Anyone have a Recaro Young Sport?

what do you like about it? what do you not like about it? which seats did you bypass to buy the Recaro -- and why?

I've gotten great advice here and am considering the RYS for my 3 y-o, since I've got to pass his seat along to baby sister.

The other seats I'm considering are: Cosco Apex (can't find it IRL here); Evenflo generations.

What is his weight and torso length?

I have one, and absolutely love it! My dd is 41lbs, and has been since last August, so she doesn't use it now. I use it as a BPB for my 5yo daycare boy. He thinks it's awesome! I'll be able to post pics of mine later!

He's 33 pounds.
His torso length is about 13 1/2 inches (isn't that measuring from bottom to top of shoulders sitting). He's about 39 inches tall.

Why isn't your daughter in it anymore?

I had one I really liked the seat and it was so comfortable for my DD but I could not get a good install in my 1999 4 Runner, or my 2006 Honda Accord. DH and I both tried so hard but no matter what we did it would move over an inch more like 3" in the runner and 2" in the Honda. So we gave up and sold it.

We can get a great install with or MA in all our cars and since it goes up to 65 lbs FF we like that better since DD wont be going into a booster any time soon.

We've had 2 & LOVED them! Every kid who sat in it just seemed to melt in comfort The Regent is just as comfy, though & also wide enough to let kids cross their legs....

I gave our 1st RYSport to my cousin because their brand new Evenflo combination seat broke & Evenflo was unwilling to offer any sort of customer service compensation My niece is totally attached to the RYSport: it's soft cover, the head wings, the comfy seat cushion, etc. When Leila outgrew the harness by height I sold it to another CPST here (who says her kids also like it a whole bunch) so that Leila could ride in her big half sister's Husky/Regent harness rather than switch to booster since big sis rarely visits anymore (when she does we have spare booster seats for her). Leila is 97th percentile for height & outgrew the RYSport harness at 4 years old, big sis just outgrew the Husky/Regent at 9 years old.

The RYSport has 17" tall top harness slots -- same measurement as the Cosco Apex, Graco CarGo & Britax Marathon/Decathalon/Boulevard (higher than the Evenflo Generations & other seats ... except for the Britax Regent & SafeGuard Childseat which have 19-20" top harness slot measurements + higher weight limits). RYSport & Regent are not FAA approved for use on airplanes (approved carseat use is recommended by FAA until 4 years & 40#) but the Apex is so we have an Apex for travel or as a back-up spare for other vehicles. The Apex is just really flimsy compared to the RYSport or Regent (it's the only non backless seat that requires high vehicle seatbacks or adjustable headrests )

What I don't like about the RYSport is that it only has a 40# weight limit -- 4 years & 40# is the recommended minimum for kids to use boosters. At least the RYSport is the *only* combination seat that becomes a truly dedicated booster after outgrowing the harness! It has energy absorbing foam not only in the deep head wings, but also in the hips/torso area :thumbsup: I believe the RYSport is a superb choice for average height, low weight kids. However, it is recommended to keep kids harnessed for as long as they fit the weight limits (harnesses are safer in side impacts + rollovers, which, although less common than frontal impacts, are much more severe, especially if the vehicle does not have rear side curtain airbags) & since the Regent's top harness slots are so much higher + it has a higher weight limit, I urge you to consider the Regent....

If only the RYSport had higher weight/height limits: it would be my absolute ideal carseat then

RYSport @ 4 yrs old ~ Husky/Regent @ 7 yrs old ~
(2nd pic in my sig is also of the Husky/Regent & 3rd pic is the Apex on airplane just last month)

I bought one for my 4 yr old, 30 lb., 36 inch. son about 2 months ago. I was trying to decide what to buy because I noticed that he was at the top slot of the Roundabout. I neeeded a seat that would allow me to fit 3-across in the back of my 1999 Lexus GS 300 (I carpool for my 7 yr.old), so a Regent was out of the question. My car is also non-Latch.

I originally bought a CarGo, which I promptly returned. I didn't like the fact that he was totally overwhelmed in the seat (it was just too big). My son also complained that he couldn't see out of the windows.

I tried the Radian in the store, but decided against it because 1) I kept hearing about how difficult it can be to install in some cars, 2) it sits even lower on the seat than the RYS, so would be even harder for my son to see out of the window, and 3) I didn't need the rear-facing functionality (even though my son is only 30 lbs., I'm not going to turn him rear-facing at 4).

