Low tone kid & next seat??'s

Recommend a seat for my ds1. He's 4 yrs old, 40" tall (long torso!), and 34 lbs. He's currently forward facing, b/c none of our seats fit him rearfacing anymore.

His preferred seat is the EFTA, b/c he can cross his legs in it for support.

BUT when he falls asleep in it, he slumps over and gets woken up. It is reclined somewhat, but I don't want to recline it much more.

I drive a '97 Chrysler Town and Country w/captain's chairs in the second row.

I'm not that impressed w/the GN for him, as it doesn't seem to give much head support for sleeping and he's not that comfortable in it (although he wants the cubbies and cupholder!). He climbed into the My Ride at WalMart last week and said he wanted it, but that's a no go, b/c he's pretty much out of it by height and he can't cross his legs in it. The Frontier looks like it's the most comfy.

Help me please...

henrietta

I'd look at the Complete Air or Radian. Both have low sides by the legs so he'd be able to cross his legs easily. They'd also both fit him rear facing.

Wendy

I'd look at the Complete Air or Radian. Both have low sides by the legs so he'd be able to cross his legs easily. They'd also both fit him rear facing.

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Hey Wendy,

I was thinking Radian, too. I tried him out in the CA at TRU last week, and he wasn't really impressed. I think the enormous wings freaked him out a bit. I also HATE installing the AOE we were handed down, and the CA really didn't look a bit different in the "rearfacing install dept". (Please correct me if I'm wrong on that--I really wanted to like it, b/c I really like so many of the features on the old AOE, except the darned install, which does not work in my van's captain's chairs at all).

Would the RA install a bit reclined for him if we did do it forward facing AND how much growing room over the Decathlon/FPSVD and EFTA would it really give him (I can and will be able to pass it down to ds2)?

Thanks so much!!!

henrietta

The Radian and EFTA are both right around 17.5" on the top slots. So about 1-1.5" more than the MA/FPSVD. The Radian has a little forward facing foot that comes down to adjust the recline. It's not a lot, though, but it would take it from ramrod straight to just straight.

But with a 40 or 45 pound rear facing limit he could rear face in it for quite a while.

Wendy

henrietta said:

Would the RA install a bit reclined for him if we did do it forward facing AND how much growing room over the Decathlon/FPSVD and EFTA would it really give him (I can and will be able to pass it down to ds2)?

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My DS and I love the Radian seat for him. It will definitely last longer than the other seats you mentioned.

My DS just turned 5 yesterday. He's about 46.5 in tall and weighs about 54lbs. (He's a solid kid and off the charts for height and weight now.) He outgrew our Britax Decathlon by height (shoulder height specifically) about 2 months ago. I think he's over the EFTA weight limit (50lbs, I believe). But my DS has about an inch of torso growing room in the Radian.

HTH

My DS just turned 5 yesterday. He's about 46.5 in tall and weighs about 54lbs. (He's a solid kid and off the charts for height and weight now.) He outgrew our Britax Decathlon by height (shoulder height specifically) about 2 months ago. I think he's over the EFTA weight limit (50lbs, I believe). But my DS has about an inch of torso growing room in the Radian.

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Thanks, Jan, that does help! It's so hard to tell on the EFTA exactly how much room he has...but he has about a half inch before he outgrows the Decathlon/FPSVD.

I know he could rearface in the Radian...and he probably wouldn't mind at all...but I might, b/c I already have trouble getting him in the seat and tightening and loosening the harnesses. LOL

henrietta

If you aren't going to rear face, I'd get the Frontier.

It has a really nice recline in harness mode and will last longer than the other seats mentioned.

The Radian is very upright and unsupportive when forward facing.

I would go Regent. The recline bar helps with recline and there aren't any headwings to bug him.

I can tell you from experience with a low tone forward facer, the RN probably won't work. You can keep her RF of course, but he will slump over something awful FF, at least my dd did. We ended up with a MR because it's fab for a sleeping kid, and for low tone kiddos. But my dd is a lot shorter than your guy, so I didn't have to consider that. I don't know anything about the frontier, so can't help you there. My older dd rode in a regent for a long time and never had headslump-just to the side, but she's not low tone and was bigger than your ds when she went into it.

So, all in all, I'm not much help other than to say that I doubt the RN would be what you are looking for FF.

The CA actuallhy has a nice recline to it when installed ffing. My ds2 usually rides rfing, but due to logistics we put him ffing for one drive in it and he had no trouble sleeping and his head didn't flop forward at all. But, I don't know how the harness height would work for you.

I actually just tried my long torsoed 4 year old (over 17 inches, outgrew her decathlon last January) in the radian rf. She is 43 inches tall. She was at or even above the top slots, but seems to have had the 1+inch above her head. I was quite pleasantly surprised She is on the top slots of a nautilus, and just about to move up from the 3rd slots of a regent. Of course, she is now 46 pounds (I think) so she couldn't rear face now, but it looks like she could have rear faced until the 45 pound limit.

for a child with low tone, I'm surprised no one through in the recaros! the como, the signo... both extremely padded and supportive... and as long as he isn't a broad child, the top slots are as tall as the Nautilus and he would fit well (the seat gets narrower as it gets taller, so broad shouldered kids won't get to the full height, which is why I mentioned the need for being narrow)

Thank you all! I really appreciate the thoughts and suggestions.

I think the Radian is probably out since several mentioned low tone and ff'ing being an issue--if I really thought I could deal w/him rearfacing, I'd give it a go, but I don't think I can handle it (hands and elbows are a big problem for me right now). He struggles to get in the seat as it is, and rearfacing will be harder (we have captain's chairs in the second row, so nothing for him to climb up on easily). The CA is out, although I like the idea of the whole seat, b/c I can't stand installing a seat like that one and it's not compatible w/the captain's chairs in my van (at least not to me LOL). Our younger one will stay rearfacing to a minimum of 3, probably 4, even if I have to purchase new seats for him to do so.

The Regent and the Frontier were on my list, as I like that he can bring his legs up and cross them in either and they'll last a long time (plus they are Britax, which I do like). I prefer some sort of wings, b/c I drive an older van, and I think he would like the support for sleeping (they don't seem as obstructive as the CA's).

I will try out a Recaro Signo--my friend has one. But I really would prefer a lower profile seat that makes it easier for him to climb into. It is such a nice seat--wish I'd bought one when she ordered hers for $150 from albee!! I don't know if he could cross his legs in it...

Thanks for all the help--any other suggestions are welcome (carseats or otherwise, for low tone and car rides)!

henrietta

Signo is really awesome for support: he wouldn't need to cross his legs but make sure the short seat doesn't bother his legs.

Frontier is nice too, with plenty of room to cross legs and makes a nice booster for later.

With the regent her could cross his legs and use a travel pillow when sleeping. Its a big. Like Judi said has nice recline with the recline bar.