Carseat for a 97 jetta..

[LDM]

I have a 97 jetta and we recently had to upgrade our carseat from an infant carrier to an all-in-one. We bought http://www.target.com/Safety-1st-All-Convertible-Seat/dp/B001FOBKYA/qid=1242622712/ref=br_1_6/188-6761398-1711631?ie=UTF8&node=3579961&frombrowse=1&pricerange=&index=tgt-mf-mv&field-browse=3579961&rank=manufactrank&rh=&page=4 thinking it would fit, put it in the middle rear facing and he sits almost completely upright even though its reclined as far as it will go. Im wondering if anyone has any recommendations of car seats that would fit rear facing without leaving the carseat in an almost upright position. Baby is just about to turn 6 months, but hes too tall for his infant seat as his fear hang over the edge by quite a bit, hes about 19 lbs

[Maedze]

Hi and welcome to c-s.org!

Firstly, what infant seat is your son riding in? I want to reassure you, feet hanging over the seat is NOT a sign that a child has outgrown the seat. It's perfectly safe to have the feet overhang the seat. An infant seat is outgrown by height only when there is less than an inch of plastic shell over his head. Depending on what seat you currently have and the weight limit on it, the seat could be outgrown 3 pounds from now, or you could have another year in it.


With the seat you purchased, the base is removeable. Remove it :p It's big, bulky and rarely makes installation easier. You can achieve the proper recline angle with a pool-noodle pyramid. Cut a pool noodle down to three lengths about 11" long, stack them in a pyramid and tape them tightly together. Then put your pyramid right in the bight of the vehicle seat and then install your child restraint. That will create the correct angle.

It's important to remember to leave your child rearfacing as long as possible. In the seat you chose, leave him rear facing until he's 35 lbs OR he has less than an inch of shell over his head. This will usually happen around the third birthday. Use every last inch of rearfacing available, because it's so much safer!

Once he's forward facing, the seat will last until his shoulders are over the top straps OR he's 50 lbs, whatever comes first.

Remember that the harness should be snug, with no slack, and you should not be able to pinch any harness at the shoulders.

When your baby is rearfacing, the straps should come from at or below the shoulders. When your preschooler is forward facing the straps should come from at or above the shoulders.

Finally, that seat makes a terrible booster. It causes a very dangerous fit. So when your child is old enough to outgrow the harness portion (that will probably happen between 5 and 6) you'll want to buy a dedicated belt positioning booster.


I know this is a lot of information, so please come back and ask questions as needed!

[LDM]

Hey thanks for the reply and advice, we will try the pool noodles today and see if we can get it to fit better. We purchased the http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2979403, and the maximum height according to the carseat is 28.5 inches....Hes 28 inches now.

[cookie123]

This link might help.

http://www.carseatsite.com/reclineangle.htm

[Maedze]

Hey thanks for the reply and advice, we will try the pool noodles today and see if we can get it to fit better. We purchased the http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2979403, and the maximum height according to the carseat is 28.5 inches....Hes 28 inches now.

That's small infant seat and they tend to be outgrown earlier than most.

However, all seats are required by the government to have a written height limit. Height limits are estimated based on patterns of growth, but some kids grow in their legs and some kids grow in their torsos. As long as there is more than an inch of plastic shell AND the child is under the stated weight limit (22 lbs), the child still fits in the seat :-)