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Original poster

car seats... weight or age?

29 replies

starlover · 04/04/2005 15:26

ok, I am confused about car seats. I am confused about most things actually... but mostly car seats at the moment.

When thinking of moving DS from his stupid little infact carrier into a proper car seat, should I go by weight, or by age?
Or whichever comes first?

OP posts:
tiffini · 04/04/2005 15:27

Weight.

Newbarnsleygirl · 04/04/2005 15:27

By weight SL.

beansprout · 04/04/2005 15:27

When do they go up to the next one?

elliedragon · 04/04/2005 15:29

Is he able to sit up on his own?

otto · 04/04/2005 15:29

It's 9 months or 9 kilos, whichever they reach first.

PiccadillyCircus · 04/04/2005 15:30

Weight. And also they need to be able to sit up unsupported for twenty minutes (or so we were told at a mums and babies meeting).

Can't remember how old DS was - maybe somewhere around a year (he's only 16 months - you'd think I could remember back that far )

Original poster
starlover · 04/04/2005 15:30

oh good, that means it'll be sooner rather than later!

He is only 8 weeks, so not thinking of getting a new one just yet... but was just wondering because it is SOOOOO heavy to lug around! I'd leave it in the car and carry him only we live in a block of flats and I have lifts and several locked doors to negotiate!

(not sure how changing the car seat is going to help that though.... told you i'm confused all the time!)

OP posts:
GeorginaA · 04/04/2005 15:31

Hmm... I always thought it had to be both, due to the strength in their neck. In fact, don't the US say 1 year before facing forward? (She says, having just put her 10 month old ds in a forward facing seat).

PiccadillyCircus · 04/04/2005 15:32

It is to do with the strength in their neck. I think in some other countries (maybe Germany) they stay in rear facing car seats until they are about 2, as they are much safer that way.

giraffeski · 04/04/2005 15:33

Message withdrawn

Original poster
starlover · 04/04/2005 15:34

hmm interesting georgina... didn't think about the neck thing.

I am actually wanting to buy a bebe confort iseos, which you can use from birth anyway, so I could have it rearward too..... it wouldn't fit in our ford focus, but I wnt a new car too!

OP posts:
elliedragon · 04/04/2005 15:34

Starlover if he is only 8 weeks I think you have a while to go yet before you can change it. Like you say could you leave the seat in the car and maybe put him in a sling to get up all the stairs?

GeorginaA · 04/04/2005 15:34

Okay, read into it more - it's weight - the age is only a guidline of approximately when they might fit.

giraffeski · 04/04/2005 15:34

Message withdrawn

GeorginaA · 04/04/2005 15:36

Yep, if you can possibly get a bigger seat which fits (yes, it's a minor miracle, I know) rearward in your car, that's by far the best as it's much much safer if you are in an accident.

I have a Micra - rearward facing seats are nigh impossible to get for them.

Original poster
starlover · 04/04/2005 15:36

yeah, am thinking about just buying a little stroller to chuck him in on the way up to the flat... then can put all my bags on it too!

OP posts:
Original poster
starlover · 04/04/2005 15:44

yeah, the seatbelt just wouldn't go round it so we ended up with a little infant carrier after all...

I want a renault scenic though, so hopefully the seatbelts will be a bit longer in it!

OP posts:
HappyDaddy · 04/04/2005 16:58

We moved dd to a front facing at 9 months. She was already over 9kg but was far too tall for the rear facing seat.

LIZS · 04/04/2005 17:01

Can you put him in a sling to bring him upstairs ?

Wallace · 04/04/2005 17:04

I'm sure they are supposed to be 9kg and 9 months old.

I doesn't matter if their legs look too long.

starlover - what a brilliant reason to get a new car

Gobbledigook · 04/04/2005 17:11

I put ds1 in his before he got to the 9kg but only just under - he was just too long for the rear facing so his legs were getting squashed iykwim.

DS3 is only 7 months and he already looks too big for the Rock-a-tot he's in - and he weighs a ton in it! No idea what he actually weighs though - haven't had him weighed since he was about 2 weeks old

LIZS · 04/04/2005 17:16

Agree with Wallace - neck muscles need to be really strong to take the force of forward facing so 9 months is just a guide as to when they may be sufficiently mature.

Original poster
starlover · 04/04/2005 17:16

Wallace... i know!!! In fact, it is mainly so that I can fit his rather large pram in the boot, along with a week's worth of shopping!
The car seat is an added bonus. Of course, once I have a big car seat I will need my new stroller to take him between car and flat so that I don't have to get the pram out every time!

OP posts:
lockets · 04/04/2005 17:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

QueenEagle · 04/04/2005 17:19

Definitely weight. ds1 was a fraction off 10lb at birth and by the time he was 5 months old he weighed around 24lb if I remember correctly. He had easily outgrown his rear facing car seat by this age but Mothercare told us there was no way he could go into a forward one until his neck was strong enough and he was sitting up for a good 10 minutes unsupported. We had to struggle on, squashing him into his baby car until he was just over six months then we had no choice, he had to change as he wouldn't physically fit anymore.

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