Question about heights

[cpsaddict]

Ok, I am putting this in Coffee Break because I don't want to confuse people just looking for some info.

We generally tell people that height limits are not set in stone because it depends on how the child fits the seat. Sooo, on the Cosco seats that say the child must be 34" tall to FF, is that a guideline, too? Or are we picking a choosing which rules to follow? :confused: So, someone can use their Snugride past the 26" or 29" stated limit as long as the head is one inch below the shell, but they MUST adhere to the stated 34" rule to FF in a Cosco? This has been bugging me for awhile. I understand, I guess, if we are saying the 34" is set in stone as a way to keep kids RF longer, but it seems weird. It seems as yet one more thing to confuse parents and caregivers.

Can someone clear this up for me?

[Starlight]

We pick and choose, but...

The 34" is hard and fast, according to Cosco.

This is to encourage extended rear-facing. :whistle:

[joolsplus3]

Why, yes, we DO pick and choose which rules we want to follow... it's bad...I guess... but....like any moral question, you have to consider the higher good... I'm thinking of Kohlberg's Dilemmas... number 2 here http://www.haverford.edu/psych/ddavis/p109g/kohlberg.dilemmas.html

The 'right' answer is for the guy to steal the drug because stealing is a crime worth committing when there's a life at stake. Telling people to disregard (arbitrary) height limits is a crime worth committing because FF too young is tantamount to a life being at stake. But on the flip side, using those arbitrary limits to our advantage (to extend rearfacing) is also ok. The way I see it, if we know why the rules are made and the truth they reflect, then we can bend them to our purposes.

Make sense? One day the rules will morph to reflect best practice and we won't have to fudge them so much :)

[cpsaddict]

Thanks, Julie. I guess I do kind of get it. It is for the greater good and I think that most people that are paying attention to the height limits stated in the manual or on the side of seat are also paying attention to reccomendations for extending rf or harnessing. I guess I will just continue to write long rambling posts about height limits! :p

Thanks again! I knew I could count on you for a sensible answer. Well, as sensible as it can be! :whistle:

I didn't want to upset anyone, but I guess we have to question these things to learn anything.