First Time Mom - Abington,PA

It's better to ask than to wonder! :) I'd definitely go shopping for the next car seat up. The weight and height requirements are both important. The carrier are great because they're so convenient, I know I was sorry when my first son outgrew his so fast and I had to carry him on my hip everywhere, lol.
What you want now is what they call a convertible car seat - meaning that it can face backwards and forwards. A good example would be the Eddie Bauer 3-n-1 seat or the Britax Roundabout. HTH! :)

Hi! I usually take my son out of the jacket before putting him in the seat then just zip up the wool bundle-me and turn the car on and the heat so that it gets a comfortable temperature. You can get what are called convertable car seats where they can face backwards until they are a year. Make sure it fits in your car facing backwards though. Mine only fits forwards in my car so we have to make the infant one work until he is 1. Also, know that he will slow down his growth soon and may not hit 26 inches for a while! Good luck.

Hi J...... I never use to put a coat on my son when i used the bundle me.. He use to sweat in just the bundle me... but i didnt have the wool one i had a more expensive one that i received as a gift but i think the only difference is that the one i used with for all tops of weather conditions like the rain. but if he is out growing his carseat I would definately change his carseat... 5 months is when my son gew out of his. you have to get a toddler carseat.. I hear the Britax marathon is a great one with high ratings. expensive but worth it to save his life if in a car accident. Good Luck!

Hi, J.! No, I'm sure noone is getting tired of you asking questions. That's what this site is all about! Are you currently using a infant carrier seat? I'm sure that you can switch your son to a car seat that he can use until he is 40 pounds and some carry toddlers even heavier. For instance, the car seats that can convert to a belt positioning booster. Whatever you choose, he will still have to remain rear-facing until he is a year old. Make sure you read all the paperwork before buying a seat. Also, check the consumer buying guide because I saw something on the news the other day. It said that they crash tested several car seats and they would only approve of 2! And there was one that was rated the worst! Let me know what you end up doing. My son just turned 5 months, is about 15 pounds and I am getting tired of carrying him in his heavy infant carrier. It heavier than most because his infant carrier can hold a baby up to 35 pounds, so it is sturdier and bulkier than the ones that only go up to 22 pounds. Good luck and take care.

Hi, I think that is a great question. It's been awhile since I've had to shop for carseats but I agree with the other mom that said to find an rear-facing carseat that converts to a booster seat. Your son won't be able to stay in his infant carrier/car seat for too much longer if it only goes to 26 inches. I was lucky when I had my son his infant carrier went up to 29 inches so I could keep him in it longer but he sure did get heavy. Between the 20lb infant carrier and his weight it was killing my back. Look on websites and in magazines to see how they rate the carseats. Consumer Reports is good too. You can also look for one of those carseat checks in your area. They should be knowledgeable about good carseats. Although I would check their credentials, I got a free carseat from our local health department and the woman put my son in it wrong. Not that they are experts but if I was someone that didn't know any better I would have trusted her and continued to put my son in there wrong. She came to my car and put it in and then buckled my son in. To me she should have known what she was doing if she is going to do all that. Just be careful and read your manual, there are so many people out there using their carseats wrong and they don't even know. Read the manual carefully and use a locking plate if you need one in your car. I see alot of moms not using locking plates when they should be. Good luck and don't worry about asking questions, it's better to ask than not to. That's what we are all here for.

You can buy one of the bigger convertible car seats, he just has to remain sitting backwards until he's one years old. I had the same problem because my son is a big boy. As long as it's still the 5 point harness and he's sitting backwards that's fine. Then when he turns 1 you can turn him around.

With my son we had him in a convertible car seat by the time he was 6 months old. He just got way too big for the infant car seat. Most convertibles minimun weight should only be 5 or 10 lbs. If I were you I would just get him a new car seat. It'll make it easier trying to get him dressed and making sure he's warm too. Hope this helps.

It's good that you can't fit anything else on, your not supose to bundle your child up. If your ever in a car accident all that bulk means your child is not fastened securely, and it could cost his life. What you want to do is dress him in warm, snug clothing, and use a blanket over top. As far as moving him into a larger car seat, he's only 14 lbs, I'd at least wait until he is 20 lb, his height doesn't matter, his legs are soft and will bend right into the car seat, if your ever in an accident, but he's 8lbs under the weight requirement for a toddler seat. He doesn't yet have the body strength to be in one.

My daughter went through the same time. I ended up getting her a bigger carseat. I went the next size up. She's over two years old now and we are still using the second carseat. It should last a while (at least much longer than her first one).

J., don't ever feel bad about asking too many questions first off. How are u suppost to learn what is right for u and ur child if u don't ask questions that u might not know the answers to just yet. There are a ton of different car seats out there that can be what u are looking ofr. I have used the car seats that are carriers...like most people. I also have two little ones that are on the bigger side (dad is 6'6..so they are bigger kids)I also used the cover on the carrier for the winter as well. I found it to be very helpful, and it kept the kids warm. I use to make sure they had a cover under the covering and my two stayed very warm with just that and a hat too incase they poped their head out of the opening. But I found a great car seat from EVENFLOW, i bought it at a BABIES R US. It holds a baby from 5lbs to a toddler at 45lbs. the car seat has a feature that allows u to change the way the seat sits. It can recline like a carrier or it can sit up straight like a regular car seat. The only downfall to the seat is u have to just carry the baby in and out of places and not have the carrier to transport the baby. But the car seat is great, I really love it, my son is almost a yr, he will be 1 on the 21st, and he and he is about 21lbs. He has been in that seat for about 4 months now. Like i said it can be a pain to not use the carrier but it is easy to use and easy to adjust the straps and it does recline like a carrier and it hold big babies and little ones too. Ireally do love the seat and it works great....Evenflow and there might even be other name brands like this one too, but i got it at babies r us and my son and my daughter before him used it and i can put a coat on or not and easily adjust the straps and i feel completely at ease with the seat. the only thing about size that u have to worry about with the seat is turning the baby forward in the car. 20lbs and a year old. pother than that find one that works for u.Don't ever feel bad about asking questions...i am on my third and i still ask a ton of questions. It will be different for each one, and asking questions is a way vof learning....so ask away!
hope that helps u.....good luck with the new little one.
K. (mommy of 3)