How old is a child before he/she reaches 40 pounds (car seat question)?

Question

I'm trying to buy a convertible car seat & most only go up to 40 pounds. How long will this last me? How old was your child before he/she reached 40 pounds?

Answer 1

My daughter is almost 40lbs, she is tall and skinny for her age and she is 4. But my son is only 14 months and he is already 30lbs.
There are car seats that are convertibles that you can sit in until 100lbs.
Also, the carseat my daughter is in now, only costs about $20-30. So it won't break the bank having to trade in.

Answer 2

Most would say 4 years old but I have a very healthy one year old. He just turned 1 and weighs 32 pounds. He is quite tall also. He's not fat by any means but will definitely be more than 40 pounds by his 2 year birthday. We've had 4 boys and 3 of them are huge like that. My 8 year and 9 year olds both wear a size 9 men's shoe. We just grow them big! I wish they made rear facing seats for kids that are off the growth chart in both height and weight... We do know that the Diono Radian RXT is rear facing to 45 lbs but you do pay the price for the extra 5 pounds!

Answer 3

This varies so much from child to child. My daughter will be 4 in October but shes only 29lbs.. She was 27lbs for the entire last year. I think she will be over 5 by the time she reaches 40lbs.


You have to worry about more than just weight. My son's convertible seat goes up to 40lbs but hes going to outgrow it so much sooner. Once their shoulders are even with the top slot for the straps, its time for a new seat. My son is only 24lbs but he will outgrow the height on the seat in a couple of months. My daughter is too big for his seat even though shes in weight range, she outgrew the height limit a long time ago.


EDIT: My daughter has a "high back booster" carseat which is different than a regular booster. Right now (until 40lbs) she can use the 5 point harness, it just has a higher height limit than my son's seat. After 40lbs it can be used as a booster with a regular seat belt. I think its a great seat. I'll be able to use it until my daughter is no longer in a seat and I'll probably buy the same seat when my son outgrows his current seat.

Answer 4

You can get ones that go up to 80-100lbs. All 3 that we bought go up to at least 80lbs. Our son was too big for his infant seat by 6 months so we wanted to get another that would be good until he was out of carseats for good. I know one is an Eddi Bauer edition from Toys R us and I believe the other 2 are Gracos but they weren't that bad. I got one brand new off ebay for $40 with shipping. The 2y/o i watch is already 35lbs..But I think it's usually around 4-5.

Answer 5

i have a convertable that goes from 5-100. My daughter is 35 lbs and 25 months old. She's big for her age (she is 35 inches). Don't children go into a booster seat at 40 lbs?

Answer 6

My kids are admittedly very small for their ages, but kids who have outgrown the convertibles didn't do it until age 6. So it depends! The booster seat that you'll need after a convertible is much cheaper than a convertible and lasts up to 80 pounds.

Answer 7

i just purchased a convertible car seat that goes up to 100lbs. I looked at others but it was worth the little bit of extra money that way I don't have to buy a booster seat when he grows out of the car seat. A child is supposed to be in a car seat/booster seat until they are 4'9.

Good Luck!

Answer 8

The mass information on car seats never ceases to amaze me, but please, don't think believe that its possible to buy a convertible car seat that will last your child to 100lbs!! Those that say they go to 100lbs are rather misleading. They are actually combination seats - they do not do rear facing at all, only forward facing, and the harness will go from 20-40lbs, and then you have to remove the harness and use it as a booster seat. 4 year olds should NOT be in booster seats! Whether the box says to use it that way or not, its not safe. They are too wiggly and immature to be using boosters. Kids shouldn't be in boosters until about age 6. The only seat that claims to go 5-100lbs is actually a really sucky one. The cosco alpha omega and eddie bauer 3 in 1 seats. They will not last a child to 40lbs using the harness b/c the harnes slots are too short., so then you have a 3 year old in a booster, and it makes a crappy booster at that. Don't buy those seats!!!

So, then, you are absolutely right - most seats only do 5-40lbs. I'd skip over those and shell out for a higher harness weight (HWH) seat with tall slots, it will save you money (and be safer!) in the long run b/c it will last your child longer. Kids should be kept rear facing as long as possible, not just to 20lbs/1 year (see links for why), and then kept in a forward facing 5 point harness as long as possible. Most kids outgrow a 40lbs seat at or before their 4th birthday. My son outgrew his at 2.5 years old. What a waste of a car seat! Great choices:
Evenflo Triumph Advance (NOT the original Triumph, the Advance is different: rear faces to 35lbs, forward faces to 50lbs, will last the average child until 5 years of age. For a newborn, I'd go with the $150 version at Babies R Us, it has more supportive padding. This car seat is awesome. The harness has endless height adjustment, meaning, you put it exactly where it supposed to be, AND you get to move it without taking the seat out of the car, without re-threading the harness straps. No other car seat does this. And there is no pain in the butt strap to pull to tighten the harness - you tighten and loosen it using the knobs on the sides. There is a less padded version at Walmart/Target for $130. Wide open belt path makes it easy to install. And even once it is forward facing, it can still be reclined, great for when toddlers sleep. 17" top slots.
Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe. This seat is made by Britax for Fisher Price, it is a watered down Britax Marathon. Britax quality at less than half the cost! About $150, cheaper on sale online. Rear faces to 33lbs, forward faces to 55lbs. Easy to install. Lasts most kids 5-6 years. 17" top slots.
Britax Marathon - this one may not fit the tiniest newborns - though it is supposed to go from 5lbs like the others. You will need rolled up blankets on the babies sides as it doesn't come with any newborn padding. Pay extra for a Britax Boulevard or Decathalon and it comes with the newborn padding. Rear faces to 33lbs, forward faces to 65lbs, top slots are 17" tall. Will last most kids 5-6 years. Many 6 year olds still fit in it. Also, it can be tethered rear facing (read instructions!) giving added security. Has built-in lockoffs so you never have to use a locking clip (trus me, they'er a pain!) which is needed in vehicles pre-1997 or w/seatbelts that don't lock. Easiest car seat I've ever installed in my life, no matter what car I put it in it goes in in under 2 minutes. Yes, its expensive, but worth every penny b/c of how long it lasts, and the added features that make it easy to use.

Remember these things:
1) the best car seat fits your car, your child, and will be used correctly 100% of the time
2) kids should stay rear facing AS LONG AS POSSIBLE! Not just to 20lbs/1 year. See links for why.
3) after being turned forward, kids should stay in a 5 point harness as long as possible. Being graduated from each car seat stage is not something to be looked at with anticipation - each stage marks lesser safety.

Do a search on any of the seats listed above and you'll find sites that have them. The Evenflo TRiumph Advanced you can find locally, though. The other two are going to be cheapest online.
www.elitecarseats.com
www.albeebaby.com
www.babiesrus.com

Answer 9

it really just depends on your child. My son is 6 and weighs 70 lbs but my daughter is 5 and weighs right at 40 lbs. So its really your call if he is growing fast then it may no take him long to reach that 40 lb limit.

Answer 10

It should last quite awhile. My stepdaughter still has one of those and she is 7 yrs old. She probably weighs a little more than 40 pounds but not by much.