Outgrowing an Infant Carrier at 6-Months

We have a britax (I can't remember if it's the marathon or boulevard) It's big but i know it is safe. It will last a long time also, I think up to 65 lbs. we have a jeep cherokee and the backseat isn't that big. it was a tight squeeze for the front passenger when it was in the rear facing position. Now that we are forward facing there is plenty of room again. My son loves his seat- I do too!

I love the Evenflo Triumph Advance. It can be used rear-facing or forward-facing. It is a little big but I think most car seats are. This one is really easy to use and my 12-month old seems comfortable in it.

I have the Graco Nautilus and no it is not for rear facing which you will need until he is at least 1 regardless of weight. We also have two of the First Years Tru Fit (which we love) which is rear facing infant through 65lbs harnessed (like the graco) only it does not become the belted high back booster/just booster like the Graco, but mine oldest is almost 4.5 (and just 40 lbs)and by the time he is 65lb, I still have one Graco and for the other car, I can't imagine that he won't be okay to be in just a booster with him.

I would suggest the Britax Marathon. It works for rear facing and forward facing. I have 1 for each car and one I have for 5 years!

My son was also big for gis age. We use the Eddie Baur 3-1. It worked great for rear facing, we didn't turn him around until he was 14 months. And he loves it forward facing as well. I believe the EB is the same as the Alpha Omega Elite, just different fabric. Good luck on your search.

My son outgrew his carrier at 9 months and we used a Britax Roundabout. We picked the Roundabout because it was smaller for our cars and at the time (5 years ago) it was the only Britax that could also fit into an airplane seat. Ours is rear and front facing and can go up to 40 lbs. It was the best purchase because we were able to use the Roundabouts (got one for each car) until he was 40 lbs. and transitioned to a booster seat at age 4.

Now his sister is not long for her carrier so I'm looking at replacement covers for her brother's Roundabouts. We loved those seats and although they are on the expensive side, really feel we got our money's worth out of them. Good luck!

You've got quite a big boy there :) :) My baby girl is almost 12 months and not even 20 lbs yet ;-)

She's in a Recaro car seat. It is rated for 5-70 lbs and I just absolutely love it. She has been in it since she was a preemie, and it has worked out great. It goes a bit higher in weight than the Britax, I believe, which my SIL has for her two girls. You can't go wrong with this brand -- they make racing car seats and the side impact on these car seats are awesome. Plus, it is so plus and easy to clean the cover. Can't say enough good things :)

We have a Cosco Scenera from WalMart. It can be rear facing as well as forward facing. It is an excellent car seat and around $50. I have also seen then in Target for about the same price. Read the papers on them but I think you baby would be big enough for it. I believe it is rated newborn to 60lbs or something like that. A.

I would suggest a Britax seat. My son outgrew seats so fast I would have saved money by buying that one first. They are the only seats I'm aware of that go above a 40lb weight capacity.

We have the Evenflo Triumph Advance and I love the ease in making adjustments. I have used other seats and since I am very particular about my son being properly secure in his seat this one makes it easy. Have a sales associate show you how it works to tighten and loosen the straps. This saves so much time when you are putting your child in and out of the seat. It also makes it so easy take him out if he falls asleep before we return home.

The Nautilus does not rear-face and so your little guy is too young for the seat.

The AAP recently suggested that all kids should rear-face until they are at least 2. Rear-facing is safest.

Here is the article - http://aapnews.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/30/4/...

Graco has just released the MyRide 65 that rear-faces to 40 lbs and forward faces to 65 lbs. They sell it at Babies R Us and Wal-Mart. I think it was just released last week so it's not on the BRU website, but it is on the Wal-Mart site.

I am in the same position. I have a 11 week old who is 17 lbs and is not long for his car seat either. Right now I am using the Chicco Key Fit 30, which is good up to 30 lbs. My pediatrician told me that when my son out grows that (which will be REALLY soon) I should get a "regular" car seat and keep it rear facing. You should look on Craigslist for lightly used car seats so you are not paying a fortune for now and when you can turn your little guy forward in the car, then invest in the convertible seat. Good luck!

I did a LOT of research into this. For the Combo Seats, which are the ones that can go rear-facing and then front facing as they get older, according to the NHTSA ratings (National Highway Safety Admin) and previous Mamasource advice, I found these to be the top 3 for the early sprouters:

1. Recaro Como ($150-$250) - 35 lbs rear facing, 70 lbs front facing, 50" height limit

2. Evenflo Triumph Advance ($130-$160)- 35 lbs rf, 50 lbs ff, 50"

3. Britax Roundabout($280-$310) - 33 lbs rf, 40 lbs ff, 40"

Just bring your baby along and try them all out...good luck!

