Hi everyone! I need a little help regarding car seats as well. My kids are both very tall (like off the charts tall). As a result, my 6 month old is already too longfor her infant carrier and will need a convertible car seat. My son is already in a convertable seat (Graco Comfort Sport). We love it - but it only goes to 40 lbs. He's just 25 months and is already 36 inches and 31 lbs. So, I want to move the baby to his seat and get him something that will also convert to a booster. There are several out there that will do this - but they retain their high back as a booster up to 100 lbs. I'm wondering if he's going to hate that when he gets bigger - or just plain not fit. Is he old enough for the regular boosters - the belt positioning kind? They say 30 lbs - but 2 seems like an awfully young age to not have him totally strapped down. :) I would love for this to be the last set of car seats I have to buy - but I don't know if that's practical. I'd hate to spend the money on the extra 'convertibility' and then have to end up buying a backless booster anyway. And who knows how long it will take him to reach 40 lbs? Either way - I'm going to have to get something soon.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Ok - I know it's been awhile, but I recently went ahead and bought the car seats. We were embarking on a 20 hour car trip and I wanted the kids to be comfortable. So - we ending up moving my son's Graco ComfortSports over to baby sister and bought him new Eddie Bauer Summit seats. He loves them and thinks he's big stuff now. Actually I think he's just excited because we made a big deal about him getting a new big boy seat - since baby sister gets so much attention. :) Thanks to you all for your advice!
do what's safest. the back seat boosters are really cheap. Esp. after you've been used to paying $100 bucks or more. We bought an extra car seat at a consignment store for $25.
my son is 2 1/2 and is 27lb. and 34 1/2 inches and he is in a booster with straps that go up to 100lb. it came from walmart and is made by safety 1st. it is black and grey and he loved it from the first time i put him in it. also it converts to a belt positioning booster. good luck
30 lbs is 30 lbs however you cut it but i understand his possibly crawling out could be a problem if you dont get the convertible carseat. spend the extra money for his safety and your own. turning around to correct a climbing toddler is dangerous and very distracting. hes worth it and so are all your other passengers including yourself.
Hi J.,
I have owned way too many car seats, so I know what you're talking about. We travel a lot, so I needed something that would convert to a booster seat, but still allow my then 4 1/2 year old to sleep comfortably. After trying everything I could find, I realized that the Eddie Bauer Summit Booster Seat (I got it at Babies R Us, but they have it at Toys R Us, too. It's on sales right now for $119) did everything I wanted. It had a 5 point harness for use until he outgrew it at 40 lbs. It has an easy to change, 3 position recline, so he can rest. And, and this was the most important part for me, it was about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wider in the shoulder area than anything else I could find. I had a Britax that I loved, but it wasn't a booster. I had a Graco that I loved, but I looked back and my son was trying to sit sideways in it because his shoulders were being squished. I tried a booster that I could remove the back from and he fell asleep and almost fell sideways out of it (he and the chair were starting to tip over because the seat belt allowed him to move). This Eddie Bauer has an exteremly high back and it raises as my son grows. It has a cup holder although it's hard for them to reach until they are in booster seat mode. The arm rests move up when you press a button to make it easier to get them in and out. He's almost 5 1/2 and tells me he loves his car seat and we still have a number of height adjustments that we can go up. I ended up buying one for my younger son, too.
I hope this helps. I've been exactly where you are now. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
I had to put my daughter in a front facer a bit before she was one because she was way too long for the infant one but she was under 20 lbs!!! I got her a regular high back booster made by Graco w/the 5 point harnes. Once she out grew the harnes straps I used the regular seat belt across her. I think we went to a reglar booster (no back) when she was 4 yrs. Now that my son is 9 months, I've been looking at booster seats as well. They have come a long way in 6 yrs!!! I looked on Graco's website and I myself would go with a Youth Booster seat w/5 point harness. They will go up to 40 lbs using the harness, then 100 lbs using the car seat belt across them. Another option is the Britax line but I've found them to be very $$$ and also go up to 100lbs.
A good website to check out consumer opinions is http://www.epinions.com/
You can see what other people say about products and even get and idea of price between different stores.
S.
Hi! I had the same problem with my son, he has always been off the growth charts too. I went to the convertible car seat (Evenflo) at about 3 or 4 months, but ended up buying ANOTHER one that converts to a booster (evenflo and Eddie Bauer).
The high back booster ones eventually go to lap belt positioners...you use it without the harness. Also, some of them (I know his Evenflow for sure)have the back that comes completely off, when they are old enough.
I agree with you, your son is probably too little to have just in a booster seat. My son is 3, 40 inches tall and 39 lbs. and his car seat/boosters work great for him. You might want to check the laws in your area, for some reason I am thinking 4 years old and 40 lbs to be in a booster.
