So, we cheated again. Seth meets the 20 lb. requirement (just barely) to put in a forward-facing carseat, but he's not a year old, yet. I told myself we would wait this time. I told myself we would wait with Ian. When we bought Ian's booster, he was 11 months old, and the box didn't fit in the trunk of our car! So, we just got it out and installed it at the store. And he loved facing forward so much, and we enjoyed seeing him, so it stayed that way.
Let's face it, Seth is a pretty particular baby. He has a history of fussing in the car, although in recent months, he has been a lot better. We ran across a combined coupon and a sale about a month ago that gave cause to buy the new seat. It's the same as Ian's (a Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 which I would recommend to anyone), and in fact, it was nice to be able to put the new, clean seat in John's new, clean car for Ian to use on occasion. (Did you know John got a new car?)
Did you hear that I just got back from a crazy long road trip to Arkansas and Missouri? My mother-in-law did most of the driving which enabled me to tend to the kids' needs during the long hours in the car. Putting Seth in a forward-facing position was SO helpful... sometimes he just needed a smiling face to look at, and he would settle down. Plus, I could generally tell what he was up to... like fighting his nap as he shook his head back and forth or throwing toys, pacifiers, bottles... and sometimes I could even retrieve them!
He looks so small to me, though, in that big seat. These boosters are designed to last for years, so when I now look back at my boys sitting in their matching seats, I almost see a flash forward of them growing up before my eyes! It's fun to hear/see them jabbering back there and looking at their surroundings, even interacting with each other. I wonder what road trips we'll attempt in the future and what kind of mileage those carseats will see?
