My 13 Month Daughter Is Ready for a Car Seat... Need Some Advice

I just ordered my 6 month old a new Britax Boulevard (on sale!). I think you're making a great choice in going with the Britax. The price is horrible, but the Boulevard goes up to 65 lbs. (my 6 and 7 year old sons are only 46 or so pounds each right now!), so I think it will pay off in the long run.

I know this will sound crazy but take her to the store and let her choose, after all it is her seat. If she is 13 months old, she should definitely be forward facing. Just go and narrow her choice of seats to three and let her choose. I let my boys choose everything. My oldest son was picking his own clothes when he was a few months old.

You need to consider a few things...how much does she weigh? She is already a year, but is she 20+ pounds? If not, she needs to remain rear facing until she reaches that point. If she's over 20 pounds, then she can go front-facing. You need to put her in a carseat with harness. Most boosters are for over 30 pounds, but ideally you should use the 5-point harness on a carseat as long as possible...most seats go up to 40 pounds with harness. Britax Marathon will let them go to 60 pounds with the harness. Many front-facing models are convertible from harness carseat to booster once the child outgrows the harness.

Once you figure out the type of seat your daughter needs to be in based on her weight, you should try them in your car. Some seats fit well in some cars while not so well in others. You could even ask your car dealer for a recommendation. Once you pick a seat, take it to the police station to get it checked to be sure it is installed properly. Then be sure you use it correctly and are careful not to let the harness straps get tangled. Be sure they are pulled to be fairly tight - there should only be enough room for a couple fingers to fit between the harness and your child. The harness clip should be pulled up each time you strap your child in and should rest at her armpit level.

So many carseats are not installed or used properly that it is scary. It's an easy thing to do if you take a few seconds and can mean life or death.

You're right, there are a lot of choices out there! Booster seats are not safe until a child is at least 4 years old and weighs at least 40 pounds (manufacturers will say 3 years and 30 pounds, but I have several friends who are carseat technicians and they all disagree with the carseat manufacturers--a big part of the reason they disagree is because a child is not developmentally ready to handle the "freedom" a booster seat offers until at least age 4. A 5-point harness is still safer than a booster seat, even at age 4, but there aren't many available that are safe for a child heavier than 40 pounds (there are a few, Britax in particular makes some seats with 5-point harnesses that go up to 65 or 80 pounds--they're just very large and very expensive and for some families that makes them a bad choice). At 13 months, if your daughter weighs heavier than 20 pounds, you can put her in a forward-facing carseat, but she's still safer in a rear-facing seat for as long as possible. Most "convertible" carseats will allow you to place your child rear-facing up to 30 pounds, then will go forward facing up to 40 pounds. Don't worry if your daughter's legs touch the back of the chair while she's rear-facing, even if she has to bend her legs to fit--it's very rare for a child to break a leg during a car accident and the added safety to the head and neck is worth it (if you do a search on You Tube you can find video footage of carseat crash tests, and see the difference between a forward facing seat and a rear facing seat--it's amazing--the rear facing seats are so much safer). I'd rather have a broken leg than a broken neck! The only time the child's height is an issue is if the top of the ears are higher than the back of the carseat, because then it's not supporting the head properly and you'll need to get a bigger seat that can accomodate a taller child.

So, to sum up--at this point your safest option is to get a convertible carseat that goes to at least 30 pounds rear-facing (there are some that go to 35 pounds, I believe) and then will go to at least 40 pounds forward-facing. Keep her rear-facing for as long as possible, then when you do turn her forward-facing keep her in the 5-point harnes for as long as possible. Don't use a booster seat until at least 4 years and 40 lbs, and make sure the top of her ears are never higher than the back of the seat so that her head is properly supported in the event of a crash. And have your seats profesionally installed--something like 80-90% of carseats are not installed properly.

Hi C. M:

Contact the Fire Station in your area. Usually, they have seminars on how to select the best car seat appropriate for your child's age and even how to install it properly - that is something not many people know and fail to do and can make a difference between injuries in a car accident.

hey just make sure you check that it will fit in your car, I got a britax roundabout because the marathon wouldn't fit in my car.Britax's are great carseats I plan on purchaseing another one and they are the easiest to install I have found!especially one button to tighten and loosen the straps while he is in it!

choose a carseat that will switch into a booster also one that has seat belt guides for when it does it will save you from having to buy another one ever unless of course if get ruined by spilled drinks.

The Britax Marathon is a great choice--my daughter loves hers. She is content in it, even on long trips. I can't say that for our Eddie Bauer convertible car seat. After 10 minutes, she wants out.

