Best Convertible Car Seat and How Long to Keep Baby Rear Facing...

J., I've heard rear facing is safest in an accident, even for toddlers with strong necks. That's why some people keep their babies rearfacing until they're not only >1 year but until they don't fit anymore.

It's 1 year AND 20 pounds before they can be forward facing. We moved our first daughter as soon as she met the requirements and will do the same next month for number two. They tend to get bored facing backwards, despite having toys to play with. Plus, it's so much easier to get them in and out of the car.

We have a Britax Decathalon and LOVE it. We've not had any problems with the crotch strap or sidewings, though it is an older model, so maybe the newer ones pose more of an issue.

I'm not aware of any that are removable, but I kinda doubt there are any, mainly because they tend to be much more bulky since they need to accommodate a larger child into the toddler/preschool years.

My daughter was very big for her age too and she grew out of her infant car seat/carrier thing by around 6 or 7 months. I think the guidelines for rear facing say that should keep them rear facing until at least 20 pounds AND a year despite their size. I believe it has to do with the development of their neck muscles being too weak until age one to withstand a forward facing crash.
When we were shopping around for a new car seat, we were very focused on avoiding the same mistake with the first car seat and wanted to buy something that would last longer than six months. So we did some shopping around looking for seats that had the largest height/weight specs because my daughter is >95 percentile in height so I figured she was going to grow out of the average seats pretty fast. We looked at Britax Marathon and the Britax Decathalon which had better height/weight specs. They seemed super bulky to me and we have a medium to small sized car so we ended up buying a Costco Alpha Omega Elite which seemed a little more streamlined. The Alpha Omega converts to a belt-positioning booster at some point in the future. Ironically, I have a feeling that I’ll end up getting a different booster when she’s ready to make that switch. I think at that point, I’ll just buy one of those smaller boosters, but I’m not 100% sure about that yet. We did have to make it rear facing until she turned a year. It can be quite a challenge to get an infant into a rear-facing seat because unlike travel systems, these seats are fixed in place. I turned her forward facing the instant she turned a year because it was so annoying.
I’ve seen some fancy convertible seats that actually swivel on the base which would make getting them in and out of the car much easier. No idea on the safety ratings or cost of those in comparison, but they are out there.

I would read the posts and then do some online searching of reviews of any recommended products from actual parents to see if something really strikes a cord with you as important.

My $0.02 on things you should look for
Ease of loosening/tightening the belts. The Costco has a button on the front that let’s you easily adjust the straps. Between bulky winter coats and how fast they grow, making sure you can adjust it easily is a must.
Ease of adjusting the shoulder straps. The Costco has a bar in the back that can slide up and down to adjust the height of the shoulder straps as they grow. It’s still a little tricky to do unless you unlatch the car seat, but it’s better than having to re-thread the belts entirely. This adjustment happens much less often than the belts noted above, but save yourself the hassle.
Some people want snack trays and cup holders. That isn’t a big deal for us so it didn’t matter.
Definitely make sure that the seat pads, etc can be cleaned easily. Make sure the pads and covers come out without a lot of hassle.
Some people thing that arm rests are a big deal. Again, I’m indifferent.
EPS foam is a big thing right now - it is supposed to absorbs some of the energy from a crash better than normal padding

Good luck!

I don't have any specific recommendations as to the best car seat. It depends on your needs. Obviously you will need one that can be used for an infant rear facing and then forward facing as the baby grows. Also consider one that can then be used with the seat belt as a booster later on. (one less seat to buy in the future) Pay attention to the weight requirements and also what is a comfortable fit for your vehicle. For us we wanted something that reclined a lot because I hated looking back at my daughter asleep to see her head drooped forward on her chest. The best advice I can give is to actually take the baby with when you go looking. Take the car seat down (the model) and sit your child in it. Do they seem comfortable? Can you easily adjust the straps to fit the baby? Is the five point harness easy to do and undo? Definitely make sure you are comfortable getting the child in and out! For sure, the baby should be rear-facing until one year of age and 20lbs. After that until the child is still comfortable sitting rear-facing, it is safest. Turn her around after one year and 20lbs when she doesn't fit anymore. Happy Hunting!

Hi J.,
We just made the change with our 7 month old son. The car seats, in IL, need to remain rear-facing, no matter how large the child is, until they are one year old. We now have the Britax Marathon. It is bulky, but I think it is mostly because it is rear-facing at the moment. It is probably true it blocks the side view for the child but so far our son, who HATED the infant carrier, seems pretty content. I think all of the Britax car seats are excellent and it is really a matter of preference on style. Good luck!

