car seat for really big baby?

[mangomama]

hello all,

I was Wondering if any of you out there with big babies have any advise as to the best convertible car seat out there to accommodate them.
My almost 5 month old girl is 20 lbs and 26.5 inches and will outgrow her Chicco keyfit 30 very soon.
I was hoping to use this seat up to a year but clearly that won't happen. So now I am looking for a convertible seat that I can have her rear facing for as long as possible, and that best accommodates the 97% percentile kids' growth.
From the last edition of the book it seems like my best options are the Britax Boulevard or the Ricaro signo or the Radian.

This is my first so I don't know if it is normal for babies on the large size to maintain their rapid growth rate, and I want her to be in the safest seat for as long as possible.

Thanks,
M

[o_mom]

If you and your DH are not 97% people, chances are she'll slim down when she starts moving more. Any of the larger Britax seats (Roundabout 50, Marathon, Boulevard, etc.) would rear-face to 35 lbs. The Radian now rear-faces to 40 lbs for the 65SL and 45 for all the others, so they would be really long lasting. The Graco MyRide65 is a more budget-priced seat that goes to 40 lbs rear-facing, but it isn't any taller than the Marathon and can be narrow in the shoulders for older kids. The Safety1st Complete Air is another option for >35 lb rear-facing, but the price tends to be a bit high for what you get, IMO.

Recaro has really fallen flat with their convertible seats. They are well-made, nice seats, but huge and bulky.

[smiles33]

Wow, she is a big girl! Both my girls were also in the 90-95th percentile for height and weight. DD1, at her 6 month visit, was 19 lb 7 oz and 26" while DD2 was 18 lb 6 oz and 26.75" long. Around 1.5 years old or so, DD1 dropped down to the 75th percentile and she remains there now at 3.5. Thus, as PP said, it doesn't necessarily mean she will stay long and heavy.

We opted for the Blvd after the SafeSeat started to get too heavy to lift out of the car. I also like the Blvd better as the SafeSeat's straps always got tangled and fell in the way. There are other convenience factors like the no-thread harness adjustment on the Blvd that makes it a nice luxury. Also, even though other models RF to heavier weights than the Blvd, keep in mind that your LO might outgrow it by height first. Both my girls are long-torsoed (like me) so I expect DD2 will not be able to rear-face to 45 pounds even if I had purchased a Radian.

HTH!

[elektra]

I would get the Radian in that case.

[zag95]

DD has always been in 90+% for height and weight- once she hit around a yr she begain to slow down! AT 2 she is 30.5 lbs and 35+ inches- I'm 5'11", DH is 6'1".

We went with a Britax Marathon- to try to get as much longevity out of the seat as possible! I would try to see what the seats look like in your car- since many of those you described are accommodating higher weight and height limits!

GL!

[clc053103]

I had a 95th+ percentile baby, and for all the "they'll slim down, they'll stop growing" I heard, he is now 65 lbs and 45 inches at 4.5. Nope, never slowed down.

Just in case, I would go with a larger seat. DS outgrew the marathon at 3.75 years- both by height, and because the harness was too small. However, it was one of the best rf options out there at the time so I can't regret the purchase. But now, there are better options with higher rf limits. The RN definitely lasted longer. Would also check out a BLVD.

[arivecchi]

I would get the Radian in that case.:yeahthat:

[GraceH]

...My almost 5 month old girl is 20 lbs and 26.5 inches and will outgrow her Chicco keyfit 30 very soon...

Just to be clear, the KeyFit30 is outgrown when she weighs 30 pounds OR when there is less than 1" of shell left above her head (so, not at exactly 30" necessarily -- if you want to double-check how to measure, see http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=30201 )... just so you realize that you don't necessarily run out in a panic to buy a seat next week, but step back to evaluate the best choice for your child, vehicle, and budget.;)

[mangomama]

Regarding the keyfit, there already isn't very much space between her head and the canopy, maybe 1.5-2 inches. we're in the highest shoulder strap position and her shoulders are cramped in there, it makes her upset sometimes. I figure I have about 2 months left at most. I'm not in a panic, I just want to know what to get so I can find the best deal on it.

the rest of the kids in my family (cousins) are all tall and skinny so while I don't expect that she'll stay this portly I do expect her to be on the tall side. Following the advice here I think I'll go with the Blvd, the no thread thing seems like a good upgrade to have, and if it lasts until she's 3-4 then I suppose its a good investment.

[ThreeofUs]

We love our Blvds. Our tall, skinny DS1 has fit in them really well since he was high-90th %ile for both height and weight at 2.

[Indianamom2]

No car seat advice, per se, but having had a baby that was off the charts tall, everyone said that she would slow down....she never did. At 5.5, she's still off the charts (47.5 inches).

So if I were you, I'd get something that has as high a weight/height limit as you can.

(oh and just for fun, your 5 month old is WAY bigger/taller than my 6.5 month old son! He's a shrimp...he's at most 15 lbs and 26.5 inches)

[heathertexas80]

So the britax for the larger kids are a better bet? We were looking at the evenflo symphony 65... I heard though for older/taller kids they aren't very comfortable. I have a baby boy who just turned four months... he's aproximately 15lbs and 26inches... his daddy is 6"3 and I'm 5 ft flat. Everyone on my husbands side are big... our 13 yr old nephew is 6"1 and 180lbs...

[arivecchi]

I would say Radians are your best bet for tall kids. I loved my old Blvd, but there is no way it would have lasted as long as our new Radian XTSL likely will. The Radian is a much taller seat.