What is the best FF seat for a 1 year old??

[G8r4evr]

My nephew is 14 months old and 26 lbs. I have talked to my sister in law until I am blue in the face about the benefits of EFR, but she isnt having it. So, if you had to recommend a FF seat for a 14 month old of his size, what would it be?

Thanks!

[ketchupqueen]

Hmmm.

Nautilus and SafeGuard both can fit little littles pretty well. (I sat my 10 month old in one of our SafeGuards and even with the extreme slumping the bottom setting was UNDER her shoulders. Of course, she has a long torso, but the slumping was extreme. Really. :eek: )

[*Spoiledinmyhouseofblue*]

The nautilus does fit 1 year olds good, but the head slump sleeping would bother me.

What about the Evenflo triumph advance. Super comfy.

I would want something with alot of SIP though. Wonder about the BLVD too?

[fyrfightermomma]

Either a Radian if it installs for the low head excursion numbers or a Recaro for the awesome SIP (side impacts are what kills young kids the most)

[ketchupqueen]

I don't know that a Radian would fit a little little that well. It might, but I don't know about it.

The Recaros do have great SIP, and with the cushy padding and recline might even be comfy for a little FFer.

[xxluckychicxx]

I was also thinking either the Signo or the Como would be good. Good recline and good SIP.

[solmama]

I think a Radian would fit a kid that small just fine. My ds has ridden in one (as a secondary seat) since he about 6mos. At 1 yr he was 19lbs, at 2 24lbs. Sunshine Kids (Radian manufacturer) also sells an infant/toddler pillow to go with the Radian called the comfy soft. The Recaro seats have a high base, whereas the Radian is flush with the seat (very nice for when kids can climb in on their own).

Another seat to consider is the First Years Truefit. 17.5" harness height, 65lb ff limit. It has a nice ff recline, lots of leg room, and lock offs to ease intallation. Good padding, nice wings, and lots of side impact protection. The Truefit does not have a base either.

[Gypsy]

Signo or SS2.

[Blondie87]

I think a Recaro Signo would be the best choice.. :)

[G8r4evr]

Thanks so much for all of the recommendations! They are coming over today and I think I am going to recommend the GN. The fear of internal decapitation just as me so worried for him =(

[Maedze]

I honestly wouldn't do the GN for a 1 year old. It's an extremely upright seat.

For a child of that age, obviously I wouldn't recommend a FF seat, but I'll pretend to myself he's 35 lbs, and tell you I'd go with the Recaro Signo or the Britax Boulevard, both of which have excellent SIP and a natural recline which is more comfortable for a baby.

Please impress upon them that is absolutely NECESSARY the baby always be in a car with top tethering capabilities and he should never ride in a car without the top tether done up.

[unityco]

I thought it was discussed once around here that some kind of load-limiting device (like the Radian's Safe Stop or Britax's rip-stitch tether) was especially valuable to young FFers. If that's so, you may want to add that to your points to consider. :shrug-shoulders:

[Maedze]

Excellent point! The Radian sits quite upright as a forward facing seat, so I'd hedge toward the Boulevard.

I'm not sure about the Recaros, but I don't *think* there's any built in load-limiting device. Can a Recaro owner comment? SPB, where are you?

[Gypsy]

I still think the Cozy Cline/SS2 is a good option here.

I'd avoid a Radian, it's SO upright, and babies (yep BABIES) that age, sleep in the car so much.

The Nautilus is also very upright, and has major head slump issues (IMO).

A Marathon, Boulevard, SS2 or Signo would be my top choices.

[Maedze]

I do like the SS2/KozyKline. Gigantic FAIL otherwise, but for babies who for one reason or another are forward facing, it's a nice little, entirely impractical, CRS.

[fyrfightermomma]

No the recaro has no load limiting device, but has great SIP with the other seats lack

I'd skip the GN. No "baby" is going to like that either sleeping or sitting up right

I'd go with all the other recommendations of a Signo, BLVD, or CozyCline

[firemomof3]

I also recommend the cozy cline :thumbsup:

[bobandjess99]

i guess i would be concerned about the fact that many of these recommendations are for very expensive seats....you've already said you can't talk any "sense" into her...what is the "cents" situation like? I'm afraid you might scare her off completely by recommending a $300 blvd, kwim?
i do agree with gypsy, ma/blvd, cozycline, signo are probably the best choices.
Let me ask you this...will she buy another harnessed seat after this purchase,?? Or will it be booster-city at that point?
If so, I'd probably skip the blvd and cozyzline, since they have the lowest slots and/or weight, and might not get the child to a good booster age......at 14 months and 26 lbs isn't small......
So..I'd probably recommend the signo or marathon, even the evenflo triumph advance, possibly, since you can use it partially reclined in FF mode.

[G8r4evr]

What is a laod limiting device? Their budget is definitely tight, but I will definitely chip in to help if it means getting him a safer seat. She is just adamant that he is ready to face forward...because that's what her Ped said. I really like the Cozy Cline....I know all seats pass the same safety standards, but do you really think it would be one of the safer FF seats for a 1 year old..if there is such a thing.

[Defrost]

A load-limiting device (when top-tethered) helps absorb some of the forces on the baby's neck when forward-facing.

