Front Facing Car Seat providing Leg Room

[ancamo]

Hi all, this is a very nice forum with lots of useful information!! Congradulations

I have Toyota Matrix 2005 and a 3 year old son that is pretty tall for his age (can't remember the numbers though, tells you I'm the dad right ;-) and he is sitting in an Eddie Bauer 3 in one car seat (FF).

He sits on the passenger side in the back of the car. The problem is that for him to be comfortable in his seat my wife needs to keep her passenger seat closer to the dash which is not very comfortable for her (back problems). With the winters here in Canada my son is wearing snow suites and large boots which makes it even worst.

So I guess my question is, is there a Car Seat that would take less space between the seat and the kid that would make the kid sit deeper and have more leg room so my wife could push her seat back a little more.

We are expecting to have another baby in the next year or so, any suggestions for a RF car seat that would correspond to that as well ???

Also we like to give an angle to my son's car seat so he can sleep well during our long trip (7-8 hours) to see the family but that pushes his legs even more forward, any suggestions on how to help the kids get some good sleep without breaking their neck ??


That's a lot of questions I know, but any help would be appreciated!! ;-)

Thanks for your time

Pascal

[ctbcleveland]

Hi Pascal,

You might have luck with the Sunshine Kids Radian seat. The seat does not sit on a base, so I think you'd have less wasted space in the back seat. This seat is sold in Canada. It is also a good seat for taller children to remain harnessed for a long time. I don't specifically know if it is compatible with your car, you can search the Matrix to see if people have had luck installing certain seats in that car.

For the new baby, are you looking for an infant seat or a regular car seat that will last longer. My gut feel is the True Fit - also available in Canada. It can be used without the headrest for younger babies (I believe up to 22 pounds) which will reduce the space needed for a RF seat. Many people like the convenience of an infant seat though, especially in cold weather climates.

I'd suggest using a thin fleece jacket rather than a snowsuit on your son. The snowsuit could compress during a crash which will make his straps way too loose.

[Maedze]

Hi Pascal,

There's a good chance your 3 year old has outgrown your Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 even if he's in the stated weight limit. The topmost setting on the head rest is not designed for the harness, and is for the booster only. If he's over the second to top setting (remember straps should be at or above the shoulders), he needs a new car seat before you go on another ride.

Also, he shouldn't be wearing snow suits or bulky jackets in the car seat. In an accident the fabric will compress. It will make the harness so loose he could even be ejected from the seat! He can wear thin polarfleece, but that's it.

As for the boots getting in the way, take them off once he's buckled in ;)

I would try the Radian like the PP mentioned, as it is low to the ground with no base, so you'll get the full available car space to your son

[ancamo]

Thanks a lot for your replies very helpful, I' was just wondering about the Frontier that also seems pretty popular, is it way bigger than the Radian.

I just like the fact that it can transform into a Booster seat later on if my son outgrows the harness avoiding having to buy yet another seat (booster). But if it's a lot bigger (I don't mind the width)then there's no point in choosing this one over the Radian.

Pascal

[ctbcleveland]

You'll have to check prices in Canada, but in the US, the Frontier is around $350 and the Radian is around $200K. So, I'd be ok buying the Radian because it is so much less expensive, you could buy a very nice booster when your DS is ready for that.

I'm not knocking the Frontier - but it is less efficient with space and quite pricey.

[tcottawa]

If your son hasn't outgrown the 3-in-1 (Big IF) you can take the base off of it to make it sit deeper into the seat. Again, I must stress that he should not be wearing a bulky snowsuit in the car - it makes the harness too loose to properly restrain him in case of a collision.

[ketchupqueen]

If he still fits in his seat (big if) one easy solution is to tell him to cross his legs. :)

[ancamo]

Well I just checked the measurement and turns out DS is 100cm and 33lbs and the Eddie Bauer seat is safe up to 102cm and 40lbs (from the manual). Pretty close for the height, so I will be getting a new one since he needs to gain another 7 lbs before I can think of using a booster and he will be safer in a 5-point harness even at that weight.

I'll probably get the Radian and I'll update the post to comment about the space issue!

Thanks a lot for your help again:)

Pascal

[skaterbabscpst]

Front facing seats are outgrown by height either of two ways, neither of which is a standing height limit:

A. ears above the seat shell

OR

B. Shoulders above the topmost harness position


The 3-in-1 seats tend to have very low slots, so they are outgrown quickly. The overal height of the child has no bearing on whether or not the child still fits the seat because children, like adults, all carry their height differently. Some will be all legs, others will be all torso, and still others will be more balanced.