I found the Marathon for a great price at this website. There was no shipping or sales tax, so I saved over $70 buying it online instead of at Babies 'R Us or Target.

http://www.specialtybaby.com/britax.html

Also, if you keep an eye out for them, you can find a replacement covers on clearance in the spring. They change the fabrics each year, so the old styles are marked down.

You will want to keep her rear facing for as long as you can for her safety. Take a few minutes and review this website:

<http://www.cpsafety.com/default.aspx&gt;

The safest position for any child is rear facing. So I would look for a convertible seat that has at least a 30lb or more rating for rear facing. You can always go with a booster later on, but this is the safest way to go. You will want to pick a seat that fits both your child and your car. Look for a 5 point harness.

You can find some great recommendations here:

<http://www.carseatsite.com/recommended_car_seats.htm#Infa...;

Good luck with your search. Most stores will allow you to try the seat out in your car, so ask. It can't hurt to try.

Blessings,
Rolinda

Go for a 5 point harness car seat. They are MUCH safer than boosters. Boosters are for when they are MUCH older.

The Graco ComfortSport has excellent safety ratings yet is still affordable. You can get it at Wal-Mart, Target, Toys-R-Us, Etc. Here's a link to one. Good Luck.

http://www.gracobaby.com/catalog/product.aspx?modelNumber...

Hi. The Britax Marathon is the one that I got for my daughter. I liked the fact that she can be on the harness system until 65 lbs. Also, it had a design that I liked. I found my online at Babies R Us. The style was online only. There are usually more styles and colors online. The best part was that it was delivered to my house and I didn't have to figure out how to get it home from the store!

Graco Cargo booster seat is what I recommend, but She has to be 20+ lbs before forward facing. This booster will last you a while.This is a car seat/booster.

we just got my 6 months old the britax marathon, but he still cant sit up by himself, and since its so cold outside we're just still using his carrier that came with the stroller, that way we can just put the carier in the stroller, we'll use the britax once he knows how to sit up so then we can put him in store carts ;)...

Check out the car seat forum on babycenter.com (http://boards.babycenter.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=bcus.... These women know all there is to know about car seats--all the current research, current models--even what is on backorder from the company and when it will be available. Many regulars (and the moderator) are child passenger safety technicians. You can post your child's age, weight, height, etc., and get recommendations for the best seat.

I got britax marathon when my girls turned one. they're now two and a half and we still use them. I love these cars seats. had never had any problems with them.
vlora

My 8 month old son just outgrew the babyseat. We went to Consumer Reports and looked around. They have a car seat category. Also check out babycenter.com, they have some info on recalls and crash tests as well. As for car seat vs. booster, get one that you can convert. They are a little more money, but it's much cheaper than buying both.

Stay with a 5 point harness car seat with tether anchors! You DO NOT have to switch to a booster seat and really shouldn't at 13 months! If the seatbelt in the car fails the car seat will continue to hold your daughter securely in the car. My friend's son was killed because their van rolled over and his seatbelt failed...the actual car seatbelt...and he was in a booster seat. Had he been in a car seat with a tether and 5 point harness he wouldn't have been thrown and killed. You can find seats that accomodate children up to 80lbs.

Your daughter is not old enough for a booster seat yet. She has to be about 4 yrs. old. You want to get a convertable seat with a 5 point harness. Britax is my very favorite. They are a little more expensive but also one of the safest ones. You can call your local state police barracks to find out when they are having a car seat check point and they will show you the proper way to install your seat.If you can find a seat with the latch system that is a safer route yet. Babies-R-Us carries Britax seats. P.S. The Eddie Bower seats are impossible to use and rate pretty low on safety. Good luck!

If you get a booster seat it has to have an internal harness. It will last longer than a convertibale or front facing car seat they usually go from 20 to 100 pounds. Graco is what I have used with all mny kids. They are afforable. http://shopping.aol.com/instore/ppeproduct?cid=1&amp;lcid.... This website has a picture of the type of booster I am talking about. This booster uses both the seat belt and the internal harness but can later be used with just the seat belt. Here is another site that can help explain the difference and which one is better to use. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/ParentGuid.... Hope this helps!

Hey there, i wanted to let u know about a good carseat. It is Simpson racing, i know racing big deal. The reason i liked it is the five point harness. It can go from a toddler seat to a booster seat, by just taking the straps out. U pay a little more money, but u are getting to carseats. i got it for my daughter and now moved my son into it. here is the link to the website. http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1...

hope this helps u

car seat she not ready for a booster seat yet and i would go and fine one that make you feel good about you daughter being one that you feel safe to put her in not one that someone says is really awsome one you like and want and feel good about