QUESTION about carseats!!!!!?

Question

hello- my son is only 8 mos but is a big boy for his age and is over the amount of weight for a rear facing carseat-but i am told he is supposed to sit rearfacing until he is 1.So what do i do here?He is the size to be in a front facing car seat?He weighs almost 30 pounds am i wrong here or what are my optons-i am a first time mom and am just concerned for his safety.Thank you very much.

Answer 1

He has to be rear facing till he's one year old, any convertible car seat will do (convertible means that it can be used rear facing and also forward facing as well). The ones I recommend are the Cosco 3-in-1$160 or the Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 $180 (Cosco is the manufacturer). This seat can be used all the way up to 100LB (approx 8yrs old) or the Evenflo Titan $100 you can use it till he 65LB both seat are the safest in the market. When you buy any convertible carseat, you also have to purchase a Carseat Leveler ($10) every convertible carseat have to be reclined to a 45 degree angle that way you baby will be positioned right and he will have a safe ride.

Answer 2

You've already got some great information - you definitely want to look for a convertible seat.

Each brand has a different rear-facing limit, so since you already know you've got a chunky little guy, stay away from the Evenflo and Graco brands (both have a rf limit of 30 lbs). Cosco seats have the highest limit, which is 35 lbs, and Britax goes to 33 lbs. In your case, I'd look at a Cosco Scenera, which is just $40 at Walmart and then plan to get a seat like the Britax Marathon - with his weight, he's likely to outgrow most seats (with a 40 lb forward facing limit) long before he's ready for a booster, so a seat like the Marathon or the Sunshine Kids Radian, which allow you to use the harness to 65 lbs (25 lbs more than others) will be necessary.

Some seats, like the Alpha Omega or the 3-in-1 will sound like a Godsend, saying that they go from 5-80/100 lbs, but you should know that they only go to 40 lbs in the harness, after that you have to use them as a booster. Boosters are really for children aged 4+ and 40+ lbs.

Which ever seat you choose, keep your child rear-facing to the limit, even if he is over 1 - it is sooooo much safer. Be sure that the straps are at or below your childs shoulders and that the top of his head is atleast an inch from the top of the shell of the seat, and check w/ safekids.org for a local car seat technician to help you install your seat correctly. 8 out of 10 carseats have fatal errors, it's very easy to make a mistake when installing one!

Answer 3

Whatever some people here have said, it is NOT OK to have him forward-facing until he is AT LEAST 1 year old, even if he weighs almost 30lbs. The age limit is there for a reason - it doesn't matter how much a child weighs, his/her body still develops at the same rate. Which means, an 8-month-old's body is an 8-month-old's body, regardless of weight. So, if the AAP recommends AT LEAST 1 year, then that's the bare minimum. The APP also recommends rear-facing as the safest, and to do it to the limit of the seat.

Britax convertibles have 33lb weight limits for rear-facing. The Sunshine Kids Radian rear-faces to 33lbs. The Cosco or Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 rear faces to 35lbs, so does the Cosco Scenera. The Britax convertibles then forward-face to 65lbs, the Radian to 65 or 80, depending on which model you get.

Unlike what a previous answerer specified, the 3-in-1 CANNOT be used for 8 years, it is only valid for 6 years from the date of manufacture. Also, it can be used to 100lbs, but that includes usage as a BOOSTER from 40 to 100 lbs. This means no harness. As big as your son is at 8 months, I would stay away from any seat that only harnesses to 40lbs forward-facing - you'd just have to buy another seat to get you to booster age, which is at least 4 years old in most states in the US.

I'd invest in either the Britax or the Radian, but the latter only if it will fit well in your vehicle(s). The Britax are VERY easy to install, I've never had a problem with mine in any vehicle I've tried to install it in. Good luck with your decision. Check out www.car-seat.org if you have any more questions, or would like more options. There are quite a few child passenger safety technicians on the forum who will be happy to help. hth!

Answer 4

I have the same problem with my son being to big for the infant car seats. He is almost 6 months and his car seat is for 22 lbs and under and he weighs 24 so we had to buy a carseat that is for infants and toddlers. He loves his new carseat. His reclines just enough that he isnt sitting straight up and it is rear and front facing.

Answer 5

You need to get a convertible car seat or an Alpha Omega. Many of those go up to 40-50 pounds and they can be rear facing or forward facing and later can be used as a booster seat so you never have to buy another seat again. But, he needs to at least be in a convertible seat rear facing. Get him out of the infant seat immediately. He's weighs too much now and the seat won't protect him. Make sure you take the new seat somewhere to get checked out by a CERTIFIED car seat technician. Many hospitals, fire houses and police departments have or can get you in touch with certified techs. If they have not been certified by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) DO NOT let them install your seat for you. If they aren't trained, I guarantee you they will do it wrong.

And please do not listen to any of the answers telling you it's okay to have him forward facing. It is not okay, they are wrong.

Answer 6

In the US most rear-facing convertable seats are rated for 35lbs, and in Canada the same seats are only rated for 30 but it is generally acknowledged that they are safe for 35lbs.

It is very important that a child remain rearfacing until 1 year. And remember around 8 months the average weight gain is only around 0.5lbs a month.

Answer 7

There are many car seats that are available that you can use rear and forward facing. It is very unsafe still for your baby to sit forward facing. Check out this website and take a look at the britax car seat. It is what we have used for all of our girls and has lasted through 3 and will hopefully hold up for the 4th :0) We have a Britax Marathon but there are a variety of models available. Here is the Britax website, you can always compare prices on them at www.bizrate.com
I know that Babies R Us sells the Marathon for sure.

http://www.britaxusa.net/


review of the Britax:
http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseats/gr/britaxmarathon.htm
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/family/car-seats/index.html
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/family/car-seats/reviews.html


This website gives you LOTS of information about all different kinds of car seat safety:
http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm

This has more specifics for child car seat safety laws per state:
http://www.inventiveparent.com/state-laws.htm


Hope this is helpful, I was so confused as a first time mom as well and now my 4th is on the way. It gets easier!

Answer 8

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Answer 9

I would try buying a convertible car seat. They seem to be bigger and the child fits better. I had to do that because my daughter is 9 months old and got way to big for the regular infant car seat so i called the company that makes the seat and they advised me which seat she'd be more comfy in and still just as safe.

Answer 10

Rear facing till he is a year old! Get a car seat that is rear and forward facing. And put him rear facing! He is too young right now to be forward facing if in an accident he could be hurt badly! My son is the same way he is nine months. I did some research on it and thats basically what I got from it!