8M Old Has Outgrown Car seat...need Advice on Which Seat to Buy Next.

You can check out car seat ratings at www.nhtsa.gov. This website will allow you to see the different carseat categories (i.e. forward-facing/booster convertible) and ratings. There are also tips on proper child seat installation. Just remember each seat fits in each vehicle differently, so you may want to test the seat out in your vehicle for proper fit before you buy. Specialty stores such as BabiesRUS will allow you to do this with manager approval. Good luck!

To me the #1 thing you want to do is keep your child safe. Find a carseat that offers the harness straps for children over 40 pounds. Most convertible carseat recommend a weight up to 40 pounds and after that you need to use your shoulder belt while using the carseat to strap them in. I dont know about you but I wanted my child in a 5 point harness for as long as a carseat would allow her to. There are many carseats on the market that offer the harness for over 40 pounds I have even seen one that has a harness up to 100 pounds. Please search youtube.com for "carseat harness" to see some reasons why not to use a booster seat for your child.

Although we bought a Britax Marathon for my little girl (Shes now 7 and will fit for at least another 3 years) there are many other brands that have the harness feature too. You just gotta do some internet browsing! Britax are very pricey to splurge on but if you think about the investment you are making the SAFETY if you ever were hit unexpected. Think about this you are saving money by not having to buy two carseats and you will be able to use this for at least 6 years till the carseat expires. Your child's life is irreplaceable and this is one area parents should never try and save a few bucks. Parents spend hundreds on strollers, clothes and toys. This is something I would not skimp on. Plus I love that my daughter can buckle all the straps on her own but can not buckle on her own if she was to sit on a booster.

I would recommend Britax car seats. They are expensive, but worth the cost. They are rated the safest car seat, are easy to install and your child will be so comfortable too. They hold up tp 60 pounds so you won't have to get another seat. The police officer that installed ours said he wouldn't put his children in anything else. www.britaxusa.com

I was set to purchase the Britax after reading all the reviews but I went to a fire station to get our car seat inspected correct and the chief recommended:
Radian80 Convertible Car Seat - Manhattan
by:Sunshine Kids
More bang for your buck! Fits up to 80lbs.
FYI..this is also the car seat that I see on the show " John and Kat + 8".
Good luck!

I just posted a question about this as well. Almost all my responses were to get a Britax seat. We got the Britax Marathon and so far so good. My son is also in the 97% and he looks SO much more comfortable in this one and seems much more safe.

Hi T.B. I commend you for putting safety first when your child is riding in the car! There is an amazing organization that can help you. It's called SafetyBeltSafe USA, and it's website is www.carseat.org; they can help with anything you need regarding safe carseats for kids. I have found this organization to be immensely helpful. My family was hit by a drunk driver when our first son was a year old, so believe me, I know car seat safety. Please contact them; they have great information on their website; I have also talked to Stephanie, who is very knowledgeable and has been a source of great information. These people have made it their life's work to keep our children safe in vehicles. Spread the word!

There are so many baby products out there it is easy to get lost. I have found that I can trust Consumer Reports. It's cheap and if you take time to read, you will get good results! Some other things to think about are: never buy used, look out for safety recalls,cup holders are good, removable/washable covers are good, a car seat that "grows" with the child a.k.a. turns into a booster seat later on or can adjust from small to tall is good. Also, check your local police station. Sometimes if you go through a safety check/car seat class you can get a free or subsidized car seat.

I love my Britax Convertible Car Seats - Marathon Collection
The Marathon fits children rear facing from five to 33 pounds and children forward facing from at least one year old and 20 pounds, up to 65 pounds.

Hi TB

We have the Britax Marathon and love it. It is nice and tall but has a fairly narrow footprint so we're able to have two of them side by side in the car and still room for a third passenger in the back seat. They are also airplane approved and I believe up to 65 lbs(but check... not 100% sure)

We bought Britax for our son. It's safe and comfortable and you can use it till he weighs 60 lb!

i had bought a car seat that went to 30 lbs as well but when i had a new baby on the way, i decided it was time for another car seat for my son. i got a britax marathon. its weight limit is 65 lbs so i figured my son would be in it for the long haul. travelingtykes.com had pretty good sales and deals on the britax marathons. maybe you should check into buying one of those and see if it suits your needs. hth

Britax has great seats....we have the Boulevard- very happy

My sons are both in the 90th percentile too. We purchased the Britax Marithon when my first son needed to upgrade from his infant seat. We really love it. He continued to use it until he was over 2 yrs old. He didn't outgrow it even then. The only reason we purchased another Britax (toddler seat) was so we could use the Marithon for our second son. It is still working out great. This seat is a little pricey, but well worth it.

