Rear Facing Car Seat?

Question

My little one is pretty chubby... and I have a feeling she will meet the weight requirement for front facing before she is 1 year old, and since she has to stay rear facing until BOTH requirements are met... can someone suggest a good rear facing car seat that has a high weight limit or a good convertible? I am looking for something girly. Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Remember these rules:
1)the BEST seat is the one that fits your child, fits your car, and will be used correctly 100% of the time. (This is why convenience features DO make a difference and ARE worth the money! If its easy to use, you're more likely to use it correctly.
2)Children should stay rear facing AS LONG AS POSSIBLE!!!! The 20lbs/1 year rule is outdated and provides a bare minimum for turning kids forward facing. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration both recommend keeping kids rear facing as long as possible, up to the limits of their seat, preferably until at least 2 years of age. For good reason: A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 4 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age. A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone. In other countries, rear facing 2 - 3 - 4 year olds is standard, they understand that its safer. Here, we turn them as soon as we get to, seeing it as a right of passage thing or something. Ridiculous. Most convertible seats have a 30lbs rear facing limit, Cosco/Dorel/Safety1st/Eddie Bauer seats rear face to 35lbs, Britax rear faces to 33lbs.
3)Once you do turn them forward facing, they need to stay in a 5 point harness as long as possible. 4 years/40lbs is the minimum for riding in a booster, and most 4 year olds have no business using one yet. If they can't sit upright for an entire trip, they need the harness of a car seat still. And, even if they do sit properly, a 5 point harness is safer, so you want to keep them in one as long as possible. This is important to consider b/c most car seats only forward face to 40lbs. My son just turned 3, and is in the 95th% for height and weight - 40" tall and weighs 41lbs. He outgrew the 40lbs seats shortly after his 2nd birthday. It was a total waste of money. He now has a Britax Marathon, which goes to 65lbs (NOT only 60lbs), and will be able to fit it for some time yet. If I'd have bought it when he was born, I could have had one car seat this whole time instead of the 3 I wasted money on. They are more expensive for many reasons, this is one.

So...knowing all that, here's some about specific seats. Please don't get a Graco Comfort Sport. Car seat techs call it the 'crappysport'. LOL Its a crappy seat that won't last your child very long b/c it has a really short shell. The straps twist all the time, and if they're twisted they won't support your child in a wreck properly. They're hard to install. There's nothing good about these seats except perhaps they're cheap sometimes. Ditto the Safety1st 3-in-1/Cosco Alpha Omega/Eddie Bauer 3-in1 seats. Those 3-in-1 seats only have top slots that go to 14.5-15", most kids will outgrow it by height LONG before they get near 40lbs and its wasted before they're ready to be in a booster seat. These are all the same company - same seat, just different covers. They stink. Hard to install, b/c of narrow belt paths. Ever tried to wash a skinny cup by hand? Now imagine that skinny cup with pointy edges. That's what putting your hand through these to install them is like. AND they have too short a shell to really go to 40lbs. And they do not make good boosters. Also, most kids have to use boosters until they're at least 8 years old. Car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture, so no matter what they say it is NOT the last seat you'll ever need to buy. So - that's what to steer clear of! Here's some good ones:

The Britax Marathon/Boulevard/Decathalon (These 3 are the same seat, just different variances of luxury additions, with the Marathon being the cheapest base model) can be found for regular price of $269, and on sale at Albee Baby online for $209-$219. The Marathon a wide open easy to route belt path, which makes using it correctly a lot easier, as do the built in lockoffs, which mean you never again have to use a locking clip. I can get it into 4 different vehicles in under 2 minutes. Because of the way the base is made, it fits in most cars. And, it is worth the money, b/c it lasts usually twice as long as most other car seats (all car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture) lasting a baby till they are 5-6 years old, where most at Walmart will only last till 2-4 years old. Rear faces to 33lbs, then forward to 65lbs. and top slots 17inches tall, lasts most kids to ages 5-6 years old.