I looked at the Safeguard seat in the store also, and my son loved sitting in it at the shop. But it was just to big in my small car, esp. since I have to transport 3 kids.

I then went and tried the Recaro Young Sport. It came so highly recommended on this board, that I decided to give it a try. Based on the fact that my little guy will probably be almost 6 by the time he gets to be 40 lbs., I figured I was OK with a 40 lb. harness weight. It is a very solid seat, and was simple to get a rock solid install in my car.

Initially, my son didn't like the RYS. Although he could se a bit better out of the windows than with the CarGo, still not as well as in the roundabout (it doesn't have a high base like the RA). Also, he initially found it difficult to see his sister in the other outboard seat, because the wings were constricting. So, we had a few days of adjustment. I posted on this board about it. Finally, I knew he was just complaining, because he said the seat hurt his head, his elbow, and his nose!!!

Now, my son loves his seat, and I have no complaints. He can see his sister just fine, by just having his head at a normal position, not leaning backwards. And he can see out the window fine too. Although most of my car rides are short hops, he still to nap on the way home from the park with those deep wings. I feel good knowing he is well protected. I don't know how well a large child would fit in the seat, since the body seems somewhat narrow, but both my kids are small, so it wasn't an issue for me.

My only complaint about the RYS is that there is nowhere for him to stand when he climbs in, so he steps on the seat, and it gets pretty dirty. I have the bright sand. I'd pick a different color next time. It wasn't a problem with the RA, because he stood on the base to climb in. Oh, yeah, and the fact that the "belly pad" never stays on. Every time I take him out of the seat, the damn pad falls off. I've just taken it off, doesn't seem to matter.

I must admit, I do wonder if I would have been better waiting for the new Recaro, since it harnesses to a heigher weight, but since I don't need rear-facing and don't have another child .... Overall, I am glad that I have the seat that I do.:thumbsup:

we've got one. here are the pros and cons (as they pertain to me and my DD):

pro:

1) super comfy, and ergonomically correct (passes strict german standards for this... anyone who's sat in a german engineered seat knows what i mean)
2) SIP is very prominent, and is adjustible to the child's height
3) EPS foam
4) fabric is high quality and super plush, even the seat sides are covered, unlike most seats where the sides of the carseat are exposed plastic
5) installs rock solid (may not apply to everyone, but in my car it is very easy to get a rock solid install in 30 seconds)
6) base is nice and smooth on bottom, no sharp spikes like on some cosco seats
7) very sturdy construction
8) becomes a BPB good for 80 lbs and 59"
9) very easy to tighten harness
10) recline mode (not used to recline, really, but to get the seat to fit better in some cars)
11) SIP functions as a head rest for our daughter, who sleeps with her head against one side... her head never flops!
12) relatively narrow, so fits in small cars well, and should work well in situations where you need three seats in a row.
13) nice IMMI-made LATCH connectors

cons:

1) harnesses only to 40 lbs
2) adjusting harness slot position is cumbersome and confusing, must also adjust headwing SIP height separately
3) toddler pillow slips out of place easily (optional anyway)
4) crotch pad slips off buckle easily (optional anyway)
5) harness straps tend to twist at the buckle (common with all seats using the newer, thinner IMMI-made straps)
6) some kids don't like the SIP... they find it obstructs their view or makes them feel confined

overall we love it, and my DD nevery complains about discomfort, even after hours at a time. we will most definitely be buying the new recaro for our second daughter.

Yes, the harness adjustment is a PITA -- forgot about that

Is your seat cushion snapped in? Neither of ours ever moved....

papooses said:

Yes, the harness adjustment is a PITA -- forgot about that

Is your seat cushion snapped in? Neither of ours ever moved....

Click to expand...

just to clarify, when you say harness adjustment, you mean switching the harness slots, not tightening the harness, right? because tightening is really easy on ours.

the main cushion which covers the whole seat is snapped in and doesn't budge. but there is that additional seat pillow which is designed for smaller children and toddlers which has no attachment, it just sits on top... it curves up along the leg bolsters to take up side-to-side slack, but since the microfiber fabric is clingy and the cushion sort of wraps around the toddler's legs, it ends up "sticking" to their clothing as they are lifted out.

Yes, I was just adding on to your comment about the metal bar with leather strap on the back of the seat

That extra cushion must be new because it didn't come with either of ours!