When do *you* consider a seat outgrown rf'ing?

H

henrietta

Well-known member
I'm not looking for all those pics and how much room, etc...I know the general "one-inch rule"...

DS2 is almost 2 yrs old (in 3 wks), 36" tall, 30 lbs, and very long-torsoed (wearing 3T shirts/above third slots of Decathlon rearfacing). He has 1.5" above his head in the Decathlon & roughly 2" in the EFTA...

When do you consider a seat outgrown rearfacing? Are you still comfy w/the one-inch rule, or do you prefer more room?

I'm not that comfy anymore w/only one inch, esp since he's now gaining weight quickly, and the seat starts tipping back more.

Thanks for your educated opinions!

henrietta
 
ADS
N

NicoleCPST

Senior Community Member
I wouldnt be uncomfortabel with day to day use, but I'd definitley be looking for another seat( to at least replace the Decathalon) if I intended to RF longer. And at almost 2, I'd recommend continuing to RF.

Is teh 1.5 inches sitting straight up or more slouched down into a comfortable riding position?
 
bobandjess99

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
um..if the seat is "tipping back more" I'd have issues with the install.
For me, I'm still pretty okay with the 1 inch rule, especially in a fairly upright seat which will have the kid and force going more "back" and less "up", if that makes sense?

Then i guess it depends some onthe situation. For example, in your situation where the kids isn't even 2? I would sure as heck eke every single millimeter of room out of a seat, to keep the kid RFing as long as possible. If the kid is already 4.5, I'm not going to care about ekeing out another 6 months of RFing time, know what i mean?
 
wendytthomas

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I'm definitely comfortable with the 1" rule, or the no inch rule as is the case of the Complete Air. Why are you no longer comfortable with it?

Wendy
 
NannyMom

NannyMom

Well-known member
I'm comfortable with the 1 inch rule. Sofi outgrew the Titan last fall/winter. She may have had 1-1.25 inches above her head, I decided it was time for a new seat. I wasn't going to watch for her to grow that .25 inch. She has about 2 inches in the EFTA, and I'm hoping she can get a year out of it.

Like someone else said, I'd start looking for a new seat to keep him rear facing.
 
InternationalMama

InternationalMama

New member
bobandjess99 said:
um..if the seat is "tipping back more" I'd have issues with the install.
Click to expand...

This is what I was thinking. I think the seat should stay in position with a child who only weighs 30 lbs and if it doesn't there is something wrong with the install. I'm not a tech, but I'd want to get a seat that did that checked by a tech.

I'm comfortable with whatever limit the manufacturer sets for the convertible. (However, for an infant seat I think I'd want more than 1 inch based on the transport canada testing.) I am not comfortable using a seat far beyond the stated height limit (such as the CA's 40 inch limit vs. its very tall shell). I prefer to follow the instruction manual in all aspects.
 
Pixels

Pixels

New member
Since watching the TC videos, I have a personal 2-inch preference for RFing seats, top of head even with top of shell for FFing seats.
 
H

henrietta

Well-known member
NicoleCPST said:
I wouldnt be uncomfortabel with day to day use, but I'd definitley be looking for another seat( to at least replace the Decathalon) if I intended to RF longer. And at almost 2, I'd recommend continuing to RF.

Is teh 1.5 inches sitting straight up or more slouched down into a comfortable riding position?
Click to expand...

The seats are pretty upright and I'm measuring after we've been riding, so not when he first gets in.

I guess I could start working on selling some seats, so that we could afford at least one new one for him. I just really doubt that any of the available seats will install that well in my vehicle--I HATE my '97 Chrysler Town and Country.

Thanks!

henrietta
 
H

henrietta

Well-known member
bobandjess99 said:
um..if the seat is "tipping back more" I'd have issues with the install.
For me, I'm still pretty okay with the 1 inch rule, especially in a fairly upright seat which will have the kid and force going more "back" and less "up", if that makes sense?

Then i guess it depends some onthe situation. For example, in your situation where the kids isn't even 2? I would sure as heck eke every single millimeter of room out of a seat, to keep the kid RFing as long as possible. If the kid is already 4.5, I'm not going to care about ekeing out another 6 months of RFing time, know what i mean?
Click to expand...

I hate my '97 Chrysler Town and Country--even perfect, car-rocking installs loosen quicker than they should. I have to twist the male end of the buckle, and they still loosen. The female end is in one of those sleeves that you can't remove, so it's stationary, and can't be twisted down out of the way. This makes using the lockoffs on the Decathlon difficult to use.

