When is the right time to move my 8 month old into a toddler seat? and what is the best kind to get?

Question

When is the right time to move my 8 month old into a toddler seat? and what is the best kind to get?

Answer 1

Infant seats are outgrown when a child reaches the weight limit, or more commonly when the child has less than one inch of plastic shell above his head.

Infants then move to a rearfacing (RF) convertible seats and MUST remain RF until at least 1 year AND 20lbs, but should remain RF until the limits of the seat (30-35lbs in the US).

The recommendation from safety experts and the American Academy of Pediatrics is to rearface (RF) to the limits of the seat which is 30-35lbs on all seats sold in the US. My 3.5 year old daughter still rides RF and prefers it over FF.  

I have included several links with great pictures and videos of what happens to children’s necks when they are FF in a crash.

Most people are concerned about their child's legs being scrunched or broken in a crash. There is absolutely no evidence that shows a child's legs are in danger and I would much rather deal with a broken leg, than a broken neck.

Highly recommended convertible carseats are the Britax Decathalon, Boulevard and Marathon; Sunshine Kids Radian; Evenflo Triumph ADVANCE; Cosco Scenera and Safety First Uptown.  Stay away from the Alpha Omega 3-in-1 seats only harness to 40lbs and most 40lb weight limit seats are outgrown before a child is mature enough for a booster seat.  They also have very low top harness slots, so are outgrown by height at around 2 or 3 years old.  The Graco Comfortsport also has very low top slots.

Answer 2

You can do it any time she's in the right weight range, which is often as low as 15 lbs.  But you'll still have to keep it forward facing until she's a year AND 20 lbs.  And even then, rear facing is safer.  So make sure you get a convertible seat that is useful forward facing as well as reverse facing.  If you'd rather wait and get one that converts into a booster seat (for when they're much bigger), you'll have to tough it out in your infant seat until she is a year and 20 lbs.  There are a ton of different brands and they're all fairly safe.  I really like epinion.com as it has great opinions about just about every brand.  So check a bunch you like  (consumer reports is also a good source for safety), and epinions lets you know if there are any major flaws.  I have a Fisher Price, which is the less expensive version of the Britax and is very 'fashionable' with big trendy red polka dots on beige.  I have not had any complaints.  Make certain the straps are easily adjustable while the baby is in the seat as you'll be adjusting constantly based on if they're wearing a jacket or not, etc.

Answer 3

You can upgrade to a convertible car seat at any time. They make convertible ones that are for 5 lbs - 100 lbs. Just keep your child rear facing till at least a year or so.