Which 40lb + 5 point seat should I get?

Emi

New member
OK - please don't be cross with me! I know most of you are able to keep your little ones RF as long as poss and on my previous post advised this BUT..................... have been reading up on fitting etc of higher weight RF seats and they just don't seem to be made for UK cars - they seem to mostly all (ones available her from sweden etc) to need bottom teather straps and take up loads of room in the back of the car (I have 3 kiddies needing car seats) - my car has no bottom teather points. AND I can't see DD being happy being RF again after being FF for a year.
Any way - to cut a long story short ish:

DD will be 2 years in September, weighs 37lb 90cm tall (35.5") 13" seated shoulder height.
She has been FF in a Maxi cosi Tobi for a year now but is soon to be over the 39lb weight limit for that seat (we don't have over 39lb 5 point harness seats in the uk - except Britax Elite - which I feel isn't suitable) uk only offers high back booster's after 39lb

I have been looking to import a US car seat which will harness her untill 60+ lbs and going round and round in circles looking at reports and spec's on line (as I can't get to "play" with the seats)
I want the new seat to be/have:

5 point harness to 60+ lbs
Adjustable recline FF while the seat is installed.
Have built in lock offs (non locking seat belts in UK)
Must fit with 3 point seat belt - no ISOFIX/LATCH (Edit to add this "wish")

*Worried silly new seat might not fit my car when it arrives*

So far the only seat I can see that ticks all the boxes so far is The first years True fit.
would I be right in saying it's only worth having the True fit Premier for RF as the only difference is the RF "foot rest" thing? DD is too heavy to rear face in this seat.

Are there any other seats that "tick my boxes?"

Many thanks in advance

Emily and little Lumplet xx
 
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Pixels

New member
Your car doesn't need rear tether points. You create them yourself, and the carseat comes with anything you need.

The TrueFit doesn't have a forward facing recline at all. Well, the seat itself is fairly reclined, but there's no aedjustment to it. It just is. The TrueFit is also pretty wide and unlikely to work in a three across.

There's only one or two seats that have a recline that can be adjusted while the seat is installed. I'm only vaguely aware of them, and can't tell you names. They're not popular seats, for other reasons.

The only other seat I can think of that has built-in lockoffs and will fit a 40+ pound child is the Graco Nautilus Elite - again, not a narrow seat, not likely to fit well in a three across. You may have to bite the bullet and use a locking clip.

Does your car have UAS? What car do you have?
 

autumnlily

New member
If you have three children that have to fit in your car - the True Fit is rather large in and of itself.

A Britax seat (US import) will allow shoulder room for a passenger seated next to her. Also has built-in lock offs. She is too heavy to use the recline feature for forward facing in the Britax seat.

Why are you concerned about FF recline? Is it for sleep? Most FF recline features only help with installation in some vehicles and won't correct "head slump". Also, it is VERY important that passengers ride sitting up (including driver). Out off all the 'wants' in a seat you need - this would be the first I would cross-off.

There is a Graco Nautilus Elite that has built in lock-offs. It has taller harness slots than the Britax (not sure about True Fit). It has a 'recline' feature - but again doesn't do much for a sleeping child.
 

gigi

New member
I would be more concerned with the lack of FFing tethers than RFing tethers. I'd not import a us seat unless you have FFing tethers. I'd go with the Britax two-way or something similar (it harnesses to 55 lbs, I think). I wouldn't want my son FF harnessed without a tether in a US seat if at all avoidable.

I RFed with a tethered Boulevard in a UK 2001 Volvo XC70...I used the D-ring to wrap it around the base of the front seat It was very easy. My son now is FF and we're struggling with what to do to properly restrain him in that car when we are there.
 

Emi

New member
Thankyou both for your replies!
I have a Ford Galaxy.
I don't know what UAS is?????
2 big brothers (8 Years) travel in Maxi cosi Rodi XP's either side of her.

