The Car Seat Debacle of 2011

When Drew was first born I researched the variety of car seats available for an infant and settled on a Graco. It was quite practical; universal with most strollers, had lovely attachments to fit into different bases for different cars and allowed the child to be carried while sleeping without being moved.

I discussed with other mothers the value of switching him to another style seat as he grew and most mothers told me to keep him in the carrier until he was too big because the carrier was the best. Well that happened fast and we were scurrying for the next car seat available.

I realize what I’m about to say isn’t the best or the brightest and judge me if you’d like but I’m being honest. We chose the Britax Marathon convertible because it seemed like the best brand. Not really the best brand like it’s quality and safety were superior (which they are), but because that’s what all the cool kids claimed was the best. There seemed to be plenty of other convertible car seats that were just as good and just as accredited for their quality and safety. So yeah, we did it…we succumbed to image. Not the first time, probably won’t be the last…

I will say a disclaimer, both sets of grandparents have different, supposedly equally as good other brand convertible car seats and both have strap issues and Drew complains about comfort. None of those are problems with our super duper cool Britax (and we have two).

Now we have Gabby who slid right into the Graco carrier car seat very nicely. It has done her well. And even at 13 1/2 months old she is still hanging around in it. It has gotten impossibly heavy but I still can’t get over the ease of her falling asleep and taking out the car seat despite the fact that I get a hernia each time I carry it. It’s time for her advancement into her next car seat. Even Drew repeats, “we gotta switch Gabby’s seat,” from us saying it so many times. We just keep procrastinating.

I refer back to the ease of dealing with a sleepy kid, but the overwhelming reason we haven’t switched is that we hate to have her in the convertible backwards. I realize that it’s recommended and more safe but it seems less secure and so uncomfortable. And when I was her age, I probably was riding in the front seat unbuckled with my parent smoking next to me (or at least that story was my mom’s).

And then what’s the deal with Drew? Does he have to be in that convertible car seat until he’s 15 or 375 pounds? Is it better he stay in the convertible for as long as possible or are we nearing booster seat time? Why does it have to be so complicated?