New Carseat for 1yr old? Still needs to be rear facing?

I am new to the whole carseat world so please bare with me. My baby will be 1 in June and dh and I were going to get him the graco nautilus for his bday because we had both been told and had read online at lots of different places that when babies turn a year you put them front facing. My sister put her daughter front facing at about 9 months because she said she outgrew her infant carseat. I wouldn't do that but I did think it was ok at a year. So I posted on ds asking how people liked the graco nautilus and everyone said I should leave him rear facing at a year and get a convertable carseat? Someone recomended this site for info so here I am in need of info. We currently have him in an eddie bauer infant carseat that sets into a base. He currently weighs 20 lbs so I know he will be at least that by the time he is 1. What is the difference between an infant carseat and a convertable carseat? What is a good carseat to be getting him? My parent's said they would get him one for his bday but it needs to be under $200. Can I get a good one for that? I would really like it to last through him and the next little one as well. Help me please mama's! I am soooo lost here! Thanks!

First, welcome to the site! You will learn alot

Next, your DS is very near the weight limit of his current seat. You need to start researching convertible seats ASAP. I'm sure that by the time I finish typing out this post there will be several people linking you to youtube clips, which I definitely suggest you watch. Google "extended rear facing" for fun.

In short, 12 months and 20 pounds is the absolute bare minimum for FF (forward facing). Many studies have shown that rear facing (RF) is 4 times safer (i.e. your child is 4 times more likely to get injured when FF vs RF) than forward facing. In Sweden, children routinely RF well beyond 12 months/20 pounds--their seats have RF weight limits of up to 55 lbs! There are many many people on this site (myself included, with one child who is 28 pounds and 33 months, and another who is 17 pounds and 12.5 months) who have children comfortably rear-facing well beyond one year & 20 lbs.

reube07 said:

I am new to the whole carseat world so please bare with me. My baby will be 1 in June and dh and I were going to get him the graco nautilus for his bday because we had both been told and had read online at lots of different places that when babies turn a year you put them front facing. My sister put her daughter front facing at about 9 months because she said she outgrew her infant carseat. I wouldn't do that but I did think it was ok at a year. So I posted on ds asking how people liked the graco nautilus and everyone said I should leave him rear facing at a year and get a convertable carseat? Someone recomended this site for info so here I am in need of info. We currently have him in an eddie bauer infant carseat that sets into a base. He currently weighs 20 lbs so I know he will be at least that by the time he is 1. What is the difference between an infant carseat and a convertable carseat? What is a good carseat to be getting him? My parent's said they would get him one for his bday but it needs to be under $200. Can I get a good one for that? I would really like it to last through him and the next little one as well. Help me please mama's! I am soooo lost here! Thanks!

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Definitely keep him rear facing as long as possible!
Babies should stay rear facing AS LONG AS POSSIBLE! Turning kids forward at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child's life! American Academy of Pediatrics says to keep kids rear facing to the limit of their convertible car seat. All current models go to at least 30lbs, many higher.

