When did you move your infant from an infant car seat to a convertible car seat?
ByI know some infant carrier car seats only go up to 20 pounds- even 30 pounds with some new infant car seats. But some convertible car seats start as little as 20ish pounds or even smaller. I am curious if any of you mommies find a convertible car seat easier or not- and when did you transition to the convertible car seat?? Please all stories welcome.
Related posts:
- Why do mothers seem to think that once you cannot carry an infant seat, you must buy a convertible?
- Did you skip over the infant car seat and just get a convertible one?
- When did your baby outgrow his or her infant car seat?
- What sedan holds a rear-facing infant car seat without having to move the seats forward?
- When did your baby outgrow their infant car seat?
13 Comments
April 7th, 2010 at 10:47 pm
I switched my oldest when she turned a year old. She is 31months old now and only weighs 23lbs so she could have been in the infant seat longer but I found that it was easier with her in a convertible car seat. She is still rear facing since our car seat says it can be rear facing til they are 30lbs.
April 7th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
We moved our son over to a convertible seat when he was about 6 months and 15 lbs. The main reason we went ahead and moved him on over was b/c he was getting so hot and sweaty feeling in his infant seat. We still use it on occasion (like if we need a little extra space in the car or something) but mainly though we stick with his convertible seat now. I think one thing that helped with us though is that he finally started sitting up a little more around 6 months so I could use a shopping car cover and put him in there with a blanket on each side of him to help give him a little extra support. I personally like using it a lot better simply b/c its easier to get him in and out of his convertible seat compared to his infant seat.
Right now we have 2 Graco Comfort Sport seats (1 for my car and the other goes between dad’s truck and grandma’s SUV so I don’t have to take mine in and out of my car)…
April 7th, 2010 at 11:03 pm
We started out with the graco infant carries that just snap into a base in the car, or into the double stroller. Then at 7 months old they were too tall for them so we bought the Alpha Omega Elite deluxe which is good for babies from 5-100 pounds. Really its the only car seat you’ll ever need.
April 7th, 2010 at 11:29 pm
we started out by using a convertible one that was for rear facing from 5-35 pounds but our son was small he wore preemie size till he was 3 months and yes he was full term 7Ibs 15oz. when he was about a month old my mom found a great deal out a travel system and we swapped her for the infant carrier because it made it easier till he got bigger. i never really liked the first one we had so when he was about 11 months old we got a new convertible one and he has been in it since he is now 13 months old and yes he is still rear facing and will be for as long as possible as that is the safest and besides his seat is rear facing for 5-35 pounds, forward facing with harness 22-40 pounds and as a belt positioning booster 40-100 pounds. my mom still has the other one and uses it when she has to pick him up or take him any where it has some of the same rating but the weight limits are a little less but not by much and it works great in her car.
April 8th, 2010 at 12:09 am
I think the guidelines are over a year and at least 20 lbs. My son didn’t hit 20 lbs until he was well over a year old, so I’m thinking around 14 or 15 months.
April 8th, 2010 at 12:33 am
Although you can move your baby to a forward facing seat at 20lbs, the advice seems to be to keep your baby in the infant carrier as long as possible as they are safest. Most infant carriers are suitable for up to 1 year old however, if you have a tall baby, you should move them to a forward facing seat as soon as their head reaches the top of the infant carrier as it will no longer provide sufficient protection.
April 8th, 2010 at 1:17 am
My son was six months old. The reason I changed was because he hated layin’ down in that carseat. He loves his “big boy” carseat….lol
April 8th, 2010 at 1:40 am
I’m moving my 8 month old daughter from her infant seat to convertible next week when she turns 9 months. She’s 21 pounds and is too big for her infant seat.
April 8th, 2010 at 2:14 am
when the carseat “in and out” got annoying we put my son in the REAR FACING infant/todler seat at 6 months it’s the kind with the bar thing across the front
it is much easier for me to get just the baby instead of the whole carseat. its lighter too
April 8th, 2010 at 2:28 am
I moved both my son and daughter at about 3 months. They both hated the deep incline of the infant seat. They would try so hard to sit up and look at their surrounds. My daughter cried and cried every time we put her in the infant seat, making trips impossible. I have a convertible car seat that is for 5-50 lbs. So, we put both of our children in it at 3 months and they loved it. My daughter doesn’t cry at all anymore (unless she’s lost her paci). It’s not easier by any means though. Instead of just pulling the infant seat out and putting it in the shopping cart/stroller, we have to use a infant carrier (like you strap to your front side) for my daughter or one of us has to hold her or use the 5 point harness on her stroller. I can’t say that it was easier,but it made for happy, not crying babies and that’s just fine by me!
April 8th, 2010 at 3:19 am
my conversion happened out of necessity – my child was kicking the back of the backseat too voilently (she is tall), so that the base was moving.. so i had to switch her to the regular car seat.. the next conversion – from a 5-point harness to a regular seatbelt took place when i saw in the rear mirror that she’s “picking the lock” – i did not want to wait until she’s successful, so i am using the regular seatbelt.. it’s not about the weight – it’s about your child.. the weight listed is only a guideline, the ultimate decision is up to a parent
April 8th, 2010 at 3:24 am
My son is in a convertible 5-35lb. seat. It’s rear-facing until he’s ready to switch to forward-facing, and I love it. It stays in the car, I don’t have to carry the heavy thing around, I HATED the infant seats. Again, it’s good for FIVE POUNDS TO THIRTY-FIVE, so you can use it from day one, although I did not, I thought it was best to use the annoying, heavy, newborn seat because I wanted to make sure he was safe and supported. He is 4.5 months now. I switched about two weeks ago, pretty much because it’s still cold and he just does NOT fit in the infant seat, especially with his coat on. They can’t possibly work for 30 lbs!
April 8th, 2010 at 3:36 am
You have great questions!! We used the Graco snug ride carrier for the first 6 months. It started getting to heavy for me to carry. We bought an Alpha Omega 3 in 1 car seat and I LOVE it, more importantly so does my daughter. She could of went in it as little as 5 pounds and it goes all the way up to become booster. It fits great in our Honda Civic and in our Plymouth Neon we had to take the base off of the bottom though so that it wouldn’t tip because of the dips in the seats. The times I wish she was still in a carrier was when she had fallen asleep and I wanted her to stay that way (going into the grocery or church). Our PT also suggested using the convertible car seat or leaving the carrier in the car so that she would be out of it more because she wasn’t sitting at 6 months. That way when we were in church or waiting for the doctor she would practice sitting and not laying against the seat. She said that carriers are actually delaying babies development because people are keeping babies in them for so long