What's a really good convertible car seat?

Question

I have to infant car seats and I know that the weight limit is 22 lbs. Should I change now are when my baby girl weighs 22 lbs?
Is it true that the safest place for a car seat is in the middle of the back seat?

Answer 1

ok the cosco scerina is a wonderful seat at a great price. about 30-35$. Dont' let taht fool you either. It can rear face up to 35lbs & has good support. It also has the adjuster on the front.
The middle of the back seat is the safest IF your car will let you put it there. CHECK THE MANUAL. Some cars don't.
Rear face as long as possible. If yo uare in a frontal impact & your kid is facing forward then their BIG HEADS get thrown so hard... massive neck problems... yikes. Besides if they are rear facing then they don't drop their toys as bad.
Their still to weak to have good enough support to keep their bodies from being slung.
Oh yeah, the back is higher so it has a higher max height & longer straps. Means this is the seat till the kids is about 4years old! next step is a booster!

ok if you want a GREAT site.. check here:
http://boards.babycenter.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=bcus9421

If you have the $$ a Britax is an excellent option.. but I still like my Scerena. Cheap enough I can put em in husbands car too.

Keep em in a booster till they are 4'9"!

Answer 2

A baby can be in EITHER a rear facing convertible seat or an infant carrier type (as long as they fit properly) seat from birth to AT LEAST one year of age. I often see infants who are far too tall for their baby bucket seats, the head should be at least one inch below the hard shell when rear facing. They also MUST remain rear facing till they are past 20 lbs. If you have a 20 lb 6 month old, they are still rear facing, if you have a 15 lb one year old, they also should still be rear facing. Britax is one of the safest/easiest to use, however all of the seats on the market have to pass the same safety tests. Overhead shield car seats are very dangerous, and should be avoided. I have a Graco Comfort Sport, which, initially, I did love, but now my son is only 16 months and 31.5 inches tall, but outgrowing the harness adjustment. In a forward facing seat, the straps must be above the shoulder, rear facing below the shoulder, or even to. Extended rear facing is safer, by far. The Britax seats have some of the highest rear facing limits, as well as the highest 5 point harness limits (the Apex is fairly new and compares). Good luck, the safest seat is the one that fits your car best, and you will use properly every time.

Answer 3

I don't think anyone who's answered the question so far has actually read the manual to a car seat, especially not the first answer! Children DO NOT sit rear facing up until 40 pounds, you turn them around when they are both 1 year old and at least 20 pounds (both requirements have to be met, if you have an 18 pound 1 year old, they stay backwards until they reach 20 pounds).

We had to buy my son a convertible car seat when he was 5 months old because he outgrew the carrier car seat (not in the weight limit but in the height). Please read the manufacturer's instructions, the height limit needs to be respected too! In my son's infant carrier it said that when his shoulders were no longer below the straps (i.e. the holes for the shoulder straps were hidden behind his back when we laid him in it), then it was time to move him out (by this point it was difficult to get him in it anyway). We bought an Evenflo convertible car seat and he loves it. He's 2 1/2 and 35 pounds and 42 inches (yes, VERY tall) and he still fits in it easily and hasn't outgrown the requirements.

It's really up to you when you change your daughter's seat. If she's within the weight limit, there's no reason to do it now unless you want to.

We put my son's seat in the middle back because intuition would tell you it's the safest...if you get in an accident and get hit on either side, he'd be farther away from the impact. Plus, he can see out the front windsheild which he really likes, and he can't kick the back of the front seats.

Answer 4

I think Britax is supposed to have the safest car seats. The Britax Roundabout is highly reccommended. I think you do need to go to a convertible once the weight exceeds the car seat limits (I've heard the length limit can be ignored if the baby's head is still within the car seat - feet can extend beyond).

Yep, middle back is the safest place.

Answer 5

Yes, the safest place is the middle of the backseat. The end seats are fine, as long as the seat cannot be hit by a side curtain airbag. As for brands, I love the Britax convertible carseats--particularly the marathon and decathlon styles. Baby bargains gives them the highest safety ratings.

Answer 6

i have the "alpha omega elite" by cosco. it was around $170 but it goes from 5-100lbs (of course rear facing until age 1) so it is really worth it! the middle is the most UNSAFE. the driver and passenger seats help protect baby in case of an accident

Answer 7

For the first 22lbs your child needs to be in a carrier...
22lbs to 40lbs your child needs to be rear facing in a bigget seat!
40lbs plus in a front facing seat......
Yes in the middle is the safest and a good choice in anything eddie bauer makes.....great quality and you can wash them 100+ times.....Look for a 3 in 1 to save money and time putting it in.