We have a britax marathon and I love it. We've used it with all three of our kids (7, 5 and 10 months). Both of my sons (5 and 10 months) are big for their age, so they were in it around 5 months rearfacing. I'll use it forward facing after my baby turns one. The seat is very comfortable for the baby and will still be comfy as he grows. I've never had an issue with it and the kids have never complained. Britax is a trusted name in carseats and very reliable.

I never had this problem but there are many convertible carseats available on the market. I have 2 of the Alpha Omega ones. I never used them as rear-facing, but know they can be. I wouldn't want to use them as rear-facing though. It does not lay back enough while she sleeps and her head looks like it is falling off.

My son also grew out of his infant seat at 6 months. I decided to go with the Britax Diplomat because I could fit it in the middle seat rear facing and not effect the driver's seat. My husband is very tall and we found that with the larger Britax models we couldn't get the driver's seat pushed all the way back if the model was in the rear facing position. I drive a Toyota Prius.

I have the Evenflow Triumph Advanced and I love it for my daughter. (as a matter of fact, we purchased it just before we took a trip from NY to FL last summer. I wanted her comfortable for the long car ride, but turns out we were in an accident on the way home, and I TRULY believe that if it wasn't for that great car seat, she could have been injured. Surely if she was in the carrier seat we got with the stroller, she would have been hurt).
She too is a big baby and she outgrew all of her baby gear way before she should have. I know how difficult it is to keep your baby safe when developmentally the child is not as advanced as their physical size. It is a challenge, but there are products out there.
It's terrible when you realize that your child has used their baby gear only half the amount of time they would have had they been smaller.
But there are companies that can accomodate your childs size.
Good luck!

Hi M.,
My son, who is now 2yrs, outgrew his infant car seat when he was about 6 months old. We bought the Britax Roundabout and love it. The car seat can be forward or rear facing and can hold up to a 40lb baby. We chose the Roundabout because it is a smaller car seat (we have a toyota corolla)... some of the other Britax models are too big for our car.
When we first bought the car seat one of my main concerns was that our son would outgrow it too fast...once he started walking his weight gain slowed dramatically. He is 2 yrs and now weighs 30lbs and still fits comfortably in the seat.

The only car seat we ever had for our son was a Britax Roundabout. He came home from the hospital in it and used it until he moved up to a booster seat. I never used an infant carrier.

My suggestion is to go to a store that sells car seats. Bring the baby with you. Talk to the manager. Tell him the issues you are having and ask him to let you try out the car seats for a good fit for your son. Some managers will even help you take a few of the car seats out to the parking lot to actually try them in your vehicle to be sure they fit it properly also.

Definitely buy a Britax - they have the best safety rating and theirs hold babies/toddlers to a larger size than a lot (65 lbs). My son is 2 1/2 now and over 38 inches long and still fits great in his Britax and will for quite a while longer. I bought the Decathalon because it has more padding that the lower models - I was choosing between that and the Boulevard. I am glad I did because I felt the extra padding helped him fit better when he was smaller. Now we don't use the extra padding at all. I love the car seat!!! FYI - I spent less money and bought a cosco car seat that had a safety rating almost as good for our second car and I wish I had spent the extra money to have two Britax - my cheaper carseat - while still good has little quirks such as the harness straps getting twisted - I have never had this, or any other problem with the Britax.

We got the Combi Zeus car convertible car seat. Besides being rear/front facing, it turns 360 so you can turn the seat towards you when you put the baby in it, then turn it forwards or rear when you're done. It's good for birth- 3yrs and seems very comfortable. We love it!!!

britax marathon is the way to go. my son is 6 and still in it so comfortably, its like his throne. we used it rear facing with all 3 kids from 20 lbs until around 15 mos. excellent ratings and so easy to use.

Another brand to consider is the Evenflo Triumph Advance which ranks just as high as the Britax ones and is a litle bit less money. Goes up to 50 lbs. (I think 35 lbs. rear facing). We have two and love them.

Hi - My son also outgrew his carrier at an early age and we got a Britax Marathon and installed it rear-facing. My son is now 4 years old and still using that seat (we kept it rear-facing until he was about 18 months and then turned it around)! It goes up to 45 lbs and I can't remember the height, but it has lasted a while. Britax car seats are expensive, but they are the best/safest - check out the Consumer Reports (they always rank #1 for safety).

Britax Diplomat for a smaller car and if you need to rear face. It's good until 40 lbs. Any Britax is good, they're the best, but check the size first to make sure you can rear face it in your car no problem.