Bring me up to speed on newish seats please

zeo2ski

Well-known member
My 7 mos old (AND my 16 mos old) are right about at the height limit on the KF and snugride22 so it's time to do some switching around. I have a spare MR I was figuring on using but it looks like I'll be giving that to a lady at church, which means I can get whichever seat will really fit our need (not sure what that is!) but I have not been keeping up with all the new seats in the past 12 or 18 months and don't know what's out there now. I could use a convertible or possibly a FF harnessed seat.

Currently:
4.5 yo 41 lbs RNXTSL--FF top slots
2.75 yo 35 lbs RNXT RF (too tall for BLVD/MR RF)
16 mos 20+ lbs BLVD
7.5 mos 16.5 lbs KF30 (29" at 6 months!)

**YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ THE REST***but if you want to work on the shuffle for me...

I was thinking the 4 yo could have a FF only seat, but I can't decide if that makes sense or not in the long run. We'll probably get a big van within the year so we'll eventually need the tallest HBB, but that's a few years away. If we got the Frontier now (or probably any other combo seat) it will be too wide and will force another child outboard. I can only top tether in the 3rd row, which is a tight fit, so a radian for FF does kind of make sense right now.
BTW playing at BRU is not really an option for me, though I could if absolutely necessary.

We're a foster family open to infants only. And DFD, my 16 mos old, is staying for good.

I would really like rebound control on a convertible. Without that, the seat would have to go outboard because of the way the other RF seat in the 3rd row comes over the top of the 2nd row, and I'm not crazy about tethering everybody EXCEPT the outboard child. And if I must do that, then it will be the oldest RFer which is my tall almost 3 year old so it'd have to be a tall seat anyway.

So for a convertible with rebound control do I have any options other than Radians and TFP? ooooo I hadn't thought about the TFP...I wanted an excuse for one of those a while back!

DD has less than a half inch of grow room in the KF right now. And DH thinks we should just get the van now. I think not so much. :p


ETA: my sig and pic is not current. Right now 3rd row pass outboard is DS1, FF XTSL; and center is DS2 RF XT. 2nd row center DD2 KF, driver outboard is DD1 RF BLVD
 
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Kat_Momof3

New member
CONGRATS on your DFD staying for good (not dissing her bio parents as I don't know their story, but yay on her having a permanent home with great parents like you and your dh and great siblings like your other kids!)

Here's what I'd do (without knowing what vehicle you are driving or where your top tether anchors are)

Plan A (easiest)
Third row - RF Radian, RF Radian, ff Evenflo Maestro in whatever order gives the ff kiddo a top tether (it's skinny, it harnesses a little taller than the Radian, and it's less than 100 dollars and easy to use and install... it's a great seat... and can be used for your other kids as they outgrow the Radian or you need to give a Radian to a new foster baby.

Then, in the 2nd row, I'd put the RF Boulevard for baby.

Plan B (more expensive, more tricky, but hey, it's just fun)
Now, if (big if) this works with the convertibles not overlapping the 2nd row too badly for it to fit would be all the rearfacing convertibles (radians and boulevard) in the back row and a Frontier in the 2nd row.

I REALLY love loading rfers in through the hatch THAT much that I'd love to be able to do it with all 3... as you empty the stroller just swing each over the back....

AND... that leaves room in the 2nd row for if you get a new foster baby in the keyfit or snugride 22 or some new seat (COUGH...COCORRO... COUGH)
 

zeo2ski

Well-known member
CONGRATS on your DFD staying for good (not dissing her bio parents as I don't know their story, but yay on her having a permanent home with great parents like you and your dh and great siblings like your other kids!)
Aww thanks Kat!

(without knowing what vehicle you are driving or where your top tether anchors are)
Sorry, I don't know why I didn't include this :doh: This is a big deal--it's a 98 suburban and I can only FF tether in the 3rd row (realistically only outboard but there is a TA option for center too). Since my FFer must be in the 3rd row I can't do loading from the back because I can't buckle him from behind and he can't buckle himself yet. He *could* RF still if needed. Turns out he only wanted to FF to see the clock:rolleyes: Oh and my stroller goes on a hitch behind the car and I can't open the doors with it on, but for only a little hassle I can take it on and off for loading (this would only matter at home since we'd be using the stroller at the destination).