[canadiangie]

Pascal,

You said yours is an Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 so I'm guessing your seat has red levers on the front to raise and lower the harness? If so, can you please un-install your seat and verify what bar position the harness is currently raised to? The top most position is not re-inforced at all, and canNot be used with the 5 point harness. What this means is you can only raise the bar to the second from top bar position if the 5 point harness is being used (which it is per your son's weight). Further, once your son's shoulders are level with the second from top bar position harness slots, he has outgrown the harness.



I know it's complicated, and I tried my best to explain it as simply as possible. The 3-in-1 seats are typically outgrown around 30-35lbs, and usually around age 3. Very few if any children can actually have it as "the only seat they'll need" as its marketed.


As for using the seat in reclined mode while forward facing, it's really best to have him fully upright. Typically the 3-in-1 seat when used with the base on offers enough recline as it is (maybe even too much in some vehicles) and we know that too much recline while forward facing is less safe (though, I admit, some manufactuers are okay with it, and even market their seats as having ff recline features).

As for taking up less front to back room, and because I'm guessing your son is going to need a new seat sooner than later, I'd suggest the Radian or Frontier. You know that the Frontier converts to booster mode, which makes good sense in the long run. It also offers better (IMO) side support for sleeping than the Radian.

And as pp mentioned, No snowsuits in the car. Loosening the harness enough to accomodate the snowsuit means that he's at risk for ejection in a crash. Layer in the morning an undershirt, long sleeved shirt, a fleece vest, and then over all of that a thin-but-warm winter coat of some sort (again my preference is polar fleece... mec.ca has some good ones), and then AFTER he's buckled in his car seat, layer a blanket over him. It's all about thin-but-warm layers. Puffy and/or slippery fabric when it comes to outer wear is a big no-no. I'm in Alberta and it's colder than anything here right now (-35 with windchill), and my daughters are warm in their layered fleece. :thumbsup:

Hope that helps,

[snowbird25ca]

I just also wanted to add in about the prices. The Britax Frontier is $299 right now, and the Radian Premier is $279. For the $20 more, I'd go with the Frontier if your ds would have enough leg room - it sits lower so despite it sticking out a little further it might still be ok - plus it's wider so crossing his legs might be a possibility.

Otherwise the Radian is also a nice option. With a kid who won't need the rf'ing ability though, I prefer to go with a combination seat when there's minimal price difference and one available that will meet the needs of the child and family. :thumbsup:

[ancamo]

UPDATE

So after reading all of your recomendations, I realized that my son had outgrown his car seat and was not safe anymore to have him sit in his Three in One with the harness at the highest setting (thanks Canadiangie). I can't beleive I did not read that anywhere, it was probalby in the manual somwhere but I didn't look back when I raised it to the top. I think there should be a warning somewhere on the seat that says the last setting should not be used with the harness.....

Anyways, I went to a store in Montreal where they had both seats(Frontier and Radian) and they let me take them to my car to try them both with my son in it so I could test the space.

The Radian does provide more leg room for my son than the Frontier, but the Frontier does provide more than my Eddie Baueur. The big advantage with the Radian is the width which provides room for other people or other seats but that was not a concern for us.

So we went with the Frontier and here is why.

The seat seemed more confortable.
Does provide good leg room
It offers side impact protection
It becomes a very nice Booster seat
Has two cup holders
And DW just liked how the Frontier looked ;-) (personal preference)


So we bought the Frontier at 299$ and installed it. The day after we left for a 600km ride back home and what a releif it was when we saw DS sleeping in his seat with his head straight back for two hours. He could not do that before his head would go down forward all the time. And with the boots off and the space we saved with the new seat DW was able to set-up her seat (far back) so she would finally be confortable for the ride.

Thank you so much for all your very helpfull safety recommendations, I'm very glad I found out about this site ;-) !!!

Pascal

[ctbcleveland]

Congrats Pascal! And now, you might become a carseat junkie like the rest of us.

So - what color did you get?

[ancamo]

I think it was called Canyon or something, but that was not my call :D

[smurf]

Welcome fellow Montrealer!

Glad you found the perfect seat.
Spread the word about this site!

Which store did you go to, BTW?

[ancamo]

Actually I'm from Gatineau (originally from Jonquière)

I went to Rose ou Bleu http://www.roseoubleu.com/ on St-Joseph

Very nice store not only for car seats but for lots of baby/kids stuff (clothing, furniture, etc...)