what the hang-up on leg room???

Jocey'sMommy

New member
I notice that leg room seems to be a big decided factor for ERFing car seats. I am wondering why??? I have the most long legged 3yr old and She is in a Marathon and a Roundabout 50 and has plenty of leg growing room before it would become an issue, she touches her feet together with her knees resting on the outer rim of the seat(doesn't even have to actually sit cross-legged). I understand that it can be nice, but I guess I am wondering why its on the top of the list of importance on a lot of threads?? I have always disregarded leg room completely when considering other seats. I tend to focus on torso growing room RFing weight limit, foam, and conveniance factors like premium latch and lock-offs etc. I know my personal conveniance factors really don't mean anything but am I missing something when it comes to leg room??? Should I be more concerned??
 
ADS

Qarin

New member
Used to be we'd explain that leg room is really irrelevant to extended rear-facing, that kids are flexible and sit wacky anyway, and that there really is no danger of the legs breaking from being crammed in there (more legs are broken in accidents while forward facing), reassuring all that any downsides to rear-facing are vastly outweighed by the increased overall safety. And then companies started making bigger rear-facing seats (hooray!), increasing seat depth and seat back height, and suddenly the increased legroom has become more important to people in choosing seats to rearface for a long time.

I'm with you, it was never an issue for my kids (heck, it wouldn't be an issue for me, as I sit here with my legs folded up yoga/crisscross style on my chair, my knees leaned up on the desk); I can see where more doesn't hurt, but I agree that it doesn't need to be the top of the priority list any more now than it was 4 years ago.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
No, not in the least. You're in the minority, though. A lot of parents project their discomfort on their kids, so the appearance of legroom is important.

Also, it's a good indicator of how much support the seat will have forward facing.

Wendy
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
Some kids care about leg room and some don't.

Some kids care about "tight" crotch straps and some don't.

Some kids care about plushy covers and some don't.

Some parents care about alligator LATCH and some don't.

I agree that RFing leg room doesn't have to be high on the list (I agree that high RFing limits and tall harnesses are more important, but the MA/RA50 doesn't exactly qualify on those either, lol) UNLESS you're a parent who would flip FFing if the child's legs seem "squished". Many will. And they need seats with more leg room.
 

glockchick

New member
Because some kids have to sit next to ff-ing siblings and the more leg room they have, the harder it is for them to reach their siblings to kick them. ;)
 

BabyKaykes

New member
Because some kids have to sit next to ff-ing siblings and the more leg room they have, the harder it is for them to reach their siblings to kick them. ;)

I agree. Before DS went FF, and before we owned a minivan, he was crammed into a 3-across with 2 teenagers. Seats with less legroom made him want to toss his legs over the sides of the seat (a big no-no when there are other people back there).

With more legroom, he could cross his legs and still be completely contained in his own space.
 

christineka

New member
Despite dd's nice smile for the camera, she didn't like rfing in this seat.
ktribute.jpg


She was much happier rfing in the radian with her legs stretched out.
radianK4.jpg


Since I have a choice in seats, I will get the ones with the most leg room for rear-facing. That's dh's major problem with erfing. (Dd is 6 months older in the second picture.)
 

Keeanh

Well-known member
Because some kids have to sit next to ff-ing siblings and the more leg room they have, the harder it is for them to reach their siblings to kick them. ;)

:ROTFLMAO:
My 2-yo does this, and she has a TF so it's quite a stretch. Fortunately, she's beside siblings who are old enough to gently correct rather than start an all-out war. Things would be different if her stubborn 4yo sis was strapped in beside her, LOL.
 

Sadierain

New member
I doubt it'll be a problem for us, either. DD is only 14 months and has a ton of room left still in her XTSL - her feet aren't even close to touching the seat back yet. Funnily enough, she already prefers to hang her feet over the side. It's cute. :)
 

Shaunam

New member
For me, leg room DOES matter, not because I feel the child might be uncomfortable, but because it is a pain in the butt to get them buckled in at a certain point. It's a convenience thing. With less leg room comes more maneuvering and with an uncooperative child, it can lead to a lot of frustration. Even in the EFTA (which has decent leg room) I found it difficult to buckle DS at 3 years old. And he's not the leggiest kid.
 

Maedze

New member
I started getting seriously annoyed about folding dd in half to squeeze her in the Boulevard around the second birthday. Leg room makes *my* life easier, not so much the kid's. LOL.
 

keri1292

Well-known member
My kiddo moaned about his legs in his RFing Marathon constantly. I let him decide when he turned 5yo if he would rather FF or RF. He chose to FF, undoubtedly due to the cramped legs. He still only weighs 33lbs. Some of us have lightweight kids that are truly uncomfortable long before the seat is outgrown. :twocents:
 

Jocey'sMommy

New member
my 3yr old is no where near outgrowing her Marathon or Roundabout 50 by height or by weight really (she has only gained about 5lbs over the last 2 years) this seat will prob get us close to 5 (RFing). She has a short torso and very long legs. I get the leg room as a convenience factor lol I like the premium latch as a convenience factor!! :) I just noticed that most other convenience factors are called just that, convenience factors lol. I am a huge fan of bells and whistles(why I love my MA so much and was VERY disappointed in the RA 50) I guess she is the rare kid that could care less about what her legs are doing and I am the rare mom that could care less about what her legs are doing lol
 

tweetykl

New member
Orthotics for my daughter really made rearfacing in a britax seat uncomforable for her. She did it in dh's car but the moment she reached the weight limit and I put the radian in there, she told us how much better the radian was.
 

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