Question Nearing Rearfacing Limit!?

ranebowchild · Mar 25, 2011

Hi. My daughter will be three years old in May.
She has been riding rearfacing in her Britax Boulevard CS.
The carseat is able to rearface until she reaches 35lbs. The top of her head has to be 1" (2.5 cm) or more below the top of the child seat shell, rearfacing.
The carseat is able to forward face until 65 lbs and she needs to be 49" or less in height.
She is 32 lbs and her head is about 3" away from the top of the child seat shell.
I really want to keep her rearfacing for as long as possible and I am feeling really anxious about switching her to forward facing, which I know I will have to do eventually.
I noticed there are some carseats that can rearface longer than 35lbs.
I am worried that if we buy a new one that allows her to rearface longer, she will outgrow it in height and it wouldn't be worth the money. I do love that our Britax Boulevard forward faces in a five point harness until 65 lbs, but I've noticed that there are seats that do that until 80 lbs, so I know I will be buying a new seat in the future anyways.
Can anybody ease my fears about turning her forward facing or are my fears justifed? I want her rearfacing as long as possible and in a five point harness for as long as possible. What should I do? Can someone recommend a carseat that suits my daughter's needs? I need it available in Canada.
Thanks SO much.

mylittlet · Mar 25, 2011

I am not as up on Canada seats but I can answer a few questions. There are 40#rf seats that have a much taller shelll (radian and complete air). Our ds2 is 48" and 55# and would be able to rf in both by height but is well over the weight. He is all torso. He is in the 2nd to the top slots of a husky and 2nd to top setting on a turbo.

Also unless she is a very stocky child, she will never make it to 65#. Our dd2 is days from being 4y, 36" and 50# and is almost outgrown it by height.

Seats are outgrown ff when at max weight, tops of ears at top of seat or shoulders at top slots.

Stefanie, cpst in iowa - mom to 4 great kids

sparkyd · Mar 25, 2011

Unless I'm having a foggy morning (very possible) if you are in Canada using a Canadian seat (which you must - you can't use a seat purchased in the US if you live here), I think that seat should only have a 30 lb rear-facing limit. All the Britax seats that were available when they first came out with the 65 lb FF limit had a 30 lb RF limit. The new models RF to 40 lbs. Please check that ASAP because if that is the case then she has already outgrown the seat RF.

The previous poster mentioned the Sunshine Kids Radian and the Safety 1st Complete Air, both of these seats rear-face to at least 40 lbs and have very tall shells. These are probably your best bets if you want to be sure to be able to RF as long as possible. The Complete Air has a lower FF weight limit (50 lbs), but as mentioned that probably isn't a big deal.

sparkyd · Mar 25, 2011

Sorry, I totally forgot that you had other questions in your post. There are no seats that FF to higher than 65 lbs in Canada; our regulations do not allow anything higher than that. Despite how it may appear, that does not make our regulations inferior. That is the limit because that is deemed to be appropriate for our population (in terms of average sizes) and there is no evidence that keeping kids that have outgrown these seats in harnesses is any safer than being in a booster that fits them properly. There are options available for children with particular medical issues or special needs.

As for your fears about turning FF, that is all about you and your comfort level. Rear-facing is always safer as long as she is within the limits of the seat in terms of height and weight. If you want to keep her that way and you get a seat that allows you to do it, then go for it. My personal minimum for turning my kids FF is 3 years old. My older son was a little older than that when we turned him, initially because he outgrew one of his seats by weight, then in the other vehicle because my husband was being a pain in the butt about it.

In my perfect world I would not have purchased a new seat to RF him longer in my car, but I would have kept him RF for another 5 lbs in the other car since we could have. That would probably have been at least another year since he still hasn't hit 40 lbs. But, I'm totally comfortable with him FF. It's your call. But yes, RF is safER, no question.

snowbird25ca · Mar 25, 2011

Are you sure it's the BLVD CS you have and not the Advocate CS? The advocate had a 35lb rf'ing weight limit and the 1" rule. I believe the Blvd CS was still 30lbs until the "65" line of seats came out.

At your dd's current size she probably has another 3 to 6 months left unless she's just finished or just about to start a growth spurt - so could be more or less.

3 is the age I aim to get my kids to as well and I think you'll make it there with your current seat.

If you really want to keep rf'ing still when she outgrows the seat then you can get another, but at her age and weight, there's nothing wrong with turning her ff'ing. I wouldn't buy another seat to keep her rf'ing longer at her age and size unless you had another kiddo to pass the seat down to - or unless the anxiety of turning her ff'ing was going to keep you up at night. You've followed the recommendation of keeping her rf'ing to the limits of her seat and she'll make it to 3 - that's something to feel good about and not worry when the time comes to ff her. :thumbsup:

ranebowchild · Mar 25, 2011

ERF Should I Buy A New Seat?

Hi. My daughter (she'll be three in May) has been riding in a Britax Boulevard CS. She is tall. She is exactly 3 feet tall and weighs 32lbs.
She can rearface in her seat until 35lbs and as long as the top of her head is 1 inch or more below the top of the child seat shell.
She still has about 2.5 inches before she's too tall for rearfacing in this seat, but I will have to move her forward facing in a few pounds anyway.
I am feeling really anxious about turning her ff because I know that rf is best.
Should I be really anxious about it? I'm viewing ff as a really scary milestone but I do tend to worry a lot about everything.
I do want her rf as long as possible though and ff in a 5 point harness as long as possible too.
I'm afraid that if I spend money on a new seat that she will outgrow the rf height limit before she reaches the weight limit because she is tall and that it wouldn't be worth the money or effort. And I will need to buy a new seat eventually anyways because one day I'm going to buy her a seat that ff in a harness longer. But atleast I wouldn't have to purchase that for quite a long time, because her seat ff until 65lbs in a harness.
Should I turn her ff at 35lbs or should I buy a new seat? Can you recommend any seats that are available in Canada?
Thanks so much for any responses. I really appreciate it.

