Baby Confusion

First of all, no, I'm not having a baby.  I have been shopping for baby stuff and occasionally read posts by moms about baby stuff that really baffles me!
I went shopping for strollers and was faced with this whole system thing.  I don't want a system, I want a stroller.  A stroller, you put the baby in, click the strap, and push.  Not any more you don't.  And lest you think I was in some high end baby store, I wasn't; I was in Wal-mart!  Finally I find one that seems to be what I need, ask the clerk to get two for me and go off into the girl's department to shop for something pink in a size 7.  Well, I don;t get any stroller, but I do get the clothes.  I get home and go on diapers.com (which, even to my 'old' mom eyes, seems very reasonably priced)  and buy two strollers and four car seats for moms/babies in need.  I spent $300 for all six items.
Then, I stumble upon this car seat check you should do before you bring your baby home.  As in,  you go and get it checked by a professional to make sure you are using it correctly.  I had no idea. 
All I know is that I rode around in my parents' car in a car bed, with one little strap holding me in to this bed wedged between the back of the front seat and the front of the back seat.  Yes, my children used car seats, I'm not crazy, but I really wonder in our quest to keep everyone safe if we are teaching people to no longer use common sense. And then,  if you don't use your common sense, you lose it. 
I think all this craziness began with boy and girl diapers.  Yep, that's what I think.