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Original poster

DS getting too tall for car seat but nowhere near 9kg - what to do?

23 replies

HolidaysQueen · 13/01/2009 10:45

I noticed this weekend that when my 9mo DS is sat in his car seat his head is almost poking over the top, which as I understand it means it might be time to switch him to another car seat. We have a MOthercare one now (compatible with pram) and have the Britax Eclipse for when he moves to his new seat.

He is a tall, skinny thing and at 9.5mo is only 8.2kg. As he only puts on about 250-300g a month at the moment, he probably won't hit 9kg until he is one, but he grew 4cm in the last month so is unlikely to last very much longer in this stage 0 car seat even though it should last until he is 13kg.

Is it more important to go by weight so not move him until he is too heavy for the seat, or is it more important to move him once the height is breeched? What would you do? Keep him in rear facing one until he is 9kg (or even 13kg) even if his head pokes over the top, or move him to forward facing once his head is over the top even if he isn't yet 9kg?

OP posts:

fishie · 13/01/2009 10:48

keep him in this one, weight more important than height. i believe the seats become progressively less safe so you would want to keep him in it as long as possible.

that said ds screamed for the entire duration of all car journeys in a rear facing seat and i was absolutely bloody delighted when he got big enough for another one.

madrush · 13/01/2009 10:49

I think it's the head support thing which is the decision-making point. Our local council has a car seat team that you can drive to and they'll check how you've got them fitted, what you're using and have sample seats to help you choose the best fitting new one for your child and car. Maybe yours have something?

madrush · 13/01/2009 10:50

crossed posts fishie - guess that shows the advice changes all the time and you should seek expert help on this!

Catilla · 13/01/2009 10:50

There is (or used to be) a Britax one ("First Class") which does both forward and rear facing. Perhaps you could upgrade to this but keep it rear facing until he's heavier, and not have to buy again for the forward-facing stage?

NorktasticNinja · 13/01/2009 11:00

When I had doubts about how long I could keep DD in her MaxiCosi Cabrio I called the manufacturer, they said that height is more important than weight. The seat would be safe until the DD's head was up to the level of the top of the seat regardless of her weight. I would imagine that the same would apply to your seat, but to be sure you would need to speak to the manufacturer.

Because a child is too big / heavy for their first seat does not mean that a forward facing group one seat is safe or suitable, certainly at such a young age. You'd be best seeking proper professional advice about which seat to use next.

A rear facing group one seat is something well worth considering IMO. Until the age of 4 children are 5x safer in a frontal collision when traveling in an RF seat. Have a peek at rearfacing.co.uk.

cmotdibbler · 13/01/2009 11:04

They are safe in a car seat until the top of the seat becomes level with the middle of their ears, as their head will still impact the seat safely.

theyoungvisiter · 13/01/2009 11:05

Check with a qualified fitter, but I was told it is eye-level, not head height that is important when I queried this. The fitter at mothercare said that the seat was safe until their eye-level is above the top of the seat - so by the sounds of it your DS still has a way to go if the top of his skull is only just poking over...?

This may depend on the type of seat of course. Otherwise you can get 0-1 stage car seats which are high but rear facing and designed to go from birth to about 4 years of age - perhaps this would suit your DS?

theyoungvisiter · 13/01/2009 11:06

I guess in practice this is the same as cmotdibbler's point about ear-level - they are about the same height on the face!

NorktasticNinja · 13/01/2009 11:08

Middle of ear and eye level are the same height. TBH I wouldn't be surprised if MaxiCosi advise moving when the top of the head is level with the top of the seat for commercial reasons.

Mind you, I had to move DD into her RF group one seat well before that stage anyway, by 11 months she was seriously unhappy to be forced to lay down in the seat an cried for whole journeys...

NorktasticNinja · 13/01/2009 11:09

sausage fingered x!

Original poster

HolidaysQueen · 14/01/2009 10:48

Thank you for this - sounds like we have a little bit longer thank goodness as top of head is only just in line with top of seat, so we have maybe a month or so before he gets clearly too big. I guess it's about supporting their neck in an accident rather than their head per se so some head can poke over and neck still be adequately supported.

Might have to rethink the Eclipse and see if we can take it back (got it now because it was a great price). If he is going to be a tall, skinny boy then maybe rearfacing for longer would be good.

My local council is generally a bit rubbish so v much doubt they have any help in this regard but I will give them a call.

Thanks for all your help

OP posts:

nappyaddict · 14/01/2009 10:51

Get either of these britax elite

brio zento

Should last until about 5 years if not longer.

Niecie · 14/01/2009 10:55

I was told when DS1 was young that the weight was important but also the straps. The straps should always come down over the shoulders rather than up behind the shoulders when the shoulders are higher than where the strap comes out of the seat iyswim. This came from a ex-policewoman who worked in Mothercare and did all the seat fittings.

If the straps are still properly positioned and he isn't too heavy then leave him.

NorktasticNinja · 14/01/2009 11:05

The seats nappy linked to are both great (fab prices for RF seats too). Both need quite a lot of room though, measurements needed from the back of the rear seat to the back of the front seat:

Brio Zento ? 86cms (34?)
Britax 2-Way Elite ? 83cms (33?)

If space is an issue it is well worth looking at the Besafe izi Combi or Kid, they take up the least space of all the RF seats I know of. Only 72cms (28?) we have one in our Ford Ka (the Combi and Kid are practically identical but the Combi can FF as well as RF). They are only available for extortionate prices in the UK though so you'd have to order from abroad...

nappyaddict · 14/01/2009 11:07

NN how old is your lo?

It says here that a car seat should be replaced before the baby reaches the maximum weight specified or the top of the head is within an inch of the top edge of the seat.

nappyaddict · 14/01/2009 11:09

Ideally you should keep them rear facing for as long as possible but at least until 18-24 months.

this story may change your mind if you aren't convinced yet.

NorktasticNinja · 14/01/2009 11:12

She's 14 months, but she's been in her stage one seat RF about 3 months already. She's relatively small but I had to move her from the Cabrio before she reached either the height (her head was still 2 or 3 inches below the top of the seat) or weight limits, she found it so awful in there once she reached 9 months or so.

nappyaddict · 14/01/2009 11:16

this is interesting too

NorktasticNinja · 14/01/2009 11:17

Not sure if the last links were for me or the OP, but I couldn't agree more. 'tis very important to keep them RF as long as possible.

Even my very skeptical DP was instantly convinced when he saw these crash tests.

nappyaddict · 14/01/2009 11:21

Not really for anyone in particular just for anyone reading this thread who may not be convinced about extended rear facing.

NorktasticNinja · 14/01/2009 11:25

It's amazing how few people know about it isn't it? There is loads of info and a forum too here.

nappyaddict · 14/01/2009 11:31

I personally don't like the Brio Zento cos I think it is only rear facing up to 18kg but I linked to it because I know the cost of rear facing seats puts people off and it is a bargain price.

Original poster

HolidaysQueen · 14/01/2009 13:05

thanks. i am aware of the rearfacing issue which is why i'm in a bit of a quandary as on weight he is fine to stay in his seat until he is about 2 (if he stays on his centile). will have to see if we can return the eclipse and go for something else.

OP posts:

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