Convertible Car Seat Conversion
Erin Burt
Are you using an infant car seat and wondering if it’s almost time to move up to the convertible seat? Or are you stressed knowing that it’s happening in when it’s still cold outside?
You’ve come to the right post! Your infant car seat has specific height and weight requirements, so make sure you keep those in mind when your little one goes to their well child checks so you can keep your child’s updated height and weight in mind when deciding to shop for your convertible car seat or install it.
You also want to watch your child’s height in the seat as well. To be safe, your baby needs at least one inch of space between the top of their head and the top of the car seat. If your seat is getting close to any of these limits, you probably want to take a few moments to shop for a convertible seat.
My girl outgrew her infant seat very early. I found myself wrestling car seats on a brisk January day, while my 5-month-old napped inside. She’s got a long torso, and that one inch above her head was about to become a problem. Bad weather was expected soon, so I decided to just make the change while the weather was ok.
I live in one of those Midwestern areas where we have hot, humid summers and pretty cold winters, we have snow and ice, but usually not enough to keep the kids out of school for more than a couple of days at a time. Thanks to my girl’s long torso, I realized I was going to have to figure out how to navigate winter with a little one and no infant car seat.
I realized it was usually easier to keep the back seat empty next to the car seat so I could sit back there and buckle her in, especially when there was precipitation. I would often take her into the store and then shed our coats and blankets and put her in my tula once we got settled in the store.
It was a bit of a transition and I sometimes missed the ease of the infant seat, but it wasn’t an awful experience. And I’m thankful I did it before I’d gotten too attached to the infant seat, especially during winter.
Jenny Ditch is a mom in Illinois with one girl who dreams of moving somewhere warm!