Good luck!
C.
I bought this one because it has straps for when they're younger, but then converts to seat belt once they're 40 lbs. I use this one because at my day care center other parents were using it with there 4 yr olds. Also, my son is VERY tall and is his cousin (12 now), just because they're tall doesn't mean they are going to be heavy. So I wouldn't worry so much about weight. Our 12 yr old is 5 foot ish and is still under 70 lbs. I hope this helps. This is the link for the seat I have: http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-15/qid=11708719...
The belt positioning booster says 30 lbs but it's wrong. According to NHTSA (the feds) a child must be 40 lbs AND 40 inches in order to move up to a booster seat. As far as your infant, I would go ahead and put her in a convertible carseat. But make sure she stays rear facing until she turns 1. The car seat I bought my son when he turned one came from Babies R Us. It's a combo convertible/booster from Cosco. I got him the Eddie Bauer edition that was about $120. But, if you want cheaper places like walmart have the same thing for much less. My aunt bought the generic version of the one we have now at walmart for $40. So, even though your kids are in the high percentiles please follow the law. No cop or judge cares when it comes to the safety of kids.
With my belt positioning booster they have to be at least 30lbs. AND 38" tall. I think 2 is a little young for this type of seat. Also keep in mind that your son is likely to slow down now in weight gain and it could be a year or more before he hits that 40lb mark. I should add that I too have had a kid that was off the charts in height and I moved him to a belt postioned booster when he was 4years old 40lbs and about 43in tall. Better to be safe than sorry when it comes to the safety of your kids while its inconvienent and costly to keep buying carseats in the long run your kids will be safer because of it.
Hi, I am a care seat junky, so I would love to help you out!
Make sure your 6 month old is rare-facing until she is ONE YEAR OLD!! Do NOT turn her forward just b/c she hits 20lbs and the height limit. Get the convertible seat and keep her backwards!!!
Here is a webiste with car seat info http://www.car-safety.org/basics.html
I got my one year old daughter the Fisher Price Safe Voyage convertible car seat http://www.happymothers.com/shop/prd_FPEF20B1A_Fisher%20P... She will be able to stay in the five point harness until 55lbs in it.
The longer you can keep them in a five point harness the better off you are. You should keep them in the five point harness until they are too big for it, do not move them into a belt positioning booster just b/c it is cheaper. It's not worth it in an accident. I think this one http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=240134...
is an awesome seat and I would have gotten it except it is for older children. It gives you the option of using the 5 point harness up to 65lbs!! Or the car seat belt up to 100.
My child will be in her five point harness until 55lbs and then a booster seat until 100lbs. My oldest daughter (she is 11) was in one until she was 80lbs, would have been more except at the time I was lucky to find a booster up to 80lbs!!!
Good luck with your decision. Please make sure you make the safest one, rather then the cheapest (though also keep in mind that just b/c the seat is more $$ does not mean it is safer!!)
PS> if the links did not work please feel free to message me and i will send them through an email!
I am new and I know this thread is a few days old but I wanted to respond.
A child needs to be rear facing until atleast one year old and 20 pounds. It is completely ok for there legs to touch and even be squashed. At under 1 year old there necks are not strong enough.
Most carseats that turn in to a booster only have a weight limit of 40 pounds. A few go a bit higher like the Cosco/Safety 1st Apex that goes to 65 pounds with the 5-point harness.
Most children are not mature enough to sit properly in a belt positioning booster under the age of 4. Even at 4 1/2 my daughter does not sit upright in a booster so she is in a Britax Marathon which goes to 65 pounds with a 5-point harness.
There are lots of options and even more information. A great website is www.car-seat.org
There are lots of certified techs and information for parents. If you register you can use the search feature if you want to find something specific.
D.
Maybe you could try calling someone that is with SafeKids and ask their take on a car seat for this situation. I called the local hospital, TRMC in Orangeburg and spoke with a lady there that was more than helpful. I almost spent $300 per car seat (twins) and after talking to her I bought 2 for $40 each that she said has everything for safety that she thinks is should have. Now we ride with confidence & we saved a ton! Hope this helps!
I know that here in charleston, the Babys r us has a certain tuesday every month that they have the experts on hand to assist in positioning and with questions about carseats. Also, I think you can go to any firestation and have it installed properly...also, you can go to http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm to get the AAP guide to carseats...its a good idea to have on hand when you go to buy a carseat.
Good Luck!
I wanted to respond about your older child because you think he might not like the convertible seat when he gets older. My daughter is now 7 [and only 67lbs] we had the convertible high back set in my parents car and the booster seat in my car. She never had a problem with either, and she never complained about riding in the car seat as that was all she knew.
