Car seats - what would you do?

[sweetkitty]

Looking for some advice ladies, DD is 11 months she is still in her Grace baby rearward facing car seat. The thing is Group 1 seats are for 9 months or 9kg, DD is a little thing probably about 8kg at the most but she is long and her feet are on the back on the seat (if you know what I mean).

I am thinking of just buying her a Group 1 forward facing seat anyway as she's also very curious and always wanting to turn round and look at us in the front. But at the same time they say the limit is 9kg??

Any thoughts??

Jess has been in hers since before the stated age simply because she was too long and wasnt comfortable.

Jess has been in 9mnths plus car seat from 6 months - oops bad mummy alert!

I put ds1 in the next stage car seat before he reached the weight - he was only a bit off though. He was just way too long and uncomfortable in the rock-a-tot one and he was much more comfy and actually seemed a lot more secure in the big one too.

In fact, ds3 is nearly 10 months and he's looking very awkward in his baby seat now too. He really needs to be in the bigger one too - time to get ds1 his booster seat and turf him out of his Britax Eclipse

Again, not sure ds3 is quite the recommended weight yet but I think I'm going to move him anyway.

I was keen to get ds2 out of his rearward facing car seat,one of the reasons being that he was so long, his feet were resting on the back of the seat. Very nice lady at local babycare centre refused to sell me the next one up as she said that I really should go by weight, not length. As she put it, if there was a bad car accident (sorry ), ds might get sqwished and break a leg, which would mend. But his neck/back protection would be loads better. In a forward facing seat he would be more likely to suffer whiplash and at that age whiplash can be really bad...(she meant really really bad...)

hi I put ds in at 8mths and weighing about 8kgs...spoke to hv about it as like ur dd he ws too tall for baby seat. She said that as long as they have good head control etc there wouldnt be a problem.

Agree with Jamisam. The consequences in an accident of being forward facing too soon are horrible.

Most rear facing seats go up to 13k now. I plan to keep ds in his until he is about 2, though he is very small for his age.

dd did go forward facing from about 13 months but we occasionally used her rear facing one until about age 2 and she isn't small.

jamiesam - ds3 is almost 10 months and is crusing along the furniture so I'm just thinking, perhaps his head control is good enough to go in one of the forward seats? Must weigh him actually - I don't think he's far off - is it 9Kg/35lb??

I had major hassle when DS grew out of his first car seat but didn't sit independently and couldn't go front facing. I was told that if their head has reached the top of the first stage seat then they have grown out of it, it doesn't matter so much about their legs being long, for the reason that jamiesam gave. I personally wouldn't move her front facing for as long as possible as the protection is much better rear facing.

thanks I think I'll wait until her first birthday (3 weeks off) she is cruising the furniture now as well, maybe I'll get her weighed as well see how far she is off the 9kg now.

Gobbledigook - sorry, can't find our leaflets/instructions file! 9kg does sound dead familiar, but we keep all such instructions as dh and I both have dreadful memories. Must confess, I was trying to put ds in forward facing seat at a little over 6 months as he was long, and weighed about a gram under 9kg (slight exaggeration)

It's 9kg/20lbs I think

9kg is 20lb not 35..lol or u will be waiting a while

can your DD sit confidently on her own, if so then they say they are fine to go into the forward facing seat.

We put our DS in at 8 months/8kg cos he was too long and VVVV bored facing the back seat and he sits really well and is much happier.

I have a Britax seat that is from birth to 4 years.

It goes rear facing up to 9kg and then you put them in front facing.

This type would solve your problem I think.

There are several makes available.

I ended up doing the same as vicdubya when DS out grew his Prima Viaggio, I got a Britax First class.

My BIL works for Halfords and he has told us the important thing is that the baby can support it's head properly and not the weight - (same as Nemo's HV)

you could also check out different forward and rear facing car seats - mine has been fine rear facing til ds was 16 months, I think because the angle is raised a bit at the back so his legs didn't seem to get squashed. When I tried ds1's graco seat on him though it was hopeless and his legs were really squashed. That seat was much more upright looking

Mine is also a Britax First Class.

I am very happy with it.

Has anyone used the Brixtax Cruiser Plus Car seat. My daughter is two and a half and is currently in a Britax Eclipse which was originally my five year olds car seat. He is currently in a Grace Junior car seat which is great, but my daughter keeps getting her arms out of her car seat and hates the fact that she is not as upright as her brother! We are due to go away (a lot of driving) and I'm dreading all the stopping to put her arms back in. Britax recommends not to put a child under the weight of 10.5kg despite the age range of 9kg plus. My daughter weighs 11.5kg. We are not being soft with her and keeping telling her not to get out but I'm concerned that she is not safe in the Eclipse now she gets her arms out. She has been in my sons carseat (on a very short ride to Tesco in desperation!) and doesn't get out!