Question Newbie and Q about BV height limit

Hi all,

I look forward to learning lots in these forums. I've been learning more and more about car seats since DD was born 18 months ago, but feel like there's a whole lot I still don't know. I've been poking around looking for info and did read the transcript of the Britax chat. Still need some explanation, though.

I have a BV for DD (upgraded from a Graco bucket - hey, I'm still learning! ). She's probably right about 32" now (more torso than legs). What is the deal with the Canadian 32"/US 49" height limit? I definitely want to keep her rf as long as I can.

TIA,

Jenn

The height limit for any rear facing seat is at least one inch of hard shell above the child's head. If the child has less than an inch of hard shell above his/her head its time for a new seat. Techs generally agree its ok to disregard the stated height limit.

You might want to think about getting her another seat to rear face in longer depending on how she fits in the BV. Techs will be more helpful with specific suggestions then I can be.

As a tech, I have to tell you that you must adhere to your manual.

However, I will also tell you that you may make a parental decision to disregard it if you feel comfortable with making that decision. Common sense suggests that since all kids are proportioned differently, that height limit cannot be an accurate measure of fit in the seat. A number of seats now available use the "1 inch rule" as a height limit. Like baby-herder said, it is very important that your child has at least 1" of hard shell above the top of their head (measured perpendicular to the seat back, not level to ground). I am personally comfortable making that decision for my own children, knowing how much safer they are RF.

My 2yo still fits RF in the Marathon by height, but I have upgraded to the MyRide because he was just shy of 30lbs with his clothes, winter boots and fleece jacket on and I felt I needed more growing room by weight. The added benefit was that he had very little leg room in the Britax seat and now has a little more room to work with.

How much does your DD weigh, fully dressed for the car? How much growign room does she have over her head?

If you are uncomfortable with going against manufacturer instructions with regards to the height limit, I would look at the Graco MyRide (40lbs RF, similar shell height to BV), the First Years True Fit (35lbs RF, very tall shell) and the Evenflo Triumph Advance (only RF to 30 lbs, tall shell-can't remember how it compares) as they all use the 1" rule for a height limit, or the Sunshine Kids Radian 2010 models (RF to 40 or 45lbs, very tall shell) or the Safety First Complete Air (40 lbs RF and very tall shell) as these have higher RF height limits, at 36" for the Complete Air and 44" for the 2010 Radians.

Thanks, mommycat - very helpful. #2 is on the way (due May 1st), so the Britax wouldn't go to waste if we upgraded. I'll check her weight with clothes. I know she's below the 1" of shell so far, but an official measurement would be good. I'm also thinking of contacting the Toronto expert listed here to eyeball our seat situation, particularly as we add another carseat.

Congrats on the expected additon!

Just a note incase you were thinking of using the BV for the baby right away: the bottom slots on Britax convertibles are too high to fit the majority of newborns (there are of course exceptions) so if you still have your Graco bucket and it isn't expired, keep it around!