We are in a similar situation. My daughter was 20lbs at her 6 month visit and is now 8 1/2 months...we go to the dr next week and are eager to find out where she is now. We have the Britax Boulevard car seat. I haven't had a problem with the crotch strap but the side wings are annoying. We have two cars, in my car her car seat is behind the passenger seat so she can still see out the window. In my husband's car her car seat is in the middle seat. She HATES it. She can't see anything except the back of the seat in front of her. She's an observer so I think its very frustrating for her not to be able to see what's going on. My husband wants to turn her around but everything I've read says to wait until 1 year. I'm going to check with our dr next week to see what he recommends. I'd rather listen to her cry and leave her rear facing than turn her around before its time.

I don't know if I've been much help...I do like the Britax seat and would definitely recommend it. Besides the side wings, it seems really comfortable and is sturdy. It came highly recommended for its safety. I don't think there are any convertible car seats that attach to a stroller. Once they're out of the infant carrier, you have to carry them, bring your stroller with you or get an umbrella stroller to keep in the car. It seems a bit crazy...we have one baby and three different strollers! Once baby #2 comes along...more strollers. Unbelievable!

We have a 6 month old and we are going to do more research ourselves. We went to babies R us and they have a mock back seat bench that you can try the car seats out and see how baby fits in them and how they work. Now keep in mind all car seats that hey sell are safe and meet the standards. The main differences betewen them are the price and the size and how long they stay in them. Some go from infant until 8 years old and others go until the booster seat size. An associate there can explain where they are and if they are rear facing or not.

1. make sure it fits in your car. They Wil let you bring one out to your car and try it. make sure you can see out the back window. etc.

2. Make sure baby seems comfy.

3. Rear facing until 1 year is what I was told.

Your other questions. I am not an expert on as I said we are doing more reasearch ourselfves.

I researched all the car seats and bought a Britax Boulevard. It has side protection unlike most others on the market. I haven't found any problem with her not being able to see around. It is bulky but then it protects more than most others. My little girl was off the charts with respect to height and so my doc advised I turn the car seat around before she turned 1 because it was too tight on her legs. But generally, the advice is to go as long as you can rear facing. But if their legs are cramped then that would have an impact issue in a crash. The Britax Boulevard goes up to 65lbs. I have a frame for it when I am traveling to the airport that makes it into a stroller. I wouldn't use that every day but it is great for air travel. Most of the time, I have the car seat in the car and don't move it. I have a second one for my nanny. yes the boulevard is more expensive than some others but then it does have precious cargo, so I think it is worth it. Unless I had a very compact car and frequently had others in the back seat, I would go with it. If I was buying again, I would still buy it and I can't say that for several other of my baby purchases.
Good luck.

i'm guessing you've gotten a bazillion responses already, but here's another one :)

you can't put her forward facing till she's 1 year old. that said, we've been really happy with our britax carseats. our daughter started out in a roundabout which is good through 40 lbs (and your daughter's growing WILL slow down significantly after she's walking and such) and small enough to manouver around well). we started her rear-facing in it at 5 months because she didn't stay asleep in her infant seat when the car stopped and it was becoming combersome for me.

we just moved her up to a marathon because she's going to start preschool soon and my husband drives a small car so we're moving the small one to his car. she's been very comfy in both.

i recommend checking out albeebaby.com... they havey GREAT closeout deals on last year's patterns (our marathon retails for $275 and i paid $175 w/o tax or shipping!).

Don't know about the best seat, but like you my kids were big for their age. They did not fit in the rear facing seat at 9-10 months. I figured it was better to have a forward facing seat where the straps actually fit them. However, I wasn't overly worried. As I understand it, the rear facing position prevents whiplash in case you come to a sudden stop or get into an accident. This is obviously most crucial for children who aren't able to hold their heads up yet. I don't know that there is a whole lot of difference between head control at 10 months and 12 months. 7 months might be a different story.

J.,
I strongly urge you (and everyone else) to read this before you switch her to a forward facing seat.
www.kyledavidmiller.org/pages/4209/Car_Seat_Safety:_Rear-...

If that doesn't work just look up kyledavidmiller.org until you find the rear facing article.

First off, it is not legal to forward face until at least 1 year and at least 20 lbs. It's also better to leave them rear facing as long as possible for safety. I used a britax marathon for a few months and then switched to a radian 80 which I like better. I turned my son forward facing around 15 months, but thought about waiting longer. He actually isn't in the car very often and I was concerned about his height causing issues with his legroom.

The only toddler/convertible car seat that I know of that attaches to a stroller is the Orbit ($900+ system). Generally speaking, you want to mimimize the time your child spends in their infant seat and only use the travel systems/snap 'n go's when you have to. It's far better for a baby to lie flat in a bassinet or fully reclined stroller. The position that an infant seat has them in is safest for a car accident, but not the best for their airway and breathing or for preventing plagiocephaly. Once they are old enough to have good head control and sit up easily in a stroller or if they will be out of the car for a lengthy period it's better to get them out of the car seat anyway.