Plan A (easiest)
Third row - RF Radian, RF Radian, ff Evenflo Maestro in whatever order gives the ff kiddo a top tether (it's skinny, it harnesses a little taller than the Radian, and it's less than 100 dollars and easy to use and install... it's a great seat... and can be used for your other kids as they outgrow the Radian or you need to give a Radian to a new foster baby.

Then, in the 2nd row, I'd put the RF Boulevard for baby.
I LIKE this since I could flip down the 2 seat portion of the 2nd row for better access, though that'd mean losing a center seat. I'll check out the Maestro--that is one of the ones I have only "heard about" and don't know specs.

Oh but grrr I just read carefully--I can't get 2 Radians side by side facing the same direction. If I do 3 across the back it has to be a really narrow puzzling combo.

or some new seat (COUGH...COCORRO... COUGH)
I'm itching for one.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
I thought I remembered you had a vehicle that made loading through the hatch not doable... but couldn't remember for sure... so I didn't want to assume.

Okay, scratch some of that then... we move on to play C

Radian on each side and Maestro (it's a pretty narrow seat) in the middle... and then the BV in the 2nd row.

Otherwise... Plan D... if you can't fit all 3 in the back... I'd keep one Radian rf, the Maestro in the center of the third row, and then the Radian in the center of the 2nd row and the Blvd outboard (or vice versa)

I just wouldn't buy another convertible at this juncture since the 4yr old is old enough and big enough and wants to (for whatever silly reason) be ff... and when his current convertible is very narrow and there is another narrow seat doable for a possible 3 across.

Heck, now that I know it's a suburban... if you managed a 3-across in back, that would give you the potential room for TWO more babies... or for you to sit back with the kids (if you can squish back there) on long trips.
 

mommyfrog

Active member
I've found that the Radians fit rf in the third row if they have another rf seat in front of them. So I'd try Maestro third row passenger and two Radians rf. Then the rf Blvd and infant seat in the second row center and driver's side however they work best.
 

zeo2ski

Well-known member
I thought I remembered you had a vehicle that made loading through the hatch not doable... but couldn't remember for sure... so I didn't want to assume.
:pI could load through the back if my FFer could buckle himself, but he can't. He can't even do the MyRide buckle. I still might need to load or buckle the RFers from the back and I could do that, it's just one more step (the stroller).


Radian on each side and Maestro (it's a pretty narrow seat) in the middle... and then the BV in the 2nd row.
I might have to try that. I think I might be able to do RF CCO/FF RN/RF RN.

Otherwise... Plan D... if you can't fit all 3 in the back... I'd keep one Radian rf, the Maestro in the center of the third row, and then the Radian in the center of the 2nd row and the Blvd outboard (or vice versa)

I just wouldn't buy another convertible at this juncture since the 4yr old is old enough and big enough and wants to (for whatever silly reason) be ff... and when his current convertible is very narrow and there is another narrow seat doable for a possible 3 across.
Yup, right now with just my 4 there's no problem, I can fit anything I want, I just would like to choose something that would still be useable when the next baby is added. The main problem is the FF seat will always need to be in the back row, unless I don't top tether. And that row is so narrow.

Heck, now that I know it's a suburban... if you managed a 3-across in back, that would give you the potential room for TWO more babies... or for you to sit back with the kids (if you can squish back there) on long trips.
:D Yup. We will be getting a bigger vehicle once we have another baby or two, but it won't be right away since we will buy used with a small budget which will take a while to find.

Thanks for all the help Kat. I'm going to go look up measurements of the maestro; I'm still doubtful that it will work for 3 in the back because right now I have a FF RN/RF RN/EMPTY seat and the empty measures 12.5" at the narrow part of the RN, and there are 2 more inches between the 2 RNs that might be able to be used with a different arrangement, so 14.5". I know the measurements don't always add up, but I don't have much to work with! FWIW I can do 3 if they're all RF or FF with BLVD/RN/BLVD or vice versa, and if I put the BLVD in the center of that I might be able to put a FF seat in front of it in the 2nd row untethered if I had to. There's nothing directly in front of that 2nd row center seat, just the console down low, but I'd still rather TT.
I've found that the Radians fit rf in the third row if they have another rf seat in front of them. So I'd try Maestro third row passenger and two Radians rf. Then the rf Blvd and infant seat in the second row center and driver's side however they work best.

They do fit RF with a RF seat in front, but they don't fit two side by side in the 3rd row.
 

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