car seat weight requirements

Can you help me with a car seat predicament pretty please ?

Here’s the problem, I have two kids, both need to be in car seats. My oldest is almost 2 and weighs 30 lbs. and my youngest is one and weighs 20 lbs. Right now my youngest needs to transition to a bigger car seat so I think I’ll just move her into the one my older daughter is using right now. But then that leaves me with no car seat for my older one. I’m going to go shopping for one tomorrow, but I don’t know what to get. I want it to be cost effective, I don’t want to have to keep buying new ones every time she exceeds the weight requirement. But the problem is, most of the car seats that are designed for her weight say for children three and up, but she’s only two. Should I put her in one of those seats anyways even though she’s younger? Basically my question is, what is a good, inexpensive car seat for a 30 lb. two year old that I could use for years?

Usually the car seat is outgrown by weight and length, the age really shouldn’t be a problem. I wonder why it says “3 and up”? Are they just booster seats? Booster seats aren’t really made for younger kids, but that’s mostly the law that says that.

Also, the 3-in-1 car seats that separate into different things aren’t worth it. A good convertible car seat will cover the weight limits (and then some) and by the time they’re ready for a booster seat, booster seats can run very cheap (like $20) to expensive. Also they’re working on standardizing requirements for booster seats, so I expect them to be better in a year.

I’d look at a good convertible. For instance, the Graco-My-Ride goes backwards to 40lbs, forward facing to 65lbs. That covers most little girls until 7 years old (your daughter, judging from growth charts, is about at 80%. 65lbs hits the 90% line at about 7, so it should last her until she’s 7 years old or is too tall for it. At which point you should be able to find a cheaper booster to last her until she’s 80-100lbs.) The My-Ride runs for about $150, which to me is an affordable investment since you’d be using it for the next 5 years at least (car seats expire after 5 years or so, so you’d be getting every year of use out of it), it’s side-impact tested, and, most importantly… my daughter (2) recommends it because of the nifty cup holders, the way the straps rarely get tangled (she HATES that) and the fact that it has a little pillow.

Other convertibles start to get a bit more expensive, like the Britax, and I’m not sure it’s any safer really than the My-Ride at this time.

Add: Link 5 is a link to USA laws about when you can move a child from a car seat to a booster seat, just in case you’re curious. Right now, you’d need a car seat, not a booster for a while (they recommend 40lbs AND 4 years old before putting them in a booster seat.) So keep that in mind.

Link 6 is a list of the seats you should avoid, or keep in mind, when looking at a booster. Note, the Nautilus (that two folks have recommended) was rated as being alright in some cars, not alright in others. You would need to make sure the seat belt fitted correctly, or it would be a dangerous seat to use. To me, that’s not something I want to mess with if I get a new car, rent a car, go somewhere with a family member, etc. It’s not going to work in every car? I’ll get one that does.

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