Converting to a Front Facing Car Seat

I researched online and found that Britax was number one in safety. That's what we bought 2 months ago for my son and both he and I love it! He was 23 lbs. and I bought the biggest Britax car seat I could find. Good luck!

The Britax is the only one that I would choose. They last forever and they are worth every penny. They are simply the highest rated car seats out there.

I second the Recaro. We have the Como for my youngest son, who has Down Syndrome, and we really love it. The harness is safe up to 70 lb. Our son is 2, and is still rear facing. He is not quite 20 lb, but they say that the longer that they stay rear facing, the better. I do not know of any convertible (rear/front facing) seats that go up to 100 lb.

Hi J.,

I have a 20 month old boy and when he turned one I faced the same dilemma. I went with the Britax and have never regretted the purchase. The latch system is far better and easier than other seats on the market and the safety features are great. It is also very easy to disassemble and clean.

Good Luck!
L. C

Everyone will say Britax, but for the budget minded folks, someone recently told me that Britax makes a car seat that is sold under the Fisher Price name. Think it's called the Safe Voyager or something like that. If you google Fisher Price and Britax, you should find it. It's at albeebaby.com. A friend of mine has three of these and highly recommended them, and this is probably what I'll go with when the time comes in a few months.

If you are set on having your son forward facing, though rear facing is best til the weight limit of your seat, and the AAP recently adopted this guideline though some peds. are not spreading the news. According the the American Academy of Peds 1 year and 20lbs is the MINIMUM requirements for forward facing. You may want to look at the Britax frontier it is a harnessed seat till 80lbs and then is a booster seat till 100lbs.

Someone mentioned that the Britax Marathon is all 3, rear and foward facing and a booster and this is untrue it is only a convertible seat, rear and forward facing. Also I would not get a Regent for your child unless he is large for his age that seat is huge and your child will be swimming in it.

We had a carseat installer (former police officer turned volunteer after he'd seen one too many accidents involving children and carseats) come and speak at our MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers) group. One thing that he said is that expensive does not mean better. As long as it has a 5-point harness and is installed correctly, it could cost $60 and still be safe. We use the Safety 1st All In One and love it.

Also, he said to keep them rear-facing as long as possible. My twins are almost 16-months and still rear-facing just because it's safer in the event of an accident.

Best of luck!

Evenflo Triumph 5 or Triumph Advanced are good and easy to use/install. But I would recommend leaving him rear facing for at least 6 more months. It is the safest position to be in the car & although the law says you can turn him at 1 year and 20 lbs I wouldn't. Both of those seats can be used rear facing as well as forward facing.

We have a Britax that goes up to 55 or 65 lbs and we like it. We also have twins and are considering purchasing 2 more Britax's.

Hey, J.. I used to be certified in child passenger safety. Now I'm just a car seat natzi!

Firstly, keep your sweet boy rear facing AS LONG AS YOU CAN. It is MUCH MUCH safer than forward facing...even though it is exciting when you can see him. Check the weight and height limits on your rear-facing seat and use it until he reaches one or the other. Even if its several months from now.

When you are ready to make the switch, I suggest considering a "combination" seat--one that is forward facing, then can be used as a booster seat. "Convertible" seats, as you mentioned, are made to convert from rear to forward facing. Since you are wanting to turn him around, you might get more milage out of a COMBINATION. Some, like the Britex Marathon, can actually go in all three positions--rear, forward, booster. You should know that all carseats have to meet the same safety standards, but some are just easier to use. You don't need a lot of frills like cup holders and junk, but make sure the straps are easy to adjust and the seat is easy to install in your vehicle. Also, seats with higher weight and height limits are really worth it.

ONe last tip, look for a car seat check point in your area, or go to the DPS to have someone check and make sure you are using it properly. Over NINETY percent of parents make errors in car seat use that could be very dangerous if you ever are in a crash.

good luck!!

I don't have any recommendations on a specific carseat. Just 2 thoughts.

1. Keep him rear facing as long as possible. Here's an article about extended rear facing. I know it seems like such a good idea, but not at the risk of the babies. I have an almost 4 yr (next week) who we just turned around on her 3rd b-day.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/215843/extended_...

2. You do NOT need to go to 100 lbs, 85 or even 50 should be fine. The recommendation is not to keep a carseat longer than 6 years (check the expiration date-some are shorter) due to the plastic deterioration sitting in the hot (or cold) car. You will need a new carseat long before he hits 85 lbs. It takes a LONG time to reach 100 lbs. My nephew is 12, 5 ft. 1/2 in and weighs 100 1/2 pounds. I don't know too many 5th graders who are going to let you stick them in a car seat. My 3rd grader is 64 lbs, and there is no WAY I can get him in a carseat. I still keep him in a booster (just the half booster) in my car, and the seatbelt adjuster in my DH's. And that's pushing it since most of his friends are just in the regular seatbelt.
Here's an article on expiration dates. Check out the video it's a Britax at 10 years from date of manufacture.
http://www.epinions.com/content_###-###-####

HTH.....

Just make sure that when picking one out you pick one that is tall and has a lot of height adjustments. When I was picking one out, I was talking to another lady and she told me that she was there buying another one cause the first one was not tall enough for her son and he grew out of it fast!!! So that helped me make a choice on one. I went with the Britax and have had no problems. She will be in this one for a while. We got it when she turned one and she is now 3 years old. Good luck and happy hunting!!!

My husband and I have been doing the research also. I found the true fit by The First Years. Here is a link to some reviews about it http://www.thingamababy.com/baby/2008/06/truefit.html
It does not go up to 100lbs, only 65 but it does go up to 50 inches. I didnt weight 100lbs until 7th grade and our friend has a 9 year old who is only 70lbs and he is not particularly skinny. ALso, this carseat is pretty affordable. Any how, we are ordering today. Hope it is helpful.

