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rundmc
06-19-2001, 03:02 PM
I just found out I need to buy a larger car seat for my 9 mo. old daughter. I am reading the baby bargains book, looking at the reviews, recalls, and talking to friends about what they think. When anyone ever mentions size restrictions regarding convertable car seats, they just mention the pound restrictions. My daughter is only 15.5 pounds, but is really long (29 inches). Are there also height restrictions I need to be aware of when I look for a new car seat?

Megansmom
06-23-2001, 07:58 PM
was she in an infant seat? i think the height there is 26 inches. my daughter hit 26 inches when she was 9 months old and she ahs been in a convertible seat ever since.
u need to keep her rearfacing until she is 20 lbs and 1 year old..
as far as height on the convertible seats i just looked on the one i have and it says for 19 inches to 40 inches..so i think u will have a couple of years out of your new carseat
I like the Brittax but its a lot of money we have the Evenflo new version that looks just like the roundabout but it only cost about 129. (i'm sorry i cant remember which one it is but its got the 5pnt system)
hope this helps
Karrie

redhotpepper
06-25-2001, 03:17 PM
Your daughter has outgrown her infant seat when she has either hit the weight limit or her head is less than 1" below the top of the seat. You want to check the hard plastic of the seat not the puffy fabric.

My daughter is very tall too but she's all legs so she fit in her infant seat until she was around 16 months old so it just depends on how your child is built.

The best convertible seat (or any seat for that matter) is the one that fits your car, fits your child and will be used correctly each and every time.

That said, I really like the Britax Roundabout (I own 2), the Century Accel and the Cosco Touriva (I own 1 of these), depending on your price range.

Make sure whatever you get has a 5pt harness. They are the safest.

Annie

tobymc
06-25-2001, 03:23 PM
All seats carry height limits, for rear facing and for forward facing use, when applicable.

However, total height of the child is not usually a very good indicator if the child has outgrow the seat by height, since some children have long legs and short torsos, etc.

Here are the guidelines I learned in my tech class.

For rear facing use, make sure there is at least an inch of space above the child's head to the top of the carseat shell (the hard part). For most infant seats, this happens around 26-29" but may be sooner or later. For convertible seats, very few children outgrow the seat height wise before they reach the weight limits (20, 22, 30 or 35 pounds). You want this inch because a frontal crash pushes the child toward the front of the car, and the child will ramp up the seat. You want shell supporting the child's head even after the harness stretches a bit.

Forward facing, makes sure the child's shoulders are at or below the top harness slot and the top of the child's ears are at or below the top of the shell.

I think you will be fine rear facing with just about any convertible you choose, height wise.

Forward facing, you may want to choose one with higher harness slots. You may find my chart of measurements, at www.carseatdata.org, helpful.

Toby, CPS tech