Nautilus okay for 1 yr old?

[hillaryb]

DD will soon be 1 yr/20 lbs and we're looking for a new car seat since she's already uncomfortable in her infant carrier. (It fits fine still so I think it's the reclined position, she seems to want to sit up and look around more now.)

Anyway, we're looking at a Graco Nautilus since the reviews are good, the price is right and it looks like it'll meet our needs for several years (assuming DD's 100 lbs by the time she's 10, but if not then I'll get a cheap backless booster and not worry about it).

But I see recommendations for keeping DD rear-facing till 35 lbs, which would require a convertible seat now and then the Nautilus (or something else) later. I really don't want to have to buy 2 more seats, but of course, I want to keep DD safe. I know the GN has to meet basic safety standards in order to be labeled okay for FF at 20 lbs, so am I making a bigger deal than needed about this?

[KAK22]

1 year and 20 lbs is an an outdated recommendation/requirement for forward facing. Children should RF to the limits of the convertible carseat, so the Nautilus would not be a good choice for you at this time.

We have 2 Britax Marathons and LOVE them! Other options include the Britax Decathalon or Boulevard; Safety First Uptown, Cosco Scenera, Evenflo Triumph ADVANCE or Sunshine Kids Radian.

Stay away from the Graco ComfortSport and Eddie Bauer Alpha Omega 3-in-1 style seats. They outgrown very young.

You will need to purchase at minimum 2 more seats. Just worry about this one and find a convertible seat that will last a long time.


General info on RF:

The recommendation from safety experts and the American Academy of Pediatrics is to rearface (RF) to the limits of the seat which is 30-35lbs on all seats sold in the US. My 3.5 year old daughter still rides RF and prefers it over FF.

I have included several links with great pictures and videos of what happens to children’s necks when they are FF in a crash.

Most people are concerned about their child's legs being scrunched or broken in a crash. There is absolutely no evidence that shows a child's legs are in danger and I would much rather deal with a broken leg, than a broken neck.

Highly recommended convertible carseats are the Britax Decathalon, Boulevard and Marathon; Sunshine Kids Radian; Evenflo Triumph ADVANCE; Cosco Scenera and Safety First Uptown. Stay away from the Alpha Omega 3-in-1 seats only harness to 40lbs and most 40lb weight limit seats are outgrown before a child is mature enough for a booster seat. They also have very low top harness slots, so are outgrown by height at around 2 or 3 years old. The Graco Comfortsport also has very low top slots.

Great Message Boards:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=13
http://car-seat.org/
http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/main.asp?webtag=Carseats&nav=messages&prettyurl=%2FCarseats%2Fmessages

General Info:
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/rear-facing_seats.html
http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm
http://www.tribstar.com/news/local_story_343205333.html
http://www1.freewebs.com/sacredjourneys/newbornpreschool.htm
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4144421a10.html

Videos that show Importance of RF:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qef1TXZ05Dg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMFPSStXfqE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2DVfqFhseo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRP7ynNI8mI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3BBv78HV6I&feature=related

[o_mom]

Rear-facing is the safest way for everyone to travel. There was a study published this year that showed kids from 12-24 months who were forward facing were 5 times more likely to be seriously injured or killed in accidents. There is some great info here on the subject: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx

Kids need to be in seats (infant, covertible, combo, booster) until they can fit the adult seatbelt. This is around 4' 9" tall, which is around age 10-12 on average. I'm saying this, because you have many years of carseats ahead of you and it is not realistic to think you can buy just one more and be done. :)

I would suggest that you look for a tall convertible with a > 40 lb harness limit. Something like the Britax Marathon, Evenflo Triumph Advance or Sunshine Kids Radian 65 (these are just examples, there are others out there). These seats will allow you to rear-face for at least another year and then last forward facing to age 5 or 6. Most seats have an expiration date after 6-7 years, so you will get to use a good portion of that (and if you have another child you can pass it down, too)

After the convertible is outgrown, then you can look at a combination seat if you want to continue harnessing, or get a good dedicated booster.

