Clueless About Car Seats

That's certainly what I would do. FYI-If she's into Disney Princess's Disney had their Graco booster seat on sale on the website.

My 5 yo dd is in a Britax Regent car seat. It holds children up to 100 lbs and has a 5 point harness. That is the absolute best way for her to travel. You CAN get a booster seat for her at this point, but I prefer to have my dd in a 5 point harness as long as possible.

Just my 2 cents.

I would put the 5 year old in a Graco Nautilus, harnessed as long as possible. Since it converts to high back booster and backless booster later, you won't need another seat for her, and it will keep her as safe as possible for as long as possible.

I would not forward face your 1 year old. The 1 year/20 lbs. is a minimum, not the maximum. The older he is and the more he weighs, the stronger his neck will get. If he isn't in a rear facing convertible, you could switch him to one of those, which will probably give him more leg room. Most rear facing seats go up to at least 30 lb. and some go up to 35 lb.

Here is a link to the AAP's Car Safety Seat Guide - http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm.

Yes,I would move her to a booster because she is ready and she might exceed the height on her carseat.My 5 year old has the Graco booster and we like it because it adjusts as they grow.
As far as your son goes.Move him into a convertable carseat but keep it rear facing.One year old and 20 lbs is the minimum "requirements." As far as safety standards go you should rear face them as long as possible.Your seat will say how much weight and height it goes up to rear facing.It differs for seat and child of when it's time to turn them around.Our son was rear facing until he was 2 and a half.Also something you need to be aware of is that carseats expire.You need to check the date on your daughters seat and make sure that it is still good before continuing to use it.They expire 6 years from the manufacture's date.It is usually found on the side label or the on the back of the seat actually in the plastic.If you have ANY more questions don't hesitate to message me and if I can't answer my Husband is actually a carseat tech. and would be happy to help.Also if you are interested he installs carseats if you would like to have your seats checked to be sure they are installed correctly I can give you that info(8 out of 10 seats are not!)
God Bless! C.

Sounds like your five year old is ready for a Booster, make sure it is a high back booster that will offer more protection. Your youngest is not ready to face forward it is not 1 year and 20 pounds anymore. It went to at least 18 months and the weight your seat will go rear facing. The legs play no part in the decision. Take your seats to a fitting station so a tech can show you how to install them correctly, yes, even the booster! I am a Child Passenger Safety Instructor if you have any more questions feel free to ask. To find a tech in your area goto safekids.org and you can look it up. Thanks for keeping your children safe!!

Hi P.!

There is a fabulous site which deals with the car seat/booster seat topic. I'm posting links which directly answer your questions so you don't have to search for them...but there is LOTS of other great information to be found on this site.

For your big girl moving to a booster: http://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/forward-facing_se...

And for your baby moving to a forward facing seat:
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/rear-facing_seats...

Regarding the use of your daughter's forward facing seat for your son (a "second hand" seat):
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/newtips/im...

EDIT: Remember, your concern here isn't your baby's legs...it's his head and neck. Please read that link about switching to a forward facing seat to see why.

Hope that helps!!!

C.

I all depends on what you want to do. Your daughter can move to a booster if you like. If you would prefer your daughter to stay in a 5 point seat longer (it is safer) then you can get the Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 carseat. We have one & we love it! The 5 point harness holds up to 65 lbs. & 100 lbs. as a booster seat. It is about $150 at Walmart or Target, which is cheap for a carseat that the harness goes up to 65 lbs.
Your son would be safer facing the back. If he is uncomfortable (not just looks uncomfortable) then move him to forward facing. However, if your daughter's carseat is 5 years old (if you got it from someone or it was used when you bought it) then buy a new carseat for him. Again I recommend the Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 carseat because the harness holds up to 65 lbs. I bought this one for my youngest because he has a long torso & was only 2 years old when he was already at the top slot on a normal carseat (way too young to move to a booster).
I read that one lady was worried about keeping your son rear facing as his 'legs would be crushed in an accident'. Personally I would rather have my boys break both of their legs then for them to get whiplash or break their necks!

I hope this helps!

God bless!

You can move your daughter to a booster, but your son should remain rearfacing for as long as possible. The law is at LEAST 1 year AND 20 pounds. It's what's safest. Even if his legs are bent or folded or propped up on the seat, studies have shown that the longer they stay rearfacing, the safer they are. Our daughter stayed rear facing until she was 22 months old. If he's outgrown his infant seat (check the weight restrictions for rearfacing) then move up to a convertible seat. You can still put convertibles facing the rear and then move it forward later on. We have the Evenflo Triumph DXL and we love it. It's not quite as expensive as a Britax, and it got great safety reviews.

Here are some links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8
http://www.carsafety4kids.com/rearfacing.html
http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html

You look at where your daughter's head is located and the recommended weight for the seat she is in. If the top of her head is within one inch of the top edge of the carseat, then it is time for a change. Your concern is her neck. You must also look at your vehicle. My son is in a booster seat in my van because it has neck rests but my mother's car doesn't in the back seat. So he is too tall in his booster seat in her car so we have him an extra large carseat in that vehicle. Each child and vehicle are different. I would move your son forward if he is at least one and has good neck support.

