Forum home Babies Baby

Question re: next stage car seat for those with small babies

I have a quick question for you....

Grace is 9 months, weighs 19lbs 7 and has outgrown her group 0 car seat. Her head isn't quite over the top but she is very squashed sideways so I'm waiting till she's 20lb (about another month) and then going to order the Maxi Cosi Pearl or Priori for both of them.

Lily, however, only weights 15lb 6 and hasn't outgrown her group 0 car seat. The problem is, I extrapolated her weight using her red book chart and she'll be well over a year old before she weighs 20lb. Does she really have to stay in her infant carrier until then or can I move her sooner? I'll be buying 2 seats at the same time but don't want to move her earlier than is safe for her size?

I'm not bothered about them being in different seats but just wondered what you ladies would do?

Thanks

xx

Replies

  • at our localbaby group we had atalk from a car seat safety expert. she said keep them in their backward facing seats as long as possible, so i would keepyour little(er) one in her size 0 seat til shes ready...

    Em x
  • Hiya,

    We've just moved our lo into his next car seat at a year old - he was looking a bit squashed in the old one but I just didn't feel I could move him until he was the right weight. He's happy as larry now though! x
  • I had a similar problem as Daisy is quite small in weight. However, she is also very tall and really had outgrown the rear facing car seat a long time ago - she had to sit with her legs halfway up the back of the seat!!

    I finally moved her when she was 9 months - weighed her on the scales at Mothercare with LOADS of clothes on (!) and she was 19lbs (actually more like 17), but the girl in Mothercare said that as she doesn't go in the car without her clothes on, she'll be OK!

    I also took their advice as to the best seat for a smaller baby and they suggested the Maxi Cosi Tobi - I'm really pleased with it...

    The other thing they say in Mothercare is that if they are crawling and strong enough to sit unaided for 10 mins plus, they are strong enough for the FF car seat..

    I do feel that 15lb is possibly a little too small to move LIly, and would possibly leave her rear facing for a while longer..

    Not sure where you are getting your seats from but I got a Mothercare 10% off email this morning, if you are interested. I did this at Christmas - got the Tobi on special offer and another 15% off so it was ??130 instead of ??180! image

    xxx
  • Finn will be 12 months before he's 20lb too and I'll be wedging him into the old seat for as long as possible! My hubby used to fit car seats at Halfords and has done all the safety courses where they show them demos of babies in forward facing car seats before they are ready and it is awful.
  • Hi

    I agree with the others i would leave Lily in the rearwards facing seat until her head is near the top.

    XX
  • Definitely leave her until she reaches the advised limit - it's there for a reason.

    Max was in his 0 rear facing seat till he was 15 months!
  • I would keep your Lily in her rear-facing seat.

    I'm keeping my Lily in hers until the new baby gets here (when she will be about 16 months old). She currently weighs about 20lbs.
  • Keep her in the baby seat until she out grows it. Theres really no point in putting her in the next stage up just because she is a yr old. Maximum has the right answer. My lo is went into the stage 1 car seat at around 16months and weighed about 21lb. We wanted to try out her stage 1 car seat before we brought it. We have the britax multi tech because we wanted a rear facing stage 1 car seat.

    It might be one to consider. Whats good about it, is it is both rear and forward facing. So even though you lo will be the right weight, you may feel she is safer in a rear facing which is comfortable and has room for her to grow.
  • I've been wondering this too as Wills is very tall and only a week away from 9 months but a couple of pounds off the recommended weight.

    He looks quite big (tall) in his group 0 car seat but I'm sure would look tiny in his group 1.

    I think I'll go with my gut instinct and keep him in his group 0 for as long as possible.

    For those who have kept their lo's in their infant carriers do you still bring it in and out of the house or leave it in the car? I really struggle carrying mine about but do love the ease of still being able to put him on top of a trolley at the supermarket if he's asleep!

  • I'm with the majority on keeping them in rear facing group 0 as long as poss.

    We enquired at Mothercare (just for future reference) and we were advised that it is so much safer to keep them rear facing as long as you can. So long as their head is no higher than the back of the car seat, it doesn't matter how far up the seat their legs go. Babies will adapt a comfy position. If moved to a FF seat too soon and were involved in an accident their neck would be too immature and weak to to hold their head.
    That's what Mothercare advised us so I'm waiting until my 6month old outgrows his seat although he's approx 20lb already! (yes he's big but it's all in his length!)

    Shell xx
  • Goonie, I rarely lift Lily into the house still in her cat seat (she's around 20lbs) - it's just too heavy, esp now I'm pregnant. I know exactly what you mean about the convenience of keeping them asleep though!
  • Thanks for your advice ladies. I'll keep her in it for a while longer then.

    Goonie - I never carry the girls in their seats any more. There was a time when I could carry both of them at the same time in their car seats but one at a time is far too heavy now so the seats stay in the car, even if they're asleep! xx
Sign In or Register to comment.

Featured Discussions