What do you think--definitely outgrown, right?

[An Aurora]

I've "heard" (not on this board) that it was impossible for a child to outgrow the big Britax convertibles by height instead of weight. Just for fun, I put my older DD in baby sister's Marathon: (don't mind the attire, she was tired and cranky after a fun night trick-or-treating)

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j177/an_aurora/Car%20Seats/halloween025.jpg

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j177/an_aurora/Car%20Seats/halloween026.jpg

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j177/an_aurora/Car%20Seats/halloween027.jpg

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j177/an_aurora/Car%20Seats/halloween028.jpg

She's not exceptionally tall--75th percentile--but she does have quite a long torso. She is 28 months (today!!), 27 pounds, 36 inches.

[skaterbabscpst]

*I* would not consider that outgrown.

[crunchierthanthou]

*I* would not consider that outgrown.

neither would I, but she is much closer than my nearly three year old.

[spokaneCPST]

Me either. Britax (at least my Marathon's manual) says RF is outgrown when the top of the head is even with the top of the seat. She still has a couple of inches it looks like in the first picture. she may grow that much before she gains 6 pounds, or maybe not.
Renee

[MomToEliEm]

When determining where to measure to see if a seat is outgrown, are you suppose to look at a horizontal line level with the top of the shell or a line perpendicular to the seat back?

If it is relative to the seat back, then I say the seat isn't outgrown yet. If it is following a horizontal line from the tallest part of the seat then it might be outgrown. I think if you follow the horizontal line policy, it would be very dependent on how far back the seat was reclined. The further up the seat was installed, the longer it could be used as the head would fall further down below that horizontal line.

[An Aurora]

So you guys are taking the "top of the head even with the top of the shell" to mean the back of the head, where it meets the shell of the seat? I interpreted it as "the head being totally encased by the shell" which it is not.

[papooses]

I would let the parent decide but encourage them to call Britax for clarification -- I think I, too, take the meaning as "fully encased" but that description/explanation has be a little more confuzzled than I may have been already :confused::whistle:

[An Aurora]

Yes, as her parent I don't feel comfortable with her RFing in this seat. I will call Britax for clarification though.

[canadianmom2three]

She could probably still rf in her Radian though...would be interesting to see comparison pics, I always thought it was so much taller.

[An Aurora]

Yes she is still RF in her Radian with another 4" of room (this pic is 3 months old but she still has loads of room):
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j177/an_aurora/Car%20Seats/Radian014.jpg

[CDNTech]

I would call that time to move seats.

I take it as the head needing to be fully encased in the shell. It looks like the top of her head is right at the top of the shell (within 1/2 inch anyway). If the seat were installed more upright, she would have more room in the seat though.

My 5.5 year old is 45" tall... he just fits in a RFing Radian when trying it out for fun. His head is well over the top of the Marathon though, seriously, I think his neck is even with the top of the shell on the Marathon. ;) The Radian provides way more RFing room.

EDITED: I stand corrected... it's interesting to see the different responses in what's considered outgrown. After seeing all the comments and information presented, I agree with the majority that she has time left in the seat. I love this board... always learning new things! :)

[An Aurora]

Yes I'm not sure about the angle of the MA, but it's installed for my 8mo so it's more reclined than it would be if DD1 was using it.

[UlrikeDG]

I would NOT call that outgrown. It can be hard to tell, because the angle of viewing changes the perspective, but the only picture that looks close is the last one.

"For rear-facing (http://carseat.org/Technical/tech_update.htm#heightweight), the top of the child's head should be below the top of the shell, and a margin of at least an inch is recommended, so that the head will be supported and contact with the vehicle minimized during a severe crash."

There's also a discussion of it here: Why Rear-Facing is Safest (http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html) (scroll down to the section titled "Rear Facing Height Limits."

The child in these photos would have to "ramp up" quite a bit for her head to actually exit the top of the seat shell.

[scatterbunny]

I agree with Ulrike, it only looks outgrown RF in the last photo.

[soygurl]

Yes she is still RF in her Radian with another 4" of room ...

But in the pictures you posted in the OP, the Radian is FF...? Not to judge or anything, just to clarify that PP. :thumbsup:

And totally OT, but how do you pronounce your DD's name Mali? That's my niece's middle name, but I have a hunch it's pronounced differently... :confused:;)

[An Aurora]

So you're saying this:
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j177/an_aurora/Car%20Seats/malimaheight1.jpg

Instead of this:
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j177/an_aurora/Car%20Seats/malimaheight.jpg

Right?

