my 8 month old son weights 23lbs and is the altogether (hight and weight) the size of a 1yr old and is too big for his infent seat. soo we got him a rear facing larger seat but it needs car anchor and my car doesn`t have anchor so we`ve been using my moms. do yall know of a rear facing car seat that doesn`t have anchor attachments? or a seat for "bigger" babies?
2007-03-03 09:00:14 · 8 answers · asked by hannah h 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Safety
stop feeding him so much your in control right know.
2007-03-03 09:04:54 · answer #1 · answered by Kevin C 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋
My oldest was 23 pounds by 4-5 months so I understand what you are going through. You MUST keep your son rear facing. 1 year AND 20 pounds is the absolute MINIMUM for turning a child forward facing. Safety experts now recommend keeping children rear facing until they reach the rear facing limit on their seats. A child's spine is not developed enough to withstand the forces upon it while forward facing in an accident. Contrary to undocumented myths, rear facing kids with their legs folded up on the seat back are not at grave risk for broken legs or pelvic bones and even if they were - the risk of broken legs is greatly outweighed by the risk for head and neck injuries and even death.
I am not sure what you mean by "anchors" are you referring to LATCH? All carseats sold now are both LATCH *AND* seatbelt compatible. Have you read your seat's manual? It should tell you how to install both using the LATCH anchors and the seatbelt.
If you are referring to a rear facing top tether - only Britax and Radian seats have a rear facing tether and I don't think either is required. What kind of seat do you have? What cars are you installing it in?
You can go to www.car-seat.org and ask your question there for tons more feedback from carseat professionals.
2007-03-04 10:27:52 · answer #2 · answered by amom 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
All car seats currently sold in the US can be installed with the seatbelt. The anchor attachements (called LATCH) are another way to install, if your car is equipped that way. Yours is not, so simply use the seatbelt following the instructions in the manual.
Your son needs to remain rear-facing until at least one year, preferably longer. It does not matter that he weighs over 20 pounds, the bones in his neck are not developed enough to protect his spinal cord if he were forward facing in a collision. There are some links below to read more about this.
A convertible seat will let him remain rear-facing for now and then will turn forward facing later. A good budget seat is the Cosco Scenera 5 point at Walmart for about $40.
Hope that helps
Renee
2007-03-04 16:40:47 · answer #3 · answered by spoCPST 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Putting an infant in a toddler car seat can be dangerous if you get in a wreck. They need to be in a rear-facing seat until the age of one because it takes a year for the spinal column and nerves in the back of the neck to mature and be able to handle the impact of a accident better.
Keep checking and I'm sure you will find a seat that will work for him. You might have to pay a bit more than other seats, but your child's safety is worth it.
Evenflo makes one that my son used from the time he outgrew the infant carrier until he turned three. Not sure of the exact name but it is large and can be either rear or forward facing for 1 year olds and up.
There is also one called Alpha and Omega that would fit a bigger baby.
Good luck and keep him safe!!
2007-03-03 09:20:54 · answer #4 · answered by judever 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Just because a seat comes with the anchor straps, doesn't mean you have to use them. All seats come with them now but they are still safe to use with the seatbelts. Just be sure when you install the seat that it is in correctly and doesn't move more than an inch either way when you try moving it near where the seat belt goes through. If you don't use the anchor straps however, be sure to have them secured somehow so they don't flip around if you are in a crash.
2007-03-05 02:53:56 · answer #5 · answered by carseattech 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had that same problem with my son. I went out and bought him a Graco Pedic carseat. The Graco car seats also have a smaller buckle for the boys with the larger thighs. It also has the car anchors, but doesn't require you to use them. And it will face backward. I included a link to it.
2007-03-06 17:02:39 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know that most car seats now days go by weight, not age. So you are doing the right thing
2007-03-03 12:39:21 · answer #7 · answered by Shortydeb 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My son was about the same size! Now he is 26 months old and about 40 pounds. When he was 8 months old I just turned his car seat facing forward. He enjoyed riding in the car alot better too.
I told my nanny, if we get stopped, we are telling the cop my son is a year old! With a child that large they will never know. It's not like they're going to ask to see his birth certificate if you get stopped.
There are forward-facing car seats for larger toddlers. I didn't get one yet.
2007-03-03 09:10:11 · answer #8 · answered by Stimpy 7 · 0⤊ 4⤋