A.

I'm almost to that point with my 3rd baby. I recommend Britax Marathon or Roundabout. Safety ratings are awesome, and the seats are high quality. One bit of advice... I remember being very concerned with getting a seat that went up to 100 pounds. Now, having been on the other side, with an older child, I can tell you that there is no way you would need a car seat for a 100 pound child. My daughter just turned 5 and weighs about 43 pounds. She is in a booster seat. A 60 lb. max would be all you'd need.

Hey J., I am a car seat tech; I usually have a lot to say about car seats. All car seats are equally safe if they are installed in the car correctly and the child is in the seat correctly. The more expensive brands simply make it easier to get the seat and the child in correctly. That is the only difference. We have the Britax decathlon and have really liked it. Second, 1 yr and 20lbs in the min safety standard. The longer you can leave them rear facing the better. They are much safer in that position if you are ever in a severe crash. I left my daughter rear facing until she was 18 months and 27 lbs. The britax decathlon can sit rear facing until 36 lbs and will sit front facing until 60 lbs. Most convertible seats only go to 40lbs front facing so that is another important thing to consider when shopping. If you have any more questions let me know.
S.

When myson was one year old (he is almost 16 months) we bought a Britax Regant. This car seat goes up to 80 pounds and we love it. Hope this helps.

H.

I have the 3-in-1 Eddie Bauer edition, and it works great! It too goes up to 100 lbs. I would get nothing less. Car seats are expensive, and if you can keep them around a while, that's the best way to go.

I highly recommend DOREL JUVENILE Eddie Bauer 22-741ATI Deluxe Convertible Car Seat. You can use it back and front facing and it only takes me a few minutes to switch it from car to car!!! It is super easy to move! You can easily wash the cover if needed. It comes with a cup holder and two mesh pockets on each side. You can recline it or not. It is easy to use with or without the latch system. It was pretty cheap, as well, from Target. We love it!

Recaro Youth Sport. It is the safest seat on the market. It has a harness and converts to a booster and holds up to 100 lbs. I have had mine for a year and I love it. You can't go wrong. :)

I have two children a almost 3 year old daughter and 16 months old son. We bought the Britax Marathon and love them. I think they only go to 65 pounds and I will tell you that right now my 3 year old is wanting a booster. She is not big enough for one yet so I would not worry to much about it going up to 100 pounds. I don't know what age our kids will be when they weigh that much, but I think they will be old enough to not have a car seat. They do need to be tethered down which is easy, but if your husband takes him places you might as well buy two so you don't have to keep moving them in and out of cars.

I agree with keeping him rear facing. My DD is 14 months and will be rear facing for several more months before we even think about switching her. It's much, much safer. We have a Marathon and love it.

We just bought the Graco Nautilus for our 5-yr-old twins, as they got too tall for the Evenflo Triumphs we had bought when they outgrew their infant seats (they're on the small side, so at 1 the Triumph looked so big!).

You probably want to think way ahead and not make the same mistake we did, and have to buy again. I think the Nautilus faces both ways, so you could keep him rear-facing for longer (as other moms have suggested) and then use the same seat front-facing and as a booster later. It has a 5-point harness which was important to us, up to 65 pounds. Also has a cup holder which everyone loves! Also the buckles are a lot easier (on the adult) than the Evenflo was.

Good luck!

I used a Britax years ago and LOVED it. My son was in it for what seemed like forever! It was considered the best on the market back then and well, being our first child, we did everything to the nines! We held onto it and hope to use it again with our new baby due in 2 weeks. I've heard questionable things about using car seats that dated so I will need to do some research and make sure I can still use it. Graco has always been my choice for my stroller and infant carrier.

I love love love my Britax Marathon....It is a little more than some of the others, but well worth it. It is easy to install, easy to put my little girl into, and it has some of the best safety ratings.

Hi Mama,
Please please please keep your little boy rear facing, it is MUCH MUCH safer, 2 years and 30lbs is the new 1 year and 20lbs. :-) The only reason the rule is 1 year and 20lbs is because when the law was made, car seats only went to 22lbs rear facing, lots has changed since then, and now we have all these awesome car seats that go to 30, 33 and 35lbs rear facing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8 - here is a good video that sums up why rear facing is so important. If you want more info you can always google "Benefits of rear facing" or head over to car-seat.org and take a look around on their forums.

I would definitely stay away from the Graco convertibles and the Eddie Bauer/Dorel/Cosco 3-in-1 car seats, most kids outgrow them reeeeeeeeeeeeeally early and they really aren't worth the money.
A Britax Marathon you would be able to use till your little boy is 3 or 4, if not older, it is well worth the money and is very easy to install.
Also, I would definitely try and meet up with a Child Passenger Safety Technician and have them show you how to install your seat properly, as the vast majority of carseats are installed and used incorrectly these days.

If you have any other questions about anything car seat related, please don't hesitate to ask! (I am a CPST)

I have three Britax seats and could not be happier! My twins who are 3 1/2 use the Wizard which they no longer make. It goes up to 65 pounds. My 20 month old son uses the Marathon. I have a friend who checks car seats for Cook's and she recommended Britax. The roundabout won't last you as long because of the weight restrictions. Good luck and if you pick Britax, check for good prices online. We purchased all three of ours online and got a good deal with free shipping.

I highly recommend Britax! Their Regent model goes up to 80 lbs. I really don't think you need to go up to 100 lbs. Most kids do not reach 100 lbs. before they can use a regular seat belt.