How much longer does the SS1 give over the KF?

fyrfightermomma

New member
So I have a big baby. Really big. Too big. I have a KF 30. At 6 weeks old he has maybe 2 inches to go before having less than 1" left. This is the biggest 6 week old I've ever seen.

The way the kids are set up I *need* a bucket seat. I can't maneaver to the 3rd row to buckle a convertible RFing. The 3rd row only has one tether anchor so only one FFing kid can go there.

My current set up is this. 3rd row (only one anchor) is baby in bucket on non top tehter location and E in a harnessed seat in the tether location.

The 2nd row pass side is stowed and S is in the driver side captains seat RFing.

There's no real other way to do it. I can't have two in the middle row becasue I can't get back to the 3rd row (and E can't buckle). I can't put S in the back row RFing cause I can't reach to buckle her all smashed up there (tried that for two months during the winter). Can't turn her FFing in the 3rd row cause one kid won't have a tether. I don't feel like climbing in the back hatch to buckle a RFing child. It's just not practical for our family and DH isn't gonna be doing that anyways.

This baby has to stay in a bucket. It's the only way it's gonna work. Cause I can buckle ahead of time and then lift the seat and plop it in. And he needs to stay in a bucket for practical reasons. I'm not a babywearer despite trying. Plus running after E with a baby strapped to me might not be good. For now, she does really well just holding on to the bucket when we walk.Both girls just grab a handle. It's the only way we can go out in public. When E starts melting down or tries to dart, I can just put the bucket down and tend to her. I need it for my sanity

But he's gonna outgrow the KF way too early. I was hoping to make it long enough to put E in a booster in the 3rd row and turn S forward facing but that's like a year away! (yes I was hoping my child would fit in the KF until 12 months. Both my other ones fit in a snugride for 10 months!)

So will the SS1 or whatever it's called give me much more time?

That's really my only other option for a bucket right?

Otherwise if I have to, maybe a short convertible like the coccorro would work? Give me lots of maneuvering room to buckle in the 3rd row. But is it so short it won't last much longer than the KF? I only need it to last till E can be boostered and S can FF so about a year
 
ADS

featherhead

Well-known member
I think the Onboard 35 is supposed to be slightly longer yet than the SS1. I think the SS1 supposedly gives about an inch more room than the Keyfit. Oh, and we need a pic of this ginormous baby!
 

fyrfightermomma

New member
I think the Onboard 35 is supposed to be slightly longer yet than the SS1. I think the SS1 supposedly gives about an inch more room than the Keyfit. Oh, and we need a pic of this ginormous baby!

hang on. I'll get one from my FB if I can figure out how. It's unbelieveable!
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
The OnBoard is taller than the SR35 by an inch or so (and gives a little more even than that I think because of the way the child sits.) My daughter had definitely outgrown both before a year-- but probably would have lasted to about 10 months in the OnBoard, longer than any of the others.

(This is the child who would have fit a Britax convertible from birth, and outgrew the SR22 at around 5 weeks by height.)
 

fyrfightermomma

New member
I don't have too many showing him in comparison to objects :)

I think these are funny though. This is a papasan swing. He was 4-5 weeks old in this picture. Look where his head is in relation to the top of the swing! My kids fit in this type of swing until like 8-12 months! He'll be out of it in no time.

j2.jpg


Last week at 5 weeks old. That outfit is 3-6 months and he barely fits at all anymore in it. You can see how much he fills out the swing!

Ok I have no idea why this is so small. I can't make it bigger!

J.jpg


At 6 weeks he is 14 pounds 3 ounces and 24" and is outgrowing his 3-6 month clothes. He's a uhhhh "healthy" boy :p:love:
 

Jennifer mom to my 7

Well-known member
Are you actually measuring, or eyeballing it? Here is ds at just about 1 month old. He would have fit in a boulevard by then.

vinnykeyfit4.jpg


4 months

IMG_4490_6.jpg


6 months

IMG_5438_3.jpg


and my other ds at 4 months

IMG_2803_2.jpg


and 7 months

IMG_4894_3.jpg


IMG_4898_1.jpg


Point being, I would just wait and see:) I have heard the ss1/snugride 35 doesn't really last much longer than the keyfit by height.

The onboard might though.
 

tl01

New member
My DS was in a SS1. He was 22 lb 10 oz around 6.5 months. He was all torso and fit in the SS1 until he was about 10.5 months old. I took out the gracopedic foam and got another few weeks out of it. I'll see if I can find a pic of him in the seat.
 

canadiangie

New member
wanting to see a pic..

I'm just chiming in to say I'm glad you went with the above mentioned set-up and kept E in a position with a TA. :thumbsup: (I remember your WWYD thread months ago). I also think that regardless of the TA situation in a vehicle your current seat set-up is the best with three kids. :)

So yeah, just waiting to see this enormous baby...

