Car Seat and Baby Rash

We got convertible car seat for our new baby.  The Britax advocate.  It says 5lb-65.  We didn't really like to leave Luke in the car seat once we heard that it could be bad for them to sit in it for long periods of time.  So we would always take him out then sling him at stores.  Oh, and the fact he hated the car seat. 

This time I wondered if they only made infant seats just purely for the fact that they are easily removable?  And that you could carry them from the car to the house in the seat?  I can see the advantage of that, especially with two kids, especially if the baby is sleeping.  But, since we rarely left Luke in that seat, we decided we wouldn't do it with our new baby. 

We bought the big car seat that can be used in the early days, and then converted into a front facing seat, that stays in the car.  The one disadvantage is that the seat is so bulky, I can't reach around to hand her anything while I'm driving (at a stop light of course).  So I questioned the decision.  So much so that my husband and I went to target last night and bought an infant seat, thinking it would magically be better.  We put it into the car, same thing, we couldn't reach around it too, it's just too far back there.  I couldn't tell it was any different as far as me being able to reach.  After all that, my husband taking the old seat out and putting it into the trunk, opening the new one and putting that into the car, we took it out and took it back inside and got our money back.  Should have just gone with my original idea.  Plus, those nice (expensive) convertible seats are lot better quality than the infant ones.

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I noticed Taryn barely had any baby acne.  Luke had quite a bit more. 

I figured it out.  My midwife gave us those papers after the baby was born on care for mother and baby.  I noticed that those papers mentioned a lot more natural remedies than the ones we were given with Luke.  One that really stuck out was that we shouldn't use any commercial wipes for our newborn.  We should only be using water with cloth.  We were planning on doing that anyway (maybe adding some almond oil) but only because we got cloth wipes to go along with our cloth diapers that we're going to have to wash anyway.  I read on, it said don't use commercial soap or lotion or oil.  So we've really only used a wet cloth when we need to wipe something off of her.  We haven't even given her a bath *GASP*.  And I never even planned to after we stopped using any harsh soaps or shampoo on Luke too.  In fact we really only use soap on Luke's hands.  I sometimes put some natural soap on him, but very rarely.
I wondered today, was it the soaps, lotions and oils causing babies to get a lot of baby acne?   I looked it up and even baby center said that it could cause more rashes. 
Then I thought about what they gave us for Luke in the hospital.  They used Johnson and Johnson on him when he was a day old.  Then they gave us the bottle.  Then someone else bought us that soap too.  So we used it.  We had no idea.  Luke's wasn't that bad either... we didn't bath him that regularly as a baby either.
Isn't that wrong?  Everyone recommends not using soap, lotion or oil.  Then why does the hospital use it?  Why does everyone give it?  Ugg, advertising...

Car Seats

I don't like when people keep their babies in car seats like it's a portable bed. I see people have the baby in the car seat in the shopping cart, in the doctors office, at parties, in the weirdest strangest places.

I did it before. Before I knew any better.  But, not that often.  Not to places I see people having their kids in car seats now.  When I have my next baby,  I hope to always have him be close to me or Dad in a sling.

I think babies need to be held more.  From my experience with Luke, they are always happier in arms, close with his mother.  Close to where he was the nine months before.  The soothing sound of my heart beat and the warm touch of my skin.

What makes it so difficult to put a baby in a sling when you arrive at a store?  And, if you are leaving your baby in a car seat and when they start to fuss or cry, why do you do everything you can to keep them in that car seat.  Just take them out and hold your baby!  (ok ok, I know sometimes if they are napping, it's hard to take them out and I'm sure it's ok... but I'm talking about the people who over do it.)

I feel sad when babies are lugged around in the car seat.  I wonder what it's like to be nuzzled against plastic instead of your Mommy.