# Is there any reason a toddler can't stay in a bucket...



## thefreckledmama (Jun 1, 2007)

As long as they are still within the approved limits of the seat?

I'm just curious, and I haven't been able to find anything online.


----------



## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

As long as the child is under the weight limit and has 1" or more of shell above the top of the head, it's fine -- but many older babies/toddlers prefer convertibles.


----------



## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

I'm pretty sure my neice (and maybe nephew, too) stayed in their safeseat 'bucket' until about their 2nd birthday. If they fit - there's no reason you have to switch them (unless of course, it's a comfort/preference). I wouldn't try hauling them around in it outside of the car, though


----------



## changingseasons (Mar 24, 2008)

I just moved my DD from a bucket to a convertible last week- she's 26+ mo. (she's pretty small.)


----------



## SeekingSerenity (Aug 6, 2006)

My 17-month old is still in his bucket. He is about to reach the weight limit, though, so I need to get him a larger seat. I'd keep him in it longer, but I worry about the weight thing. The seat is designed for up to 22 pounds, so the sticker on the side says, and Lil'Man weighs 21 pounds right now.


----------



## RiverSky (Jun 26, 2005)

Height is another reason to grow out of a bucket, not weight only, though.


----------



## Maedze (Dec 16, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SeekingSerenity* 
My 17-month old is still in his bucket. He is about to reach the weight limit, though, so I need to get him a larger seat. I'd keep him in it longer, but I worry about the weight thing. The seat is designed for up to 22 pounds, so the sticker on the side says, and Lil'Man weighs 21 pounds right now.

It's pretty rare for a 17 month old to fit in a 22 lb bucket. Where is the top of his head in relation to the top of the shell?


----------



## butterfly_mommy (Oct 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *RiverSky* 
Height is another reason to grow out of a bucket, not weight only, though.

Yeah DS outgrew his bucket at 4 mons in height. He was just over 27" at 5 mons and has a long torso.


----------



## thefreckledmama (Jun 1, 2007)

My 22 month old is tiny. She barely weighs 23 lbs fully clothed in a wet diaper. Our bucket goes up to 30lbs. and she has a few inches above her head of shell.

I didn't think there was an issue as long as they still fell within in size limits for the seat. My husband is actually able to still carry her around in it, but he's huge-I couldn't begin to. The toddler seat we have for her is FF only, and especially with her being as tiny as she is, I haven't used it, as I wanted to leave her RF as long as we possibly can. We're getting a TrueFit for her and the new baby when we get our new van.


----------



## Katie T (Nov 8, 2008)

My 17m still fits in her bucket by height & weight but she is in a convertable cause im not a huge bucket fan, shes tiny!


----------



## Jackies Ladybug (Jun 19, 2008)

the only reason i switched my DD at 6 months was due to her comfort. she would literally cry until she threw up when in the bucket. when i installed and put her in the britax even though it was basically in the same position she became a completely new baby and even slept in it the first trip around the block.
most of the buckets have almost no padding, the graco we had was basically like sitting on a hard piece of plastic as well as it vibrated quite a bit in the base making her extremely irritable. i thought she was just car sick but turns out the seat was just total crap.
i am going to be getting a new britax for our new baby coming in april and will skip the bucket all together, especially since i cant even benefit from the carrying feature due to back injuries.
if your babe is comfortable and within the measurements though, i see no reason to switch.


----------



## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jackies Ladybug* 
the only reason i switched my DD at 6 months was due to her comfort. she would literally cry until she threw up when in the bucket. when i installed and put her in the britax even though it was basically in the same position she became a completely new baby and even slept in it the first trip around the block.
most of the buckets have almost no padding, the graco we had was basically like sitting on a hard piece of plastic as well as it vibrated quite a bit in the base making her extremely irritable. i thought she was just car sick but turns out the seat was just total crap.
*i am going to be getting a new britax for our new baby coming in april and will skip the bucket all together, especially since i cant even benefit from the carrying feature due to back injuries.*
if your babe is comfortable and within the measurements though, i see no reason to switch.

Keep in mind that Britax convertibles are not appropriate for newborns since they have ridiculously high bottom slots.







There are, however, several other convertibles that fit newborns well, including the Graco MyRide, First Years True Fit, and the Radians.