I also have a child who has always been 95%+ in weight and over 100% in height. We bought the Britax Marathon and L. it. I was rear-ended while stopped at a light when my daughter was almost 2yrs old. While I ended up with whiplash, my daughter was fine. She didn't even cry after we were hit, and we were hit pretty hard. The car seat was rated #1 in Consumer Reports when we were looking. Was hard to pay the price, but now I'm glad I did.
L.

Try the Britex Marathon my boys were big also. My 4 year old is still in his.

We have and LOVE the Britax Marathon. It goes from 8-65 lbs.It has everything & the straps adjust high enough for my 6 yr old. It is a little more expensive at $269 at babies r us, but you have it for so long...
http://www.britaxusa.com/products/product_detail.aspx?ID=5

The Britax Marathon goes up to 65 lbs. It is wider than most car seats and, therefore, takes up a little more room than other car seats (not a huge difference, though). Britax makes excellent car seats in general, despite a recalled upper tether for the Marathon in October (some issue with kids larger than 50 lbs, there is a repair kit, and there were no injuries). We have a Marathon and have been very pleased with it. Mind you our 4.5 year old only weighs 34 lbs and is in a higher percentile in height than weight. What's your secret??? (his pediatrician says that we should not be concerned, but I'm very good at being concerned!) Also, no disrespect to Michelle, but the Boulevard is not the only Britax that goes up to 65 lbs and it is not the only one that is FDA approved for air travel. The Roundabout is approved by the FDA for air travel. The Boulevard, which I do not believe was avaiable when we bought our Marathon, might be the only one that is both simultaneously (not sure because we haven't looked into the FDA thing with this seat, just our Roundabout).

I also have big boys and they were out of their Graco Snug Ride by 6 months. We moved them to the Britax Roundabouts, which we preferred because of their size and safety rating. True that they are only good up to 40 pounds, but both of my boys weight gain has slowed down (they're still in the 95%) and my 3-year old is only at 38 pounds. Once he reaches 40 lbs I will move him to a booster.

I loved my Britax turn-a-bout carseat. It faced rear for under 20 lbs. then turned for forward facing up to 40 lbs. It may go under a different name since products get updated. They're pricey but I really feel confident that it is a sturdy safe product,and my children looked so much more comfortable. My kids never lasted more than nine months in the carrier style carseats. My sixth month old is already on the highest strap setting in the same style Graco seat and it was the largest we found.

I would advise checking out the Britax, either Marathon or Boulevard. We have the Boulevard, which we started using at 8 months (We also have the Graco Snugride, but our son is tall). The Britaxes I mentioned are great quality, and highly rated, and LAST along time. My friend has a 4.5 year old who is the height of a 6 year old and she JUST moved her to a booster, so I would say that is some great life! I have a larger car, and a smaller compact, and the Boulevard fits in both (although tight in the compact of course). Check out Albeebaby.com to purchase. They rarely go on sale, usually only once a year in the fall at most retailers, but there are occassional clearances (we just bought a second on clearance because it's a pain to move from car to car). Albee usually doean't have sale codes, but they usually have no tax/no shipping, and I've always been extrememly pleased with their service and speed of delivery. One more tip that I got from a friend...head to Babies R Us and they will let you take seats out to your car and try them out in the car, put your kid in, etc... We did this, so we knew the seat would work for all our needs. We are very pleased with our choice.

Good luck!

My son is ten months old and he rides in a Cosco brand car seat and we are happy with it. You can purchase them at Walmart or Target.

Good luck on the search for the perfect car seat.

Get a Britax Marathon. It goes to 60 lbs and is one of the safest on the market. We had a evenflo triumph and now we have Britax Marathons for both our girls. The quality is sooo worth the price. You definately get what you pay for. On the internet you can find them on sale for as low as $209 with free shipping and no tax.

We have a Britax Marathon for the 2yo and a Britax Regent for our 90+% 4yo. (...so I know about big babies...hopefully you have a good baby carrier/sling/mei tai.) I don't think the Regent can be rear facing which you will need, but the weight limit was perfect for moving our large toddler to when his little sister moved to the rear facing Marathon. We have a Graco for the other car and like it. We also have an Alpha Omega convertible that converts to a booster so it fits to 100lb. Hate the Alpha Omega which we purchased without reading reviews. The straps always twist and it's very frustrating. I really didn't want to spend the money on the Britax, but I'm a convert now. It's so easy and long lasting!
You can look for a good price online and call baby stores to see if anyone will price match. Good luck.

