Car seat for large 5mo

[Icklepickle101]

So DS is large, 95th centile and very very tall (61cms at birth)

We have a joie stages for our car so no worries there but as a spare for grandparents we have been using the infant carrier type of seat. My worry is that his head is now in line with the tip of the seat so it no longer seems safe, but he is 8kg so not big enough for a stage 1 seat.

Am I okay to leave him in his infant carrier u tip he weighs 9kg even though his head sits over the top? Or should I purchase a stage 1 seat for grandparents?

He will still need to rear face at 5 months. It's not safe for his head to be over the back of the headrest so you do need a new seat

You'll need another seat now his head has reached the top regardless of weight. Look for a group 0+ or get another stages so he can rear face. I know it's not cheap but at least it's safe. I've just shelled out for 2 joie every stage for our cars so know the pain!

Why didn't I think of another stages!!

Head over the top is not an issue safety wise. It's when their eyes are level with the top of the seat you need to move them up. At 5 months, his body will still need the protection of a stage 0 seat.

That is true for forward facing seats (headrest at eye level) but in rear facing seats the head should not be over the top.

Joie stages or Britax first class plus.

I have tall children and it's expensive! I had the same issue again when moving between stage 1 and high back booster.
The other thing to check is how high are the tallest harness holes. Sometimes seats can seen tall but the harness holes are too low down so they outgrow it too quickly.

If it were me I would use your stages and swap it between the cars just for the time being till he gets to 9kg (my red book says about 95th percentile at 5months is just about 9kg?) and look at a britax two way elite or axkid minikid as they have slightly taller backs. If you get another stages it's not going to last him to age 4 in the harness at those centiles. Are you sure the infant carrier doesn't adjust up at all? Even at a very high centile that's extremely early to outgrow! Have you pulled him down so his nappy is touching the buckle and taken out any inserts?

He actually might be heavier than I think, it was 5 weeks ago I got him weighed and was 8.6kg then! And he has started solids in the mean time!

I've take out every single bit of padding, pulled him down, adjusted straps as I couldn't believe it myself but I'm 6ft1 and dad is 6ft6 so he was never going to be short!!

That is a good idea about him outgrowing the stages!! The advice is so confusing as its done by age and weight when it clearly isn't a one size fits all thing!!

Will have a look at those seats, thanks

The axkid looks perfect, just hope it lasts a bit longer at that price!!

One of my worries is that he would have to go forward facing earlier than I would like due to his length? I wanted to keep him rear facing ubtil 4 if possible..

Have a look at the 2way elite - it is harnessed rear or forward facing upto 25kg so is much longer in the seat back and will last longest if you have a taller baby.

Does the back extend up? I had a Recaro infant seat and was shocked dd outgrew it (or so I though) at 5mo. Till I realised it had a small adjuster on the back and the whole back rose up another 2 inches.

I have the 2 way elite and it is a great seat - however it does have a minimum weight so you'd need to check that before purchasing.

2way Elite os from 9kgs, if he is still under 9 Kgs then the HiWay II is birth to 25kgs.

two way elite or axkid the one that goes to 25kg rear facing if he is not quite big enough yet more your current seat between cars as it will only be a few weeks. Which baby seat is he in?

I'm going to buy the 2 way elite tonight and get him weighed tomorrow to see if he is big enough, if not will have to swap the seat between cars for a little while.

We have 2 infant carriers, a maxi cosi pebble (I think!) and a cosatto one.

Have you taken out the newborn insert from the infant carrier?

See if you can see an axkid or email the In car safety centre or securatot - the lowest harness height is fairly high on the axkid, so just make sure it's safe for your DS even when he's reached the min weight. My 20mo is 50th percentile and we have just got the axkid minikid, she still has the harness on the lowest setting.
Also remember their rate of growth does start to slow down... eventually!! On the carseats.se website it suggests the Axkid minikid will fit to 120cm height. The 99.6th percentile for height at 4 years for boys is 115cm so hopefully your boy will last in it until that age unless he has a particularly long torso compared to his leg length. From my research when we were looking, the 2 way elite fits to a similar height.

What car do you have? I found the Axkid Minikid, although giving the child the same amount of room as the BeSafe IZi Kid and the 2WayElite, took up more room in terms of cabin space than the others. Lovely seat though. Have you looked at the BeSafe IZi Plus? It rear faces to 25kgs so you'd get longer out of it than most of the others and personally I'd feel happier with an infant in that rather than the 2Way Elite. The latter is a brilliant seat but personally I think it's more suitable for older children.

One of my worries is that he would have to go forward facing earlier than I would like due to his length? I wanted to keep him rear facing ubtil 4 if possible..
The next stage seats are more upright and aren't outgrown as soon as the top of the head reaches the top of the shell like the infant carriers - I think it's when the eyes reach the top? The up to 25kg more usually take a child up to 6-7ish so hopefully your DS will make it to 4! I agree about the besafe potentially being a better option for a baby but with your DS being so very tall the minikid or TWE I have heard have taller backs.

Just to triple check(!) have you taken both the head support bit and the wedge shape cushion out of the pebble? I have v tall kids and they both got to over 9 months in the pebble. Even then I moved them to larger rearfacing seats for more space rather than because they had become unsafe.