The Recaro Como/Signo (Signo is the more expensive version) is a brand new seat, the Como is $249 with free shipping at many sites online. It rear faces to 35lbs, and front faces to 70lbs, and has top slots at 19inches, taller than any other convertible on the market. Very plush seat, too. It even has the built-in lockoffs! They're easy to install, like the Britax seats, and include infant and toddler padding. These seats are getting mixed reviews from car seat techs, so definitely try to try one in your vehicle before purchasing. It is a very tall car seat, sits up really high with a huge shell, so likely will not work rear facing in small cars. Also, may not last as long as it ought to b/c its too narrow for older big kids to be comfortable. But it is the only seat like it on the market that goes from birth to 70lbs and fits many different vehicle seats. With the goals of rear facing as long as possible and staying in a harness as long as possible, this seat is great.

The Evenflo Triumph Advance (not the original Triumph, make sure it says Advance) is a great seat. $150 version at Babies R Us has padding similar to Britax seats, top slots of 17", harnesses to 35lbs rear facing, and 50lbs forward facing. $120 Walmart version just has little less plush padding. Wide open belt path, easy to install, though it doesn't have built in lockoffs. The harness adjusts at the front of the car seat, you don't have to take the car seat out of the car just to raise/lower the straps. It's one of only 2 seats that does this (The Britax Boulevard is the other, I believE), and it has infinite harness adjustment so the harness always fits perfectly until its outgrown. No more tugging straps to tighten them either. You tighten and loosen the harness using knobs on the side of the seat. As a major bonus, it can be used in a recline position even in forward facing mode. Awesome for kids who still sleep in the car. I LOVE THIS SEAT! LOL My son, who is too big for every other car seat at Walmart has the same amount of room in this as the Britax Marathon.

The Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe Convertible seat is great, it is made by Britax, without all the frills. It's the same shell as a Marathon, but for less than half the price. $130 at Albee Baby online with free shipping, or at their eBay name, babysurplus. Rear faces to 33lbs, forward to 55lbs. Easy to use, fits in most cars.

These are the best you can buy that will give you the most bang for your buck. As a single parent I'm always watching the budget - I have no money to speak of, and these are what I would buy. (My son has a marathon and is soon getting a Britax Regent). They will last the longest. I only wish someone would've told me all this before I had him, I coulda saved some money for the extra seats I started out with!

All seats in the US must meet the same safety criteria to sell, so technically they all are safe, however, if its hard to install, then it won't be used correctly and that makes it unsafe. Also, they only must meet the guidelines, some seats barely pass, some exceed them. Britax exceeds the guidelines and is easy to use. There is a good reason they cost more (lots of them actually, but here's one) they test their seats from every usable scenario, rather than just the ones required by law. Also, they retest more often than the other companies.

Answer 2

My baby is 16 months old and still rear facing! She does not mind it because she doesn't know any different. BUT!! She is not still in an infant carrier. She outgrew that before she was even a year old...She is in converion carseat...It can be rear facing, forward facing, and a booster seat! Each car seat is different. Look in your manual or on the side of the seat. There should be ratings that tell at what position the child should be at what size. Check out the web site there is so much more information than I have listed!! The following is what convinced me to keep my little one rear facing for as long as possible! : Rear-facing is the safest position the child can ride in. It is strongly recommended that all children stay rear-facing beyond the minimum requirements of 1 year and 20 lbs. Children should not be turned forward-facing until they reach the maximum rear-facing limits of a convertible seat (that allows rear-facing to at least 30 lbs). These limits are either the maximum rear-facing weight limit or when the top of their head is within one inch of the top of the seat shell, whichever comes first. While most parents are aware that they must keep their children rear-facing "until they are AT LEAST 1 year old AND 20 lbs", very few are told that there are significant safety benefits when a child remains rear-facing as long as the seat allows. For most children, rear-facing can and should continue well into the second year of life. Rear-facing is much, much safer than forward-facing. Child safety seats: Rear-face until at least one year discusses the reasons why children should remain rear-facing for a FULL year and 20 lbs. In it, Kathleen Weber states, "In the research and accident review that I did a few years ago, the data seemed to break at about 12 months between severe consequences and more moderate consequences..." This does not mean that there are NO consequences. The consequences may no longer be death from a completely severed spinal cord, but simply life-long injury, including complete paralysis. Research studies suggest that until children are at least four, they are incapable of withstanding crash forces as well as adults - and should remain rear-facing. In a crash, life-threatening or fatal injuries are generally limited to the head and neck, assuming a child is in a harnessed seat. When a child is in a forward-facing seat, there is tremendous stress put on the child's neck, which must hold the large head back. The mass of the head of a small child is about 25% of the body mass whereas the mass of the adult head is only 6%! A small child's neck sustains massive amounts of force in a crash. The body is held back by the straps while the head is thrown forward - stressing, stretching or even breaking the spinal cord. The child's head is at greater risk in a forward-facing seat as well. In a crash, the head is thrown outside the confines of the seat and can make dangerous contact with other occupants, vehicle structures, and even intruding objects, like trees or other vehicles. Rear-facing seats do a phenomenal job of protecting children because there is little or no force applied to the head, neck and spine. When a child is in a rear-facing seat, the head, neck and spine are all kept fully aligned and the child is allowed to "ride down" the crash while the back of the child restraint absorbs the bulk of the crash force. The head is contained within the restraint, and the child is much less likely to come into contact with anything that might cause head injury.

