for those with big babies...

[0905]

which convertible car seat did you get? I want to make sure my son doesnt outgrow it. And these may be dumb questions but....when does the child go from the convertible seat to the booster? I heard 4. And if it is the age of 4, what are typical weight ranges (although I'm betting my son will be on the larger side). I hear the Britax is great, some go up to 65, but it's also very expensive! Is the Graco MyRide 65 any good? The Evenflo only goes up to 50 lbs, would that be enough? Is 65 enough? What does the newest Baby Bargains book recommend - I only have the 7th edition.

Thanks in advance!

[GraceH]

many on this board feel that children should stay harnessed as long as possible (hopefully, at least 5 or 6) and that 4 yr and 40 lb is the minimum for considering a booster for occasional rides.
how old is your DS? what seat is he in now & how much longer do you have in it?
yes, the recommended 'budget' seats ($150-$200) are Triumph Advance, TruFit, MyRide65, and Roundabout50... the MR65 can RF to 40lb, but the TF has taller harness slots, the TA is also a nice seat, but I don't know enough about your DS's stats to recommend -- that said, Britax makes other nice seats that ppl here love, but they can get spendy.

[BeachBum]

We got the Britax Marathons for our convertible seats. DS is 4, 43 pounds and 43 inches (big for his age) and still comfortably riding in it. We did switch to a Graco Nautilis this past year for our primary car, but DS is still quite comfy in the Marathon in dad's car.
My twins moved to the Marathon at about 4 months and I expect to get many years of use out of those seats.

[Joolsplus2]

The first thing to think about his how long you can get rearfacing. Most seats have a 35 pound rearfacing limit, but some now have a 40 or 45 pound rearfacing limit. Rearfacing is, hands down, THE most important thing you can do for your baby to prevent injury or death in a crash. So focus on a seat with high limits and a tall back. The My Ride is great, but is also quite short compared to the Evenflo Triumph Advance, Britax (the Roundabout 50 is fine, and a lot cheaper than the others).

Then you can worry about the forward facing limit. For *most* kids 50 pounds is perfectly adequate, it's what an average 7 year old weighs. 65 is a great limit for extremely chunky/tall kids, but is overkill for most (that's the weight of an 'average' 9 year old).

So, good choices with tall seatbacks for rearfacing to at least 35 pounds or age 2 would be the Evenflo Triumph Advance, First Years True Fit, Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite, Britax (any, but like I say, RA50 is cheaper and just as tall). And the tallest seats with the longest rearfacing (and tallest top slots for forward facing) are the Safety 1st Complete Air and Sunshine Kids Radian.

Hope that helps get you started shopping :)

[0905]

Thanks for the suggestions. My son is only 5 months old, but has almost outgrown his Graco SnugRide. He's 29" and 21lbs.

[KrisM]

Thanks for the suggestions. My son is only 5 months old, but has almost outgrown his Graco SnugRide. He's 29" and 21lbs.

Make sure he hasn't outgrown it already. Most kids outgrow it by height well before by weight. He needs at least 1" of shell above his head for him to not have outgrown it yet.

[0905]

Make sure he hasn't outgrown it already. Most kids outgrow it by height well before by weight. He needs at least 1" of shell above his head for him to not have outgrown it yet.

I'm planning to buy him a new car seat today.

[AnnieW625]

Most kids do outgrow carseats by height than weight so you should be able to get a good three to four years out of a seat like the Britax Roundabout 50 or the Evenflo Triumph Advance. My DD was outgrowing her Graco Snugride at 7 mos. old; she was 15lbs and probably 27" (I don't really remember) and we moved her to an Evenflo Triumph 5 (now the Advance) and a Britax Marathon (get a Roundabout instead; save your money!) and she was much happier in the Triumph. The prior model we had only lasted until 40lbs and 40" so she made it to just over 3 years old in the seat, so had the Advance been out when we got our seat we would still be using the seat now as DD is 39" and 34lbs. It's kind of hard to tell how long a seat will last a five month old, but good luck!

[0905]

If I buy a convertible car seat now that goes up to 65lbs, why wont it last my son until he's ready for a booster seat?

[schums]

It should, but it depends on how fast he grows, how big he gets, and how wide he is. Both my DC are big kids (90%ish for height and weight), but DS is just at the 70 pound mark, and DD is at around 60. Both outgrew the Marathon a few years ago due to height, and DS was out of the Marathon before that due to should width issues. Carseats are too small when EITHER the weight limit is reached, or when the child's shoulders are over the top harness slots. Usually, the height limit is reached before the weight becomes an issue.

If DS outgrows the seat before he's ready for a booster full time, there are some good options available for harness-to-booster seats. Plus, you've got a LONG time to worry about that!

[AnnieW625]

If I buy a convertible car seat now that goes up to 65lbs, why wont it last my son until he's ready for a booster seat?

He will most likely outgrow it by height not weight, but yes most 40, 50, and 65lb convertables last until a child is ready for a belted high back booster (Britax Parkway, Sunshine Kids Monterey, or Graco Turbo Booster) or if you choose to keep him harnessed longer then there are other choices like the Graco Nautilus, Britax Frontier, and the newly introduced Evenflo Generations 65 which al convert to high back boosters to be used with a belt. It seems the standard age for that in many places is 4 or 5 years old. Or get something like a Sunshine Kids Radian or a Britax Regent that will harness up to 80lbs, but don't become high back boosters. And FWIW there are lots of parents who post here and other carseat forums like Car-seat.org that keep their kids harnessed way past the norms in most areas where we will live. It's not unusual to see pics of kids on car-seat.org being harnessed at 7, and 8 years old.

As an example when Elisa outgrew her Evenflo Triumph 5 (a small 40lb seat that is no longer sold) by height we got her a Britax Frontier so we can keep her harnessed for a longer period of time because she is only 3 years old, we'll probably move her to a high back booster at around 5 or 6 depending on how she acts in the car and such.

Hope that helps out some!:)