A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 5 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age. A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.
current research suggests that children under the age of two years are 75 percent less likely to die or be seriously injured when they are riding rear facing. In a recent article from Injury Prevention, it was found that the odds of severe injury to forward facing children age 12-23 months old was 5.32 times higher than a rear facing child. (Car Safety Seats For Children: Rear Facing For Best Protection; Injury Prevention 2007; 13:398-402.)
In the age of the internet its amazing so much misinformation exists! Please please do not listen to people telling you to turn your child forward facing 'at your judgement' or when her legs touch the seat. In truth, most children LIKE resting their feet on the back of the seat in front of them. Check out this photo album exclusively of rear facing kids, many of them much older than 12 months: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum.aspx It is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (see sources) that ALL babies stay rear facing as long as possible, up to the weight/height limits of their seat. Most seats go to 30lbs rear facing, some go higher, check your manual. They are too tall for an infant carrier when the head is within an inch of the top of the shell. Too tall for most convertible seats when their ears reach the top of the seat. Has nothing to do with how long their legs are! There isn't a single documented case of a child breaking their legs b/c they were rear facing in an accident. There are, however, lots of cases where children have been killed and seriously injured where a rear facing seat would have protected them better. They are safest rear facing b/c their bones have not yet completed the ossification process that bonds/hardens them like adults. They need the bracing support that a rear facing seat offers to withstand a crash. 20lbs AND 1 year is the bare minimum and who wants to do the bare minimum for their child?
Check out these links:
WHY REAR FACING:
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;109/3/550
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=13&topic_id=44503&mesg_id=44503&page=2
http://www.carseat.org/Resources/633.pdf
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx
http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum.aspx
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/rear-facing_seats.html
http://myangelsaliandpeanut.tripod.com/id5.html
http://momtoaliandshae.tripod.com/keepingkidssafeinthecar/
http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm
http://www.aap.org/family/1to2yrs.htm
http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/travelsafetytips.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRP7ynNI8mI
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9916868
http://www.carseatsite.com/rear-face_article.htm
These next ones were posted first by Wendy, I think:
In the foreground is a forward facing seat, in the background a rear facing seat. You can see how much trauma the forward facing dummy has to endure. The rear facing child simply rides it out.
http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_...videos/test2002/frontcrash/maxicosipriori.mpg
Here's another video. You can see how there is NO trauma to the baby, it simply sits there waiting for it to end.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v...rrent=video06A_MGA_213_RearFace-Convertib.flv

You can get a seat for less than $200. The Britax Marathon/Boulevard/Decathalon (These 3 are the same seat, just different variances of luxury additions, with the Marathon being the cheapest base model) can be found for regular price of $269, and on sale at Albee Baby online for $209-$219. The Marathon a wide open easy to route belt path, which makes using it correctly a lot easier, as do the built in lockoffs, which mean you never again have to use a locking clip. I can get it into 4 different vehicles in under 2 minutes. Because of the way the base is made, it fits in most cars. And, it is worth the money, b/c it lasts usually twice as long as most other car seats (all car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture) lasting a baby till they are 5-6 years old, where most at Walmart will only last till 2-4 years old. Rear faces to 33lbs, then forward to 65lbs. and top slots 17inches tall, lasts most kids to ages 5-6 years old.

The Evenflo Triumph Advance (not the original Triumph, make sure it says Advance) is a great seat. $150 version at Babies R Us has padding similar to Britax seats, top slots of 17", harnesses to 35lbs rear facing, and 50lbs forward facing. $120 Walmart version just has little less plush padding. Wide open belt path, easy to install, though it doesn't have built in lockoffs. The harness adjusts at the front of the car seat, you don't have to take the car seat out of the car just to raise/lower the straps. It's one of only 2 seats that does this (The Britax Boulevard is the other, I believE), and it has infinite harness adjustment so the harness always fits perfectly until its outgrown. No more tugging straps to tighten them either. You tighten and loosen the harness using knobs on the side of the seat. As a major bonus, it can be used in a recline position even in forward facing mode. Awesome for kids who still sleep in the car. I LOVE THIS SEAT! LOL My son, who is too big for every other car seat at Walmart has the same amount of room in this as the Britax Marathon.

And, if you want, you could always get a Cosco Scenera for $50 from Walmart/Kmart/Target. Its makes a good rear facing seat, goes to 35lbs rear facing, and 40lbs forward facing. It won't last very long forward facing, b/c it has short top harness slots, but you could get it now and use the year or two you'd get out of it to save for a different seat.

The Graco Nautilus seems like an awesome seat, but not for a 1 year old.
Evenflo Triumph Advance at Babies R Us
Evenflo Triumph Advance at Walmart
Marathon at Albee Baby Online

if someone were going to give me $200 for a carseat, i would get a Britax Blvd. and come up w/ teh difference..is that possible?
the Britax Marathon is a bit cheaper.

i wont recap for you how important RF'ing is. Im pretty sure all the PPs have provided you with all the necessary links.