Answer 3

Try looking into the type of car seats that they can grow up with they may cost more than the little car seats but when you think about it you'll pay either more for the other car seats that you'll have to change as your little one gets bigger.

I got one for my little girl when she wasn't even a year old and she is now 2 and a half and she still uses the same car seat.

Answer 4

We're a Britax family and love that they are very safe! Safety first I say. When we researched seats, we asked our friends in law enforcement about their experience in dealing with crashes and children. Off the record, they said Britax was a great seat.

So, we have 4 now. We used the Marathon on my oldest and my 15 month old got the new Companion. The Marathon is a convertible one and goes up to 60 lbs.

My sister's love my seat too. They wish they used them with their children. It's also very easy to adjust the straps, very helpful with winter coming and when they will be all bundled up. They comment on how sturdy the seat it too. (One is a pre-school teacher and has seen all kinds of seats.)

Hope this helps you some. [We have the Companion, Marathon (2 of 'em) and Decathlon.]

Answer 5

This one can be the last car seat you ever buy: http://www.babyage.com/products/22-155_cosco_cosco_alpha_omega_elite_3-in-1_car_seat.htm.

It's a convertible seat that can stay rear facing for a long time, then goes forward facing and can eventually used as a booster with the car seat belt for kids up to 100 lbs.

Answer 6

Britax Marathon, Decathlon or Boulevard are great seats but a little costly (totally worth every penny!) and they come in a ton of girly patterns, especially the Marathon. Here is a Marathon on sale: http://www.albeebaby.com/brmacocarse22.html

Sunshine Kids Radian 80-http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Kids-Radian-Seat-Princess/dp/B000R7L0HI

Cosco Scenera-http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5996315

Answer 7

Well, this one isn't super girly...but when our oldest was born we bought an evenflo triumph convertible car seat, which is rated for 5-40 pounds. (we never used an infant carrier) It has been a FANTASTIC car seat! Great safety ratings, easy to use, comfortable, you name it. We like it so well we went out and bought the exact same model for our new baby! :)

Answer 8

My friend baby is 7 1/2 months and he's a big boy weighing at 21lbs and 29 inches and she had to put him in a rear facing car seat he can't fit into a infant carseat no more. He's just to big

Answer 9

Target has a convertible graco brand for around $79, and its a really cute pink color.

Answer 10

this one has a pink center and goes to a hundred pounds its only forward facing though

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2739393&cp=2255983.2256187.2256196&parentPage=family

this one goes to 65lbs

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2535311&cp=2255983.2256187.2256196&view=all&parentPage=family

this one goes to 6 years old and is cute

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2844653&cp=2255983.2256187.2256196&view=all&parentPage=family

this one goes to 6 years also

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2404098&cp=2255983.2256187.2256196&view=all&parentPage=family

Answer 11

my sons 11 months, and 28lbs hes in a front facing car seat....