Parents are very concerned about the infant car seat height limit to ensure their baby is safe while on a journey.
There is a lot of range in baby car seats according to the varied height and weight of the children between the ages of newborn-to-12 years old.
The variety may confuse you a bit about what kind of car seat you should buy. Therefore, we here compile the types of car seats height-vise.
Table of Contents
Infant Car Seat Height Limit – Phases and Types of Car Seats
Every child develops and grows differently. Children of the same age may have different heights (also vary with the gender i.e. girls grow earlier and have more height than boys of the same age).
Therefore, knowing the infant car seat height limit that is according to your child’s height is important to provide them comfort in it.
There are 4 types of car seats by age, starting from birth to the age when they have grown enough to use an adult seat belt. The four types of car seats with phases in years are tabled below:
- Infant car seat
- Convertible car seat
- Five-Point Harness to Booster combined
- Booster car seat/Seat Belt
- All-in-One car seat
We will describe each car seat according to its height requirements below.
Sr. No.
Car Seat Type
Height Limit (Inches)
Phase (Years)
1.
Infant Car Seat
32
0-2+
2.
Convertible Car Seat
49
0-7+
3.
Five-Point Harness to Booster combined
63
4-12+
4.
Booster Car Seat /Seat Belt
62
8-12+
5.
All-in-One Car Seat
20-63
0-10+
Phase-1: Infant Car Seat Height Limit
The infant car seat height limit is very specific and lies between 20-35 lbs. for most of the best car seat brands. These are designed to carry the child who is fragile, developing, and unable to hold their head independently.
Thus have a lot of infant-friendly features built-in it to ensure that your baby is safe while on a ride.
Therefore, the baby car seats are selected keeping in view the minimum and maximum possible height of the children during the infancy-to-toddler phase.
An infant car seat can have:
Height limit: 20-32 inches
Weight limit: 30-35 lbs.
Age limit: 0-2+ years
Infant car seats are also:
Portable: it means that it is convenient to carry the car seat while switching from vehicle to travel system.
Rear-facing only or Convertible: this means that these car seats can be rear-facing only or if convertible they can be used rear-facing and forward-facing i.e. it will be enough for your child throughout the years of car seats.
Phase-2: Convertible Car Seat Height Limit
What is a convertible car seat? As the name indicates, convertible car seats are both, rear and front-facing. You can use it for rear-facing for your infant and forward-facing when they have grown to 2+ years.
Related: when can baby face forward in car seat 2022
Convertible car seats:
Height limit: 20-49 inches
Weight limit: 7-65 lbs.
Age limit: birth-7+ years
Convertible car seats are also:
5-point-Harness and tether system: to make sure that your child is safe.
Concave Structure: the convertible car seat’s framework is designed to in concave-shaped to offer excellent impact protection and additional support to the child’s head.
Phase-3: Combination Five-Point Harness to Booster Car Seat Height Limit
When your child outgrows the height limit of a convertible car seat, the next seat you will move to will be a Combination Five-Point Harness to Booster car seat.
It provides more protection with its 5-point harness system than a single seat belt. It has:
Height limit: 49-63 inches
Weight limit: 60-120 lbs.
Age limit: 8-12+ years
This car seat can be converted into:
Belt-Positioning Booster: position your child up to use the vehicle seat belt.
Harness system: the buckling system is secured and made a bit tricky so that the child would not be able to unclip it by themselves.
Phase-4: Booster Car Seat /Seat Belt Height Limit
The high-back booster and then backless booster with or without a seat belt seat will be the last car seat that your child will use.
It must be used with a vehicle seat belt and is forward-facing only. The minimum and maximum height, weight, and age limits for these car seat are:
Height limit: 49-62 inches
Weight limit: 60-120 lbs.
Age limit: 8-12+ years
Types of car seats in phase 4 may be:
- High back booster seat
- Backless booster seat
- Combination car seat
- All-in-one car seat
- Integrated booster seat
Best Baby Car Seat All In One
Once purchased, the all-in-one car seat is going to carry and protect your child throughout their car seat age i.e. from birth to12+ years of age.
It is the favorite of the parents among car seats for its manageable infant car seat height limit, flexibility, structure, and safety features. For all-in-one car seats:
Height limit: 20-63 inches
Weight limit: 05-120 lbs.
Age limit: 0-10+ years
All-in-one car seat is:
Detachable: this means that you cannot take out the car seat to fit it into the stroller or move it into another car.
Related: When to put baby in stroller without car seat
5 Best Baby Car Seat All In One:
- Britax One-4-Life
- Maxi-Cosi Magellan XP
- Chicco Fit4
- Diono Radian 3RXT
- Graco 4Ever DLX
Car Seat Safety for Newborns – Accurate Positioning Tips
Even after selecting the best car seat brand, 50% of the baby’s safety assurance relies upon how you going to use that.
We are going to tell you some very basic things that can save your baby from any car seat-related risk.
- Adjust car seat handle to avoid flopping over baby’s head
- Remove bulky clothes before strapping in
- Chest clip of the harness should be leveled with the armpits and must be in the center of their chest
- Make sure that harness straps are tight enough (check by pinching twice)
- Baby’s head should be 1 inch below the top of the car seat
Wrapping Up
Having knowledge about the infant car seat height limit will help you to invest in the best. If you are traveling frequently, then all-in-one and convertible car seats will be money-saving for you as these will carry your child for 10+ years.
It is recommended to select a car seat that best suits your child’s height, weight, and age and keep them in the car seat as long as possible for their safety and convenience.
FAQs
What is the best car seat for 40 pound child?
The best car seat for 35 lbs. and up children are Graco TurboBooster Backless, Graco Affix (with back or backless), Evenflo Big Kid High Back, and Britax Skyline.
What is the infant car seat weight limit?
The minimum and maximum infant car seat weight limit lies between 5-35 lbs.
What is the Uppababy mesa max height?
Uppababy mesa max is a rear-facing only car seat and has a height and weight-carrying capacity of 32ʺ and 35 lbs.
What are the characteristics of Infant car seat vs toddler car seat?
An infant car seat is rear only or rear-convertible, carries a child of age 0-2, the weight of 20-35 lbs. and height of 20-32ʺ while a toddler car seat is forward only or forward-convertible, carries a child of age 2-8, the weight of 35-65 lbs. and height of 32-49ʺ.
Where to find a car seat 17 inches wide?
The top 5 narrowest convertible car seats are Clerk Liing, Nuna Pipa, Chicco Fit2, Graco Snugride Snuglock, and Cybex Aton2.
What are the 5 best portable car seats for 2 year olds?
The best portable car seats for 2 years old are: Cosco Scenera
Next DLX, Baby Trend Trooper, Cosco Mighty Fit 65, Evenflo Sonus 65, and Graco Contender 65.
When to switch to high back booster?
When your child is 8+ years old and has a weight and height of 65+ lbs. and 49ʺ respectively, is the time to switch to a high-back booster car seat.
What is the weight limit for forward facing car seat?
Forward-facing car seats have varied weight capacity depending upon the model, however, the weight-carrying range lies between 20-80 lbs. or 10-36 kg.
Best car seat for 6 year old?
A 6-year-old child is mature enough to ride in a high booster car seat and also in a backless booster car seat. You can use a 5-point harness for further safety in case they like to sleep in car seats.