PLEASE dont FF your 1 year old. it really is unsafe. I dont get why there is so much information out there suggesting it.

reube07 said:

..... My sister put her daughter front facing at about 9 months because she said she outgrew her infant carseat. I wouldn't do that but I did think it was ok at a year. So I posted on ds asking how people liked the graco nautilus and everyone said I should leave him rear facing at a year and get a convertable carseat? Someone recomended this site for info so here I am in need of info. We currently have him in an eddie bauer infant carseat that sets into a base. He currently weighs 20 lbs so I know he will be at least that by the time he is 1. What is the difference between an infant carseat and a convertable carseat? What is a good carseat to be getting him?....

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You've clearly come here, already with a seed of doubt about your original plan to turn your baby FF at 1 year old. As you see, you're finding unanimous opinion (and the opinion is backed by clear data from crash tests and real-world accident statistics, not just a weird fad from a group of car-seat fanatics... which many of us admittedly are ) to keep your child RF for much longer than the 'traditional' one year. Others have already given you links, and suggestions on seats.

My younger son, by way of example, is still RF in his Britax Wizard (predecessor of the Boulevard) at age 3 y. 4 mo., and is about to turn FF because he is outgrowing that seat by weight. He (and we) have been perfectly comfortable with him RF this long, and he has never known anything different. We do have to deal with wet/muddy shoes on occasion, but you just figure out a way to cope with that, and it is a pretty minor hassle on the parenting spectrum .

As for the difference between infant seats and convertible seats, infant seats are RF only while convertible seats can be installed either RF or FF. Also, almost all convertible seats are sized for larger children than infant seats. I say 'almost', because some infant seats have been expanding their age/size capacity, while some older model convertibles are still out there with very low age/size limits in practice.

I don't know anything about the infant seat you are using, but, as another poster mentioned, please double-check your manual on its specifications, and look closely at how your baby fits in the seat. Infant seats are outgrown either by weight, or when there is less than 1" of hard seat shell left above the top of your child's head. My DD, for example, outgrew her (old style) Graco Snugride by height at about 5 m.o., and she was running somewhere below 50th percentile on the growth charts.

Congrats on doing research on this important issue, and I hope this board can help you in making decisions to keep your baby safer.

Katrin

Congrats on asking for info. Babies(and toddlers, preschoolers) are so much safer RF. My DD is 27 months 25lbs and still happily RF. She LOVES it. She had to ride FF for a couple days while i was waiting on replacement parts for her seat(backup seat is a FF only) and she hated it and kept asking where her backward seat was.

Welcome! This has been the best site, I have learned so much since I joined. I now have my 22mo. daughter RF in an Uptown:


She loves it and has no complaints! My first choice for a seat would be the Marathon. My second would be the Evenflow Triumph Advance. Is there a Babies R Us near you? It would be best if you could go and try out these 2 seats and make sure that they install well in your car before you buy one. Typically, the Marathon is easier to install but both are excellent choices! Keep us all updated on which one you choose and post pictures if you can :thumbsup:

Welcome! You've gotten great info. If someone handed me $200 I'd buy the Evenflo Triumph Advance ($130-$170). Even if someone handed me $300 I'd have the EFTA as one of the top three on my list (the other two being the Britax Marathon and Boulevard). So I'd head to the EFTA and pick which trim you like the best (BRU has all four trims). It has the same rear facing weight limit as the Marathon and Boulevard (made after 3/1/08 anyway, before that Britaxes went to 33 pounds), a REALLY tall shell, and a higher top harness height than the Britaxes. It goes to 50 pounds forward facing rather than 65 like the big Britaxes, but a lot of kids outgrow seats by height rather than weight, so the 50 pound limit may or may not be a deterrent for you.

Wendy

reube07 said:

Someone recomended this site for info so here I am in need of info. We currently have him in an eddie bauer infant carseat that sets into a base. He currently weighs 20 lbs so I know he will be at least that by the time he is 1.

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I want to re-iterate this part, because it kinda got lost in the shuffle. If he's 20lbs now, you really need to get him a convertible seat ASAP, as he is either at the weight limit for the infant seat you have now, or is about to outgrow it. It can't wait until his birthday.

