Scion TC. 2016

[ma9perez]

I love my car! I don't see myself changing it any time soon.
However, I do have a 9 month old that is getting too big for his infant car seat. (my first child)

I have been looking for my next seat. There are so many options out there!.
I need help!

I am mostly afraid It will be a pain to get a seat to still be facing the rear of the car. with the infant car seat Its been pretty easy to get him in and out. But with the fact I wont be able to get the whole seat out I already see myself having to hop into the back just to get him out.

my son is 22 lbs and 29.5 inches. could he start facing forward? if not can I get seating recommendations thank you!

 

[MelodyoftheForest]

No, your son is not at all ready to be forward-facing. We consider age 2 to be the minimum age because, even with a larger child, a 9-month-old will still have the soft skeleton of other kids that age. A 2-4 year old child has a more mature skeleton and different body proportions. This allows an older child to better withstand the forces of a crash without being cradled by a rear-facing seat.

Yes, you'll have to get into the car to get him in and out, but I found that pretty convenient, especially when the weather is bad! I had my kid in the center or the passenger side and just slid into the driver's side to buckle. Once he starts climbing, he can climb into the seat himself, which saves you from having to lift him in.

The good news is that a rear-facing convertible/all-in-one seat can take up no more space than an infant seat, and sometimes less space depending on the seats and the recline angles! Infant seats have a deep recline appropriate for a newborn, but convertibles can usually be used much more upright for kids that can sit unassisted. The Graco convertibles and all-in-ones tend to be pretty compact, and they come at many price points, so it's likely you can find one that works for your budget. I have heard the Britax Clicktight convertibles are pretty compact as well. The Chicco NextFit is pretty good too, though in my compact vehicles, I found the Graco 4Ever was more compact.

Here is a space comparison article, though it isn't the most up-to-date: https://carseatblog.com/22818/the-u...ertible-space-comparison-review-size-matters/

Also see carseatblog.org for their seat comparison tool that lets you compare other parameters like height and weight limits.