s50 windup

U

Unregistered

Guest
hi there. a friend told me about this site and i thought i would come here for some advice. my daughter is 10 months old and weighs 20lbs exactly. we just turned her forward facing and she loves it! however, she is riding in an expired seat and from what i have read it is not a good idea? i dont see why you would have to get a new seat every 6 yrs. my question is....what seat would be a good seat for her? I tend to like the ones that have the thing that comes over their head but i havent seen any at any stores. it just seems safer than those that dont have them. does anybody know where I can find one??
 
ADS

Citrine

New member
First off your child is not one year and needs to be Rear Facing. Second keep your child rear facing to the max limit of the seat or until she is to tall to rear face in the seat. This site it about extending Rear facing and Extending 5 point harness. My 2yr 4mo old still RF and on this site here I know there are 3yr olds RF. In order to help you buy a new seat for your child we will need to know what year make and model your car is. Some seats do not work well in cars. You need a new car seat every 6-7years, depending on the make, because over time the plastic on the car seat wears down from the heat, the cold and every day normal use. There are many seats out there in many budgets.

olivia 4.26.04 45in 40lb regent/gn
makayla 9.16.06 30in 27lb rf wizard
 

Lara

New member
The reason you can not find overhead shield seats readily is because they are not as safe as a 5pt harness. Here is a great link explaining it.

http://cpsafety.com/articles/fivepointshield.aspx

And, since your daughter is not yet a year old she needs to be turned back rear facing immediately. 1 year AND 20 lbs is the bare minimum to go forward, and rear facing until at least two is even safer. A child under 2 is 4x more likely to be seriously injured or killed during a crash forward facing versus rear facing. Under the age of 2 or so, the bones in the baby's neck are not developed enough to withstand the force of an accident forward facing.

Here is a video that explains it perfectly. Joel's grandpa posts here, too. Joel is lucky to be here today after being in an accident at 18 months old where he was internally decapitated. Rear facing could have prevented all of his injuries (however, he was really too heavy to be rf in any seat from the US, so his parents were doing everything they could to keep him safe!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8gU9zzCGA8
 
I did the exact same thing with my oldest he was 20 pounds, 8 months and I forward faced him in an over the head shield seat. It was not the legal or safe thing to do. I learned and then rearfaced him and turned my second son back rearfacing from 26 months-44 months old. He loved it.

Please look into the links the other posters posted. Turn her back Rearfacing.

I would check out a Cosco Scenera(without the over the head shield) for around 40ish dollars(it goes from 5-40 pounds), evenflo triumph advance(5-50 pounds), Saftey 1st avenue(5-40 pounds).
That is some seats to think about.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
well i dont really have any money now otherwise i would have bought her a new carseat. i probably wont have any money for awhile so she is going to have to rear face in her overhead shield seat. i dont know what else to do. thanks for the info on keeping her rearfacign. that video was sad i dont want that to happen to my child.

she is 10mos old and 21 lbs now, we went to the doctor today so i know. her seat is a graco comfortsport. i drive a 2002 chevy malibu. we can't really afford a seat so any suggestions?
 

scoutingbear

New member
You might want to consider the Scenera. It is a nice little seat for just over $40 at Walmart, target, etc. (Make sure you get the 5 pt harness one). It rear faces to 35 pounds too which is a nice added bonus. :)
 

Irishmama

New member
I know some people have mentioned free seat programs through local health departments or health insurance companies. You could check at your local police station to see if they have a car seat tech that knows of a program that might be able to help you. There are a couple of threads here on ideas where to find free car seats.

There is a video on YouTube that shows what can happen in an expired seat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvCRz7BRAM0 It's a ten-year-old car seat and the test dummy literally flies out of the seat.

Sometimes you can find seats for resale here for not too much too and people post good deals on new seats in the store and online in the shopping and deals forum. Hope this helps!
 

An Aurora

Senior Community Member
Unfortunately if it's an expired overhead shield Comfortsport, it more than likely has a 20 lb RF limit :( I'd contact your local SafeKids chapter and see if they can help you out getting a seat. Otherwise, look into the Cosco Scenera.
 
Please contact your local safe kids or your local firestation.

Before I found out(like I said in above) I was at a seat check with my expired over the head seat and they provided me with a free seat.

I know my firestations has a few free seats to give away. Also, I believe WIC has them too.
 

cpsaddict

New member
I think even the expired Comfortsports/Accels had 30lbs rf limits. We had them at BRU when I worked there in 2002 and they had 30lb limits. Graco/Century touted the Accel/CS as so great because it rf to 30lbs. The best thing to do *right now* is install the expired seat rf and try to get a seat ASAP. A properly used overhead shield seat(even expired) is safer than using said seat forward facing for a little tiny one.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
thanks gals! i told my mom about the dangers and she took me to walmart and we got a scenera for $47. so i should keep her rf to 35lbs? then ff to 40 and then in a booster? sorry im new to all this carseat jazz. she is my first child
 

featherhead

Well-known member
That is great that you were able to get a new seat! I have used a Scenera before, and while it is definitely a cheap seat, I know my nephew was very safe while using it.

Yes, we definitely recommend rear-facing till 35 lbs if possible. But just so you know, there is also a height limit to rear-facing. When your child has less than 1 inch of hard shell above her head you need to turn her ff. For rear-facing make sure the harness straps are at or below her shoulders.

When she turns forward facing she needs the harness straps at or above her shoulders. So that means the seat is outgrown either at 40 lbs, or when her shoulders reach that top harness slot. Technically you can put her in a booster once she outgrows the Scenera, though most of us here like to see children harnessed a little longer than that. But I think you've got time before you need to worry about that. So maybe see if you can save a few pennies here and there, and once she is close to outgrowing the Scenera you can come back here and we'll see what we can do:)
 

Mommy0608

New member
thanks gals! i told my mom about the dangers and she took me to walmart and we got a scenera for $47. so i should keep her rf to 35lbs? then ff to 40 and then in a booster? sorry im new to all this carseat jazz. she is my first child

I'm so glad you were able to get a new seat! :thumbsup: The Scenera is a great seat to keep her rear-facing in for quite a long time, and then it'll last forward-facing until most kids are about 3-4 years old, so you'll likely be able to use this seat for at least 2-3 years. During that time, you could save up about $5 a month and then when she outgrows it, you can get a new forward-facing seat with a higher harness weight limit to keep her harnessed longer, that will later turn into a booster seat.

Let us know if you have any questions about installing or using your new seat. Also, please destroy the expired seat... don't just set it out with the trash, because another unsuspecting parent may come along and take it for their child, not knowing it is dangerous. Remove the cover, cut the straps, and put the seat in a black trash bag inside your trash can or dumpster so that no one knows what it is.

I'm very happy you found this board and asked questions. That's exactly what we're here for! When we know better, we do better. :2thumbsup:
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,656
Messages
2,196,897
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top