We ordered X's next car seat.
We're not using it yet--maybe some of you more experienced friends can help us out here--
we got a Britax, which we are happy about, but they are huge
(most car seats for the next stage are).
I don't think it will fit backwards in our car.
The specs on X's current car seat (which is her infant-carrier seat): goes up to 30 lbs or 30 inches, whichever comes first. She is currently neither, but almost 30 inches. She is also almost 1, and very much NOT an infant.
The specs on the Britax: backwards up to 35 lbs, or forwards from 1 year and 20 lbs on.
She's not 20 lbs yet.
This is where we run into a little bit of a dilemma.
She could very easily outgrow (lengthwise) her infant seat before she's heavy enough for the Britax (forward facing).
So, which is the lesser of the two evils? Or which would be the safer option? Keep her facing backward in the infant seat she's too long for until she weighs more than 20 lbs? OR put her forward facing in the Britax a few lbs. early?
The best part about the Britax?
It comes in a huge box.
A huge box (caja in spanish) is lots of fun for an almost one-year-old, especially when mama cuts a door and windows in it and it becomes a casa.
in and out
out and in
for an hour or so!
papa didn't fit!
mama did...kind of?
6 comments:
Ahhh carseats. They're funny. What I have learned: legally (at least in WA) they have to be backward facing up to a year. The academy of pediatrics recommends that you keep them facing backward for 2 years. (In sweden they do it until their 4, but I have no idea how! Apparently it's safer. Apparently it'd be safer if we all rode backwards, excepting, of course, the driver, because that wouldn't be safe at all.) I didn't used to know that. We switched Peter facing forward 3 days before his birthday and it made riding in the car much nicer.
The height specification thing, as I understand it, can be fudged. It actually has to do with their head being down from the edge of the seat. I'd google it.
You also might want to try putting your new carseat in backwards. You never know. It might fit (although some of those car seats are real beasts!) We fit a britax roundabout backwards in a corolla (Peter needed the bigger seat at 9 mo due to weight).
Good luck with the dilema. I think that there's not a great solution. It's all tradeoffs. Unfortunately, what is practical and what is safest do not always overlap.
I would agree with Christine in that you should try to put the new seat in rear facing...you never know if it will fit or not. Rear facing is the safest way for little ones to ride, so if she can tolerate her legs being a little squished, and assuming that her head is not above the top of her infant seat, then I would say keep her in the infant seat. Unless, of course, her new seat can in fact be put in rear facing.
Jacob is 15 months old and in a rear facing Britax roundabout. It's a tight fit in our small car, but it does fit. I'm going to keep him that way until his legs are really squished.
Hope that helps!
Ian didn't hit 20 lbs until just before his 2nd birthday, but he outgrew the infant seat height by about 9 months.
My suggestion would be the same as the others. Keep her in the infant seat as long as possible, until her head about comes to the top. Then if your Britax really doesn't fit backward facing, maybe find a cheap (price, not quality) in between carseat for until she hits that 20 lb limit (which could be a year or so.) There are some pretty high rated cheap ones out there, one that comes to mind that I've heard about is the Cosco Scenera, but you'd have to do some research to make sure you find a good one. Another thing I've learned is that they don't mind much their legs being scrunched up, so don't worry about that too much. Otherwise, not sure what to tell you.
Thanks guys! I'll try it out backwards...and see if it fits. She really hates her infant seat and always has, so I'd be more inclined to see if she likes this one better. It would make car trips easier! I like Christine's thought: "What is practical and what is safest do not always overlap".
I thought of another solution...more expensive, but maybe cheaper than buying yet another car seat...
Ric has been driving the jeep, I drive the prius. The car seat would surely fit backward in the jeep. So if we need to, we trade cars. The expensive part is: Ric drives 5 miles one way to work, I drive 30 miles one way to work.
I just got a Cosco Scenera, which was recommended to me by someone who does carseat checks. They're only about $45 and it fits fine in my prizm. It goes up to 35 lbs rear facing and from what I understand it's best to keep them rear facing as long as possible. It might be worth the $45 to have a second seat anyway and not have to juggle cars and keys. :)
Hey Calia! We got the britax marathon car seat and it fits backward. It doesn't take up any more room than the graco snap-n-ride, at least not horizontally. (It is obviously much taller). Definitely try it. Nory LOVES being in the big seat, I think it is much more comfy than her infant seat was! Happy birthday little X!
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