Pics of daughter in Graco Safeseat...does she still have room to grow in it?

[Amber]

Here are a few pics of my 10 month old daughter in her Graco Safeseat. She is 21.3 pounds and 30 inches...I know the seat says it goes to 30 pounds, 32 inches. Can I keep her in this seat even when she hits 32 inches? What about the weight? Do I have to move her out when she is 30 pounds? Also, is it okay to have the memory foam pillow in it or should I take it out?

Without memory foam pillow:

With pillow:

 

[Jewels]

What a cutie!

This seat is outgrown when she reaches 30lbs or has less then 1" of hard shell above her head.

She looks ok in the SS1 from what I can tell, and at 10 months she doesn't really nead the pillow anymore. I can't tell if the harness straps go through the back of the pillow? If they do and it didn't come with the seat, it is an aftermarket product which is not recommended to use with carseats.

I know that you are in the house and all, but remember when travelling in the car the chestclip needs to be at armpit level.

 

[Alicia-N-2SafeBugs]

Oh ya, she's got plenty of room to grow!

The height "limit" is really just a recommendation. Two children that are the saem height can fit completely different in a seat. If a child has a long torso, she will outgrow a seat a lot sooner than a child with a short torso and long legs.

She will be fine in that seat until the top of her head is within an inch of the top of the hard shell of the seat or until she hits 30 pounds.

I would take the head thing out. She doesn't need it and if it's aftermarket product, it's not safe.

Your dd is SO cute!!!

 

[Amber]

Thanks for the compliments!!

I didn't know I wasn't supposed to use an aftermarket pillow. Man, first installing the seat incorrectly using latch and now this. What is wrong with me?? Okay, I will take the pillow out and leave her in it till she hits 30 pounds or is too tall. But I am going to have to start leaving this seat in the car instead of lugging it upstairs with me. I do that though because the straps don't come out far enough to put a warm snowsuit on her. She wouldn't fit in the seat if I did that.

 

[Amber]

Alicia, I was actually looking at the Scenera, but my mom says it looks uncomfortable. Does your dd seem uncomfy in it? Cause I was thinking I could get that as she would have a bit more leg room, the straps would be longer, so I could put a coat on her, and it would last longer. My hubby wants to get a memory foam liner pillow for it, but that isn't safe right? And if so, he wonders why.

 

[joolsplus3]

Thanks for the compliments!!

I didn't know I wasn't supposed to use an aftermarket pillow. Man, first installing the seat incorrectly using latch and now this. What is wrong with me?? Okay, I will take the pillow out and leave her in it till she hits 30 pounds or is too tall. But I am going to have to start leaving this seat in the car instead of lugging it upstairs with me. I do that though because the straps don't come out far enough to put a warm snowsuit on her. She wouldn't fit in the seat if I did that.

And just to add to your 'fun'...you aren't supposed to put a kiddo in a snowsuit in a car seat... the more padding between the harness and the body, the more room there is for compression in a crash, and that may lead to ejection from the seat. At the most, use a fleece body suit, and nothing puffy. You're seat came with a pillow, you can use that if you want, but not one that didn't come with the seat. (we don't even use that, I'm not a fan of 'stuff' in my car seats, personally).
Anyway, she looks good, plenty of room to grow. DO loosen the harness in the back so she fits in a lot easier, and yeah, it's ok to leave the seat in the car (I still haul mine in the house when possible, I hate standing there buckling her in in a cold seat, and it's good exercise, of course, it's a short walk to the garage!)

 

[Jewels]

Snowsuits are never good for carseats. They are bulky and often you can't tighten the harness enough. A good rule is if you put dd in her seat and tighten it, take her out (without loosening it) and put her back in with her snowsuit on. If you can still do up the straps (without loosening them) then it is ok to use. I personally would keep her in the seat and just use blankets and carseat cover/cap to keep her warm and wait to leave the seat in the car til the weather warms up.

For a memory foam liner pillow, again if it didn't come with the seat it is an aftermarket product and isn't considered safe. Only use what comes with the seat.

 

[Kellyr2]

I always leave my seat in the car unless we're going in restaurants. And he's almost sitting up alone, so I can stop that soon and put him in highchairs instead, yippee!
keep a fleece blanket in the car. When you get out, you can unbuckle her and wrap her up in the blanket real quick so she stays warm going from car to house. And no, you can't use additional padding in the seat. It hasn't been tested with it, so we don't know how it would effect performance. Unless your dh is comfortable with your child being the "crash test dummy" for the aftermarket products, then you should stay away from them.

 

[Amber]

Thanks again gals. I will remove the pillow. We actually got it because she had a reaction to the material of the one that came with the seat...its harsh and caused a severe rash on both sides of her face when she would rub against it or fall asleep against it. She doesn't need a pillow now and I will remove that one. I have the straps as long as they will go. There is no room in the back. I am glad I shouldn't use a snowsuit since I can't anyway. I was wondering why they made the seat like that and now I know, cause you aren't supposed to use snowsuits. I am going to keep her in this seat for awhile, and maybe get the Cosco Scenera or Sunshine Radian, though I think the Radian won't fit in my car rear facing as I have a Cavalier and I think its too big front to back, which makes me sad, cause I like the seat alot. So, I will wait till she is front facing to get that one.

When do you recommend putting her front facing? Is the Cosco Scenera a safe, comfy seat? My hubby thinks something is wrong with it cause its so cheap.

 

[SPJ&E]

The Cosco Scenera is a safe seat (as long as you get the 5 pt. harness). My son is used to his well padded Britax's, but has no problem riding in the Scenera. He rode in it on a trip (3 hours one way) and never complained about being uncomfortable. It's lack of padding is the bad thing about it.

