Car seat question infant to convertible

pennylane2241982 · December 2010

So My DD is now wearing a heavy winter coat and I can barely fit her into her infant car seat! It took me 15 min to get her in this morning... I raised the straps to the highest setting but her puffy jacket is not fitting in it with her... I dont know her weight right now but a month ago she was 19 lbs ...

When did you switch your LO into a britax or other convertible car seat? How much did they weigh? IS it to her benefit to stay in the infant carrier longer?

She is in the graco snug ride 32 or 35...

IrishBrideND · December 2010

you aren't supposed to put them in any car seat with a heavy winter coat.

But we switched her at 5 months. She was ready.

pennylane2241982 · December 2010

Ok I am assuming I sound really dumb then... Im sorry first time MOM here... Why cant I put her in a car seat with a winter coat? What do people do take the baby out of the house in the coat then take it off ?

PrincessShay80 · December 2010

I switched DD to her Britax when she was 9 months old- still rear facing- but she was so happy to be out of the infant seat.

Also, don't put them in the car seat (infant or convertible) in a big puffy jacket- it's not as safe, because you cannot tighten the straps enough. The only acceptable jacket in a car seat is a thin fleece. Take the jacket off, buckle them in and then put the jacket over them or use a blanket. Once you take them out of the car seat then you can put the puffy jacket on.

pennylane2241982 · December 2010

thanks I just did some research on this and saw why... I feel like a big jerk that I didnt know this... Noone has ever told me this....

I will be just putting a fleece or something on her in the car from now on...

Thanks all... I feel a little sick I didnt know about this!

IrishBrideND · December 2010

Its not safe because the straps don't fit properly. It says it in the instruction booklet.

I wrap DD in a warm blanket and then take it off to put her in (and thenput it over her after I strap her in). Then I wrap her back up when I take her out of the car.

MammaBear81 · December 2010

We all learn from each other, that's why we are here! you aren't dumb, or a jerk, we've all learn something new from time to time!

MammaBear81 · December 2010

We all learn from each other, that's why we are here! you aren't dumb, or a jerk, we've all learned something new from time to time!

IrishBrideND · December 2010

dont stress! No harm done

Brandy&Keith · December 2010

Just and FYI...You shouldn't put your LO in the car seat with her winter jacket on. It is safer for you to put LO in the car seat without the jacket and cover her up with a blanket.

My DD has been in her convertible for about a month now. At the time she was about 15 lbs...I think. Her convertible car seat is safe for weights ranging from 5 - 60 lbs. The only reason I changed her to the convertible so early was because her feet were hanging over the side of the infant carrier and I didn't feel that was a safe way for her to be traveling in the car.

Summer20 · December 2010

pennylane2241982:
thanks I just did some research on this and saw why... I feel like a big jerk that I didnt know this... Noone has ever told me this....
I will be just putting a fleece or something on her in the car from now on...

Thanks all... I feel a little sick I didnt know about this!

Don't feel too bad, at least nothing happened and now you know!

Also, I wanted to add that the infant seats go by height and weight. So, for example, we have the Chicco Keyfit 30 and that means 30 lbs OR 30 inches - whichever the baby gets to first. DD is only about 20 lbs, but she's almost 30" so we switched her over to the Britax Boulevard, rear-facing.

Bianca42 · December 2010

You're not a jerk, don't be so hard on yourself. There are things I learn all the time on here that make me a better parent.

You said that you moved the straps to the highest slot. I just wanted to mention that when they are rear-facing, the straps should be below the top of her shoulder blades.

memali26 · December 2010

We got around the no coat thing by buying one that is a 4-in-1 jacket and putting just the thin, inner layer on her in the car seat. It's as thin as a fleece and doesn't interfere with her straps. We got ours at Target. Also, DD is 17.5 lbs and still in her Snugride 32. I figure as long as she fits the height and weight limits and seems comfortable we'll keep her in there.

KBLT · December 2010

I learned something from this post too! We also have the Chicco Keyfit 30 and I didn't realize that it meant 30 lbs OR 30 inches. DD was 29 inches at her 9 month check up so it looks like its time to switch her to a convertible car seat. Thanks ladies!

naflmj · December 2010

You are supposed to take the jacket off to put them in a car seat. I ended up getting DS a 2 part jacket so I can take the shell off and just leave him in the thinner fleece...such a pain but it has to do with getting the straps tight enough to be safe.

To answer your question, we moved DS one he could sit up on his own...he hated the infant seat and I was getting sick of lugging it. He was only about 12lbs, I think it was at about 7 months.

naflmj · December 2010

pennylane2241982:

thanks I just did some research on this and saw why... I feel like a big jerk that I didnt know this... Noone has ever told me this....

I will be just putting a fleece or something on her in the car from now on...

Thanks all... I feel a little sick I didnt know about this!

I didn't know until a friend of mine told me when DS was born...you didn't know, it's not like you were doing anything intentionally and she is fine so no harm done!

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