Question How old were your LOs when they outgrew their MA/BV/AD's RF legroom?

Athena · Apr 9, 2010

When my 21 mo DD2 was riding in her MA RF yesterday, I noticed that her legs suddenly looked a lot more squished. It got me wondering how much longer she will have in it, especially since both the convertibles we own are Britax with this same shell. I don't want to give up these seats. I have a fear of not being able to install a seat and getting stranded and I love the easy installs on these seats. FWIW, DD2 has not complained about the limited legroom.

This is on my mind even more because I had just decided I should buy a second combo seat for DD1 for our second car (to keep seats for both DDs in both cars) and now I am wondering if I should wait on that. I don't want to buy that if I'll need to buy a new convertible soon, especially given DD1 still fits in the Britax convertibles FF (and I'm fine with using them FF, especially for such a light child).

I've also wondered how much I should put off purchasing anything or which to put off since a new, better seat could come out. Would you think any new convertibles would be coming out this year? Any chance they'll raise the top slots on the Nautilus or a new combo seat will come out. Although I like the new top slot height, I am not confident the Frontier 85 will install well in our cars.

Finally, do you think they'll ever have the TF or TFP out in stores? That is the convertible I am most interested in (given my kids have more height than weight and I've heard it actually installs well in the dreaded Forester

), but couldn't find it anywhere. Does it really install easily for us install challenged people? If I had seen it in stores last year, I might have bought that instead of the Advocate, but they didn't and I had not yet discovered your site.

Thank you!

ginny4 · Apr 9, 2010

my DS never complained about the leg room. tho he didn't talk much either then. LOL he's quite tall & made it til 26mo RFing in the FPSVD (same shell as the MA/DC) til he maxed out the weight (33lbs) still fit heightwise. personally if she's not complaining leave it.

edited to add a pic:

melniemi · Apr 9, 2010

I switched my dd to a radian at 3y2m, 36", 28#s to hand her marathon down to her lil bro. Here are some pics. She never once complained about being squished.

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?p=1224853#post1224853

Heather86 · Apr 9, 2010

I moved ds at about 3.5 he wasn't complaining I was just ready for a new seat

MissAllyLou · Apr 9, 2010

We're still happy with our MA and BLVD at 34 months and 26 pounds! Not sure on her height, but she's in the second slots from the bottom, almost ready for the third. She never complains (even being forward facing in her parent's cars!)

bree · Apr 9, 2010

My kids never ran out of legroom in the Marathon or Boulevard. They outgrew them by weight. My daughter was just over 4 years old when she hit the weight limit on the Marathon, and my son was about 27 months when he outgrew the Boulevard (33 pound limit) and 30 months when he outgrew the Marathon (35 pound limit).

The Britax convertibles do have less leg room than many other convertibles on the market, but the lack of leg room really doesn't prevent kids from being able to rear-face in them to the weight limits (or height limits for the kids with really long torsos). They might have more leg room in other seats, but it's not as if they run out of legroom in the Britax convertibles before they outgrow them otherwise, or at least that what how it seems from my years of lurking on car seat message boards.

I think the True Fit might be at some baby boutique stores, or you could order it online from a place like Target that allows in-store returns or look into places like diapers.com or elitecarseats.com that might have options for return shipping. I don't like the True Fit as a rear-facing seat. It does installs somewhat easily (not as easily as the Britax convertibles, but not too bad in my experience). I do like it as a forward-facing seat.

I don't like the Britax convertibles as forward-facing seats, since they are so high up on a base. That's obviously a personal preference thing, but when my daughter hit the rear-facing limit on her Marathon, I handed it down to her brother and got her a Frontier for forward-facing. Since my son was only 2.5 when he hit the limit on his Marathon, I passed it down to my niece and nephew, and got him Radian to keep him rear-facing. So, I would look into a Nautilus, Frontier, or Maestro for a forward-facing kid over a Britax convertible, but that's just me. :twocents:

Laurette · Apr 9, 2010

2.5 for my long legged kiddo, but he also hit the 33# limit at that time.

BUT he never really complained, it was just very difficult to buckle him because his legs were in the way.

AND, look at this...

He continued to put his feet up in the seat like this for a long time after I moved him to FFing. Funny, huh?

canadiangie · Apr 9, 2010

"growing out of legroom" is a such a subjective topic.

I recently moved my 2.5 y/o out of a BV and into a RNXT, not entirely because of legroom, but it was a consideration.

