Do you always make sure that your baby is safe when you are travelling? Have you installed an infant baby seat in your vehicle? Infant car seats are an excellent way for parents to ensure their babies are always safe when travelling long and short distances. Unfortunately, your baby cannot use an infant car seat during all their young age. Instead, as your baby grows, they will need a new car seat so their safety and comfort are not compromised. As a parent or caregiver who values your infant’s safety, it is very crucial for you to make sure that you know when you should upgrade their car seat so that you can continue guaranteeing your baby’s safety during transportation. This requires you to see several signs telling you when your baby has outgrown their car seat.
4 Signs Your Baby Has Already Outgrown Their Infant Car Seat
Every parent and caregiver should be watchful of the following signs since they scream that your baby has outgrown their infant car seat;
- Your baby exceeds the weight limit
As your baby grows, their weight does not remain constant. Instead, it increases daily, so your baby will become heavier with time. Unfortunately, infant car seats are designed to carry a certain maximum weight they should never exceed. Though this depends on the model of the infant car seat you own, if you realise that your child’s weight exceeds the weight on your car seat’s manual, it is a sign that your child has already outgrown their car seat. If you fail to upgrade your car seat, you will be compromising on your child’s safety. Thus, you should ensure that you regularly weigh your infant to be sure of their weight at all times.
- The height limit exceeds the maximum height limit
This is another sign you should be watchful for if you want to know if your child has already outgrown their infant car seat. Like the weight limit, infant car seats have a maximum height limit that they should never exceed to keep the infant safe during transportation. Due to this reason, if you realise that when you check your infant’s head position on the car seat, you acknowledge that they have reached the limit, it is a sign that they have already outgrown their car seat. This also means your child needs a larger car seat to protect their head and neck in case of a car crash.
- The car seat is tight and uncomfortable
Your infant’s body proportions are among the things that will change as your infant grows. Thus, if you realise the infant car seat has become tight or uncomfortable for your child, they have outgrown it. This can be evident when you realise that fastening the harness straps is difficult even when you adjust them, your baby’s legal bend or cramp against the infant car seat, or your baby is always uncomfortable when travelling even when you secure them correctly on the car seat. If these signs are evident, your baby needs a larger car seat.
- Your baby’s shoulders are above the harness slots
The harness slots of your infant car seat should always align with your baby’s shoulders when facing the rear side or slightly below the shoulders. However, if your baby has outgrown its car seat, you will realise its shoulders are above the harness slot. This means that your child has already outgrown their infant car seat.
When you are careful, you can never miss any of the above signs. This way, you can never compromise the safety and comfort of your child. Additionally, when you see all these signs, make sure that you upgrade your quality infant car seat to ensure that your baby is protected and safe during transportation.