This was my dilemma last June. :) I combed the internet for advice and ended up buying a Britax Marathon for our main car and a Fisher Price Safe Voyage for our 2nd car. Britax actually makes the same frame that's in the FP Safe Voyage, so structurally, it's the same, but the weight limit is 55lbs (versus 65 lbs for the Marathon). I got mine from albeebaby.com for $129.99 and I must say I was pleasantly suprised with how good it looks:

http://www.albeebaby.com/fiprsavodeco1.html

T.B.
We have a Britax Decathlon which we love! It is good for infants and toddlers up to 60 lbs. It can be faced backwards for infants and then forward for bigger kids. I am planning on using it until our son is at least 4 years old. It is a little pricy but you can't put a price on safety!! I got it online at www.albeebaby.com and it was on sale for around $239.99. The Britax Marathon is great also. Stay away from the Roundabout because it only holds up to 40 lbs.
I hope this helps.
T.

My son was the same way. I did a lot of research and found the Britax Boulevard. It has a weight limit of 65lbs which is the most for all car seats. We bought ours at tinyride.com (no sales tax and free shipping). You can also buy them at Babies R Us. They are ~299.99 and worth every penny. They are easy to install and one can move from car to car however it takes a lot longer than the Graco. So after awhile we ended up buying another one. We love it and it is the only car seat suitable for airplane seats, and has a 5 star rating (the highest in the industry). There are other great Britax models but this is the only one with a high weight limit.

Hope it helps!
MAH

I would recommend the Britax Marathon. My daughter has been in it since she was 4 months old and at 4 1/2 years old she is just growing out of it (and only because she's too tall. The weight maximum is 60 pounds. It's a wonderfully reliable and safe seat. I would highly recommend it!

I've had a Graco car seat, Britax and Ricaro. My favorite is the Britax (the straps never twist!) and the Ricaro (love the head support). Graco seems a bit flimsy, but is ideal for a small car as the other two are rather large.

yes, we just bought a britax boulevard and you caan use it up until 65 lbs. We haven't used it yet but we have another britax and loved it.

I love my Alpha Omega Elite 3-in-1 seat!
It's a convert able so it should be the last seat you'll ever buy! Because your baby is still 8 mo old, he'll need to be rear facing still with this seat is equipped to be ... then at 12 mo you can turn it around and adjust it to be a forward facing, then later it can be a booster until he is completely out if a car seat! About $160 at Target, it's a good buy!
Hope this helped!

Like you, I have kids who are almost off-the-charts in regards to weight and height. My 2 1/2 year old is the size of a 4-year-old and my 6 month old is already 23 lbs. She's been out of her infant car seat for 2 months now. We bought a Britax Marathon for our first born and it's been very successful. It's easy to install, easy to strap them in, and our oldest is still comfortable in it, despite his size. Because it's worked so well for us, we bought another one for the younger baby. Yeah, it's expensive but definitely worth it. We have a cheaper Graco convertible carseat for our other car but you can tell that it's of lesser quality and is simply not as comfortable as the Britax model.

My recommendation is to check out the books BabyBargains and/or Toddler Bargains. They do all the research for you, then narrow their top picks down by price, ease of use, etc. BabyBargains was an incredible help to me when I bought my daughter's car seats, strollers, high chair, crib, etc etc etc.
(We have a Britax Roundabout and are very pleased with it. Also: Comes with a denim cover option, rather than just those super deluxe, ultra thick velour ones, which must be hot in the summer.)
Also: We had it installed by the local police dept. He strongly recommended not having your child wear a heavy/poofy coat in the seat, but rather a sweater or a light jacket, and to use blankets instead. The poofiness of a big coat compromises the effectiveness of the safety straps. Good advice for comfort, too: Our daughter is happier with blankets than with a bulky coat. If/when she kicks them off, the car is usually warm enough anyway.
Hope this helps.

Britax is one of the safest and very easy to use, wash, etc.. I highly recommend the marathon which you can use up until 65 lbs with the harness (unlike other carseats) The roundabout only goes to 40 lbs which approaches fast. We've had many many craseats before getting the Britax (it's expensive) but I wish I had gone striaght for it b/c none of the others are in comparison. Good Luck

I did a lot of research when I purchased mine for our son last winter. The Britex has the highest crash ratings and is a great fit. Easy to adjust with your child in it and extrmely safe.

I love my Britax Marathon seat. seats up to 65#. it is a large seat but my daughter who is 2.5 loves it and seems comfortable all the time. it is also THE SEAT approved by the california chp and fire stations. i got mine at right start in walnut creek

I moved my daughter to a Britax Marathon when she was 8 months old and we love it so much that we bought another one for the next baby we're expecting.

Two thumbs up for the Britax car seat- it is the BEST!

Britax all the way. I cannot recommend it enough.

FYI: children should NOT wear jackets while in carseats. http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseats/a/carseatcoat.htm