Good luck,
D.

My kids have always transitioned to another car seat because the younger one was ready for the next seat. It all worked out. It's just Musical chairs. Especially if they are both looking ready for the next step with was usually my case too. It's time. Maybe take it to the fire department and make sure they are still good seats and installed correctly once you to make the changes.

I just recently moved my son into his new car seat and took it to the local fire department - he is only 7 months old, but they told me to come back in a few months to turn him forward facing because he is so tall - they said it is dangerous when their knees start to bend from touching the seat when rear facing - so I would say turn your son around for sure. You can take the car seat/booster seat to any fire department in your area and they install it for free...and even put the baby/toddler in the seat to make sure it is secure - i have done this twice now, once with the baby car seat and now with his big boy seat. HOpe this helps!

yes 20 lbs is time to move your baby to the forward facing car seat. You can buy high back booster seats that go up to 80 lbs and there are also the booster seats that just have a bottom part to sit on and some have armrests. These are more convenient if you move carseats a lot and some go up to 100 lbs. Here is the Missouri Laws for children. I got it off the dmv.gov site.

A child less than four years old or weighing under 40 pounds must be secured in a child passenger restraint system appropriate for the child.

A child over four years of age, but less than eight years of age, who also weighs between 40 and 80 pounds and is under 4'9" tall, must be secured in a child passenger restraint system or booster seat appropriate for that child.

Children at least 80 pounds, or children more than 4'9" tall, are required to be secured by an appropriate vehicle safety belt or booster seat.

Here are the Kansas Laws

Children must ride in a rear-facing child safety seat until they are at least one year old and 20 pounds.
Children between the ages of one and three must ride in forward-facing child safety seat.
Children between the ages of four and seven must ride in a booster seat unless they weigh more than 80 pounds, are taller than 4 feet 9 inches, or are traveling in a vehicle where only a lap belt is available.
Children between the ages of eight and 13 must be wearing a seatbelt whenever the vehicle is in motion.

Hope that helps. I got 2 of the smaller booster seats at Target in a box of 2 for less than 40.00. They had armrests and a cup holder and my son liked them better than his high back one that cost around 40.00. The smaller ones were easier for him to buckle up himself as you will have to use the seatbelt everytime so I liked the smaller ones that he could do himself and they are more convenient to put in grandma's car when he wanted to ride with her.

It ia recomended that you put your child in a booster seat between the ages of three and four. So, yeah its time for a booster seat. The best ones still have a back to them that is removale so that once they dont need the back any longer you don't have to buy yet another seat. Haven't we all already spent enough money on these seats by now?

Sounds to me like you are correct. Your 5 five-year old is ready for a booster seat and your one-year old is ready to face forward. I was just shopping yesterday for car seats for my 19-month old. If you're in the Northland, the Baby Depot at Burlington Coat Factory (Antioch Shopping Center) is having a sale on car/booster seats and has a large selection. Their prices were lower than Target and Wal Mart and they have a larger selection.

I'm not sure about your daughter and her seat situation b/c my oldest is only going to be 3 in March, but when he was younger than 1 his legs also became smashed against the seat and he was 20 pounds way back at 6 months old, so with my pediatricians blessing (ha!) I turned him early. I felt it was safer for the giant kid to be turned around than to get his legs crushed in an accident.

Your 5 year old is surely ready for a booster. There are highbacks or just the seat types. They are labeled with height and weight requirements. Your one year old is also ready to be facing forward in a five point harness carseat.

Yes, yes and yes! the baby is def. rady for a forward facing carseat. If you were to have an accident, his legs could be broken. Your daughter can most certianly be moved to a booster. I would recommend one with a high back verses just the seat itself. Most of them come apart and will convert later if needed. Always check the weight and installment recommendations on the box and happy shopping! E.

Your daughter is fine for a booster and it's the perfect time for your son to turn around. Infant car seats are for the first year and the firs 20 lbs., so there you go.

Your daughter is old enough and weighs enough for a booster seat and at 1 year old and 20 lbs your son can face forward instead of being cramped up in an infant seat.

sounds like yes and yes! move 'em on up! :)

Good Morning P., I think your children should be OK to switch over now. The age for a baby is 1 yr. but I thought the weight was a tad bit higher. We switched our youngest gr son over at 11 months he was larger then your little guy in weight. Was like he was eating his feet. He is 16 mon. now.

Corbin will be 4 in March, he still has a car seat in my car and booster in his parents car. He is 45in tall & weighs 48 lbs. Slim , big boy.

God Bless you & yours
K. Nana of 5

Call or go to your local police and/or Fire Department. They should be able to help answer these questions AND make sure the car seat(s) are properly installed in your vehicle.

Most kids change over to the booster seat around 4 so now would be a great time to change your daughter to one. Most states make them use booster seats until age 8 but each state is different. I think around age 1 or over 20 pounds is the guidelines on the car seat facing forward. Sounds like your son is about ready for that.

Yes, definitely move your son to your daughters car seat and get her a booster seat - it sounds like they will both be much more comfortable.

Short and simple: 5 year old can go in booster
1 year old definitely needs to stay rear facing as long as possible.