Car Seat Buying Strategy? Small kid, small car, ERF

My baby is 5 months old. According to her current growth curve, she has quite awhile before she's going to outgrow her infant car seat (Cybex Aton 2). Even so, I'm already getting stressed about that transition. We have a 2010 Subaru Impreza hatchback. (Note: I think 2011 is when they did the redesign, so when comparing to others, ours is probably more like a 2008 than a 2012, etc)

Height: 30th Percentile (Averaged over the last 3 months)
Weight: 16th Percentile (Averaged over the last 3 months)

Of course I want her to rear-face for as long as possible and figured I'd aim for a 45-50 lb rear-facing seat with as tall of a shell as I can find, but according to her current growth curve, a 40-lb weight limit and 43 inch height limit would still keep her rear-facing until she's 5-6 years old!

Questions:
1. Should I still go for the highest rear-facing limits? I've been reading a lot about rear-facing and I know that kids are flexible and contort themselves into all kinds of positions and we shouldn't assume that they're uncomfortable. But if I have a small kid (my husband is average-sized now, but was under 5th percentile for height and weight until he was in high school -- if today's car-seats had been available when he was a kid, he would have been able to rear-face until age 6), will there come an age at which rear-facing will be legitimately uncomfortable, even if she's not at the maximums yet?

2. Do kids tend to stay on their growth curves? I don't want to buy a high-limit car seat for no reason, but on the other hand, I don't actually know that she won't suddenly sprout up and be in the 50th percentile (or higher) next month! Especially since she's breastfed we haven't started solids yet, which I know can affect kids' growth. If it's too early to predict now, is a kid's percentile at 1 year predictive of how they'll grow thereafter? I am hoping that we can postpone the decision until she's at least 1, although we live in Minnesota and so I'm tempted to start trying out car seats now in case she suddenly outgrows her infant seat during the winter when we won't want to be standing in a Babies R Us parking lot with 10 car seats.

3. What would you recommend for our 2010 Impreza? Our primary reason for getting the Aton was that it allowed for the most passenger/driver leg room. I'm nervous that if we don't get a comfortable fit (for our kid and for us), we'll be tempted to turn the seat around before it would be best. We also want something that is relatively easy to get the kid in/out of when rear-facing -- especially if she rear-faces until 5 or 6!

I don't really care about the limits forward-facing. I'm kinda assuming that we'd do a dedicated forward-facing seat or a combination seat anyway. The most important thing to me is a user-friendly seat that will make it comfortable and easy for us to rear-face her as long as it is safe to do so.

EDIT: One more question -- does anyone know of any rumors of more 50-lb weight limit car seats coming out? Or are we probably only going to have the Foonf for awhile? The Foonf seems like (expensive) overkill for us, but I'm wondering if other manufacturers might be following suit. I'm also wondering whether any other car seats are designated as "older babies and toddlers only" (like the Foonf). Since we love our infant seat, it seems so frustrating that so many convertibles have to be so reclined for infants. Almost everyone I know buys an infant seat first, so I wish more manufacturers had convertible (or even rear-facing only) seats that were intended for older babies and kids.

Welcome to car-seat.org. How someone chooses car seats usually ends up being a very personal decision, so while I can share with you how I choose, in the end you can choose however you wish.

My personal choices are based on several things. When choosing a convertible, my goal is to keep my child rear facing to a minimum age of 3, and to expect that the child will be turned to forward facing sometime around age 4 even if he/she still fits RF in the seat. With that in mind, if I were choosing a seat for a child your size, I would not make RF limits the primary factor in my decision. Any reasonably tall seat (from the Britax convertibles on up) can be expected to last long enough for my comfort level, so I would choose from among those seats based on other factors, such as cost, aesthetics, fit in the car, ease of installation, and whatever "bells & whistles" I find to be appealing.

As for your second question, I find that my kids tend to settle into a curve somewhere between 6 and 12 months and then generally stay there. I'd say that if she seems to be hanging out in the same neighborhood of the growth chart when she outgrows her Aton, then you can be reasonably sure that she'll remain in that general percentile range throughout early childhood. Of course there are exceptions.

For your third question - I think you will be very happy to read this recent post on carseat blog that compares how much front-back space various popular convertible seats take up. Based on the chart in the article, if I were you I'd focus on Britax convertibles and the Chicco NextFit. I'm skipping the Pria 70 because its installation was more upright than recommended, the Diono because the installation in some cars drives me batty, the Peg Perego and the Graco Headwise because they take up more space when the head rest is extended. (Also I've heard enough in the past year or so about troubles with Graco buckles that I'm hesitant to put a Graco on the top of my personal list.)