[Jewels]

I agree with Ulrike, it only looks outgrown RF in the last photo.

I agree with them!

I think it is just the different angle. My ds is FF and I have taken pictures of him from the front and thought "oh my, he is huge! His head is at the top of the seat" when really it isn't it is just the angle. His head from the side looks similar to the side photos of your dd so I am thinking it is just the angle of the picture.

[An Aurora]

But in the pictures you posted in the OP, the Radian is FF...? Not to judge or anything, just to clarify that PP. :thumbsup:

And totally OT, but how do you pronounce your DD's name Mali? That's my niece's middle name, but I have a hunch it's pronounced differently... :confused:;)

Oh DUH I was wondering why everyone was saying she could still be RF! I was just playing with the Radian FF, cause I'm weird like that :whistle:. The kids think it's great fun to go out to the car and play while mommy plays with car seats :D

Mali's name is pronounced just like "Molly." ;) and I've never met or heard of anyone else with that name, so it's nice to hear of someone else!

[joolsplus3]

Looks like heaps of growing room to me... you go by that first little drawing, not with her forehead being even with the top of the seatback. Heck my manual says tops of ears even with the top of the seatback, even for RF, that would look like this http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/Kendra.aspx (not my kid, she's not that big yet)
Peruse the whole album, it might give you more to compare your own kiddo with (all the seats are used right, except for one really over reclined kid, and that's clearly noted) http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum.aspx

[An Aurora]

I agree with them!

I think it is just the different angle. My ds is FF and I have taken pictures of him from the front and thought "oh my, he is huge! His head is at the top of the seat" when really it isn't it is just the angle. His head from the side looks similar to the side photos of your dd so I am thinking it is just the angle of the picture.

I was trying to take pictures from right next to her head, so it wouldn't skew the perception. I agree though, different angles make a big difference!

[An Aurora]

Looks like heaps of growing room to me... you go by that first little drawing, not with her forehead being even with the top of the seatback. Heck my manual says tops of ears even with the top of the seatback, even for RF, that would look like this http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/Kendra.aspx (not my kid, she's not that big yet)
Peruse the whole album, it might give you more to compare your own kiddo with (all the seats are used right, except for one really over reclined kid, and that's clearly noted) http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum.aspx

Oh wow thanks so much for those pics, that helps alot! :thumbsup:

[CPS_obsessed_EMT]

I definitely don't think she has outgrown.

What I do, is actually take a soft measuring tape, and put one end touching the top of her head, and measure to the top of the shell.
I consider the top of the shell to be much higher than where you made your marks. I consider the top of the shell to be the very top, like the part that would touch the seatback if it were braced, or the point where the cover folds over and goes down the back.

They just don't want the child's head breaching the shell, like Urlike said.

To me it looks like she has a good 2, maybe 3 inches. Except in the last photo, but I think that's an angle of the pic thing

:)

[soygurl]

Mali's name is pronounced just like "Molly." ;) and I've never met or heard of anyone else with that name, so it's nice to hear of someone else!
I figured it was probably pronounced "Molly" or "Ally" with an M. My niece's middle name is pronounced ma-LEE, it's Thai for "Jasmine Flower" (she's 1/2 Thai). I think it's a beautiful name whatever the pronunciation! :love:

[doriansmummy]

Just had to say what SUPER CUTE girls you have!:love:

[An Aurora]

I figured it was probably pronounced "Molly" or "Ally" with an M. My niece's middle name is pronounced ma-LEE, it's Thai for "Jasmine Flower" (she's 1/2 Thai). I think it's a beautiful name whatever the pronunciation! :love:

I have a flower tattoo for her ;) We were *sure* she was a boy, and couldn't decide on a girl name, so when she was born we had to scramble for a name. We were going to name "him" Liam, so we rearranged the letters. Afterwards I learned about the Thai meaning, and I'm just lucky & happy it didn't mean "stinky feet" or something! :thumbsup:

[An Aurora]

What I do, is actually take a soft measuring tape, and put one end touching the top of her head, and measure to the top of the shell.
I consider the top of the shell to be much higher than where you made your marks. I consider the top of the shell to be the very top, like the part that would touch the seatback if it were braced, or the point where the cover folds over and goes down the back.

They just don't want the child's head breaching the shell, like Urlike said.

