Infant seat question

[Unregistered]

My 15 months old is likely taller/heavier than recommended for the infant seat. How seriously, however, need I take those measurements? If I am just going to switch her to another rear facing seat, why should I replace her infant seat? Can't I let her continue to ride in the infant seat until she is two? Any info? Thanks.

 

[wendytthomas]

I'm glad you're here to ask. Thanks for caring enough. Not enough people ask questions like this.

If you leave her in the seat beyond the limits, she could be killed in a crash. It's just as simple as that.

Since it's recommended to rear face until at least two years, but ideally much longer, why not buy a convertible now and use it? Then in a few years you can turn it forward facing and use it for a couple of more years beyond that. Then when she's five or six or so you can go out and buy her a $40 booster to take her the last six years of her carseat journey.

Do you need recommendations? If so, we'd love to help. How heavy and tall is she, how much room does she have above her head, what is your budget, and in what car does she ride?

Wendy

 

[henrietta]

As Wendy said, you'll be using that convertible seat for several years, whether it's a $40, $100, or even $200 model.

 

[CMeMeC]

If the infant seat is outgrown, it's time to move to a rear facing convertible seat. There is no need to buy another infant only bucket seat. A convertible seat would be more economical and practical at this point. You can use it now rear racing- until your child is at least two, depending on the limits of the seat- and then turn it forward facing. If you provide your child's stats and the type of vehicle you drive and what you are looking for in a seat, the members on this board will give you some great advice.

 

[CMeMeC]

Also, using the infant seat past it's limits is putting your child in a lot of danger. So, yes, it is serious that you find out if the infant seat is outgrown.

 

[joolsplus3]

When children exceed the limits of their seats, the potential for injury or death is raised because their delicate heads are no longer cradled and protected in the seat shell. What happens in a crash is that the seat dumps down and back, going just as fast as the car was going prior to the crash. The belts stretch and the child's head launches forward, and when it hits the seatback in front of it at that speed, with that force, the seatback simply isn't a soft landing, it's like hitting a brick wall or being dropped from a third story window onto the ground.
So that's why you want to use a seat that fits your child... a taller convertible will keep that head cradled and protected in a plastic shell lined with foam (like a helmet) so the injury risk is much less.
Any child can die in any crash, not all crashes are survivable (no amount of plastic or foam or steel can compete with a Semi truck running a red light and hitting your side door, for example...) but hopefully that helps you see the reasoning behind why you want to keep your child in a seat appropriate for their size. (And, the infant seat may still be fine for your kiddo, if they are under the weight limit, which you can find on the sticker on the side, and has at least an inch of space over their head/are at or below the height limit...15 months means a fairly recent peds checkup, so just compare the weight and height they got to the carseat labels or manual).
Oh, and here's a graphic of injury risks... RF kids have way higher head injury risk, very likely due to the misunderstanding that kids must be RF only in infant seats and leaving kids in them too long... http://carseatblog.com/34/kim-im-here/)

 

[Baylor]

However your child may still be fine. To really give you an answer, What seat you have, knowing how tall the child is, how much child weighs and how big their torso is ( a sitting measurement from bottom of butt to top of shoulder against a wall) will help the Techs give you information about current seat and what seat may best suit your child in the long run.

 

[Unregistered]

Thank you all for your input. I should explain that I have three kids under the age of four. The reason why I wish I could leave her in the infant seat is that it is easier to get out the door (no garage!!) if my 15 month old (who SPRINTS) is confined to her seat. You can understand. But if she is past the limit then I should switch her. I will get a Radian...I'd rather stick with the same seat all the way through. I already have one Radian. Unless anyone knows of a different/better seat with the same weight/height capabilities AND is so slim? I know the radian can be annoying but I just don't want to have to buy something different if my girls outgrow their seats before they are ready for boosters.

Thanks!!

 

[henrietta]

Thank you all for your input. I should explain that I have three kids under the age of four. The reason why I wish I could leave her in the infant seat is that it is easier to get out the door (no garage!!) if my 15 month old (who SPRINTS) is confined to her seat. You can understand. But if she is past the limit then I should switch her. I will get a Radian...I'd rather stick with the same seat all the way through. I already have one Radian. Unless anyone knows of a different/better seat with the same weight/height capabilities AND is so slim? I know the radian can be annoying but I just don't want to have to buy something different if my girls outgrow their seats before they are ready for boosters.

Thanks!!

It would be really helpful to know how big she is--how tall, how much does she weigh, and how long is her torso (sit her on the floor w/back against the wall) and measure from the floor to the top of her *shoulder*. AND what infant seat she's outgrowing. If at 15 mos, she's just now outgrowing the average infant seat, she's a fairly tiny thing! She might not *need* a Radian to get to age 5 or 6 in a harnessed seat. There are other convertibles that are nice and tall and good options. She may be fine in a Graco MyRide. Not that I would talk you out of a Radian if you want another one--it's a great seat!