StPaulMom · Mar 25, 2011

Re: ERF Should I Buy A New Seat?

First, I want to congratulate you for taking the time to learn about ERF and to implement it for your child! I, too, know that the switch from RF to FF can be nerve-racking.

My advice as a CPST *and* as a mother is that I would not buy a different seat. If you were talking about a 2 year old who was reaching the RF limits and other seats were available to ERF, then yes, we'd likely suggest buying a new seat. But for a 3 year old who still has a bit of growing room? Nah, I'd just turn her when she reaches the limits and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

chay · Mar 26, 2011

Re: ERF Should I Buy A New Seat?

First off kudos for RF as long as you have.

Please check your Boulevard. Canadian Boulevards only RF to 30lbs which she's already outgrown. Non-Canadian seats are not certified for use in Canada.

As for the 65lbs FF limit most kids that are 32lbs at 3 won't get to 65lbs in a Boulevard, they will outgrow the seat by height. For FF you need the straps above the shoulders and the tips of their ears below the shell.

You also say that you want to harness her as long as possible. There is some debate about this and no concrete data to back up either side for bigger kids that are mature enough to sit properly in a well fitting booster. For a mature 5-6 year old that is over 40lbs a booster is a reasonable choice. Sweden (which is often viewed as a leader) usually goes from RF to booster and doesn't harness FF for example.

If you do decide that you want another seat to RF longer we can point you in the right direction for seats that will last the longest.

sparkyd · Mar 26, 2011

Re: ERF Should I Buy A New Seat?

Just wanted to point out (since you must have missed it) that 3 of us answered your earlier post on this issue.

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=164699

abemom2 · Mar 27, 2011

Re: ERF Should I Buy A New Seat?

My DS, who will be 5 in 2 months, requested to continue RF. It was his decision, not mine! He just hit 35 lbs. recently, so I got the Radian for him.
He finds it more comfortable!

snowbird25ca · Mar 27, 2011

Re: ERF Should I Buy A New Seat?

sparkyd said:
Just wanted to point out (since you must have missed it) that 3 of us answered your earlier post on this issue.

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=164699

Thanks Sparky. The 2 threads have been merged. This has resulted in the original post showing up a 2nd time after some of the responses, but since it's worded slightly differently I'm going to leave it as is.

Please note that posts appear in chronological order of posting when a thread is merged and that can result in posts between the 2 threads being intermixed. In this case the original thread and all the replies to it are before the 2nd post so it's a little easier to follow. :thumbsup:

ranebowchild · Mar 28, 2011

Oh gosh, I'm feeling overwhelmed. The seat she has is definately the Britax Boulevard CS. When I found out about ERF I researched forever and decided on the Britax Boulevard. I bought the most affordable one I could find online, because I could use a coupon code for it and there was free or almost free (can't quite remember) shipping to Canada. I'm 99% sure it was an American online store. The manual, right in front of me, says that she can rearface until 35 lbs.
So, this whole time, she has been riding in a carseat that is not approved in Canada???!!!

Has she been safe in this seat? I'm very confused? Looks like I will have to buy a new one regardless then, eh? Oh my. Please help again.

mylittlet · Mar 28, 2011

Canada Carseats are tested different then the states test them. Ours are safe and so are yours. Its just against the law for us to use yours and you to use ours. You should have a sticker that says it is FMVSS ### approved if it is from the states.

Stefanie, cpst in iowa - mom to 4 great kids

QuassEE · Mar 28, 2011

ranebowchild said:
I'm 99% sure it was an American online store. The manual, right in front of me, says that she can rearface until 35 lbs.
So, this whole time, she has been riding in a carseat that is not approved in Canada???!!!

Is the manual in English and French? Are the stickers on the carseat in English and French? Do you have the maple leaf sticker on the shell somewhere?

An authorized US retailer should not have shipped a US seat into Canada.

-Nicole.

ranebowchild · Apr 1, 2011

The manual is only written in English. So, what shouled I do with her carseat? We are buying a new one because I want her RF longer, but I cannot believe that we spent so much money on her seat and it is illegal to use in Canada. How would I go about selling it to someone in the states? Thanks to everyone for pointing this out to me.

tam_shops · Apr 1, 2011

I've seen American car seats listed on CL free/for sale. Some people travel between the two countries and like to have an American seat while on vacation.

You could also try to sell it here, but the shipping might not make it worth it.

And, not to worry about what you didn't know. Now you know, replace it asap. Weren't the Radians on sale at Snuglebuz (Canadian)

tam

mam521 · Apr 2, 2011

ranebowchild said:
The manual is only written in English. So, what shouled I do with her carseat? We are buying a new one because I want her RF longer, but I cannot believe that we spent so much money on her seat and it is illegal to use in Canada. How would I go about selling it to someone in the states? Thanks to everyone for pointing this out to me.

Have a look at the warning label sewn onto the cover where your LO's back would be. The Canadian versions have the warning written in English and French. The American versions are English and Spanish

Question Nearing Rearfacing Limit!?

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