My son is three months old and weighs 17 lbs. His current car seat has a limit of 22 lbs. I am trying to find a good car seat for when he reaches the 22 lb mark.(He seems to be gaining about 1lb a week!)
Should he be in a forward facing or rear facing? Should it be a convertable seat or a toddler seat? I am totally lost on this one.
Thanks!
2007-04-08 09:42:45 · 7 answers · asked by Cyndi B 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
He should be rearfacing until the limits of whatever convertible seat you buy him. These go from 30-35 pounds as their limits.
Depending on what your budget and desires are there are a few options. You can buy the Cosco Scenera for $40 or so, it has a 35 pound rearfacing limit, the highest on the US market. It's a barebones seat, but it'll last you until he's 2-3 years old in all likelihood. Then you can get a dedicated forward facing seat, probably a combination seat since he won't be heavy enough or old enough (maturity wise) for a booster (a combination seat is one that goes from being a harnessed seat to being a booster). I don't recommend the Scenera forward facing because it has low top slots, 14.5" (which must be at or above a child's shoulders forward facing) and only a 40 pound limit.
My other recommendation would be to get either a Britax Marathon/Decathalon/Boulevard, or maybe a Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe. These all have 33 pound RFing limits and the Britaxes have a 65 pound FFing limit and 17" top slots. The FP seat has a 55 pound FFing limit, and 17" top slots. The FP is a watered down Marathon, it's made by Britax. You won't get the built in lockoffs or the RFing tether that the Britaxes have, but you'll save quite a bit of money. These seats should last you straight through to booster age, so you wouldn't need to buy another harnessed seat.
On your infant seat, keep in mind that it's outgrown by height when his head is within an inch of the top of the seat. That may be before or after he hits 22 pounds. Whichever happens first means that he's outgrown the seat.
Have fun shopping!
2007-04-08 11:32:07 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
We just moved my six month old son into a new carseat last month after he outgrew his infant carrier. My understanding is that infants must be rear facing until they are 1 year old. We bought the Britax Decathalon carseat and I love it. It is a convertable seat (can be rear or front facing and goes up to 65 pounds) so even though it was expensive we will be able to use it for a long time which makes it worth the money. I highly reccomend it!
2007-04-08 09:49:20 · answer #2 · answered by Tiffany 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I just went through this not long ago. Your baby is as big as mine was at three months (mine was 18 pounds and looong) Mine outgrew his peg perego primo viaggio chair at 5 months. I did tons of research and the best of the best are the Britax chairs. They are easy to use, the cords NEVER get tangled, super safe (rated top 5) with a 5pt harness, and they are the only chair that is allowed on a plane if the child is old enough to have his/her own seat. http://www.britaxusa.net/
They are expensive. The roundaboutis up to 33 pounds, like most convertible seats in the market (you'll need a convertible b/c your baby will still need to face backwards for while). The other Britax models (Decathlon and Blvd) are even more expensive, but are up to 65 pounds. They say this could be the only chair you use from now on (since technically you won't need a booster if it is up to 65 pounds). But I read tons of reviews of moms with big kids that outgrew their chairs anyway, because in winter, with their big jackets, they could no longer fit in their chairs. Plus these chairs are HUGE. I ended up deciding not to go with this option since I do not know how tall my son will be, and I live in an area where winter requires a fat jacket. So my option was the Britax roundabout or a competition. I looked at the Evenflo Triumph and because I needed to buy three (one for daddy's car, one for grandma and grandpa, and one for my car) decided that it was the best option for me. It is also top 5 rated, uber safe 5 point harness, up to 30 pounds, and decent recline facing backwards. It is more affordable than the Britax roundabout. It takes a bit to get the release and it uses a "gear" to tighten the baby, which I do not love. But it is decent. Now if I had had to purchase only one or two chairs, I would have gone with the Britax, regardless of price, but since I had to buy three... But go to a store and check them all out, there are a lot of mommy reviews in amazon and baby stores online, as well as info in consumer reports. Good Luck!!!
2007-04-08 10:33:06 · answer #3 · answered by Brendi 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Babies should be rear facing until they are at least one year old. They don't have proper neck control before that age.
As a tip, try to find a car seat that allows you to easily adjust the strap tension from the front. Much easier to loosen the straps, clip baby in and then tighten the straps every time to adjust to different clothing weights.
2007-04-08 11:33:55 · answer #4 · answered by babypocket2005 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
rear facing til after he is one year old. get a convertible seat he will be in it until at least age 3
2007-04-08 09:50:33 · answer #5 · answered by kleighs mommy 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I got the Britax Boulevard when my son outgrew his infant carrier. I love it.
2007-04-08 12:28:04 · answer #6 · answered by berrel 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
problematic matter. lookup in a search engine. just that can assist!
2015-03-13 19:11:57 · answer #7 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