Hi, my DD is a big girl. She weighs about 21 lbs already at 8 1/2 months. She is also very tall. She is in the 95% for both weight and heigt. We are thinking about moving her up to a convertable car seat (this means that it can go forward-facing or rear-facing and I would face her backwards as she is under 1 year old) as the baby carier carseat is getting way too heavy and her toes hit the back of the seat in the car when she is sitting in her carseat. Does anyone have any recommendations, is this too early? My son wasn't this big and so this is new territory for me. I want to keep her protected while we are driving and not move her too soon, but I have done some research and it says that you can move them at 20 lbs.
I would like to thank all of you for your advice. I went this weekend and we got a convertible car seat (facing her backwards as she should be) and she was a little confused this morning, but definately seemed a lot less scrunched.
Definately get a convertable car seat. But you MUST keep it rear facing until she is a year old. My sons were both over 20lb by 9 months but a babys neck muscle don't fully developed til one year so they must stay rear facing. You may want to consider the new seats that go from rear faceing to forward to booster seat. The cost a little more but are cheaper then having to buy a car seat now and a booster seat later.
Yes, J., by all means, get her a convertable. She will be more comfortable too. My son was 20 lbs at 5 months, so we switched about that time. He loved it...almost as if to say...it's about time you get me in something more comfortable mom! Go for it, she will be fine!
My son was only 5 months old when he outgrew his infant carseat (He was 21 pounds and 23 1/2 inches long!). Convertible car seats are made for use from birth so as long as you face the carseat in the backward facing position, it will be fine. Have a great day! K.
I would wait until she is 1yr, her neck muscles might not be strong enough if someone were to hit you. My son was at the right weight and age, I waited for a month or so longer before I turned him around to forward facing. When you do get another carseat I would go with a 5point harness carseat, I have the Britax its a great carseat.
Hi J., Our kids were exactly the same. In early December Tyler was 8 1/2 months and 21 lbs. He was too heavy to carry in his carrier and his feet were beginning to fall over the side. We did the transition then, to a rear facing convertible car seat and it has been great for both of us. As long as she has good head and body control and you can easily pick her up it will be fine.
I moved all my children around 5-7 months to the convertible seat (rear facing still of course). My oldest had outgrown his infant seat by 5 months, lengthwise. Some of the convertible seats are for a wide weight range, from like 5-80lbs. Rear facing up to 22lbs, and forward facing after that, and even become belt positioning booster seats. I have a Cosco Alpha Omega. I also have and Eddie Bower Deluxe. They are basically the same car seat, but I actually like the Cosco better because it's easier to adjust the strap height; you do it from the back, without rethreading. Try this website for good deals on seats: www.albeebaby.com , I found mine on sale for $70 instead of $140!
Hi J.,
My daughter is 8 1/2 months as well and we just moved her to a convertable car seat. Our pumpkin seat had a maxium weight allowance of 20 pounds and she is 19.5 pounds now. We looked on consumer reports and the highest rated seat was the Evenflo Triumph Advance. We are really happy with it and our little girl enjoys her car rides a lot more. We got ours at Target(had to get it online) and it cost $150 including shipping and taxes. It also had good reviews on Targets website. Like I said it was the #1 ranked seat on consumer reports and #'s 2 & 3 were a lot more expensive (Britax). Well I hope that helps. Good luck and enjoy your little one.
K.
If you're going to use the convertible seat, you can actually use many of them from newborn up (you just use the head support and whatnot). We moved my daughter from her infant carrier seat to her bigger carseat when she was 6- 7 months old...she was just too long for her carrier! We kept her rear-facing until she was 1 year...but even then, her poor long legs were against the back of the seat...she was SO happy to finally turn around!(There has to be a common-sense medium to safety vs. reality, in my opinion).
I did find that a "swim noodle" did a great job of propping the back of the carseat so it would fit correctly on the newer "slanted" seats. They carseat manufacturers actually recommend this and many have pictures in the instructions as to how to do it.
I'm sure your little girl will love her new throne!
Do not put her forward facing! Even at 1 year old she is safter being rear facing. Find a convertable seat that can be used forward & rear facing. Keep her rear facing for as long as you can. Babies under a year old: there necks are not strong enough to take a crash & she could get severe whiplash or she may not survive even a small fender bender. It is too dangerous to risk!!!!
Make sure that you get a 5 point harness, they are also safer!
God Bless!
J.,
I too have a large little boy and I had to move him to a convertible carseat by the time he was 6 months. He had outgrown his pumpkin seat according to the directions posted on it. Check your infant seat - she has probably outgrown the size recommendations - and then it's time to move up. Boy they grow fast!!!
Yes, you can move her to a convertible carseat, but make sure she remains rear facing until she is at least a year old. My older dd moved to a convertible seat at 8 months. We went with a Graco Sport and it lasted through her and her younger sister. We just retired it recently.
