When did YOU transition to a convertible?

HappyHoo

New member
With DD, I just kept using the infant seat until she was close to outgrowing it around 9 months old - I had the 22 lb/29 in Graco and she hit the 1 in" mark around 8 1/2-9 months old. I even had a pretty Marathon waiting for her but put off installing it until I had to.

With my DS, I was more aware that people moved to convertibles earlier before the infant seat was outgrown - so I was thinking I might do that with him. However, with carpooling for preschool for DD, it was easier to access the third row with him in the infant seat - so I did push him to the limit which he hit about 9 months old - he was close to the weight limit as well as the 1" mark at that point - and the carpool kids got to have fun climbing through the hatch after that to get to the third row.

We tend to eat out somewhat frequently - so the infant seat was nice for that too until they could sit up. Then I got a fp healthy care booster to use instead.
 
ADS

lpperry

Active member
We use convertible from birth. I use Coccoro until about 18 months and then switch to radian. Except for Avery. He is two and still in CCO. I am waiting to see if like the new radians.
 

Erica1982

New member
I switched my first 2 kids somewhere around 6-7 months. They were at the very upper limit of the weight requirement.

I switched my 3rd at around 3 months because he started screaming during entire car rides because he hated to be restrained at such an incline. Once we put him in a convertible and he was able to be more upright and higher up in the car so he could see more things, he loved car rides again. Even now at 22 months he barely makes a peep in the car.
 

daniele_ut

New member
We moved DS1 out of his 20lb limit SnugRide in 2005 when he was about 8 months old because he hated the seat so much.

DD was in a KeyFit 30 and stayed in it until she was 18 months old and finally walking. She was super petite.

DS2 also used the KeyFit30 and we moved him at about 15 months. When I was juggling multiple kids it was much easier to have baby contained!
 

Jocey'sMommy

New member
dd was 10 month and ds was 6 months. both were around 15 lbs. I stop taking the baby carrier our of the car around 10-12 lbs anyway so we transition shortly after that
 

1mommy

New member
What are your experiences with transitioning to a convertible carseat for those that used an infant carrier first. Did you transition only b/c you hit the height or weight limit of the infant carseat, or did you do it for other reasons (comfort of baby), etc.?

We have a Combi Corroco we could use, otherwise we'll have to buy something. We do have a Britax Boulevard 70 that is my son's in our spare car, that we could try out on my DD if we choose to. My son's primary seat is the Diono RXT that's in our main family vehicle. I'd like to get two Diono's possibly, but they don't RF very well in the vehicles we have, since DH and I are tall and need our seats pushed all the way back. We drive a Toyota Tacoma and a Saturn car.

I transitioned my son around 1 year out of Snugride 22, he was only about 19 pounds and i'm not sure on height but he was around the 50% it wasn't until I started researching convertibles (I thought you just put them in a convertible after a year regardless of height or weight) and got one for him that I learned the infant seat had a height limit too. Around 10 months or so I started using another Snugride 22 that a friend gave me, so we didn't have to take the car seat out of the car.

My son also started screaming the car around 6 months, during the middle of a 6 hour car trip! Had I known what I know now I would have tried transitioning him to a convertible so see if it would make him more comfortable, but luckily aside from that one car trip to the beach he we didn't have to drive him very far very often.

I would suggest waiting a few months until your daughter has good head control then try to use the Radian with an angle adjuster. As long as your DD seems happy in the car seat I wouldn't rush the transition, and the key fit manual just specifies to have the handle in a locked position when in the car, it doesn't specify which position it has to be in.
 

sunnydayz

New member
I used a Graco Snugride 35 until dd was 16 months. After about 6 months I just left it in the car as it became too cumbersome. Switched at 16 months to a convertible so we could position it more upright and dd could see out the windows better.
 

ebp913

New member
I maxed out the Keyfit with my oldest but I moved my second child around 9 months or so even though he would probably still fit now because I had the Coccoros already that he was going in and I wasn't carrying the Keyfit around then anyways. With #3, I plan to max out the Keyfit again because hopefully, when baby #3 is around a year, I'll be ready to forward face my oldest and move her to combination seat, move my middle out of the CCO and move baby into those CCOs. We'll see about my plan.... lol.
 

jaemom

New member
Ds1 was about 10 months. He was just getting too heavy for me to carry plus we were expecting ds2. It was a baby trend latch loc

Ds2 was about a year old. Same latch loc.

Ds3 was 19 months or so. He was in a graco safe seat. He was tiny!
 

Ninetales

New member
When they no longer stayed asleep from car to house, and were able to sit up on their own. For my two, that was around six months.
 

CMeMeC

New member
My oldest was 6 months old. He was big and getting close to the 22lb limit of his seat. My middle was 12-18 months, whenever she reached 20lbs and could be ff (I didnt know better 6 years ago). My youngest was about 4 months. I don't like infant seats and intended to use a convertible from birth, but he didn't fit so I used a bucket until he did.
 

bnsnyde

New member
I just changed her at 11 months. She still fits her infant seat. I HATE the convertible because I have to carry her in/out of it all day and risk waking her during naps. We are in and out of the car a lot of the day for school and kid activities. But I like that it's the Orbit Toddler so I can rotate her and not kill my back. And technically I can bring the whole thing on or off the base, but that's heavy!

I never would have survived winter without my infant seat. No coat for her; just the fleece zipper thing. It got to 40 below windchill this winter, too.

I changed her because the stroller that goes with my infant seat sort of fell apart. I can't carry the seat myself; too heavy.
 

mimieliza

New member
DD at around a year, I was excited to use my new Boulevard, and she didn't sleep in the car at that point anyway.

DS at about 18 months when the SS1 expired.
 

newyorkDOC

New member
Both my kids switched around 1. Dd bc she hit the limits in her seat, DS bc he hated the bucket. We considered moving him earlier bc of the screaming but the seat I wanted wasn't released until he was 11 months. And the difference between that and my second choice was like $400.
 

geekKT

New member
My first was in a convertible (TFP) from birth. My second I borrowed and then bought a bucket (Via) for because she was a Canadian winter baby and I thought it would be useful. I switched her by 3 months (March/April) into our TFP. I just can't find the infant seat love!
 

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