(I'd get a SR32/35, personally)
 

fyrfightermomma

New member
I think the Onboard 35 is supposed to be slightly longer yet than the SS1. I think the SS1 supposedly gives about an inch more room than the Keyfit. Oh, and we need a pic of this ginormous baby!

Is the onboard any good quality wise? I installed one for my cousin but didn't play with it much. They are fairly cheap right? I just wonder about going from a KF to the onboard if I'll hate the quality. But I think in this case, I can't be picky.
 

tl01

New member
Here's a pic of DS in his SS1 a few weeks before his 1st birthday with the gracopedic foam out of the seat.

IMG_0061.jpg


He did finally sprout legs thank goodness!!
 

steph_s

New member
My onboard lasts longer than my regular Keyfit. They seem to measure within an inch or so of each other, but when you put an actual child in it to compare I get almost 2.5 more inches out of my onboard 35 than my keyfit or ss.

Yes the onboard is cheap. I got mine at Target for $75. The base does not have lock off's (you can get them on the other more expensive version though) but it's fairly easy to install. I think the onboard is easier to carry than the keyfit. They weigh about the same according to my bathroom scale, but I swear while carrying it the keyfit weighs more? Something about the way the handle is??

Anyways no matter what you decide eventually your going to have this same issue again and again. Have you considered putting your ff child in the center and both rf children in the rear? If you got something sort of narrow and low profile like a radian in the rear you could sit next to the seat in the drivers side outboard and buckle both rear facing children in, then the ff child would be in the center position again so you can buckle them.
 

Cryssy Jane

New member
Odin just outgrew the SR 32 just before his 2nd birthday (14 inch torso, long legs), He has exactly 2 inches of shell above his head.

IMG_0564.jpg
IMG_0565.jpg


We seemed to have just slightly less room in the keyfit
IMG_0140.jpg
IMG_0141.jpg
 

fyrfightermomma

New member
wanting to see a pic..

I'm just chiming in to say I'm glad you went with the above mentioned set-up and kept E in a position with a TA. :thumbsup: (I remember your WWYD thread months ago). I also think that regardless of the TA situation in a vehicle your current seat set-up is the best with three kids. :)

So yeah, just waiting to see this enormous baby...

(I'd get a SR32/35, personally)

Pics above :) I have no car seat pics (bad tech mommy!) so I'll have to get one!
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Re: OnBoard quality: there are different quality levels, honestly.

If you buy the cheaper ones (under $100 at Target) you don't get the lockoff, get only a 2 position recline, etc. (You obviously don't need the 4 lb. weight limit or the preemie cushions, so that doesn't matter...) The cover quality I think is better on some of the more expensive ones, and the OnBoard Air is the nicest of all, cover-wise. None of them are super-expensive (like, in the Peg price range) but some are up in or past the Keyfit's normal range. There is definitely a continuum, quality-wise.
 

MANDY1234

New member
The onboard is def roomier than the SS1. I went and played at target this past weekend (bad mommy didn't take pictures) the only reason we didn't get the Onboard over the SG35 is the chest clip :) The cover was fine...Mya had more room chub wise in the onboard even but the chest clip was tiny crappy lol
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
It's tiny to fit tiny preemies. :) It's similar in size to the Keyfit's, IIRC. And since the chest clip doesn't hold the child in, I don't think size matters in order to do its job. ;)
 

MANDY1234

New member
Not that there was anything wrong with the size. I didn't like it. It was tiny and snaped funny comparied to our other seats :eek:

This coming from the girl that returned a cell phone b/c it didn't make a clicky noise when you shut it :cool:
 

ChckLiz

New member
I had the SS1 for Jonah and I had thought when he was 8 months that he was outgrowing it *he was VERY chubby*.. well come to find out last month, he still fits in it.

24527_1273553081816_1319581480_30843955_2670897_n.jpg


20100302_12.jpg


So I'm a fan of that seat :), it makes me happy to know that with the next kid I'll definitely know that I can get more use out of it than I had previously thought!
 

fyrfightermomma

New member
Anyways no matter what you decide eventually your going to have this same issue again and again. H.

I actually won't have this issue over and over :)

In one year E will be put in a booster, and S will be FFing. That solves all my issues. So if I can get a bucket to just last a year, I'll be good to go.

Then E goes in the 3rd row in a booster non tethered side, and S goes FFing in the tether side and babe goes RFing in a convertible in the one captains seat. So same set up as now, but I can use that non tethered side.

So I'm just trying to hold out for that one year.
 

fyrfightermomma

New member
Thanks everyone! Obviously I'm just gonna use the KF till I can't anymore. Then if he outgrows it before a year, I'll just buy an Onboard (I went this am to look at them, and they aren't bad. I don't need fancy lock offs or foam or inserts or anything. Just a basic seat). But maybe he'll surprise me and fit till next spring (I want to keep E in a harness and S RFing through next winter which ends around March/April here).

That way I can keep everyone where they are and don't need to FF or booster anyone earlier than I'd like.
 

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