And wonder why it's so important to travel sitting up? her current FF seat has 5 position recline which you can operate while the seat is fitted - handy when she nods off on long trips - just pull the front latch untill desired recline is achieved.
http://www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/productdisplayA_0_10751_-1__76197_10001_

I have a feeling this is going to be harder than I expected!
 

Pixels

New member
Sorry, I used the wrong term. UAS is what ISOFIX is called in Canada (LATCH in the US). I should have asked if your car has ISOFIX.
 

Emi

New member
LOL @ all the different terms for ISOFIX..................
still haven't got it though!!!!

Should have remembered to put must fit with 3 point belt in my orriginal "wish" list.
 

Pixels

New member
All US carseats are certified with the seatbelt. They are also certified with LATCH/ISOFIX, and that would take care of your non-locking belts problem, though using LATCH/ISOFIX with three across doesn't usually work.
 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Pixels, I don't think that she *has* LATCH/UAS/ISOFIX, I think that's the problem.

OP, if you're going to bother importing a US seat, I would definitely get one that can RF your dd. Something like the Complete Air would fit all of your needs, especially if you can wait for the newer version with a 65lb harness limit. You could easily install it with a locking clip to eliminate your non-locking belts problem.

(FWIW, I've turned lots of kids back RFing after they've been FFing for a year, two, or longer.)

Aside from the Graco Nautilus Elite, which is not three-across friendly, I'm not sure there's a seat that meets your needs. Maybe a new Britax, which could puzzle above your sons' boosters?
 

yetanotherjen

CPST Instructor
The new britax seats have a forward facing recline as well as built in lock offs, they are also suppose to test well untethered, but who knows..... The PP also mentioned the Complete Air which I know for a fact will fit in smaller cars well, a friend of mine acutally used her's rear facing while she was in London in many small cars and it fit fine.

Does anyone know if the OP would be able to purchase a kit and retroffit the top tether anchor???
 

Emi

New member
Sorry to sound dim here but what does OP stand for?
is my user name not visible to all?

You are right I don't have latch/isofix as my car is a 52 plate (second half of 2002) - and not particularly a problem with width ie 3 seats across as there are 3 full size seats, so not to worried about wide seat probs (not sure how wide - wide is though with US seats - and still fuming we don't have higher than 18kg 5 point harness in the Uk)

I liked the Idea of the Recaro ProSport (except the recline function) but was put off by the lack of lock off clip - I have never had to use one (All EU seats that are belted in have them except infant carriers) and when Googled about fitting locking clips it sounds fiddly and easy to get it wrong?

Then I swayed to the Britax Boulevard 70 (again the recline function is not clear in the instructions) and reports/feedback on here is that most are not overly impressed.

I am also taken with the True fix seat (I gather the premier is only relevent rear facing?) as it seems to advertise having a recline function but people here report it does not recline??
There is mention in the fitting guide online of a yellow button/lever to recline at the front of the seat.

I really wish I could get my hands on the Us seats to have a play and see how they work!! - basically I wish the Maxi cosi Tobi she is in now had a higher weight harness as it is fab and does everything I want it to - just my little pudding is getting too heavy (and we are on the top position for the straps) so needs to be taller too I guess?
The belt routing system is Fab - lap belt wraps arround the front of the base, then up the side with the shoulder belt and through 2 locking clips around both sides of the head rest area in the shell of the seat - then you tighten up 2 tensioners on the base for super tight fitting.

This whole thing is a trauma to me and is causing me much sleep deprivation - it sucks (as you guys would say)

Thankyou so much to you all for your support and advice so far - I would apreciate you ongoing advice

Emily xx
 

Emi

New member
Night night all! I'm off to bed now! hope to get some more advice through the night it's 11.35 pm here and the bubs will have me up by 7

Emily xx
 

jess71903

Ambassador
The Britax Multitech and 2-Way are suipposed to fit small cars well. As someone else said, they would come with whatever you would need to create a tether point for rear-facing. At her age, that would be my first choice by far.

Other than that, I think the Nautilus Elite would be good- it has lock-offs.