Otherwise, I agree with the EFTA recommendations. However, if they don't want to buy the seat until June, I'd say go buy a Scenera now(39.74 at Walmart) and then use it was a back up seat once you get the EFTA.

Does your infant seat go to 20 or 22 pounds? I know the newer ones go to 22 pounds. So, if yours goes to 22 pounds you have a little time. But you also need to check out his height. He MUST have at least 1 inch above his head. If he has less then 1 inch of plastic above his head he needs a new seat today.

Do you need 2 carseats? How often does he ride in both vehicles? If so, I would buy 2 carseats. Either 2 Evenflo Triumph Advanced (make sure it is the Advanced that goes to 50 pounds) or buy one ETA and one Scerena. The Scerenas just don't have as much padding, but are still safe. I have the Touriva which is very smiliar to the Scerena.
Stefanie

Hiya Hun! I also agree with the RF for as long as possible. I have my 17 month old & 26lbs still RF! It is SO much safer! I will not recap it all, but I have not seen a link to the video that made me want to do ERF(extended rear facing), so I wanted to share it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8

Here is also a picture of my DS RF!




I would also reccomend the Triumph Advance. I LOVE it! The 2nd picture is of him RF in a Triumph! It is a GREAT seat & very easy to use. I also love the infinatly adjusting harness on it! I also want to say that alot of people think that long legs are a problem! This is a MYTH & totally untrue. You can see in both pictures that my DS's feet touch the back of the seat! This is the two common ways he sits, legs crossed or his legs simply bent a little. He never seems to mind, in fact I belive he likes it as he will sit back there & giggle & yell CAR!

Her is a pic of Bekah just before she turned 3.

I have an Evenflo Triumph Advance Deluxe and LOVE IT!!! My almost 19 month old DD is riding in it rear-facing!

I may be the one who sent you here, are you in KY?? anyways, here is my YDD RF @ 17 months.



Sorry, for some reason there isnt a picture from the other side.

Thank you all for getting back to me. We moved a couple months ago so I don't know where his manual is but I will look for it tomarrow. We were looking at convertable carseats online (no babies r us near by) and we liked the Sunshine Kids Radian 80. Does anyone have one? Are they comfy for the little one? We are going to be having more kids so I would really like to get seats that will be able to fit 3 across if I need them to. Right now I drive a ford escape and thats the smallest vehicle the seat will be in. We never put his seat in my hubbies car. If we go somewhere with my parents then it will be in bigger suvs. Reuben still falls asleep in his seat a lot so I would like something that has some recline. I don't think we have ever gotten his infant seat base in quite right and it is never tight enough I think so hopefully when we get a new seat we will be able to get it in right. Thanks for helping me out Mama's!

I believe the Radian does not work rear-facing in an Escape (Jools, where are you?). It is super-narrow, so good for fitting three-across, but it takes up a lot of room front-to-back when rear-facing. Also, the 80 pound Radian has the same top slot height as the 65 pound Radian, it just has extra padding that isn't necessary for most folks. Unless your child is expected to be heavier and shorter, the 65 is all the seat you'd need.

I have a princess Radian80. Honestly unless you specifically want that cover (which I'm assuming you don't since you have a boy) the Radian65 is more cost-effective. The 65 and 80 both have the same top strap height, and since the vast majority of kids outgrow seat by height before weight, the 80 would be a waste. The Radian seats can be tricky or even impossible to install in some cars, so if you're going to be using many different cars I would keep that in mind. Also, they take up quite a bit of room RF, so that might be a problem.

scatterbunny said:

I believe the Radian does not work rear-facing in an Escape (Jools, where are you?). :

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Really? What year?

I don't know for sure what year, I just think I remember Julie saying she used her Radian RF in the minivan but not the Escape because of lack of space RF.

I can see that, for sure. My mom has a 2002 and my SIL a 2006. I managed to get a Scenera FF, MA RF, backless Turbo but it was rough and the Scenera would not fit RF. Anywhoo, those things are tiny and I can see not having the room.