Infant seat vs convertible seat My mom has offered to get us a car seat for our son (due in November) and told me to pick one out. However, she seems adamant to get a convertible seat that goes from rear facing to forward facing. I would like an infant seat that we can remove and carry our son inside without waking him if he falls asleep while we are driving. I am also concerned about safety with the rear facing convertible seat as many of the reviews I have seen complain about the tilt when they are in the car and baby's head leaning forward too much. When I read the reviews on here for the Britax Marathon 70 (which is the one my mom wants to buy) it seems everyone who has given a review didn't start using it until their child was 6+ months. Would appreciate any feedback on if this is a good choice for 0-6 months or not. Thank you. Infant seat vs convertible seat My mom has offered to get us a car seat for our son (due in November) and told me to pick one out. However, she seems adamant to get a convertible seat that goes... » Read More Infant seat vs convertible seat My mom has offered to get us a car seat for our son (due in November) and told me to pick one out. However, she seems adamant to get a convertible seat that goes from rear facing to forward facing. I would like an infant seat that we can remove and carry our son inside without waking him if he falls asleep while we are driving. I am also concerned about safety with the rear facing convertible seat as many of the reviews I have seen complain about the tilt when they are in the car and baby's head leaning forward too much. When I read the reviews on here for the Britax Marathon 70 (which is the one my mom wants to buy) it seems everyone who has given a review didn't start using it until their child was 6+ months. Would appreciate any feedback on if this is a good choice for 0-6 months or not. Thank you. « Show Less
470021
I don't have this carseat yet, but I am going to buy one in the near future. As far as I know, the velcro is to keep seatbelts out of the way when you position your baby in the seat.
131031
I agree completely. I had the bulky travel system with my first child and decided to skip that and just get Britax straight away. We are getting a lightweight stroller for when baby gets bigger but I plan on mostly carrying them with me with the help of a moby. The infant carriers are overrated and unnecessary.
2228510
There is a built in attachment underneath the carseat that you can adjust for when your child is rear facing. It just flips up.But it is not like an infant carrier where you detach the base and can carry around the upper portion. This seat would be for non-infants.
259266
Yeah, a child of that age is not ready to forward face. I also wouldn't take the advice of BRU employees for carseat choices. If you need help finding a seat for your child car-seat.org is a great place to get recommendations from experts!
1213775
I used it with my daughter at 5 months. You're fine. It is only for use with an infant carrier though, not for use with a convertible car seat.
1399037
No. A 1 year old NEEDS to be in a rear facing convertible seat (it has a LOT more room than an infant seat) since its 500% safer on the head, neck and spine than a forward facing seat (which this Safety 1st Summit is- it ONLY forward faces).
833746
I am a car seat tech, and an ER RN. I have seen kids become quadriplegics due to forward facing at young ages. My almost 4 yr old and my 28 month old are still rear facing and will be until they are 45 lbs. It would be my expert opinion that your child will be up to 4 times safer if kept rear facing. As a parent, please consider their safety. It is easy to keep them rear facing if it's all they know. You can get a seat that will rear face up for 40 lbs and harness to 65 lbs. That would be my suggestion for you. The newest recommendations from the AAP is to keep kids rear facing until age 2 or they reach the weight limit of their convertible seat, whichever is LONGER. Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of PREVENTABLE deaths of kids in the US. And there has never been a documented case of leg injury from extended rear facing. Please don't think I am preaching, I just try to do what I can to keep kids safe! Any questions, feel free to ask.
1522769
No infant carseat reclines.It has a stable base that when in rear facing, there is a gauge on the side showing in proper position.Just strap it down, pull it tight, and you are good to go.Best thing about this model is that not only is it rear facing, but when child reaches height/weightrange - it then can be switched to front facing. Very good carseat - no complaints from us - and infactbought a 2nd one for Grandparents to use in their car.
1354869
with one seat in the rear facing forward you can fold it with carseat adaptor in front. Also it folds with the adaptor in the back and no seat in front. We always take the front seat off no matter what when loading option we use unless is the adaptor. If you get this stroller i recommend having the oldest child not get used to sitting in front because it is harder to push with the heavier weight in front. We are trying to get our oldest to sit in the rear seat now and its a challenge. if you need an option for a cup holder i also have one if you choose this and we love it.
1421070
Federal (CDC) guidelines recommend that babies remain in the rear-facing position until the age of two or until they reach the manufacturer's specified upper height/weight limit for a particular seat in the rear-facing position. BRITAX description of the Advocate G4 Convertible - The BRITAX ADVOCATE® convertible car seat accommodates children rear facing from 5 to 40 lbs (2,3 to18 kg) and forward facing from 20 to 65 lbs (91, up to 29,4 kg).
1761371
It is only a recommendation to keep your car seat rear facing for up to two years. It is not a law. My son is in the 95th percentile for height and weight and he's been forward facing in his car seat since he turned one. He will and does not fit rear facing. So, I am sure that your 16 month old can use this car seat forward facing.
