Carseats

There is a weight limit, although I don't know what it is, because both my daughters hit the length limit WAAAAY before weight limit. The length limit for an infant carrier is 26"; my younger was out of hers before 5 months. We have used the Evenflo Triumph convertible seat for both of them and we have really, really loved it (and quite a bit cheaper than Britax, but still very good quality and very safe). Your specific car seat's manual should also tell you length/weight limits, if you have it. The 26" length limit that I mentioned is in reference to the Graco Snugride infant carrier; I have no idea if different carriers have different limits, so you'll need to check with yours. But, if you do'nt still have your manual, you should be able to look on the manufacturer's website, because most brands will have their manuals and weight/length limits online.

They are all different. It should be on the side of your carrier. It usually has a weight and or inch limit, e.g. my carrier is good up to 28 inches and or 22 pounds. Some are 26" and or 20 pounds and some are 32" and or 33 lbs. Although my daughter is only 17 pounds, she is almost 28 inches so she switched her from the carrier to the convertible seat. We had the Britax carrier and now we have the Boulevard seat. We have been very happy with Britax products.

They have to stay facing the rear until 12 months. My pedi said it was because of their spine. I bought just an infant carrier and wish I had bought a 3-in-1 car seat. He is really to long for our but at 10 month I don't want to buy a new one that will face the rear. We recieved a front only facing one as a gift recently. My in-laws have the 3-in-1 by Eddie Baur and love it.

You should check the height and weight limits of your infant carrier. All of my kids had to be out of the pumpkin seat by the time they were about 6 months or so, because they were so tall, and pretty heavy too. I just bought a carrier for my last two that holds up to 30 lbs, so they stay in it longer. A good idea is to try to keep him in there until he can sit up well, like in a shopping cart or high chair at a restaurant. Even after mine out grew the infant seat, I kept it in the car(trunk) for times when I might need them to be in something...it works great for taking them to the movies etc. I have never been able to afford a Britax, but I do hear lots about them. I just use what I find at the time that seems to fit all of our needs, and have not had any problems so far! Good luck! ~A.~

Our son is on the small side but we moved him out of his infant carrier around 9 months to a convertible car seat (Britax Roundabout) and made it rear facing until he finally reached the 20 lb weight limit around 18months. He is 2 1/2 now and is still in his Britax Roundabout (forward facing, of course) and does very well. We have an Evenflo car seat in our other car and definitely like the Britax much better. My point is you do not have to wait until he is 20 lb or a year to take him out of his infant car seat (as long has he stays rear facing until then). Most 9-12 month olds don't want to carried in a carrier anyway. Hope this helps!

C.,
It all depends on your son's height and weight. You can buy him a convertible seat whenever you feel like it, since he weighs 12lbs now. Once you install your convertible seat, it is best to leave it installed in your car and not switch it to multiple cars.
Please know that even though children are "allowed" to be turned forward facing at 1 year and 20 lbs, it is MUCH MUCH MUCH safer to keep them rear facing until they hit the maximum weight limit for their convertible seat. (Usually 30, 33, or 35lbs, depending on the seat) Most kids won't hit that weight till 2 or 3 years old, and it is absolutely OK to keep your child rear facing.

I love Britax seats, but they are more expensive than other seats on the market. When you are buying your next seat you need to make sure it is one that will fit well in your car, fit your child well, and one that you will be able to use correctly every single time.

If you'd like any help picking out, shopping for, and/or installing your next carseat, feel free to contact me! (I am a certified carseat technician)

Your baby has to be in an infant rear-facing carseat until he weighs at least 20lbs and is one year old. I am looking forward to getting a new one when my daughter turns 1 - but that is not until next June. She isn't too happy in the one she has now...

Check the info on the sides of your carseat or read the manual that came with it. It will tell you the maximum allowable weight for the seat. A lot of them are 20 to 22 lbs. Once your child exceeds that weight, you will need to get a conversion seat that can be rear or forward facing. My daughter did not exceed the weight limit, but she was tall for her age and her head was sticking up over the top of the infant car seat. This is not safe, so we bought a conversion seat when she was about 9 months old. She is now 4 and is still using the same seat since it will go from rear facing to booster. The current parameters for turning your child to forward facing are 1 year and 20 lbs, but rear facing is still the safest, so it is recommended that you keep your child rear facing as long as possible.

Check your user's guide. There should be a length/weight maximum. I know with mine the length is 27 inches so my 4 month son has 1 more inch to grow before he is too long. I hope that inch takes a little longer because the infant carrier is pretty convenient. Also, my brother in law is a police sargeant certified in car seat safety and he said if you are unsure a general rule is if their head is one inch from the top of the infant carrier.

I did a video on this subject for NHTSA. Basically, they need to stay in their infant seat rear-facing until they are 1 year old and at least 20 pounds. You could use on of the Britax seats rear-facing, but to me they are harder to install that way than the infant seats. Britax seats are excellent seats, however. Once your child is 1 year and at least 20 pounds, you can turn them around forward-facing using a forward facing convertible seat(like Britax Marathon or Roundabout). I highly recommend Britax seats. Car seats are surprisingly hard to install and many parents get it wrong. The best thing to do is to take your car seat(installed in your car) and have officials check it. Many fire stations do this as well as hospitals. You can check on www.nhtsa.dot.gov to find a "seat check" location. There is a wealth of information on that site as well about the proper installation of car seats.

N. K.

We have a Britax Marathon that we started using when my DD switched to a convertible, and we love it. She is now almost 3 1/2, and we still use it. We just ordered an additional one for our sweet baby boy who was born on June 1, 2007 because it was on sale. They have sales in September and February so if you can wait until February you can probably save some money.

All car seats are different on when to move your baby out my was 25 lbs or 29 in. I moved my little girl out of her infant car seat at about 5 months, her legs were hanging out. I got the Britax Decathalon and we are very happy with it.