Question about little ones and infant seats...

[LarsMal]

Is there an age, regardless of size, that a child should no longer be in an infant seat?

My neighbor has her 17mo son in his infant seat still. He is on the small side, so maybe he still technically fits in it, but every time I see them I can't help but wonder if he should really be in it still. It just seems like it might not be the best thing for him developmentally. If she used it just as his carseat and kept it in the car that would be one thing, but she carries him around in it. (He crawls and can pull himself up, but shows no real signs of walking yet.)

Just curious!

[SnuggleBuggles]

I would think that it would be more comfortable to be riding more upright, like you would in a convertible seat. But, I imagine that like anything else in so long as the l.o. isn't spending too much time in it every day it probably isn't much of a problem.

Beth

[maestramommy]

We kept both girls in the infant seat til well past 12 months, just cause they still fit. Even when we finally moved them (Dora 14 months, Arwyn 16 months) they still technically fit, but I was sick of traveling with a carseat with no base.

If you're friend wasn't carrying her kid around in the carseat, I assume she'd be using the stroller? Pretty much the same thing, imo.

[HIU8]

If your neighbor has a seat like the safeseat that goes to 30 lbs and 32 inches then a child can fit into that seat well after 1 year of age. There are some children that fit into it close to age 2. My DD was in it until 14 months (24 lbs) and I only stopped using it because it was getting difficult for me to put her chubby little body into the seat.

On the other side of the coin, my niece didn't walk until 17 months and was never in an infant seat. She was in a boulevard from day one.

[brittone2]

Is there an age, regardless of size, that a child should no longer be in an infant seat?

My neighbor has her 17mo son in his infant seat still. He is on the small side, so maybe he still technically fits in it, but every time I see them I can't help but wonder if he should really be in it still. It just seems like it might not be the best thing for him developmentally. If she used it just as his carseat and kept it in the car that would be one thing, but she carries him around in it. (He crawls and can pull himself up, but shows no real signs of walking yet.)

Just curious!

Overuse of an infant seat (leaving him in a lot at home, etc.) can definitely contribute to delays, just like overuse of a saucer, jumper, etc. So I can see your point, but I think it depends on whether she's carrying him in and out of stores, etc. in it, or leaving him in it while he's awake, etc. and in the house, kwim? That would be more concerning.

Neither of my kids like carseats in general (well, DS was okay once was more like 2.5), and neither tolerated them for any length of time in a car or otherwise. Neither was happy being carried around in a seat in stores, etc. either.

[LarsMal]

If your neighbor has a seat like the safeseat that goes to 30 lbs and 32 inches then a child can fit into that seat well after 1 year of age. There are some children that fit into it close to age 2. My DD was in it until 14 months (24 lbs) and I only stopped using it because it was getting difficult for me to put her chubby little body into the seat.



Her oldest DD is in kindergarten and she's still using her infant seat. I don't think the increased weight/height limits started until 3 or 4 years ago, did they?

She's made comments like, "I know he probably shouldn't be in this seat anymore, but it's just so much more convenient to carry it in and out when dropping DS off at preschool."

I'm not going to say anything to her, I was just curious if there was an actual age cut-off, or just the heigh/weigh limit.

Maybe I'll be that nonchalant about things when my #3 gets here!!

[o_mom]

It is just a height/weight limit. As long as he is under the weight limit (most likely 20 or 22 lbs) and has an inch of hard shell over his head he fits.

I will also add, that assuming he does fit the height/weight limits, he is safer rear-facing and when she moves him out of it, she may turn him forward making him less safe.

[HIU8]

It is more convienient when taking older DC to school, I will agree, but if it is an older seat then it is probably the lower height and weight limit. I miss being able to have DD in her seat when taking DS into preschool, but I just end up carrying her so we don't take all morning to walk into the building. I actually now build in an extra 5 minutes, at least, to get coats on etc... after taking DD and DS out of their carseats.

I did once work with someone who had her DD in an infant seat with her head blatantly hanging at least 2 inches over the top of the shell, and she put her in a puffy snowsuit in the seat to boot. Some folks just don't get it or don't want to be bothered to end the convienience over safety issues.

[egoldber]

someone who had her DD in an infant seat with her head blatantly hanging at least 2 inches over the top of the shell, and she put her in a puffy snowsuit in the seat to boot

I see stuff like this pretty much every time I go to Target.