[Joolsplus2]

A big nice convertible will last you 4-5 years, so you'll get a lot more bang for your buck than you did with the infant seat, and after that the Nautilus is a good choice.

Having carseats advertised as the only seat or the last seat you'll need is about as ridiculous as Stride Rite advertising 'the only pair of shoes your kid will need!', so I'm a little mad at these carseat people for being so misleading when the safety of children is at stake :(. Don't let them fool you, you'll need 3-4 seats per child so they can be most safely protected at every age. (Well, you are here asking, so obviously you haven't let them fool you :loveeyes: )

[proudsahmof3]

Just to agree with Jools, you are going to need a lot of car seats in the coming years! My two boys have three convertible seats each right now! One in my car, one in DH's car, and a spare for Nana/Child Care Provider. It would have been cheaper just to buy the two each and take them out of DH's car (which we drive minimally - we work in the same office) and give to Nana when she needed them, but after all the sweating and swearing I did to get them in good and tight, I'll be dam*ed if those seats come out before they've outgrown them!! Just look at it as any other investment, but probably one of the most important you'll ever make!:bighand:

[niccig]

For a visual explanation of why a 1 year old should not be forward facing, see this post
http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=180970

It has pictures of spinal development for a 1 year old and a 6 year old. Huge difference in bone size/strength. The spinal cord of your one year old is not protected by solid bone, but mostly by soft cartilage. Rear facing provides more support to the neck spinal cord than forward facing - a forward facing child and whiplash is more serious than in an adult who has fully developed bones/muscles.

I posted those vertebrae pictures, and I've seen the bones of a young child compared to an older child and an adult. Infants and children's bodies are not physiologically the same as adults, and seatbelts/car safety etc are designed to protect adults not little kids. So, we need to provide the extra safety that the car manufacturers did not include. That means, rear-facing as long as you can, forward-facing as long as you can and then booster seat as long as you can. Once they're getting to the size of an adult, and pass the 5-step test for the seatbelt, then you're OK.

[hillaryb]

Once they're getting to the size of an adult, and pass the 5-step test for the seatbelt, then you're OK.

What is the 5-step test for the seat belt? Where would I find more info on that? I'm only 5' 1", so it will be a while before DD is ready for a seat belt. (I once saw an article in a magazine that said "children" 5' and under shouldn't ride in the front seat with an active air bag...bad news for me!)

Thanksk for all the good advice!

[Joolsplus2]

Fortunately you have nice strong adult bones, that's a big part of it being safer to ride in the front even if you're small :).
Kids basically fit in the seatbelt safely when their bums are all the way back, their feet are flat on the floor, the lapbelt stays low on their thighs, and the shoulderbelt is off their neck (on the collar bone, touching the chest). And of course they have to be mature enough to sit that way the whole trip. For most kids that's about 4 foot 9... and yes, about age 11, even for tall kids.
Some cars will still have horrible 'seatbelt geometry' (I'm 5-7 and can't even sit in the middle of a Volvo sedan, the lapbelt rides up on my tummy and the shoulderbelt on my neck!), but once puberty is kicking in and bones are hardening, then perfect fit doesn't matter *quite* so much.

But annnnyway...on to your current issue...shop for a nice convertible...something like the True Fit or Triumph Advance or Marathon will literally last rearfacing another year or two, then forward facing to age 5 or 6, and then you can re-evaluate if you want to keep harnessing or if you want to just get a nice 'dedicated booster' like the Sunshine Kids Monterey, and that definitely will be your last seat :)

[Joolsplus2]

Oh, and on a simple practical comfort level? The GN is really, really bad for sleep support....if you stick a little kiddo in there, her head will be on her chest for like, every single napping ride...trust me, I've been there (before I knew better myself, I put my 10 yo in an upright forward facing seat too young ;) )and I really wouldn't wish that on any other baby. Convertibles are much more comfortable for napping in (even for older kids! on another board I'm on, even the 4 and 5 yo's have massive head drop in the Nautilus...)

Just wanted to throw that in :)