To me it looks like she has a good 2, maybe 3 inches. Except in the last photo, but I think that's an angle of the pic thing

:)

Right, but I don't see how that would give more room, since the part where I drew the line is the topmost part of the seat--where it touches the front seat would be lower than the top edge, where I drew the line, right? Or are you saying if the top of her head was, say, touching the back of the seat in front of her...okay never mind I just figured out that you're talking about at an angle instead of strictly vertical height. :whistle:

[CPSDarren]

The 1" rule was primarily for infant seats. For older babies in rear-facing convertibles, the rule of thumb is usually top of the head even with top of the shell.

The main reason? Babies in infant seats will still be RF if moved to a taller RF convertible. Babies in RF convertibles will move to a FF seat when they reach the limit, so a higher limit is typically permitted.

In fact, Britax used to even allow the top of the ears to be even with the top of the shell for RF on some models. The concept was that a properly restrained RF baby would face a greater risk being turned FF than ramping out of their RF seat.

It's a fine line between liability and safety. If the RF convertible is rock solid for installation, tight harness straps and a relatively upright angle, I might allow a little more margin for RF height limits before you turning my own child FF. Of course, the final rule is whatever is recommended in the owner's manual.

On the flip side, I've never seen any compelling evidence that an older toddler (say over 2 years and 30 pounds) really has significantly more risk FF than RF. So, for the average kid reaching the height limit of a RF Marathon/Wizard/Decathlon/Boulevard, it's probably OK to be FF anyway.

[CPSDarren]

So you're saying this:
.
.
.

Instead of this:
.
.
.

Right?


Exactly. I think the child is fine as shown in the top photo. That is the important perspective when it comes to having some distance to ramp backward before the harness prevents further movement.

[An Aurora]

The 1" rule was primarily for infant seats. For older babies in rear-facing convertibles, the rule of thumb is usually top of the head even with top of the shell.

The main reason? Babies in infant seats will still be RF if moved to a taller RF convertible. Babies in RF convertibles will move to a FF seat when they reach the limit, so a higher limit is typically permitted.

In fact, Britax used to even allow the top of the ears to be even with the top of the shell for RF on some models. The concept was that a properly restrained RF baby would face a greater risk being turned FF than ramping out of their RF seat.

It's a fine line between liability and safety. If the RF convertible is rock solid for installation, tight harness straps and a relatively upright angle, I might allow a little more margin for RF height limits before you turning my own child FF. Of course, the final rule is whatever is recommended in the owner's manual.

On the flip side, I've never seen any compelling evidence that an older toddler (say over 2 years and 30 pounds) really has significantly more risk FF than RF. So, for the average kid reaching the height limit of a RF Marathon/Wizard/Decathlon/Boulevard, it's probably OK to be FF anyway.

Thanks for that info! I do want to keep her RF, because well she has a huge head! No idea where she got that from :whistle: She has lots of room RF in her Radian, and if she outgrows THAT before she hits 33 pounds, I'd be really really really surprised!

[An Aurora]

For the person who wanted comparison pics, these are both from today:

Radian
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j177/an_aurora/Car%20Seats/halloween029.jpg

Marathon
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j177/an_aurora/Car%20Seats/halloween025.jpg

[soygurl]

I have a flower tattoo for her ;) We were *sure* she was a boy, and couldn't decide on a girl name, so when she was born we had to scramble for a name. We were going to name "him" Liam, so we rearranged the letters. Afterwards I learned about the Thai meaning, and I'm just lucky & happy it didn't mean "stinky feet" or something! :thumbsup:

Haha, that's such a cute story! And kinda funny, but I have a nephew (different parents though) named Liam, only spelled Liom (they combined parts of their middle names, their first son's name is a combo of parts of their fist names). I love little coincidences like that! :p

[amy919]

I'm glad you posted this. I'm in the exact same situation right now with Teagan in her RA. She's quickly approaching the limit for my own personal comfort level for RF in that seat. I need to get together the money and get her sister a Regent so I can pass down her MA to Tea. I just wish there were better cover options on the Regent...

[joolsplus3]

The 1" rule was primarily for infant seats. For older babies in rear-facing convertibles, the rule of thumb is usually top of the head even with top of the shell.

.


Darren, Britax is caving to the arbitrary rules and is going to say 'one inch' now... as is cosco, and of course evenflo, who invented it :thumbsdown:

[An Aurora]

Darren, Britax is caving to the arbitrary rules and is going to say 'one inch' now...

Really? :thumbsdown:

[Patriot201]

Recaro is saying "One Inch" too. :thumbsdown:

[An Aurora]

How lame! Good thing she has tons of room in the Radian RF.

[ignora]

Really? :thumbsdown:

Yep... that's what we were told at the Britax training I went to.