The True Fit Recline has a recline feature- not sure it can be used in a recline position forward facing, and even if so, if you can change the recline with the seat installed. The True Fit does have a pretty natural recline, though. Overall, I love the seat. The Premier with anti-rebound bar is only useful for rear-facing, so skip that model.
 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Sorry Emi, OP stands for 'original poster.' It's also code for, "I want to help this parent, but am too lazy to scroll up the post for the sixteenth time and gather their username." LOL!

Can you measure the amount of physical space that's between the boys' boosters, and maybe add a pic so we can see what kind of space you're talking about?
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
I wanted to add that locking clips are not that hard to use. Take a bit of practice but not hard. Here's a good page on how to use one: http://www.carseatsite.com/lockingclips.htm

I have rear-faced the Complete Air in very, VERY small cars. However if you are not at all willing to consider rear-facing, I would use a UK seat as they are designed to function without a top tether; our standards for testing without a tether are, to my understanding, more lax.

I also wanted to explain why it's important to ride upright. Studies have shown that injuries and deaths are increased when the passenger rides reclined. It changes the forces put on the body and the time before things happen in a crash. Most especially, adult passengers and drivers need to ride as upright as is tolerable. A recently released study showed a corellation between riding with the seat reclined and death or serious injury in a crash.
 

Emi

New member
Thankyou Jess for the info on the 3 seats - very helpfull info about all 3.

Carrie Thanks for wanting to help - your a star! I had a measure of all the car seats this am, DD's current seat is 18" wide with an inch to spare so could go to 19" ,the boys seats are 19".
I have taken some pics but not sure about posting them.

KetchupQueen :(
It's not that I am unwilling to RF, DD (I coud get seats from Sweden and comply with EU Laws) but I know my daughter and am fairly certain she will not take kindly to being RF agian -she is tall and from wat I can make out from childrens stat's on here she won't last that long RF anyway.
I am not going into importing a seat from the US lighty - the reason I am looking US seats is because UK (and EU) seats only harness up to 18KG which is about 39.5lb after visiting my local baby store all they could offer me was a high back booster for my 22 month DD as do all the other shops I have rung trying to find a higher weight harness - NOW you see why I need to import!! It's going to cost me about $150+ for shipping then when the seat hits the Uk I have to pay import tax and VAT on top so MEGA BUCKS!! I need it to work first time.
Infact I feel a fair amoutn of Hostility from your post as you obviously don't agree with FF - I don't understand how you manage to keep large toddlers RF with legs space etc, it looks so uncomfortable! I don't know anyone who has their Kids RF after a year so have never seen large kids RF except pics posted here and from my guess if kiddies have never known anything else than RF then fine, but when they have only known FF for 12 months I can see huge problems ahead.
 

gigi

New member
Why not get a Britax Two-Way elite? It FFs to 55 lbs and is from Sweden so no crazy import tax. It is also designed to function without a tether (I believe), so it will be safer in your vehicle. If I were you, that is what I'd do.
 

Emi

New member
Thanks gigi - I have seen the seat (only on line pics) and I just think that it looks like there is noting to the seat it's self iukwim? hardly any seat around the child compared to the encasing protection offered by the larger (convertable style) seats - no head rest protection etc. I would worry about her being squished buy one of her BIG brothers seats in a side impact - as their seats have fairly deep SIP and nice deep head rest protection.

:eek::confused::eek::confused::eek::confused::eek::confused::eek::confused::eek::confused:
is there a crying one????


Emily
 

gigi

New member
I totally understand that concern. I just don't trust the US government with the safety of my kid (even though I am kind-of forced to). Our safety regulations are iffy and don't make much sense (at least to me). I'd not trust a seat designed to use a top tether in a car without top tethers. Our seats do pass a MINIMUM standard without a tether, but it is still a lower than the seat is designed to do with the tether (and our high standards aren't that great to being with). I'd much prefer to use a seat designed for the type of cars I had (i.e., no tethers and to EU standards).

Good luck! I know it is a really hard choice!
 

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