The bottom line is that with a smallish kid, you have LOTS of great choices for convertibles. And since you have a while before you need one, there might be even more great choices for you once you're ready to buy!

I have small kids in height and weight and I rearface until 4 years old.

If you want to rf until close to 4, I'd make sure you get a seat with a 40 pound rf limit. My small kid still hit 35 pounds before 4 years old.

I don't think you have to worry about getting a 45 or 50 pound rf seat, but I would just stay clear of the 35 pound limits.

I agree with the previous poster about the britax convertibles and chicco nextfit. I personally have had a boulevard 70 in that model of impreza and it fit beautifully rf in the center position (probably outboard too but I didn't try it). We've been happy with our britax seats for our short kids.

As to child growth I would say that my kids had settled on a percentile by late infancy for height anyway. They tend to be a bit rounder than normal just before crawling/walking but lean out after that.

The Foonf is awesome, but it may be overkill for your child. It is also BIG. It doesn't take up a ton of room front to back, but it sits up really high on a base. I used to have a 2010 Subaru Legacy, and I know the Impreza is smaller. I think the Foonf would have been a hassle in the larger Legacy, so I think it would just get to be really hard to manage in an Impreza.

I would definitely take a look at the Britax line of seats first. Super easy to install, decently long-lasting for smaller kids, and nice fabrics. If you are a member of Amazon Mom, they have a really good sale on Britax convertibles right now. If the Britaxes don't fit/work out, if you don't think you're going to have to move the car seat around very often, I'd take a look at a Radian (with the angle adjuster). It *can* be tricky to install, but it doesn't *have* to be if you read up on some of the tips and tricks around here. It doesn't sit up on a base, so it's easy to get a child in and out in a tight back seat. That being said, my daughter was able to climb into her own seat at around 10 months old, so that may not be as big of a factor as you think. You'll obviously still have to crawl in there and buckle her in, but that's not so bad when you don't have to origami her in order to get her into the seat in the first place.

The Nextfit is a great seat too but sits up a little higher than the Radian. But it's not really huge. The Graco MySize and Headwise seem to fit nicely in small cars too. I've had a MySize in a Kia Forte and a Ford Focus Hatchback. The Foonf was too large for either one of those vehicles in the sense that it blocked the driver's view because it sits up so high.

Wow. Thank you all so much! This was my first post at this site (although I've lurked for awhile) and I just love how helpful everyone is! Even if it's only a few people who respond to any one particular post, a thoughtful response really goes a long way.

Many thanks. I will stop stressing over trying to get the absolute maximum limits and focus on finding a carseat that fits our car and lifestyle.

My bigger kid sort of evened out and slowed down closer to 4 (she's kept me on my toes and gone through a few seats, lol!), my smaller kid is going-on-2 and really slowed down between 6-12 months and has sort of bounced around a general percentile since. I would not stress higher weight and height limits (you got some good recommendations already) but definitely focus on what will fit your car well. And with that I'll add I have no experience with subarus so Im not too much help there.

I remember thinking some of those same thoughts when I was shopping for my firstborn's convertible seat. We are small to average sized in our family, but at the time I decided on the Radian. I don't regret getting it, but in retrospect, it was more seat than we needed. When DS turned 4 we turned him forward facing, yet he was still well within the height and weight limits of the Radian for rear-facing. I like the low profile of the Radian for loading rear-facers, so we kept it rear-facing and moved our 2nd child into it. The next time I buy a convertible though, I will probably look at other options that I know will still get my kids to 3 or 4, but don't have the highest limits available. Focus on what fits your child and your car best, and then as a tie breaker, maybe something that you think is pretty.
BTW, BRU will let you try seats in your car before you buy if you didn't already know that, but Amazon has a great return policy. Happy shopping!

I suggest going with a Britax convertible. My son is smaller for his age (13 months old, 64% for height, 46% for weight) and has always been small. He is in a Britax Marathon 70-G3 and is extremely comfortable. We plan on rear facing him until at least 2 years old, and possibly longer. I know that he'll be able to do this comfortably in the Marathon as it rear faces until 40lbs and 49 inches. Britax is a leader in the industry when it comes to safety features and they have a wide variety of convertibles to fit every budget. Here is a comparison of the four seats I would look at. http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats/fit-my-child/compare.aspx?ID=118,117,116,115&f=d I love my Marathon because of its safety features and how easy it is to move. I went to test drive a car and I was able to uninstall and re-install it (correctly!) by myself with a 20lb baby on my hip in a ring sling in the heat of a Texas summer! Also, the Marathon fits nicely rear facing in a smaller car (Honda Fit and Honda Civic). You typically can find good prices with online retailers and some stores like Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us will price match as well. Good luck with your decision, but you can't go wrong with a Britax!