My almost 4y/o rode in the BV just a couple weeks ago (dh didn't know she was over the rf weight limit ... she's about 30-31 lbs) and she was fine in terms of legroom I imagine. She's about 41 inches in height and wears a size 5 in pants.

SafeDad · Apr 9, 2010

Athena said:
When my 21 mo DD2 was riding in her MA RF yesterday, I noticed that her legs suddenly looked a lot more squished. It got me wondering how much longer she will have in it, especially since both the convertibles we own are Britax with this same shell. I don't want to give up these seats. I have a fear of not being able to install a seat and getting stranded and I love the easy installs on these seats. FWIW, DD2 has not complained about the limited legroom.

DD was 3.5 years when I turned her FF in her Wizard. Leg room wasn't an issue. I just decided it wasn't necessary at that point. There's a photo here-

http://www.car-safety.org/odyssey.html

Calideedle · Apr 9, 2010

DD can still fit fine (leg wise) at 4yrs. She moved out of it at 3.5yrs and into a Radian.

Jennifer mom to my 7 · Apr 9, 2010

Yes, what they said

this was right around her last ride rf, at 25 months, 32+ pounds, and 36.5 inches (and on the second to top slots, rf

)

ANd what she did when I flipped her seat a couple of weeks later.

Still wanted to keep them up.

Here is ds in comparison with the radian. About 33 pounds? 37 inches, different vehicles (dc more reclined in the big van that he is in).

fyrfightermomma · Apr 9, 2010

Evelyn was 2 1/2 when I just coudln't do it anymore. Sophia was around 2. They never complained or anything, but it was just hard for me personally to get them in, situated, and buckled with the car I had at the time. They both went to Radians RFing after that. I plan to do the same with this babe. Infant seat until they outgrow it, then MA until around age 2, then a Radian until 4. Then FF.

2BunniesMommy · Apr 9, 2010

DD1 was rearfacing in her Decathlon until she was 34 mo old and outgrew it by weight. She never complained about her legs. She was about 35-36inches. DD2 is in a MA and is 32.5 inches and doing OK, but I don't expect her to fit as long as her sister did, she is the same size at 18 mo as DD1 was at 24 mo.

Athena · Apr 9, 2010

Thank you all for the responses! I am loving seeing all those cute pics! That's interesting that some kids keep their legs in the same position when turned FF.

I should have mentioned that my DD is tall and we have no captain's chairs so she may not last as long as some kids, but it's encouraging to hear and see how well it has worked for others and that my DD probably has more time left in it than I had thought. I think it is likely it will be me who eventually decides it is too difficult to get her in and out, but it's good to hear we will probably have some time.

Thank you all!!!

wendytthomas · Apr 10, 2010

Here she is at 4y3m.

No worries about leg room.

Wendy

dmpmercury · Apr 10, 2010

My dd is 3.5 and she never complained about her legs in her boulevard.

singingpond · Apr 10, 2010

My reply is much like the others.

DS2 rode RF in a Wizard until he was about 3 1/2. At that point he hit 33 lbs., and therefore was turned FF. He never complained about his legs, and, honestly, I don't remember looking at his legs or ever considering that lack of legroom might be a problem when he was RF.

DD just turned 3, and rides RF in a Wizard in one of our vehicles. With all the recent commentary about how relatively cramped the Britax seats are RF, I'm sure I'll now notice her bent legs much more than I ever noticed her brother's at the same age

.

andre149 · Apr 10, 2010

DSD is almost 2, very long legged, and has never complained about leg room in the MA

She tends to curl her legs up in the MA but does the same thing in the MR in dad's car... where she has more leg room.

scoutingbear · Apr 10, 2010

C never complained about lack of RF leg room, but he outgrew the weight limit of our seat (33 pounds) at 25 months, so he went FF then. He did look squished, but just crossed his legs or stuck them straight up the seat back most of the time.

A "outgrew" the depth of the seat FF at 4 years. He never complained but started putting his hands under his legs ever ride and I'm pretty sure it was due to lack of support in the seat. C started doing the same thing at 3 1/2 and refused to ride in the MA unless he absolutely had no choice. He couldn't tell me exactly why, but I think it was the shallow depth of the seat.

Qarin · Apr 10, 2010

Sadly, I seem to have no pictures of DD1 rearfacing in the Wizard at 4.5+, but here she is at 3.5 (36" tall- she's little) in the Roundabout...

Question How old were your LOs when they outgrew their MA/BV/AD's RF legroom?

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