UCB Parents Carseat Recommendations
Moving out of the Infant Seat
Advice and recommendations from the UCB Parents mailing list.
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Back to Carseats
Nov 2001
My daughter is 13 months, 21 lb. and 29" and has outgrown her infant
car seat. I am considering buying a forward facing/booster seat since
she is over a year, but am being given much conflicting advice.
Two notable stores in our area have given long lectures about not facing
my child forward until she is 30 lbs. The small group of new mothers I
know turned their children forward as soon as they could.
Also, I am considering the the Century "Next Step" if I do buy a combo
front facing, booster seat because the Fisher Price "Grow With Me" is
unavailable. I am aware of the Cosco Alpha Omega which goes from 5-80
lbs, but have read that it is not recommended by Consumer Reports as a
booster seat.
Does anyone have any experience/opinions about forward facing booster
car seats for a one year old or on facing their children forward or
towards the rear at one year and 21 lbs?
Deborah
There are infant seats, and there are toddler seats. The law is 40 pounds
and 4 years of age. My daughter started in an infant seat with all the
add-ins as she was so small, and then graduated to a toddler seat when she
was about 1-1/2. She remained in a toddler seat until she was almost five
ecause she did not meet the weight requirement. Then we moved her to a
booster seat so the seat belt fit her better.
If your daughter is too big to comfortably fit in an infant seat, she should
be moved into a toddler seat, almost all of which face forwards. There is no
30 pound rule. The only rule I know of is the seat must fit the child.
Call up your local police or fire department and ask them. They can tell you
exactly what the law says. If you do buy a new seat, you might want to bring
your baby with you to make sure she's comfortable sitting in whatever you
buy.
Marianne
From what I understand, it is recommended that you
keep your child in a rear-facing car seat as long as
possible but that it's okay to turn her around at 20
lbs. as long as they are in an appropriate seat. A
booster seat is different in that is is used for
children over 40 lbs. I've been very happy with the
Britax Round-about because I used it as an infant
rear-facing seat and then turned it forward when my
son couldn't stand driving backwards anymore (at 20
lbs). If your child has already outgrown the infant
seat you could go to a Britax Freeway which is forward
facing only. I would contact your pediatrician for
more advice.
Petra
I have also heard conflicting advice concerning when to "turn your child
around." I think that while 20 lbs. is magic weight number, most
pediatricians, manufacturers recommend staying rear-facing until a year.
After that, it gets fuzzy as far as keeping your child rear-facing, in my
case, my 14 month old is forward facing now and we have friends who turned
their children around at a year so they could interact more and look out
the window.
As far as actual car seats, you still need a car seat as opposed to a
booster, a booster is more for three years old and up. We have a Britax
Roundabout and while these are pricey, they come highly recommended from
Consumer Reports and from my personal experience, they are the most stable
car seat I have ever used, once you have the seat belt and the tether
buckled and clipped, the seat is VERY secure and does not move at all. This
is combined with an excellent harness system that seems designed to thwart
toddler attempts to unbuckle and escape.
Sonya
I'd like to reply re. the car seat for a one-year-old. You can use a
forward facing CAR SEAT for a one-year-old that weighs at least
20 pounds, but BOOSTER SEATS (as I understand) are
supposed to be used only once a child has grown quite a bit
more, to 40 pounds and/or 4 years old. I've found the staff at
Rockridge Kids (in Oakland) and Darla's Baby Boutique (in El
Cerrito) quite knowledgeable re. the pros and cons of the various
makes and models of car seats (as well as a lot of other topics).
You can get good information from them, but if the prices are too
high, try to find the models they recommend at Target or K-mart.
Mary
the experts say that it is much safer for a child to
stay rear facing until 35 pounds. consumer reports
recommended a car seat (which does not become a
booster) by COSCO (although it is not sold at COSCO,
no matter what they tell you when you call). it is
now produced under the Safety First brand and called
the Forerunner. It has the universal LATCH system (if
you have a newer car, it has little metal U's in the
back seat to clip onto), although you can use it with
seat belts. It also has tethers, again, newer cars
have a place to attach the tether from the top of the
car seat (older cars should be rhetrofitted, as this
really adds to the safety). This seat is only for up
to 40 pounds. It reclines, but you have to unattach
it to recline. The tightening mechanism for the
straps is tough to access when it is rear facing, but
it seems the same with other car seats i looked at
(unforetunately, not as well rated by CS). It has 5
point harness. COSCO said that it was available
exclusively from KMART, but KMART said they didn't
have them. I ordered one directly from COSCO
(1-800-544-1108) and it was @ $75, plus shipping.
Although they answer the phone "customer relations",
they're pretty unhelpful and the phone is often busy.
