MOving from a "baby" car seat to the next stage?

[chloemegjess]

Hi. My DD is 11 months old, so OLD enough to go in the next stage car seat, but she is small for her age so I have held out for now.

I haven't hqad her weight for ages, so don't know how much she actually weighs, but she was nearly 17lbs last time and I can see she has put on quite a bit as she has realled filled out. Since getting cold, I have been having trouble getting her into the seat. She sits in it fine, and doesn't look too big. BUT I really struggle to get the straps on properly. They are as long as they go and I have to really put effort in to get them on. But I know if she didn't have the coat on then she would be fine.

DO I need to take her to get weighed? To make sure? Or is it ok to move her now? We have the car seat already (britax).

what do you think?

[soremummy]

I would get her weighed before moving her into bigger seat. My dd will most likely be a nursery before she is correct weight for hers lol. She is 18mths and weighed 15lb 10 last week

[chloemegjess]

LOL. Ok, I will try and take her tomorrow morning. Thank you.

[chloemegjess]

I am pretty sure most are 9 months and 20lb???

[chloemegjess]

And I can't afford to buy a different one just for a few weeks. I already have the fwd facing one so buying one would be specially for the couple of weeks which is out of the question

[chloemegjess]

I will test it when we go out to do the school run (she is asleep at the mo). Her coat isn't huge or anything, but will give it a go. I just worry about her being cold in this weather. I am going out in my jumper, big coat, scarf and gloves and I still feel really cold. The main time we go in the car is short journeys like for the school run where the car doesn't get enough time to heat up and she is the out of the car and in the buggy and then back in car etc.

Can somebody confirm the whole 9 months - 12 months thing? I was sure it was 9 months but somebody on here said 12 months? If it is 12 months then I don't need to bother getting her weighed as she is too young anyway.

[rodgershawk]

Check out childcarseats.org.uk it is a very helpful website with the law laid out simply.
For forward facing seats:
Forward-facing child seat
Group 1: for children weighing 9-18 kgs (20-40 lbs) roughly from 9 months - 4 years.

Once children have outgrown a rearwards facing seat, the best option is to use a Group 1 seat with an integral harness, the large area of the harness helps to reduce the risk of injury if there is a crash. The bottom attachment between the legs will also prevent the child from sliding under, and out of, the harness.

They can be used in the front or rear of the car, but it is safer to put them in the rear, especially if there is a passenger airbag in the front.

Once again, it is safest to keep children in this type of system until they have outgrown it. Only move your child to a booster seat once they have exceeded the maximum weight for the child seat, or the top of their head is higher than the top of the seat.

Hope this helps - there is not minimum age, just weight or head popping over the top of rear facing seat..

[chloemegjess]

I will, but the straps are too tight and I don't think that is safer IF she is heavy enough to go in the next stage? She also wriggles a hell of lot and can manage to get the straps off her sholders, not completly but not the way they are meant to go.

[Horton]

If I'd left my daughter in her baby seat until she was 20lb, she'd still be there and she's over two years old. I didn't know about the 20lb thing. Is she unsafe in a FF seat? She certainly wouldn't fit in the rear-facing one we had any more.

[TipsyFairydifferentID]

as long as her head still fits within the rear facing car seat and she's under 29lb weight she should stay in it.Even if this means she'll be 15-18 months before she turns around.
Chloe have you taken out everything that is unnecessary? I've been told by people in similar situtaions to yours that their little one doesn't fit but they still have things like the head support cushion in there.
As a result, their baby wasn't sitting with their bottom right into the angle? When we had a go in the shop using a display model, there was usually a fair bit of room in the straps.
Which car seat is is?

[chloemegjess]

It is a mothercare one, the one that can go on the base/travel system. Not sure exactly what it is called.

We don't have any head support or anything, haven't done for a long time as I never found it useful anyway.

The only thing that is not "neccessary" is her coat, which we have been removing a lot of the time because she won't fit in the seat with it on.

[TipsyFairydifferentID]

atlan t/s?

[chloemegjess]

This looks like it www.mothercare.com/Auto-Baby-Infant-Carrier-slate/dp/B000T71BOI/sr=1-3/qid=1228228409/ref=sr_1_3/276 -6274226-5462045?_encoding=UTF8&m=A2LBKNDJ2KZUGQ&n=44450031&mcb=core

[chloemegjess]

I don't know what the travel system is called, we dont have one just know that there is one iyswim

[TipsyFairydifferentID]

there should be plenty of room. hmm.
do you pop her shoulders in first or do you put her bottom in first?
If it shoulders, she may wriggle down slightly and sit on the crotch strap which makes it harder to up the shoulder straps iyswim.

[chloemegjess]

Well we leave it strapped in (the base doesn't work well in my car so use it without) so I have to lift her over the straps. She then ends up standing in it and I have to pull her legs down from underneath her. She doesn't like being strapped in as she is very active so I have to struggle with her till I can get her strapped in safely. I have to be quite forceful with her tbh. I know it sounds mean, but it is the only way to get her in and I need her to be safe.

This is the other reason why I am looking forward to getting rid of this seat as I know she will be easier to get in the new one and she can see more etc. But obviously safety comes first.

[TipsyFairydifferentID]

tbh, I think she'd resist just as much forward facing. I often read it on here and have customer experience of babies from about 9 months-18 months resisting car seat and pushchair.
COuld you unstrap the seat, fit her in(in the car) and then re-strap the seat, as you would do with a new baby?
Get her weighed first though.
Out of interest which Britax seat do you have ready?

[chloemegjess]

The thing is, I am pregnant, my car is very high (I have a galaxy) and the seat is very heavy with her in it. So not too keen on doing that. Also, she make it so hard for me to then get the seatbelt on and when I do the school run, her seat is on the road side.

Got to do school run now but will check later what the next seat is called. We have 2, both britax but different models. Will come back on when I find out

[TipsyFairydifferentID]

see you later.