went anywhere like a restaurant where wearing him wasn't comfortable.

but it was only a short time -- he sat independently at 5 months.

this week at target the graco myride 65 is on sale for 100 -- it's usually 140 i think. some stores are selling out but you can get it online for that price. henry is quickly outgrowing his bucket, too, so we're getting this deal now for when we have to switch him in a few months.

jes said...

we just hold Josiah, but one thing you could do is pack a blanket around him to help him sit in the high chair if you need to. we did that in shopping carts with the girls.

Denisa said...

We used a Bumbo in restaurants a fair amount when our kids were with us but not actually eating restaurant food. Technically you're not supposed to use it on a raised surface, but we didn't have any problem putting it right next to one of us in a restaurant booth. We've got one you can borrow, if you need it (for restaurant use or otherwise).

Heather said...

There are no dumb questions :)
Bringing toys that attach to the table is definitely a good idea for distracting him.

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