Pictures of the Complete Air and my ?s

[jeno]

First, I apologize for the low quality phone pictures. It was REALLY hot today and the SA at BRU was waiting for me so I felt pretty rushed.

DD is at the point where I'm weighing her every day or so before riding in the car. She's around 33.5lbs. Thank goodness for hot weather. Not eating + less clothing = less weight. I currently own a BLVD and Radian 65. I will not be purchasing another Radian. Its just not a great option for RF in my Acura MDX. I've owned it for 2-3 years, and its not growing on me.

The My Ride is too short. I confirmed that last week.

So today we went to check out the CA. I don't think I can convince myself to drop the $$$ on it, esp knowing that potentially better seats (for us) are coming. It seems so narrow. Am I missing something?

Here you can see how tight her shoulders are squeezed into the 2 sides of the seat. Its narrow in a different way than the Radian because the sides are deeper causing her to be held into the seat whereas the Radian has more range of free motion.
There are no strap covers so those were cutting into her neck which caused her to complain/cry and ask for her paci.

I was able to get a decent install in my outboard position. Plenty of room remaining for the front seat passenger, but again she looks so cramped. This view shows her legs. The vehicle seat is actually reclined too. I realize that I need to work on getting more of recline, but this wasn't the right time/place for playing around too much with that. I'm guessing that the online version, with base would be a better choice anyhow. What other differences are there in this over the base model?

Lots of room for growth before maxing out on torso height. She's 35" for reference and that is all torso w/short legs. :thumbsup:

 

[jessi f]

She's cute I like our CA pretty well. My 3.5 year old DS is happy RF in it. He's all legs and no torso but he just crosses his legs and seems comfy. I agree that it seemed kind of narrow when we first got it,especially bc I'm used to DDs TF, but it's never bothered him and I'm used to it now. Maybe lowering the chest clip a bit would help the straps not bother her neck so much? They are a little scratchy but DS hasnt complained. But since you arent too impressed and the new evenflo seats are coming out soon I can see why you would want to wait and check them out first

ETA: Our CA doesnt have the base so it installs pretty upright. I like it that way bc I need the space for the driver. I have heard good things about the model with the base though.

 

[Mae]

I agree with the previous poster; it looks like the chest clip is a tad bit too high. It should be even with the nipples/arm pit. Also, next time you buckle your DD in, pull the shoulder portion of her sleeve out and under (more close) to her neck, that way instead of the straps on her bare skin, the straps are rubbing the clothing. Does that make sense?

You could also physically show her how she can cross her legs or put them straight up.

 

[jeno]

Thanks for the tips. The chest clip was lower but then I realized that the harness was not completely tightened down. I was having trouble getting it tighter so I had to pull it through from behind. It seemed like the harness was getting caught up underneath on something. And then I never adjusted it down before I took the pics.

Strangely, my DD never crosses her legs or puts them straight up in her other seats. She typically does more of a frog bend. I'm not sure why she has them straight out in these shots.

 

[rodentranger]

My 38" ODS says he's comfy in the CA. I personally made the parental decision to use the strap covers off an expired MA I had. He didn't complain, but he had red marks on his neck. I didn't like sending him to school with red marks around his neck.
If you can find some strap covers made by Dorel, they're technically okay to use.

 

[bobandjess99]

I would move that chest clip down quite a bit, that'll loosen up the neck, but yes, the straps are very close together. IT's up to you to decide if that is a dealbreaker for you. As for width..the seat isn't that narrow, but the wings do close in a bit in the head and shoulder area...but my 44 inch, 44 lb 5.5 year rides in it just fine (ffing of course)and has plenty of room, she isn't squished or anything. I personally like the deeper sides.
I think you need ot get the best seat for you, which may or may not be the CA..for us, we have no option other than the CA, because the radian wont install in my car, and the MR is too short...now, if I had time to wait, I'd see about these new Britaxes coming out in the fall......