Help... Carseat advice needed! - Updated

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stina829

Saved 3/04/08 to The Mommy Club

Help... Carseat advice needed! - Updated

Ok, yesterday my mom surprised me by buying my son the Britax Marathon Carseat. I've been talking about this seat for a month or so, saying that I was trying to save up and buy it for my son. I've read the reviews and it seems like it's a really great carseat. The manual says that it holds from like 5 lbs to 65 lbs. My son (4 months old) is almost 14 lbs and the straps on his infant carseat are getting really tight on him - to the point that it's hard to get his arms in and out of the straps, and I have it as loose as they can possibly get!

Does anyone have this carseat? And if so, how early did you put your child in it? I want to go ahead and start using it now, but it just looks sooo big and he's still kinda little and now I'm nervous about putting him in it.

Any suggestions from you would be great....

Thanks!

** Update** See my last comment, that's his infant car seat info...

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stina829 5 years 11 weeks

They are sending me some sort of coupon or something that I can take to the store and use to buy either a new seat or whatever I want to use since I've already purchased another seat. Sooooooooo..... They are trying to fix the mistake, kinda. And of course, they did offer for me to send the seat back to them and they would fix it. I just decided to take their coupon. It's Graco so if I don't decide to buy another seat (since I have the britax...) I can always find something else I'm sure I need that's made by them, lol But thank you thank you THANK YOU for all your help with this!!!! I wouldn't have even thought about going to the Graco site and seeing what they could do for me without you bringing it to my attention! :)

sofi 5 years 11 weeks

stina, did they offer to send a replacement part? I sent you a PM, but I would definitely have them do something for you- send you a new seat and THEN you'll return the old one. At the very least they should send a replacement part- how could something like that just break? :RANT: that kind of stuff really gets to me- good luck!!

stina829 5 years 11 weeks

Ok, I spoke w/Graco and the metal thingy in the back of the carseat is broken... Not broken to the point that I can't use the seat, but that's why it won't loosen up anymore......... I'm just going to use this seat until springtime and then I'm going to start using the Britax. Too much of a pain in the rear to send this seat all the way back to the manufacturer to get them to fix it and then get it back... What would I use in the meantime??? ARGH! Oh well, at least I know now that it was broken and it wasn't user error, lololol

sofi 5 years 11 weeks

ok, I had to do some research because it was bugging me. I googled the seat- and found this site: http://www.elitecarseats.com/Graco-Safe-Seat-Step-1.pro Look at the reviews and you notice that staff actually answer questions or concerns. Try writing a review or writing to someone at Graco or even this site. Good luck.

stina829 5 years 11 weeks

Ok, I took the whole carseat apart last night... And put it back together and there's still no give to it. I must either be crazy or not doing something right, LOL!!! His infant carseat came with the Graco Quattro Tour System... I think it's called a Graco SafeSeat... Here's the link to show you what I have... http://www.burlingtoncoatfactory.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Section_Id=9560&pcount=&pn=2&Product_Id=464697&sku1=k_s1_75954657&is_baby_depot=1 Any suggestions as to what I'm doing wrong? I'd like to at least keep him in the infant carseat until spring is here and it's not so cold outside. Once it's warmer and I don't need to bundle him up so much, I can transition to the Marathon. Thanks again for all your comments and help, I do appreciate it!

JennyJen 5 years 11 weeks

My daughter was a big girl (10 lbs 1 oz at birth) and always off the charts for height/weight - so I really think that there has to be something with the carrier straps because at 14 lbs - the baby should not be anywhere near busting out of it.

sofi 5 years 11 weeks

some car dealers also have trained people on site. Try this site for the national highway traffic safety admin: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ Lots of good information here.

bluesuze 5 years 11 weeks

We have a Britax, and I'm pretty sure it's the Marathon. It's huge. It's got those side thingies on the side of the head? Anyway, both of my sons are really tall for their age, they've always hovered around the 97% percentile for height. That said, both of them were out of the regular carrier carseat at around 5 or 6 months, and then we put them in the Britax. It's a great carseat, and has gotten wonderful reviews. And yeah, it will be a pain when he falls asleep and you can't carry him in the carrier, but if he's getting too big for his carseat, he will be uncomfortable. I'd say just double check the manual, then definatley get the car seat checked (you have to bring your son with you) to the fairgrounds. The police that do it are specially trained to make sure the seat is safe. If you can't make the car seat check this weekend, call your local police station and ask when they do it. I actually called our local PD, and the "car seat" policeman actually came to my house and checked it in my driveway!

MotoLinz 5 years 11 weeks

True - Jackson was in his carrier to 12 months, and he was nearly 30 lbs. and gigantic. And, we did have to move the straps on his carrier a few times. Stina - brand/model carrier is it, and maybe we can help you out a bit more?

JennyJen 5 years 11 weeks

My daughter stayed in her carrier until she was 12 months old and she weighed about 24 lbs at that point so I would be really surprised if the carrier couldn't hold a 14 lb baby. Did you look at the back of the carrier - you sometimes need to remove the straps and re-loop them through the seat - just a thought - 4 months seems really young to not fit in the carrier.

MotoLinz 5 years 11 weeks

We have this seat, and we moved the big fella into it at a year old. It is a great seat, but it is big. Your current carseat/carrier definitely doesn't sound like it's working right. Fourteen lbs. is little in the scheme of things, and it should hold him to at least 25, I think. The carrier feature is definitely nice while they're small. If you do have to move him now, the Marathon does have a tilt feature which will allow you to recline him like he's supposed to be - and, of course, he should be rear-facing. :)

stina829 5 years 11 weeks

Thanks! There's a police car seat check going on at our fairgrounds this weekend... I'm thinking of taking the infant seat by there to see if I'm doing something wrong, those straps just won't loosen up for me anymore! It isn't thick clothing, I don't like to dress him in really heavy clothes, I just cover him up with a few blankets after strapping him in. And that's another thing I was thinking about - that I won't be able to use it as a carrier. Which is going to be a big pain! Ok, I'm definitely gonna take it to the police car seat check. Anyways......Thanks for your advice!!!!

sofi 5 years 11 weeks

I don't have this specific carseat, but I had to switch both my children early on as well to a convertible seat. Yes, they are huge but it is totally ok to put them in this. They must face backwards of course and usually there is a special tilting device so they aren't as upright when placed backwards. I used to roll up a thick towel and place it under the front of the seat to tilt it a bit so their heads wouldn't flop forward as easily. Also, roll some receiving blankets on the side of his head so it doesn't move around too much- that is usually the biggest complaint. Like I said, I am not completely familiar with this model, but I know it is good and very comparable to the one I used (Graco Comfortsport). My only concern is that your child is only 4 months and probably still falls asleep in his seat a lot. You will not be able to use this seat as a carrier which will interrupt his sleep often. I kept mine in there until 7-8 months and this was because they were very long. 4 months seems extremely early. Are you sure it isn't just the thick clothing? Once it is warmer and using less layers, don't you think he would still fit? ASk someone to look at your infant seat (babies r us) because it is odd your child still doesn't fit. Good luck!