question about my four month old daughter??

Question

my daughter is almost 4 1/2 mo and i was reading on her carseat the other day and it says that it is only good for a child smaller than 29 in and 22lbs..my daughter is already 26 in...when should babies grow out of their infant carrier? and what is the next seat for them?

Answer 1

The next seat is a convertable one that can go rear-facing and forward facing. Most of them also convert to a booster. They are more expensive than infant carriers, but you do tend to get more use out of them.

You will also find they are substantially larger than infant carriers and you may have trouble fitting one in your car. However there isn't much difference in all the different brands. They just have to be a certain size. They also must not touch the seat in front of them when they are installed.

If you have a smaller car talk to someone who installs carseats (police or fireman usually) and they may have recommendations. Or go to a store that installs them and you can see different models in your car.

My son also outgrew his infant carrier around 4 months. Some babies fit in them until past one year. All babies are different, don't sweat it. (Also, next time you get a carseat, read the manual a few times ;-) There is a lot of important stuff in there. )

Answer 2

I'm in the same boat. My daughter was 26 in at four months as well, and now we are into five months and looking for new car seats. My favorite one, which we wil probably buy before the end of the week, is the Eddie Bauer Montecito. It is rear facing, forward facing and a booster, so we shouldn't have to buy her another car seat. It seems relatively small, comfy and it isn't nearly as much as Brittax or some of the other brands. Plus, I haven't been able to find any recalls or negative ratings on it. It meets all of the current safety requirements and even has a cup holder. It will be sad to not be able to bring her in the house in her little carrier when she falls asleep, but honestly, I'm at the point where I can hardly carry the thing. (To answer your question, from what I've read, the babies head should be atleast two inches from the top, the space at the top is actually more important than the feet).
There are three in ones which go up to about a 100 lbs, and there are seats that are stage two that go up to about 65 lbs. If you buy a stage two you will also have to buy a booster later on. The Brittax stage two, the cheapest I found, was 219, had no features and only goes up to 65. The Eddie Bauer, at Target, is 179 and is three in one goes up to 100 lbs.

Answer 3

The next carseat will be one of those "permanent" car seats that doesn't move in and out of the car. The baby should still be rear-facing. My children grew out of their carseats around five months (I have big babies - my three month old weighs 18lbs). I have known babies to stay in their infant carriers for eight months, though. It just depends on when the baby reaches the weight/height limit for the seat. Here's an example of the type of seat you need next:

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_4/601-2404203-7508906?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000EZZWV8

Answer 4

The next seat is the standard car seat (no base, no snapping into a stroller, no handle, etc.). The problem is, they still aren't ready to be turned around facing forward. Kids are getting so big, though, that this is causing some to be really crowded in between their seats and the seat of the car when they're eight or nine months old. With our three babies, the pediatrician recommended reaching the required size and having really good neck control before turning them around. This was at about nine months for all of them. I don't know about your kids, but if mine had been a year before turning around forward-facing, they would have looked like NBA basketball players squished into economy class.

Answer 5

My niece started sitting up at age 8 months. If you can wait till she starts sitting up, it will be easier on her back. I would wait until your daughter is 29 inches, then see where she is at in her age and activities (like if she is sitting up, or at least trying to learn how).

I am not sure if my sister skipped a carseat or not, but she went right into the forward facing carseat that is like a booster chair with the 5 point seatbelt. My niece also loved it because she could finally look out the window :))

Answer 6

It's been a few years since my kids were in carseats, but I believe I'm correct. Infants need to be in a rear-facing car seat until about 1 year of age. The major factor is whether your baby has good head control. Even though she might be big for her age, she still needs time to develop muscle control for her neck.
hope that helps!

Answer 7

i found a carseat that is from 22 to 100 pounds at target so my son will go straight from his infant carrier and into the other seat and i will never have to buy another seat.it was only $95. my son is the same height and already weighs 18.5 pounds. when he reaches the height and weight restrictions for his carseat i am switching him because if i would wreck i wanna know that he is safe.
here is the website
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-14/qid=1168035429/ref=sr_1_14/601-6077440-8312915?ie=UTF8&asin=B0000ARQHL

Answer 8

My 4 month old is also 26 in so I went and bought a convertible carseat which works for rear facing up to 30lbs and front facing up to 40 lbs. That way she can still use it as rear facing and then when she out grows rear facing I can just switch it around to front facing.

Answer 9

There are car seat that goes up to 80 pounds. It's a rear facing seat from 5lbs to 22 lbs. Then it faces the front up to 80 lbs. It's totally adjustable and saves a lot of money in the long run. If your daughters head is up to the top of the car seat or her weight exceeds it you should get another one. check out the stores policies on children furniture, you might be able to bring it back and or change for another one.

Answer 10

Well she should face backwards until she's a year old AND 20 pounds. If she's outgrown her carrier look for a convertible car seat. They can be used backward, then when she's ready be flipped around to face forward and should last her until she's ready to use a booster seat and regular seatbelt.