Pokin Out

Yup. You need a Britax convertible seat--Roundabout or Marathon. Look at Britax's website for more info on sizing. Also, if you go to a specialty store like the Right Start, they will install the seat for you. (I think there is a store at the Old Orchard mall.) They have extensive training on these seats and the prices are the same as they are at the bigger, discount stores. I won't buy anything other than Britax.
Amy

You definiitly need to keep her rear facing until at least one year old. This means you need a convertible seat that can face forward or rear.

Look for a Britax...they are the best rated, and are very easy to use. Your daughter will be very comfortable and safe for many years. They are worth the extra cost for their superior safety, you won't regret it. To make it last longer look for a seat with a high max weight so you know it will last.
Good Luck!

I also recommend the Britax. Safest and lots of patterns and materials to choose from. Go with the highest weight limit so it will last the longest. I always order my carseats from elitecarseats.com They seem to have the lowest prices and offer free shipping on orders over $99. The seats have all arrived in about 2 days. Beats driving to the store for me. They also have car seat reviews on thier site. Good luck.

Britax!! soo wonderful.. all three of my kids, used this brand, chair.. and i still have one, that my third just grew out of!
~hes's almost 4 and in a high back booster.
They are wonderful.. They are available on line specialty stores and even target is carrying them... a little pricey..but great!
good luck and enjoy your little one!

R.-
We have both a Britax Roundabout and an Evenflo Titan. When our first daughter was moving from the carrier to the convertable seat, Consumer Reports chose the Roundabout as their pick. When our 2nd daughter was moving out of the carrier, we noticed our 2 year old was getting to tall for the roundabout. We put the 5 month old in the roundabout and bought the Titan because that was consumer reports best pick a few months ago. Britax is great but expensive. We are completely happy with the Titan. Britax is not all that, especailly with its price.
K.

I second Ruth's advice. I love our Roundabout and wouldn't dream of getting anything else (except other Britax models, of course). Everyone that I've recommended this seat to absolutely loves it. It's so easy to use and extremely well made. Most importantly, it has a very high safety rating.

Hi R.,

If you go to Babies R Us (there is one in Lombard just off Roosevelt a few doors down from Cub Foods), there is a wide selection of car and booster seats. Definitely take your daughter with you so that you can determine whether or not they will be comfortable for her. I have a Cosco convertible seat for my son who just turned three (my preference is Britax though). He is almost 4 feet tall and weighs 36 pounds and he does just fine. HOWEVER, he knows how to manuever himself out of the straps....so keep that one in mind. If I can be of more help to you, feel free to call me at ###-###-####. Happy hunting!

P.S. Definitely get a seat that has a high weight so that it will accommodate her for a while. Even though the Britax brand is expensive, it has the highest safety ratings on the market...very much worth the cost!

I purchased a 'convertable' seat about 6 weeks ago when my son grew to 20 lbs. and am very pleased with it. (Acutally I purchased 3 so that we could install them in the grandparents cars as well!) I beleive it is called the Alpha Omega Elite made by Cosco. It was $159 at Target. (the nicest one Target had) I also saw it at Toys R Us for the same price. I think it goes up to 100 pounds so it should last for a while with him. It is rear facing until he turns 1 year.

Just remember to purchase a 'boost' (ours is a styrofoam tube about 3" thick). This is because, if your back seat in inclined at all, the seat is also inclined for forward facing. When it is rear facing, it needs a lift. You put this tube underneath and it will be level.

I noticed that someone recommended the Roundabout. That was rated very high in safety by Consumer Reports. The down side is that it won't grow with your child as the max weight is lower.

Hi R.,
I have a Britax Decathlon for my daughter. It is a little expensive around $285.00 but has the highest safety ratings of consumer reports. This seat also goes up to 65lbs. Most convertible seats only go up to 40lbs. This seat is so comfortable my daughter usually falls asleep within 5-10 minutes of getting into to. My daughter is also tall she is 36 inches at 20 months and was 22 1/2 inches at birth (they measured her 5 times to be sure)! This has a nice recline and I used it rear facing for a few months before my daughter turned a year and was at 20lbs. The latch system is extremely easy to use and it fits in my car which is considered small. I have a Ford Focus. I absolutely LOVE this carseat and it is worth every dollar I spent on it.
Hope this helps and Good Luck!

R.

Britax is by far the best car seats I have ever purchased. They are expensive, but worth ever penny. They are convertible and can hold a child until they are 65 pounds depending on the style you choose. You can even find them on sale at http://www.specialtybaby.com/index.html with free shipping. Safety is my number 1 priority when it comes to my girls!!

Check out this site for tons of info. http://www.car-safety.org/

Make sure wherever you look that they let you try it out in your car to get a good fit.

I liked Britaz, but they're pricey. Our 10 month old is around your dd's size. We just installed the Alpha Omega Elite by Costco ($160-$180 at Target and BabyCenter.com) He seems safe and comfortable!

Buy a Britax Roundabout (they have a couple of other styles, as well). Britax is a good quality seat that will last you.

R.

Hi R.

We had the same situation with our son. HE was too big for his infant seat, but still needed to be rear facing. We got a fantastic Eddie Bauer booster seat, which we could use rear facing, and will be his car seat until he no longer needs one. It is easy to install, can recline, and he seems to like it.

Hope you find this helpful

L.