The Safety 1st Uptown is similar to the Scenera, but has a lot of padding. It's $100, rear-faces to 35 lbs., and forward-faces to 40 lbs.

If you can afford it, a Britax Marathon/Decathlon/Boulevard or SunShine Kids Radian will last you the longest. There's also a new seat coming out made by Recaro that sounds like it will last a long time as well.

It's best to keep her rear-facing for as long as possible. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear-facing to the limits of a convertible seat (30-35 lbs. or when the head is 1-inch from or even with the top, depending on the seat). Here's a great video and some links to check out:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=kRP7ynNI8mI

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/rear-facing_seats_2.html
http://www.childrestraintsafety.com/rear-facing.html
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=13&topic_id=44503&mesg_id=44503&page=2

 

[lovinwaves]

Thanks again gals. I will remove the pillow. We actually got it because she had a reaction to the material of the one that came with the seat...its harsh and caused a severe rash on both sides of her face when she would rub against it or fall asleep against it. She doesn't need a pillow now and I will remove that one. I have the straps as long as they will go. There is no room in the back. I am glad I shouldn't use a snowsuit since I can't anyway. I was wondering why they made the seat like that and now I know, cause you aren't supposed to use snowsuits. I am going to keep her in this seat for awhile, and maybe get the Cosco Scenera or Sunshine Radian, though I think the Radian won't fit in my car rear facing as I have a Cavalier and I think its too big front to back, which makes me sad, cause I like the seat alot. So, I will wait till she is front facing to get that one.

When do you recommend putting her front facing? Is the Cosco Scenera a safe, comfy seat? My hubby thinks something is wrong with it cause its so cheap.

Hey Amber, I would start a new thread in the "CarSeat Forum" asking about the Radian and Scenera. Post your vehicle make, model, and year. Also post your DD's age, height, weight, and her current seat. The Techs and advocates on here will be able to help you. Your question above is kind of buried in this thread, so it's better to start a new one

 

[Kellyr2]

Since your DH has issues with the Scenera, if you're wanting to stay fairly cheap, I'd get the Uptown instead. It's VERY well padded, RF to 35 lbs, FF to 40 and it's a very nice feeling seat. it's $100 at Walmart.
Is the fabric on the SS still bothering her? If so, I'd get just a very thin blanket to put behind her head. Or just a small piece of fabric. One piece of fabric behind the head (not interfering with the harnesses) would be fine.

 

[Amber]

The Cosco Scenera is a safe seat (as long as you get the 5 pt. harness). My son is used to his well padded Britax's, but has no problem riding in the Scenera. He rode in it on a trip (3 hours one way) and never complained about being uncomfortable. It's lack of padding is the bad thing about it.

The Safety 1st Uptown is similar to the Scenera, but has a lot of padding. It's $100, rear-faces to 35 lbs., and forward-faces to 40 lbs.

If you can afford it, a Britax Marathon/Decathlon/Boulevard or SunShine Kids Radian will last you the longest. There's also a new seat coming out made by Recaro that sounds like it will last a long time as well.

It's best to keep her rear-facing for as long as possible. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear-facing to the limits of a convertible seat (30-35 lbs. or when the head is 1-inch from or even with the top, depending on the seat). Here's a great video and some links to check out:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=kRP7ynNI8mI

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/rear-facing_seats_2.html
http://www.childrestraintsafety.com/rear-facing.html
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=13&topic_id=44503&mesg_id=44503&page=2

Do you know when the Recaro seat will be out and where I can find a link to it? DH loves Recaro and wants to get her one, but I don't think any of them rear face, do they?

 

[Kellyr2]

Right now none of them RF. The latest we've heard is that this one will be out in May. late May I think. If it's all they're saying it will be, it will rock. They're saying RF to 35 lbs, FF to 70 lbs, RF tether, very tall so that it will actually accomodate children of that size. here's the link, but ther'es no info or pic yet - http://www.recaro.com/index.php?id=1919&region=3&L=2

 

[Amber]

My hubby will flip his lid if we can get one of those for her!! I wonder if they will be same price as the other Young Sports. I would pay for one of those. Thanks for the info!! I will keep her in the Safeseat and hope the Recaro comes out before she outgrows it!

 

[Kellyr2]

I think what they're saying is suprising low - $219 for a base model and $259 for a more deluxe model.
At the very least, maybe you could just get a scenera for a spare to use in the meantime between the SS and the Recaro! I'm really looking forward to it and hoping that it's all they're saying.

 

[lovinwaves]

Amber has started a new thread, here is the link... http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=11496

 

[hapaness]

From the pics it looks like the harness slots you are using are up above her shoulders. Are you using the top slots? My son is currently in a SS1 also and he is almost a year old (next week). At 25.5lbs and almost 32in and still uses the slots right below the top slots (and he has a long torso). Make sure the harness is in the slots at or below her shoulders. She looks great in the seat though, looks like she's got some long legs!

Kelley

 

[Amber]

Yeah, I am using the top slots, because that darn pillow was in the way. I think I need to change to the one below that. She does have extremely long legs (she gets that from her 6' dad, I am 5'2").

I think she should last in this seat till May/June and hopefully by then the Recaro will be out. I would totally pay $260 for a Recaro...my hubby has wanted a recaro seat for as long as I can remember. I hope its an awesome seat.

 

[hapaness]

oh yes, definately move those straps down.
I think she will be ok in that seat until the new Recaro comes out...provided its out on time! I'm still trying to convince my dh that we need 4 of them, one for each kid (even though my oldest is 7) hehe