My daughter was also very long for her age, I moved her to a convertable at about 7 months. The baby carrier was waaay to heavy by then. I'd say def go for it, you'll save your back from aching! We got a Britax, which was slightly pricey but well worth it, as it can recline to give the same angle as the carrier, and I think it has either a 40 or 60 pound weight capacity, so you can still use it for a long time.
Hi. My son was in the same boat. 95% in Ht/wt. If your daughter is reaching past the bottom and the top (more so), then it is time to move her to a new seat. Infant carriers are designed to fold up and into your car seat and form a shell around your daughter in an accident. If her head is at the top of the carrier, then you could be placing her at more risk of injury in an accident. When choosing an intermediate car seat, have your baby sit in them at the store to make sure her head is well supported. Use the latch system if at all possible when installing it, and keep it level. Many fire departments and hospitals have someone who can help you install and fit it to your child if you call them. Best of luck. J.
As long as you keep her rear facing and in a 5 point harness then it is fine. I know it may seem cramped on her legs to have her rear facing with the convertible car seat, but it is worth it. I attached the following for information on rear facing.
http://messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag...
Mine was the same way...we ultimately decided that we had to just move her and put her in a five point harness facing forward because she just had too much leg to face backwards. We went for the next level of carseat that would maximize the most for size and weight for the longest time.
Keep in mind the recommendations that they make are based on the AVERAGE size child...you have already stated you are in the 95% percentile which means you are NOT average and therefore need to make appropriate modifications.
I hads to switch all 3 of my kids around that age. My littlest one (now 21 mos) got a new convertible seat, and we LOVE it! It's a Graco Domain about $70 at Target. It has lots of padding and high sides for sleepy little heads. It also has lots of room to grow. He's still very comfortable in it and it looks like he will be in it for at least 6-9 mos more(barring any BIG growth spurts). Hope that helps.
before i even read the other responses, i have to tell you that you sound just like me when my son was this age. he was in the 97th percentile for both height and weight, and i took my cue from - his feet hung over the edge of the infant carrier, and when i picked him up with the handle it sagged under his weight (i kid you not!) -i was SO tired of lugging that thing around. get her a bigger seat. unfortunatly the "guidelines" of age are in place for "average" sized children. i think it is majorly unsafe to have a child in a seat that is obviously too small for them.
Use what fits her best. Don't get too wrapped up in weight or age recommendations, those are just guidelines. Your baby is going to be safest if she is in the car seat that fits her best. You'll be the best judge of that.
We have an Evenflo Triumph Advance LX and I can not say enough GOOD things about it! What really made me choose it is that it's a great "middle" car seat and will get us from infant seat to booster. We've been using it for over a year now. We had it rear-facing for about 9 months (we started using it when he was 6 months old) and it really has been comfortable for him facing each way. The link below is for all Evenflo convertible seats, and ours is near the bottom. I HIGHLY recommend this seat! (And I was told about them on Mamasource - otherwise I wouldn't really have thought to consider it!) Good luck!
We moved our son to a convertible at 6.5 months. He is still using it rear facing and he is 15 months now. We're keeping him rear facing until he is 2. Children's Hosp. now recommends doing that. Most European countries keep kids rear facing until the age of 4! The U.S. is always behind on things like this. Convertibles are a great thing!
Hi J.!
You poor thing, your still carrying her around in her carseat! We are going to have to do the same thing, my big man is 16 lbs @ 4 months. I thought I would get out of buying another carseat, When he was ready to sit forward I was going to put him in my daughters carseat and by that time she would be ready for a booster.....nope hes going to need a rear facing until he is one and my daughters wont turn around. I think their are some good ones that are convertable that you can use for a long time. She really does need to be rear facing until she is one. My sister bought a brittax for my nephew, they are very expensive but you can rear face them and they grow with them. I know they say 20 lbs but they really should be rear facing until they are one because of their neck control and this age, it really doesnt have anything to do with their weight. Let me know which one and get and if you like it, Im going to be getting one soon too!
Hello J.,
My son was also big and my husband and I tinkered around with the same question.
I think as long as you can get a seat that is still rear-facing, then I don't see a problem with it.
I remember the very day our son turned a year old. My husband turned his seat around before we took him the the doctor for his year check-up. When my son was put into his front-facing seat, his face lit up like the Fourth of July and was grinning ear to ear.
Please resist the urge to turn her around too soon. I know you want the best for her, so keep her safe. ls
As long as it's rear facing until she is 1 year old you can have her in a convertible carseat. I was surprised to find out that you can use a convertible carseat as early as newborn, as long as it rear facing. We use the Alpha Omega Elite with our son and I like it alright (the buckle is kind of short making it a little more difficult to strap him in), but if we could have afforded it I would have loved to get a Britax. They are on the pricier side, but if you can afford it that is the one I would go with. It has the best safety ratings and I haven't heard anyone say a bad thing about it. Good luck!
My daughter was 21 lbs at 7 months and we made the switch. She was much more comfortable in the convertible - we got the Britax for our car and the Graco for my mom's.