Also, it may make more sense if your oldest child is forward facing and using a convertible carseat, like the Radian, to pass it down and buy that child a combination carseat such as the Graco Nautilus, Evenflo Secure Kid 300/400, Britax Frontier, or Recaro ProSport. Those will keep him harnessed longer and convert to well fitting boosters, too.

 

[VanIsleMommy]

it would help to know what seats you're using and what vehicle

also for the 15 month old that sprints, I would put him in the car first always.

 

[Unregistered]

My four year old rides a Nautilus. My nearly 3 year kid is FF is her Radian. My 16 month year old is probably over the 22 lb and 20 inch limit for her SnugRide infant seat (we missed her 15 month appt...out of the country...but she was nearly 20 inches then and 20 lbs. I can give HER the radian (great idea!) but want the replacement for my 3 yr old (a tall but skinny girl) to 1) be able to fit three abreast in my 4 runner SUV and 2) to last her until she is done with seats and boosters. In fact, I hope to use the harness and NOT boosters (which look like a pain to buckle). So, the replacement seat needs to be slender and have high height (and weight) options. Does this make sense? Thanks for you help...I a literally counting in it to make this decision.

 

[wnkw]

My four year old rides a Nautilus. My nearly 3 year kid is FF is her Radian. My 16 month year old is probably over the 22 lb and 20 inch limit for her SnugRide infant seat (we missed her 15 month appt...out of the country...but she was nearly 20 inches then and 20 lbs. I can give HER the radian (great idea!) but want the replacement for my 3 yr old (a tall but skinny girl) to 1) be able to fit three abreast in my 4 runner SUV and 2) to last her until she is done with seats and boosters. In fact, I hope to use the harness and NOT boosters (which look like a pain to buckle). So, the replacement seat needs to be slender and have high height (and weight) options. Does this make sense? Thanks for you help...I a literally counting in it to make this decision.

I am able to get a frontier exterior and chaperone (big infant seat) middle, and I can still sit on the other exterior side in a 06 4runner. I would try putting nautilus, rear facing radian, then another forward facing seat. Since you are already using the radian forward facing, I would pass it down to the baby and get the 3 year old a forward facing only seat instead of buying another convertible. Fitting a forward facing, then rear facing then another forward facing seat (in that order) shouldn't be a problem. Others on here can give you much better recommendations for forward facing only seats than I could- all we own are frontiers.

Just wanted to add (in case you didn't know) the frontier is similar (size, type if seat, etc) to the nautilus you are working with.

 

[henrietta]

My four year old rides a Nautilus. My nearly 3 year kid is FF is her Radian. My 16 month year old is probably over the 22 lb and 20 inch limit for her SnugRide infant seat (we missed her 15 month appt...out of the country...but she was nearly 20 inches then and 20 lbs. I can give HER the radian (great idea!) but want the replacement for my 3 yr old (a tall but skinny girl) to 1) be able to fit three abreast in my 4 runner SUV and 2) to last her until she is done with seats and boosters. In fact, I hope to use the harness and NOT boosters (which look like a pain to buckle). So, the replacement seat needs to be slender and have high height (and weight) options. Does this make sense? Thanks for you help...I a literally counting in it to make this decision.

I hope I understood you correctly. If I didn't, I apologize.
At some point, your children will have to ride using a booster. Eventually, when they outgrow the harness in the seat (like the Graco Nautilus), they will still need to be boostered b/c they won't yet fit the adult seatbelt without them. They will need to be in a booster seat until between the ages of 10 and 12. They can be a pain to buckle three across, but if it's a problem later, you can replace the oldest's GN w/a booster that is more narrow and use that GN as a spare seat for friends/grandma/etc.

Do you mean your 16 mos old is 30" tall, not 20" tall? That would make sense.

The first thing I would try, since you already have them, is take the seats out of your car...and install the Radian rear-facing in the center and the GN outboard. Take the Radian back out and double check to make sure the GN is actually tight enough (sometimes seats installed close together will trick you into thinking they are both installed tight enough). Then, put the Radian back in the center rear-facing and install the GN on the other side. If you can get it to work w/o moving the Radian over and out of the way, you probably would be able to do another GN for your 3 yr old. A similar option is the Evenflo Secure Kid 300 or 400. It looks a smidge narrower.

 

[Unregistered]

Must I put the youngest child in the middle? Any problems with putting her on the side of the car?

Thanks,

Hilary