Do You Need a Second Base for Your Baby Car Seat?

I hate to be anti-climatic, but the simple answer is no.  In fact, to my surprise (seriously) you don't even need one base for your car seat.  Clark is my first and only child, before him I had no experience at all with small children.  His was the first car seat I ever handled.  I thought a base was required to install a car seat.  When my wife needed to take the baby somewhere, I removed the base from my car and put it in hers.  Then vice-versa later in the day.

All your base are belong to us!

One day I was looking at the stickers on my son's car seat and I realized the installation instructions on that sticker were different from the instructions on the sticker located on the base.  Then it hit me! You can install a car seat with nothing more than a seat belt (lap or shoulder).  No base required.

The car seat base and definitely a second base are just conveniences.  Convenient, but not necessary.  Loading a car seat into a car with a base probably takes less than two seconds (click-click).  Loading a car seat without a base will take 5 second for a speedster, but probably closer to 15-30 seconds for the average person (pulling the belt, buckling it and locking it into proper position).  Same for removing the car seat.  However, many people leave their car seat in the car permanently, once the baby is too heavy for them to carry around in his carrier, so differences in loading time becomes negligible. With a base the seat belt is threaded through the base.  This keeps the seat belt away from curious little hands and baby bodily fluids.

The Travel System is for Dads, not Moms

First, what is a travel system?  A travel system is the combo package of infant car seat/carrier, infant car seat base, and compatible foldable stroller. 

So you're thinking that will be great for my wife to transport the baby.  Well, big guy, surprise, it's really meant for you.  When her OB/GYN releases the mother from the hospital, she's advised not to lift anything heavier than the baby for at least 6 weeks.  Clark was a big baby at 8 lb -  4 oz.  The average weight of an American newborn baby is 7.5 lbs.   I just weighed my infant carrier/car seat, it weighs about 8 lbs, the same as a gallon of water, a half pound more than the average baby or a quarter pound (4 oz.) less than Clark.  So, your baby + the baby carrier together are twice the weight new moms are supposed to carry.  So, guess who's going to be carrying the baby around in the carrier.  That's right, you, fellas.

The stroller isn't much better.  I haven't weighed the stroller, but I'm guessing it weighs around 10lbs+.  So, who is going to lift the stroller in and out of the car?  Not the new momma.  The strollers are foldable, but can still take up quite a bit of trunk space.  Even the best of the bunch can be a little tricky to open and fold-up.  So not a lot of new moms are up to the challenge.  So dads, you're it.  Consider it part of your fatherly duties.

Therefore, pick a travel system that you like, because you'll be the one using it, especially for the first month or two.  It's a dad accessory, feel from to as John Witherspoon would say, "CORWD-NATE" the travel system to dad's stuff.

         - Clark's Dad

Do They Check Your Carseat When You Leave the Hospital?

In every "Deliver My Baby Story" episode on television, there's the scene where dad is trying to figure out how to install the infant car seat at the last minute so that the family and new addition can head home.  According to television and every baby preparation class I took, the hospital will not release your baby until they check and determine that the baby seat is installed properly in your car.

Is this true?

Well, maybe.  In my personal experience, the answer was no.  Before my wife and baby were discharged, the nurse did ask if we had an infant car seat.  And we did. That was pretty much it.  Clark was born on Good Friday and we left the hospital the next day.  So, it was a Saturday and technically a holiday weekend.  A very young woman (too young to be a nurse) wheeled my wife and baby (in carrier) down to my awaiting car.  I inserted the carrier with baby into its base in the center of the backseat.  My wife then joined Clark in the back.  Then we drove home.  No one checked that the base or car seat were correctly installed.   Is this an anomaly, I don't know.  I've only had one baby.  I've never picked up any other newborn baby from the hospital.

Maybe it's just a scary story designed to scare new parents into putting in the effort to be prepared when a newborn is picked up from the hospital. I don't understand how you could not be prepared for leaving the hospital.  There is so much down time.  Why not peruse the manual or check your seat installation while your wife is feeding the baby or herself (food is usual available for moms, you have to fend for yourself).  As a dad, you're not really required, but usually appreciated.  A short absence by you to take care of the car seat will barely be noticed.