When to change car seats?

Hey mamas! Just looking for some opinions :slightly_smiling_face: so my son is a big boy he will be 5 months tomorrow but he looks around 9 hes completely healthy just tall and stocky like his daddy and uncles lol… My question is if i have a (rear facing of course) carseat that he mets the height and weight for can he use it safely even though it recommends being a year old?? He mets everthing but the age and i put him in it (in the house) and he seems to fit perfectly and seems more comfortable in it. I just want to make sure hes safe!.. Not sure if it matters but he has AMAZING head control for months now

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No, he should stay reared faced until the age of 2 at least. Safer.

If you are asking if you can take him out of an infant car seat the answer is yes just keep him rear facing. There should be lines on the car seat to level it in the car, go by that guide when installing it.

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I don’t see why not. If he has the neck strength and head control, I would. It’s no different than the carseat he’s actually already in. Just the fact that (I’m assuming) the carseat isn’t detachable from the base?

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If it’s rear facing he should be fine

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As long as he is rear facing and fits comfortably and safely in the seat you are good.

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My son was 8 months when we switched him from an infant to a safety 3-1 car seat he is 3 and 40lbs and still fits in it. Honestly it’s best to get one that is 3-1 that way u don’t have to get another one down the road he can grow into it as he gets older

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Personally, I would follow the height & weight requirements more than the age requirements, if your child is a bigger child. As long as he is rear facing, and the new seat is more comfortable, use it!

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Yes. Most parents don’t even use infant car seats anymore. They make convertible car seats from 5lbs up. My daughter has just got out of an infant seat and she’s almost 3. Her infant seat went to 35 pounds and 30 inches and my daughter just reached it. My son was moved into a convertible seat at 6 months because he was a big stocky baby and out grew his infant seat!

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As long as he can sit up on his own it should be fine.

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I switched my kids to a 3 in 1 at 6months (still rear faced tho)

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You don’t have to use the infant car seat. A lot of people use a regular seat. Just adjust everything properly

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Honestly if I had anymore, I wouldn’t use an infant seat just a convertible.

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You can take him out of the infant seat but you need to make sure you’re using a seat that’s for his age. They make convertable car seats for infants under 1 year.

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I read that wrong. Sorry. Yes he can be in a different car seat.

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My ex has this car seat for our daughter. But she’s two lol.

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My son had to be moved out of his carrier seat to a rear facing seat at 5 months because I could no longer lift him around in it comfortably. As long as he fits in the seat well, he’ll be fine!

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Don’t worry about the age so much as his height and weight. So long as he meets the requirements for a convertible seat (which he definitely should), you can take him out of the infant seat and into the convertible in a rear facing position. Your son seems big like mine. I actually had to turn mine forward facing at 13 months due to him maxing out the RF guidelines on his seat.

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Shouldn’t be a problem as long as chin is not touching chest!

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We switched our LO from his infant seat to a convertible carseat (still rear facing) at six months old because he had outgrown the length limit of his infant seat. From what I’ve seen, many convertible carseats can be used for newborns, it’s just more convenient for many parents to be able to remove the infant seat and carry the infant around in it. The height and weight limits are the important pieces to consider, and the AAP recommends infants/toddlers rear face at least two years, and ideally until they meet the height and weight limits of the carseat before turning it forward facing (so possibly longer than two years). I think you’re okay to move LO into the convertible carseat if he’s within the height and weight limits.

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My oldest was always big for his age. At 6 months old he was in 12-18 months clothes. Going by weight and height I feel is safer then going by age. Not every child the same age is built the same. He has always had to move up in things early bc of weight & height. He just turned 6 beginning of May and is 115 lbs and 4 ft 3 inches tall.

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Yes totally. If he’s meeting the requirements for the seat just leave him rear facing :blush:

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They have car seats that cover baby from 5pounds to 40 pounds! I have one! :slightly_smiling_face:

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If the seat says not to use on a child under a year old then you don’t use it on a 5 mnth old. They need to meet all requirements of the seat…height, weight and age if there’s a minimum age. If the seat says for kids 1 year and up, that means the seat was crash tested and failed for kids under a year old. Therefore making the seat unsafe for anyone under a year. You can get seats that fit newborns and up.

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I’d get one that goes from infant on up. Then you should be good

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There is a website and Facebook group called Car Seats for the Littles that can give you the best advice.

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Convertable are the best the only reason I used an infant car seat is because my daughter was born in the winter we switched her to a. Convertable at 6 months as well as she was a big for her age as well I agree tho with others comments you should get one that is for infants and up wont ever has to buy one again

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As soon on my daughters could ride in the seat of the grocery cart unassisted we switched to rear facing car seats. We use the Graco 4ever because of its perimeters for safety and size.

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Your local police & fire departments will have the answer to that.

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i switched my kids w the weight requirements :slightly_smiling_face: wait as long as you can for his safety nama i have chunky babies too…

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Convertible carseats can be used as early as birth :relaxed:

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Thank u all soooo much!!! This was my post and i wanted to make sure before switching him!! Hes a big boy and carrying him in his infant seat in and out the car multiple times a day is KILLING my back lol… Thank u all so much will be switching out his seat later today!!! Thank u again!

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At 40 mph, even adults have no head/neck control. Age, height, and weight restrictions are all for a reason. Carseats aren’t for convenience, they are for safety. Look up the regulations for your area or check with the fire department near you. A lot of times they will even help install them. They are usually the ones who have to take out the children when there has been an accident.

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Ask professionals not FB. Police or fire department.

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Health unit may help too

We switched our sons around 6 months to an all in one still rear facing bc he was way to big for his infant car seat.

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I switched my son at 6 months to a rear facing convertible car seat. He was too big for his infant seat. As long as he meets the requirements and is still rear facing it is perfectly fine. I just missed the infant carrier when he would fall asleep in the car because you’d wake him up getting him out to go in the store or wherever you were going lol.

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Just be sure to rear face as long as you can, even though requirements are two years! Because he will be big, you’ll be tempted to turn him around as soon as he’s two. Withhold as long as you can! :slightly_smiling_face:

It’s not just about size but also bone development and that part of his growth can’t be rushed, leave him rear facing for at least the year before changing him around.

My personal opinion keep them read facing as long as possible. If your in a wreck their necks can’t handle the force being faced forward. They recommend a year but I put in ours longer because you never know. It’s not about weight it’s about safety and security.

I went by my kids size not age. My girls have always been big so they were out of infant seats before a year…my son has always been small so he stayed in his til almost 2

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Yup you are good. Use it. I have a big boy too and did👍🏻

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It goes by weight and height, so he should be fine.

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We moved my Peanut of a son at 3 months to a Convertible Seat we use the Graco 4Ever. It seriously changed our car rides as my son hated his Infant seat and we spend a lot of time in the car. The regular 4Ever starts at about 5lbs and goes up till 40lbs if you have the extend to fit 4Ever it goes up even higher In weight. My son will be rear facing till at least 3.5 because at 22 months he is still really small so we will max out our height and weight before going forward facing

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Convertible carsests can be used on new born babies unless they are under 6 pounds i believe.

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Look into the group carseat safety here on Facebook
It’s full of professionals whod be able to properly help you