kind of thinking out loud here....

[mommy]

Iam expecting #2 in early may and so I have started thinking about car seats :) My ds is almost 18 months and a little over 19 pounds(he was a 25 weker thats why hes so tiny) and is RF in a britax ma. I have his infant seat that was bought for him, which is just a basic infant seat but I dont think I want to use it. I was thinking of getting a safe seat since they go to 30 pounds and would last at least a year, then when the new baby was ready for a new seat I would put him or her into Coles britax and get him a new seat since he will hopefully be getting bigger and just about 3
How does that sound?? I know Iam thinking out loud here but Iam just floating ideas around in my head.

Another question I have is what are the benifits of RF after age 3?? I know why RF is so important but is there an age where that kinda stops??
Thanks ladies :)

[MommyBoha]

My newest infant seat obsession is the Chicco Keyfit. I LOVE it! I actually had a dream the other night that I was preggo and upset cause I knew DH wouldnt let me get a new infant seat since ours still has 4 years left on it!!

[mommy]

Does that seat go to 30 pounds too?? Could you tell me a little about it?? Iam guessing I cant get it in Canada but I dont mind ordering online if I find somthing great :)

[MommyBoha]

yeah, it goes to 30 lb. Its the Chicco Keyfit 30. Here is a link
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2633096

Its supposed to be super easy to install.

[Jeanum]

The OP's guess is right about the Key Fit because it's not available in Canada. The SafeSeat 1 would fit the bill nicely as there is a Canadian certified version of it. :thumbsup:

[CDNTech]

:yeahthat: The Keyfit can not be used in Canada. All seats must bear the CMVSS sticker with the maple leaf on it to be legal to use here.

The SS1 is a fantastic seat (your 18 month old would probably still fit in it ;)). My 2nd would have outgrown an SS1 right around 23 months by height. :)

[QuassEE]

Another question I have is what are the benifits of RF after age 3?? I know why RF is so important but is there an age where that kinda stops??
Thanks ladies :)

It's not that the benefits of rear-facing stop at any given weight, age or developmental level--it's that carseats have yet to be made available in Canada that rear-face beyond 35lbs. The physics are the same for child and adult alike--most collisions are frontal collisions, which means that everything in the vehicle moves towards that point of impact. When rear-facing in a frontal collision, the forces in a crash are spread out along the back of the carseat--which essentially cradles the child. When forward-facing, arms, legs, and relatively large and heavy heads fly forwards while a harness restrains the body and crash forces spread along a localized area where the child's body is held by their seat webbing. This combination of motions can cause serious damage.

Obviously this was a really simple explanation of something that's far more complex...but hopefully it gives you a little bit more of an understanding of why rear-facing is so important. Maybe someone else can explain this a little bit better if need be?

-Nicole.