----------



## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Drummer's Wife* 
(unless of course, it's a comfort/preference). I wouldn't try hauling them around in it outside of the car, though

















My thought on reading the thread title was "comfort, plus you might be tempted to haul them around in the bucket when they fell asleep and *ouch*"


----------



## Jackies Ladybug (Jun 19, 2008)

thanks for that an_aurora, i didnt know that. the britax i have has the knob adjustment (boulevard cs) but i will check to see how low it goes.
i have home births and a doc that does house calls though so baby shouldnt even need a seat until at least 1 month old. i didnt put DD in a seat until 2 months. never needed the car until then, but could be different this time so i will definitely make sure we have a seat that fits properly.


----------



## Maedze (Dec 16, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jackies Ladybug* 
thanks for that an_aurora, i didnt know that. the britax i have has the knob adjustment (boulevard cs) but i will check to see how low it goes.
i have home births and a doc that does house calls though so baby shouldnt even need a seat until at least 1 month old. i didnt put DD in a seat until 2 months. never needed the car until then, but could be different this time so i will definitely make sure we have a seat that fits properly.


The adjustment does not go low enough, not even close. It is NOT an appropriate seat for a newborn. Most babies do not fit in that seat until somewhere between 4 and 8 months.

If you aren't frequent car users (public transportation available I take it?) can you borrow a safe, non-expired, non-recalled, non-crashed baby bucket from a trusted friend or relative, for emergency situations?


----------



## SeekingSerenity (Aug 6, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Maedze* 
It's pretty rare for a 17 month old to fit in a 22 lb bucket. Where is the top of his head in relation to the top of the shell?

He still has a bit of room. I haven't measured but I'd say his head is about an inch below the top, maybe a little less, but he's not over the top of the shell yet. His feet are a different story, they are completely out of the bottom.


----------



## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

A rear-facing seat is outgrown by height when there is an inch or less of solid shell (not poofy cover) above the child's head. This is really important: in a crash, the seat rotates downward and child "ramps up" the back of the seat and if there is not enough head clearance room, the child's unprotected head will probably impact the front seats or other objects.


----------



## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SeekingSerenity* 
My 17-month old is still in his bucket. He is about to reach the weight limit, though, so I need to get him a larger seat. I'd keep him in it longer, but I worry about the weight thing. The seat is designed for up to 22 pounds, so the sticker on the side says, and Lil'Man weighs 21 pounds right now.


Quote:


Originally Posted by *SeekingSerenity* 
He still has a bit of room. I haven't measured but I'd say his head is about an inch below the top, maybe a little less, but he's not over the top of the shell yet. His feet are a different story, they are completely out of the bottom.

He has outgrown his seat by height. He must have at least one inch of hard shell above his head in order to fit properly in the seat. Time for that new seat


----------



## Maedze (Dec 16, 2008)

Yup, he's outgrown it...time for a convertible


----------



## Amandamanda (Sep 29, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thefreckledmama* 
My 22 month old is tiny. She barely weighs 23 lbs fully clothed in a wet diaper.

you think THAT is tiny? My 21 month old is around 19lbs on a good day.
she is 31 inches though, so she has outgrown the bucket. good think i was planning on keeping her rear facing for awhile anyway, since at this rate she will be rf for another year or so at LEAST haha.


----------



## urchin_grey (Sep 26, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Amandamanda* 
you think THAT is tiny? My 21 month old is around 19lbs on a good day.
she is 31 inches though, so she has outgrown the bucket. good think i was planning on keeping her rear facing for awhile anyway, since at this rate she will be rf for another year or so at LEAST haha.

I'll do ya one even better. My 4.5yo is 25lbs, on a good day.









But yeah, the bucket is fine as long as they are under the limits. You can be too young to move up to the next "step" but you're never too old.







DS could have stayed in his bucket until over 2 years old but we wound up buying a convertible.


----------



## Momily (Feb 15, 2007)

I moved my son to a convertible at 10 months, and while there was no safety reason, he was so much happier being higher up, more upright, able to look out the window. He was still RF, just in a different seat. If I'd have known he'd be so much happier I'd have moved him months earlier.

So, while there might not be a safety reason, I think some kids just like convertibles better.


----------



## shanniesue2 (Jul 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Maedze* 
It's pretty rare for a 17 month old to fit in a 22 lb bucket. Where is the top of his head in relation to the top of the shell?

It might be rare, but it does happen. We switched DS to a convertible between 17 and 18 months. He probably could have stayed in the bucket a little longer... at the time he was 18 pounds and he had an inch of space at the top. The reason we switched him was the inch of space. We figured he was on the upper limit... and we already had the car seat (we had bought it thinking he would fit into as a newborn, but had been unable to get a good enough recline).

Sometime I actually wish he still fit the bucket because when he falls asleep, his head flops forward. I know it isn't that big of a deal, but it looks really uncomfortable.


----------