Thanks!

henrietta
 
H

henrietta

Well-known member
InternationalMama said:
This is what I was thinking. I think the seat should stay in position with a child who only weighs 30 lbs and if it doesn't there is something wrong with the install. I'm not a tech, but I'd want to get a seat that did that checked by a tech.

I'm comfortable with whatever limit the manufacturer sets for the convertible. (However, for an infant seat I think I'd want more than 1 inch based on the transport canada testing.) I am not comfortable using a seat far beyond the stated height limit (such as the CA's 40 inch limit vs. its very tall shell). I prefer to follow the instruction manual in all aspects.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, my particular seats in this van are a pain for installs--they always loosen before long. It also seems that the seat cushion is very cushy. I do all the tricks I can in this vehicle, and eventually all rearfacing installs loosen and the seat starts to lean back more. I recline the seat back, shove the car seat into it, twist the male end of the seatbelt to keep it locked (locks at the latchplates), etc, etc.

Besides all that--techs here aren't going to be of any help to me. I've reinstalled my family members seats after the "techs" installed and approved them b/c they moved more than one inch from side to side. :thumbsdown:

I've had the same problem w/every rearfacing seat in this vehicle since we bought it two years ago. Never had this much problem in any other vehicle w/the same seats.

Thanks!

henrietta
 
H

henrietta

Well-known member
I'm wondering if the True Fit or the new Safety First On Side Air would install well in my vehicle???

Thanks!

henrietta
 
SafeDad

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
henrietta said:
I'm not looking for all those pics and how much room, etc...I know the general "one-inch rule"...

DS2 is almost 2 yrs old (in 3 wks), 36" tall, 30 lbs, and very long-torsoed (wearing 3T shirts/above third slots of Decathlon rearfacing). He has 1.5" above his head in the Decathlon & roughly 2" in the EFTA...

When do you consider a seat outgrown rearfacing? Are you still comfy w/the one-inch rule, or do you prefer more room?
Click to expand...

With an otherwise correct installation that is more upright than 45 degrees for a toddler, 1" is absolutely fine. In fact, the rule of thumb for convertibles used to allow the top of the head to be even with the top of the shell. Britax even used to allow it to be top of the ears even with the top of the shell for rear-facing for some time when the Marathon/Wizard were released. The thought being that rear-facing protects from far more risk than front-facing, even when you consider possible issues from ramping.

Of course, now Britax and many seats have become more consistent with the 1" message we wanted for infant carriers and there's not much choice. Even so, I would definitely go all the way up to a liberal 1" with my kids, knowing the seats were relatively upright, installed correctly and with a harness that is adjusted correctly. If allowed by the manual, I'd even go to top of the head even with the top of the shell for my kids, unless there was clearly some hard part of the interior in very close proximity.
 
InternationalMama

InternationalMama

New member
From watching the Transport Canada videos it seemed to me that the issue with ramping up and needing more than 1" of space was with infant seats that were very reclined so that the seat was directly behind the child's head. With a more upright convertible, I wouldn't be concerned about going all the way to 1 inch. (Just clarifying why I made this distinction in my post. In other words, I agree with Darren and think applying the rule to all RF seats is too much, especially if it means that you would turn FF earlier.)

Your car sounds really terrible for car seat installs! Yuck. I hope you find a seat that works better for you. If you do, post back and tell what it is because I have a friend with a Town and Country! :)

Aren't the lock-offs on the Britax seats required??
 
InternationalMama

InternationalMama

New member
wendytthomas said:
Not in the least. The seat must be locked into the car somehow. You're welcome to lock the belt, use one lockoff, or use both, or use both and lock the belt.
Click to expand...

Thanks! On my European Britax seat they are both required and since that's also true for the Truefit I guess I got confused. How nice of them to be so flexible. :)
 
H

henrietta

Well-known member
Not in the least. The seat must be locked into the car somehow. You're welcome to lock the belt, use one lockoff, or use both, or use both and lock the belt.
Click to expand...

If that's the case, using both may help keep the seat from loosening...but I thought you were only supposed to use one.

Thx!

henrietta
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Find us on Facebook Here

Sponsors

CarseatBlog
Britax Child Safety
Graco Baby
Nuna Baby

Forum statistics

Threads
219,657
Messages
2,196,902
Members
13,531
Latest member
jillianrose109

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top