My concern with recommending a seat with a 40lb weight limit is that if he outgrows it before age four, they might just buy him a booster. :( At least with the EFTA, they won't get annoyed/frustrated when/if he outgrows it before he's ready for a booster.

[Kat_Momof3]

I'm going to say either the Radian (the Safestop helps reduce neck loading for smaller ffers) or the EFTA (because it has a ff recline position and the harness adjusts low enough for newborns, so it will fit small kids great, and it still goes over 40lbs, with no head slumping issues like young ones will have in the Nautilus.

[snowbird25ca]

I'd add the True Fit in to the list - I saw someone mention it above once, but not since. It has a nice natural recline and is a budget friendly seat. Nice top slots and a 65lb weight limit. It may not have the headwings the BLVD has, but the shell is deeper and gives a good amount of SIP.

Otherwise probably EFTA, or the CozyCline - one of the Britax convertibles if they can afford it - but if baby is at all broad in the shoulders I'd skip it because it won't be comfortable as baby gets older and may make them more prone to move to a booster early on. They may be able to find one of the Recaro convertibles for a reasonable price - I believe the signo has more interior room than the como?

I wouldn't use a radian with a 1yr old - the tike would most likely get extreme head slump because it's so upright.

[joolsplus3]

EFTA is inexpensive and has a nice tall harness and high weight limit...I sell a lot of those for FF 1 yo's...:o

[Splash]

I'd go first with the true fit... nice recline, comfy sleeping, super deep shell.

But those comos are super cheap right now, and they might fit the bill if she doesn't have a very small car.

[luv2bfishin]

What is a laod limiting device? Their budget is definitely tight, but I will definitely chip in to help if it means getting him a safer seat. She is just adamant that he is ready to face forward...because that's what her Ped said. I really like the Cozy Cline....I know all seats pass the same safety standards, but do you really think it would be one of the safer FF seats for a 1 year old..if there is such a thing.

sorry, but I need to chime in here. This is "Grandpa", and you all may remember my post about my 18 mo / 33 lb FF grandson that broke his neck in a crash. If not, you can see it here http://www.joelsjourney.org

anyway, the statement made earlier "because that's what her Ped said" really bothers me. If you ask that Ped what the current policy of NHTSA or AAP is on FF, I'll bet he/she will have to go look it up!! They go with the 12 mo /20 lbs, but they leave out the rest of that statement that was revised a few years ago to include " should remain rear-facing until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer."

The actual statement goes like this " The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all infants should ride rear-facing starting with their first ride home from the hospital. They should remain rear-facing until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer. At a minimum, children should ride rear-facing until they have reached at least 1 year of age and weigh at least 20 pounds."

When a child is FF, it increases the odds of severe injury by 5 times!!

I just needed to say that.........

Thanks

[G8r4evr]

I ended up recommending the Kozy Kline, but when we saw them last weekend, he was in a tan Cosco seat (it had a really high back and arm rests), but she didnt know what model it was??....It definitely wasnt an Alpha Omega...I'm not sure I have even seen the seat before. Im starting to wonder, maybe it was a booster?? I cant find the exact seat online, but it looks ALOT like the Summit!

[DaniannieB]

Was it something like the Cosco Ventura (http://www.coscojuvenile.com/product/detail.asp?ID=3053&model=6869)? It harnesses to 40#, boosters to 80#. It's not the best harnessed seat since the top slots are fairly low and there's no EPS/EPP foam. It doesn't make a very good booster, either.

Oh, well. You gave your advise. You can't force her to take it. :(

[G8r4evr]

Was it something like the Cosco Ventura (http://www.coscojuvenile.com/product/detail.asp?ID=3053&model=6869)? It harnesses to 40#, boosters to 80#. It's not the best harnessed seat since the top slots are fairly low and there's no EPS/EPP foam. It doesn't make a very good booster, either.

Oh, well. You gave your advise. You can't force her to take it. :(

Bingo! That's it! She just posted a pic of him riding in it on her Myspace page. They have him on the harness slot (2nd from the top), but it looks like they need to move him up to the top slot already.

[capeKO71]

If her car is big enough (its a HUGE seat depth wise... so not good for a small sedan) - I'd go with the Safe Seat 2 (or whatever they are calling it now). It has huge side impact, and a nice tall harness (even though it only goes to 40lbs). It also has multiple recline levels.

Of course... this is trumped by rear facing... but you know that...

EDIT - just saw that this is an old thread... and you did buy him the SS2/Cozy cline. lol.

[G8r4evr]

If her car is big enough (its a HUGE seat depth wise... so not good for a small sedan) - I'd go with the Safe Seat 2 (or whatever they are calling it now). It has huge side impact, and a nice tall harness (even though it only goes to 40lbs). It also has multiple recline levels.

Of course... this is trumped by rear facing... but you know that...

EDIT - just saw that this is an old thread... and you did buy him the SS2/Cozy cline. lol.


LOL! I actually went shopping around for the SS2 for him and ended up coming home with a Symphony for my DD. Now that my sis in law already bought him a seat, Im afraid she wouldnt take to kindly to me trying to push another one on her :(