Inexpensive enough that I'll just buy a booster when
it's time. I too, would prefer to have my baby
forward facing when we're driving, but not when we're
having an accident.
anne
There is an excellent website run by an acquaintance of mine about carseats
here:
http://www.geocities.com/~plomp/carseats.htm
I recommend investigating it. Cosco makes a model called the Touriva
with a five point harness (it also makes it with a shield, which is not as
safe), which at her recommendation, I purchased. It is available at K-Mart
for $46, and is an excellent seat. It also has the advantage for us of being
quite narrow, so three kids can fit in the back of our sedan. It comes with
a tether strap and a fitting clip for shoulder straps. It's *quite* easy
to adjust the straps in the front facing position, too. It's not as
cushy as the Britax, and the straps are a little twisty, but for a savings of
$150, I am very happy with it.
Myriam
I can't recommend a car seat to use, but it is recommended by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), that you keep
your child rear facing as long as you can. If you have a car seat
that goes up to 30 lbs rear facing, then it is recommended that you
keep your child rear facing. If your car seat only goes up to 20 lbs,
then it is time to turn your child around. The forward facing boosters
with harness straps are good car seats for forward facing children.
As far a brand of car seats is concerned, get the one that best fits
your car and your child. Try some out in your car, with the child,
and you'll get your answer about which car seat to buy. Hope that
wasn't too confusing.
Tamara Lee,
Contra Costa County
Injury Prevention Program
925-313-6814
I would like to reply to the question raised about car seats for infants and
toddlers. There seems to be a lot of misinformation out there. However, I
have done a lot of research and examination into the issue for my 2
children, one of whom is 3 years of age and one who is 9 months. A child is
supposed to be in a rear-facing seat until one year of age or 20 pounds,
whichever occurs first. They are not supposed to be in the infant car seat
past 20 lbs. We bought the Britax Roundabout when our daughter turned one
and kept it rear-facing for as long as she could stand it and for as long as
she could fit-eventually their legs become too long for it to be safe. We
then turned it forward-facing. She is still in it but we are going to
graduate to a booster seat once our baby turns one. The law has now changed
on Booster Seats. A child who weighs at least 30 pounds can now use a
booster seat but the child must use the harness until they reach 40 pounds.
Once they reach 40 pounds, they must still use the booster seat but they use
the car's seat belt instead. All convertible seats (ones for toddlers) and
booster seats now come with tether straps for anchoring to the car. The
best place to go for the most up to date information is Rockridge Kids in
Oakland. Also, COSCO is not the same company as COSTCO. Also, I would not
recommend the Alpha Omega 3-in-1 seat by Cosco-it is very difficult to use
and does not seem very safe.
Elizabeth
It is recommended to keep your child rearward facing until they are at
least one year old and
20 pounds. They should meet both of these criteria, usually they grow out
of there infant seat
before they are 1 year old. You can tell if they are to big for there
infant seat when they
are either 20 pounds OR have only 1 inch of hard plastic above their
heads. Then you need to
get a convertable seat (that goes rearward and forward facing) leaving them
rearward atleast
until one and 20 pounds longer if possible. I personally turned my
daughter around at 1
although she would still fit rearward facing. When you turn your child
around you can use the
same seat (convertable one) until they grow out of that one 40 pounds and
until the harness
slot is below their shoulders. Most convertable seats the harness MUST come
from the top slots
when forward facing. I know the Britax Roundabout to be one exception to
this check your
manual. When forward facing the harness must come from at or above their
shoulders. 2 other
tips I have for carseats is the chest clip is supposed to be at arm pit
level and the straps
should be very snug ( so you can only fit one finger between their
shoulders and the harness.)
melinda
No disrespect, but I have never seen any car seat recommendation that a
child remain rear facing until 35 pounds. Have you any idea how large a 35
pound kid is? For one thing the logistics of what to do with the child's
legs comes to mind. Nor have I ever seen a seat that could accommodate their
legs in that position. When it comes to experts, call the police or fire
department. They KNOW what you need to do and a lot of them have programs
they give away free car seats to people who need them.
Marianne
For the mother with the 1 year old and the car seat issue, you were given
a lot of advice. Some of which was wrong. You should call this number for
the correct advice. This goes to all parents who have questions about car
seats. Call nurses and cops caring (NC-5) 925-941-7989. It is an
answering service.
They call you back within a week with all the correct information. They
are certified through the National Highway Traffic Safety Association
(NHTSA). But one thing I want to tell you is that is is against the law to
put a child in a booster seat or a vehicle car seat before 4 years and
before 40 lbs. Starting in January 2002, you have to have your child in a
booster until 6 or 60 lbs. But the first law will still be in effect. The
only exception is if you have lap belt only seat belts in the back seat of
your car. Then, after 40 lbs and 4 years, you can use your vehicle safety
belts only.
Tamara Lee,
Contra Costa County
Injury Prevention Program
925-313-6814
The opinions and statements expressed on this page
are those of parents who belong to the
UC Berkeley Parents Network and
should not be taken as a position of or endorsement by the
University of California, Berkeley.