Baby too big for car seat but not the right weight.

[ColouredPolkaDots]

So, I have a very small in weight (7kg) but very tall one year old. He had a silver cross 0+ car seat and with the straps the highest they go at the back, the top of the straps begin halfway down his back which obviously isn't ideal. My problem is that he is too small in weight for a size 1 car seat.

So how on earth do I get him a car seat that's safe? Google is unhelpful. I'm looking at a Graco 0+/1/2/3 car seat but am unsure if this will be suitable for DS.

If anyone has any advice I'd be very grateful!

I had a Joie Stages that was 0-7 years, rear facing until 18kg. A seat similar to that (rear facing to 4) will work

I advise you to go to your nearest specialist car seat retailer and get some face to face advice, look at the seats and try them out.
www.carseatadvice-uk.com/specialist-retailers.html

I think you will need a group 0-1 seat that is suitable from birth to 18kg, it will need to be rear facing and it will need a tall shell.

Look at an extended rear facing group 0+ seat or something like the Britax TWE which I believe is suitable from 6 months and is rear facing until 25kg.

My dd was small (16lbs) at 1 year old and we used a BeSafe izi kid which is extended rear facing and suitable technically from birth I think
but they recommend really from 6+ months.

Worked well for us and she stayed in that until just after she was 4 yrs.

Can you go to a John lewis or similar with your DC and ask their advice and also try some put. We found them to be very helpful. Trying the seats in store or in the fitting area is very helpful.
Halfords also do them but I found John Lewis better for smaller children.

Many 18kg seats will be outgrown by height well before a tall child turns 4. So OP will need to look for a 18kg seat with a tall shell or just get a 25kg seat (eg Axkid Minikid, britax Max way, etc)

Avoid Halfords they give terrible car seat "advice".

Get an extended rear facing seat. The Britax 2way Elite is great. It'll be suitable from now, up to around 6 years old and rear faces throughout. It can forward face for the latter few years if you need to turn them for some reason.

As you obviously have a tall child, don't look for anything with a short shell- the cybex sirona is teeny tiny.

Thank you everyone!!

I will take him to John Lewis at the weekend and hope they can help! I've looked at the 360 but am not sure on it and my friend has a Britax that I tried yesterday but the straps don't go tight enough to be secure without the newborn insert but DS is too big with the insert! DS is just awkward!

I think I may gave to try and find a multi-group seat from birth and the few I've got my eyes on (the Graco one, the joie every stage) all go tear facing up to 4 years old.

John Lewis won't have a huge range of ERF 18/25kg seats. Worth a look but a specialist retailer would be better.

The seats that are advertised as rear-facing until the age of 4 are 18kg seats, this claim is based on the average height/weight of an average 4yo, and your child will outgrow them way before he turns 4, because he is much taller than average.

@NameChange30 I'll avoid Halfords, thank you!

👍

@NameChange30 He really is tall! I have issues finding him clothes that fit his height but don't fall off him!

Is his head near the top of the seat? The straps are meant to start down behind the shoulders in a rear facing seat so that alone isn't a concern. But once his head extends over the top of the shell he is too tall for it.

Have a look at the Cybex Sirona. Took my DD from a dainty 8 months (9th centile for weight) to 4 years old.

H&M is good for tall skinny kids clothes.
Zara is quite good too.

Nooooo not the Cybex Sirona! We have that seat and it has a really short shell! DS is only average height and will outgrow it before he turns 4.

His head is about 2 inches below the top of the seat but close. It's that the strap holes are level with the bottom of his rib cage on his back if that makes sense? I've got the strap setting at the highest it will go.

H&M is my saviour and when we're home DS lives in their footless sleepsuits as these fit him well as they can ride up!

What infant seat do you have? Have you removed all the newborn inserts (sometimes they are hidden inside) and cushions? Have you pulled his bum right down to the crotch strap?

Have you taken the removable wedge out under his bum?

His head is about 2 inches below the top of the seat this suggests the car seat is fine currently.

Look at the rospa website for more information but I'm would not change his car seat particularly as he i s below 9kg

Have you done this?

It just sounds strange to me that his head is so far from the top yet the straps are halfway down his back. And outgrowing a baby seat is around 80-86cm but 7kg would make him a bean pole! Not impossible but thought best to check :)

If you defo can't move the straps up any more then it is outgrown, it's not safe to have them so low behind his back as they will start to slide off his shoulders sideways at the slightest pressure meaning he could be ejected from the seat.

You could look at a 25kg seat if he is tall, but at 7 months he's likely to look lost in one, so I'd probably recommend you a 0+/1 seat for now. Personally I wouldn't look at the ones which incorporate a booster seat later as well. They tend to have compromises in safety. The only one I would consider is the Joie stages but I would recommend you forget about the booster mode as it's very short lived; you'll certainly need to buy another high backed booster after that anyway.

The newer versions of the britax dualfix and Cybex sirona have taller shells than the originals so they don't have the early outgrowing problem any more but be careful of old stock of the original models which may be sold off cheap. There are still a few around.

Thank you! I'm going to check the car seat for removable wedges. He really is a beanpole and he's just turned one but weighs 7kg. He's in the 0.4 cent old for weight too.