I'm proud to be a member of the Britax Safety Squad -- opinions expressed here are my own.

milosmom812 said:

He is in a Britax Marathon 70-G3 and is extremely comfortable. We plan on rear facing him until at least 2 years old, and possibly longer. I know that he'll be able to do this comfortably in the Marathon as it rear faces until 40lbs and 49 inches.

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Please also pay attention to Britax's rule that requires an inch of SHELL (not headrest) over the child's head for rear-facing.

If it were just weight and standing height that mattered, my child could rear-face in his Boulevard forever. As it is, he is about to turn 2 and is about ready to outgrow the BV because he's approaching the 1" of shell. (He's about 36", I think, and 25 lbs.)

I love Britax seats for their comfort and ease of use (with LATCH), but they won't accommodate many kids much past 2. If someone is looking at 2 as their goal, that's fine. If they want to rear-face until 4, they should look at other options or know that they will likely need another seat after the Britax.

milosmom812 said:

I suggest going with a Britax convertible.
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I'm proud to be a member of the Britax Safety Squad -- opinions expressed here are my own.

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The original poster did mention that, "I want her to rear-face for as long as possible". As you likely know, the Britax convertibles have a lot of great features and advantages, but relative to other models available, rear-facing as long as possible is not one of those advantages. In fact, they tend to be pretty average for rear-facing height limits. Yes, we've seen children who are in the shorter percentiles for their age rear-face in one until 4 years old, so if a child stays in the 30th percentile for height, then a Britax convertible may be a great choice for someone who wants to keep their child rear-facing for 3 or maybe even 4 years. For the kids who are average or above in terms of height for their age, it will not last nearly as long rear-facing as would many competitive seats that have taller height limits.

Of course, the tradeoff is that the Britax seats tend to fit pretty well in smaller vehicles, which could be a factor for the OP in an Impreza. On the other hand, if her child moves into taller percentiles, which is very possible, then another convertible may be more suitable to allow rear-facing as long as possible in a compact car. The Chicco NextFit and perhaps the Maxi Cosi Pria 70 come to mind as models that can fit kids longer than the Britax convertibles rear-facing and also fit well into smaller cars. Both models are very competitive on features as well. Here are the links again that jjordan provided:

http://carseatblog.com/22818/the-ul...ertible-space-comparison-review-size-matters/

http://carseatblog.com/23355/rear-facing-convertible-seats-measurements-height-limits-weight-limits/

LISmama810 said:

Please also pay attention to Britax's rule that requires an inch of SHELL (not headrest) over the child's head for rear-facing.

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Yes, I am aware of that rule, thank you for stating it as I clearly forgot to!

Because of my sons small size, when looking at the price and the safety features, Britax was the choice for us. We plan on ERF as long as the seat allows it.

CPSDarren said:

The original poster did mention that, "I want her to rear-face for as long as possible". As you likely know, the Britax convertibles have a lot of great features and advantages, but relative to other models available, rear-facing as long as possible is not one of those advantages. In fact, they tend to be pretty average for rear-facing height limits. Yes, we've seen children who are in the shorter percentiles for their age rear-face in one until 4 years old, so if a child stays in the 30th percentile for height, then a Britax convertible may be a great choice for someone who wants to keep their child rear-facing for 3 or maybe even 4 years.

Of course, the tradeoff is that the Britax seats tend to fit pretty well in smaller vehicles, which could be a factor for the OP in an Impreza.

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Yes, thank you for the good information. I was just sharing my opinion when it came to picking out a seat that would fit in my car properly and be comfortable for my son. We plan to rear face for as long as the Britax safely allows. With his typically slow growth thus far I suspect it will be for a while.

Growth curves- my 5th child started around the 5%, then went up to the 10%. By 3, he was at 60%……he's a little longer through the torso. He out grew the Blvd at exactly 3. He still fits in the my ride, and his RXT.

My DD is 17 mos and super tiny. My 1st choice is the Graco My ride. She's in one now. I've had 5. Love them. Their nice and deep for SIP. I've never found them hard to load and unload kids from. They'll out last the britax, but not the RN. I would buy the cuddle my ride online at walmart. It's super plush. 2nd choice is the Royale cover from toysrus. Very soft. Also has nice cup holders for little toys and drinks.

My 2nd favorite would be the RXT....love this seat, just not as much as the MR.

3rd choice is the britax. I like the seats. But find the MR easier to install. My Blvd always tipped, unless I use the lock offs. The MY rides and RXTs were easier installs in my vans.