2228853
Most recommend 12 months and up, and up to 40 lbs. My daughter was 18 months and 21 lbs when we started using one - so weight-wise your daughter will be fine but the hard part might be finding a helmet that fits. We had to adjust the smallest one we could find even smaller for her (average size - 50% percentile) head. The 12 month age recommendation is probably for head/neck control - much like a forward facing car seat the main concern is safety in the event of an accident. The "seat" itself is more like a hammock or sling - just a piece of fabric - so if the child can't sit up properly the seat won't work well. Most recommend 12 months and up, and up to 40 lbs. My daughter was 18 months and 21 lbs when we started using one - so weight-wise your daughter will be fine but the hard part might be finding a helmet that fits. We had to adjust the smallest one we could find even smaller for her (average size - 50% percentile) head. The 12 month age recommendation is probably for head/neck control - much like a forward facing car seat the main concern is safety in the event of an accident. The "seat" itself is more like a hammock or sling - just a piece of fabric - so if the child can't sit up... » Read More Most recommend 12 months and up, and up to 40 lbs. My daughter was 18 months and 21 lbs when we started using one - so weight-wise your daughter will be fine but the hard part might be finding a helmet that fits. We had to adjust the smallest one we could find even smaller for her (average size - 50% percentile) head. The 12 month age recommendation is probably for head/neck control - much like a forward facing car seat the main concern is safety in the event of an accident. The "seat" itself is more like a hammock or sling - just a piece of fabric - so if the child can't sit up properly the seat won't work well. « Show Less
236402
Short answer: I don't think soWe put our son in there at about 30 months and 35 pounds. Our chicco keyfit 30 car seat worked pretty well up until then, and I think the official recommendation is to keep your kids in a rear facing car seat until 2 years or close to 30 lbs. When our son got in this it still seemed a bit big since the seatbel strap was located too high so it would slide into his neck (not bad, but you could tell it wasn't quite right). We bought the maxi cosi priori seat as an "in between" seat as our baby was outgrowing the car seat but wasn't ready for this seat. Note that I do highly recommend the Kobuk seat Short answer: I don't think soWe put our son in there at about 30 months and 35 pounds. Our chicco keyfit 30 car seat worked pretty well up until then, and I think the official recommendation is to keep your kids in a rear facing car seat until 2 years or close to 30 lbs. When our son got in this it still seemed a bit big since the seatbel strap was located too high so it would slide into his neck (not bad, but you could tell it wasn't quite right). We bought the maxi cosi priori seat as an "in between" seat as our baby was outgrowing the car seat but wasn't... » Read More Short answer: I don't think soWe put our son in there at about 30 months and 35 pounds. Our chicco keyfit 30 car seat worked pretty well up until then, and I think the official recommendation is to keep your kids in a rear facing car seat until 2 years or close to 30 lbs. When our son got in this it still seemed a bit big since the seatbel strap was located too high so it would slide into his neck (not bad, but you could tell it wasn't quite right). We bought the maxi cosi priori seat as an "in between" seat as our baby was outgrowing the car seat but wasn't ready for this seat. Note that I do highly recommend the Kobuk seat « Show Less
1834578
For Safety 1st years the average is 6-8 years from the date of manufacture. I don't remember the window of time for this one specifically, but it will def get her through the years you would want a good carseat and solid booster! Most kids want the smaller less obvious boosters when they get close to reaching the age that they ALMOST don't need one anymore. And it can be used as five point harness seat for a LONG time. My son is almost 4 and still has LOTS of weight and height to go before he meets the recommended requirements for the booster option! I love the Alpha seats, all three of my kids have them :) For Safety 1st years the average is 6-8 years from the date of manufacture. I don't remember the window of time for this one specifically, but it will def get her through the years you would want a good carseat and solid booster! Most kids want the smaller less obvious boosters when they get close to reaching the age that they ALMOST don't need one anymore. And it can be used as five point harness seat for a LONG time. My son is almost 4 and still has LOTS of weight and height to go before he meets the recommended requirements for the booster option! I love the Alpha seats, all three of my... » Read More For Safety 1st years the average is 6-8 years from the date of manufacture. I don't remember the window of time for this one specifically, but it will def get her through the years you would want a good carseat and solid booster! Most kids want the smaller less obvious boosters when they get close to reaching the age that they ALMOST don't need one anymore. And it can be used as five point harness seat for a LONG time. My son is almost 4 and still has LOTS of weight and height to go before he meets the recommended requirements for the booster option! I love the Alpha seats, all three of my kids have them :) « Show Less
1805631
I have twin girls and my husband and I bought two chicco infant car seats that came with bases. The bases stayed in my car and he used the seat belt to secure them when in his car. I have since bought two foward facing seats for my car and the infant seats are still in his car with the base. We will have to buy forward facing soon for his car. So we have bought 4 so far and will need to buy 2 more. I suggest you buy two convertible seats, and let them buy 2 infant seats if they want them.
1084132
I have mine rear facing for my 13 month son. We mostly have it reclined but can not recline to all positions. I think it would sit up to all the positions but this is not necessary because his head would slump forward. He is reclined enough though. I can adjust it whenever I need and it is already belted into the seat. The annoying thing for us is tightening the dang straps!
986198
I started using this once she was over one year. I used a different Graco infant carrier from 0-1yr. The babies do sort of lie down/prop up in an infant carrier. Once transitioned to this carseat, she sits with her back fairly straight. It is not as straight as she will be once she's in a booster seat with no backing, but I wouldn't not consider this reclined like the infant carrier. She has never complained about this seat. She seems very comfortable and I feel safe with it.
1820519
No, a child should rearface until 2 but closer to 4 is the best. You are better off buying on convertible car seat that rear facing and then forward faces later.