Question BV child size limits (Canada)

3kitty · Aug 14, 2011

So, I thought I had my problem solved. We have a BV and a Radian XT. My 3 yo is at the weight limit for RF in the Radian (seriously, yes.) Thought I would just turn her around except then I realized my 15 month old is too tall to RF in the BV! Sooo....I'll just keep the younger one RF in the Radian and FF the 3yo in the BV, right?

After the rigamarole of switching them around (and getting a tight install on the Radian - thank you car-seat.org!!), I put my daughter in the FF BV and I can't seem to get the straps high enough! She is 41 out of the 49" overall limit and long in the torso, but really?

Has this problem been encountered before? Am I missing something? Can you think of anything else I can do with these kids and seats short of a new car seat (I really think with their heights, we'd have to go for another Radian)? :question:

If it has any bearing on the situation, we drive a 2008 Chevy Equinox. Aaaand we're in Canada.

TIA!

Kaitsmom · Aug 14, 2011

Are her shoulders above the top harness slot on the Blvd?

Mommy2Marcus · Aug 14, 2011

Re: BV child size limits

How are you measuring the 15 month old for RF? Are you going by the height limit that the seat says or by the 1 inch of shell left above his/her head? If you're going by the height limit, then he/she may still have several inches above his/her head for RF & you might still have quite a bit of time left.

As for the older child in the BV, are the straps below her shoulders? If so then she has outgrown the seat. It is possible for a child of that age to have outgrown that seat, but not all that common. That would mean she would have a 16 inch torso. Your headrest on the BV just might be stuck.

In the end if she has outgrown the BV, then I would suggest the Britax Frontier (I believe it is the XT up there in Canada). It has much taller top harness slots than any other seat & with a child that has outgrown the BV at age 3, she is going to need some taller top slot to get her to age 5 or 6 for safe boosting age.

3kitty · Aug 14, 2011

Re: BV child size limits

Thanks, M2M,

I was using the total height limit (which is 30" - I think he's 33") in the manual for the BV and the 15 month old; you're right, I think he still has a little height left before he reaches the 1" below the shell. Have to have a closer look. I'm 99% sure that we got the headwings cranked up as high as they will go. It's a little hard to turn the knob because it's tight up against the back seat, so I will definitely give it one more shot just to be sure.

Thanks again!

cat mommy · Aug 14, 2011

Re: BV child size limits

Never mind--your BV is different from mine.

3kitty · Aug 14, 2011

Re: BV child size limits

DH thinks maybe we should just get her a new seat. Is there anything that compares to the Frontier in terms of weight limit and top harness slot height (i.e., anything cheaper)?

I'm trying to find a thread that I remember seeing about highest height and weight limit seats.....

Mommy2Marcus · Aug 14, 2011

Re: BV child size limits

3kitty said:
Thanks, M2M,

I was using the total height limit (which is 30" - I think he's 33") in the manual for the BV and the 15 month old; you're right, I think he still has a little height left before he reaches the 1" below the shell. Have to have a closer look. I'm 99% sure that we got the headwings cranked up as high as they will go. It's a little hard to turn the knob because it's tight up against the back seat, so I will definitely give it one more shot just to be sure.

Thanks again!

Yeah, also make sure that you're measuring the 1" rule properly. He needs to have at least 1" of hard shell above his head & the headrest/wings don't count, just the shell.

As for the head rest/wings for FF being as high as they will go, I would probably try uninstalling the seat & raising them. However I have never played with a BV, so not 100% how they work, but with you saying the knob is tight against the seat makes me think uninstalling could deffinatly help you. Also try loosening the harness all the way before moving them up so as not to put stress on the harness. That should also help.

3kitty said:
DH thinks maybe we should just get her a new seat. Is there anything that compares to the Frontier in terms of weight limit and top harness slot height (i.e., anything cheaper)?

I'm trying to find a thread that I remember seeing about highest height and weight limit seats.....

There is not anything else that compares to the Frontier in terms of harness height. Several other seats have higher weight limits, but I think you need more harness height even though she is higher than 45lbs b/c at 3 her weight should slow down. The Frontier has 19.5-20 inch top slots, so the tallest on the market.

Another seat that might get her to a good boostering age is the Graco Nautilus. It has 18.5 inch top slots.

Can you measure her torso for us? The way to do that is to sit her against a wall, make sure her back & bottom are flat against the wall & she is sitting up nice & straight. Then have her cross her legs criss cross apple sauce, then take a pen/pencil & make a small mark at the top of her shoulders. Then you will measure from the floor to the mark on the wall. That will give us her torso height. This will greatly help us tell what seat should work the best for her & also if she has/should of outgrown the BV.

wendytthomas · Aug 14, 2011

Re: BV child size limits

The thread with the measurements spreadsheet? That's for the US versions of the seats anyway.

Your Boulevard is outgrown when there's less than 1" of shell above the head. Not the headrest, but the shell. http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=30201 Forward facing it's outgrown when the shoulders go over the top slots for a 40 pounder. Though check the weight limit on it. Depending on how old it is I think it may have a 48 pound harness limit.

For additional info on new seats, you might want to post in the Canadian forum so you don't get incorrect US info.

Wendy

3kitty · Aug 14, 2011

Re: BV child size limits

Thanks, all. I understand about the 1" and the shell. It's just that if I want to follow the manual, it states that the child has to be 32" or less AND 1" below the shell.

I'll see if I can get the 3 yo to sit still for a measure......

wendytthomas · Aug 14, 2011

Re: BV child size limits

If it makes you feel better, that same exact seat in the US has a higher rear facing height limit (if one is stated at all). The 32" was required by TC, not Britax.

Wendy

3kitty · Aug 14, 2011

Wendy, yeah, that sounds familiar (about the different US and Canadian numbers).

FWIW, big little girl is 15 or 15.25" at the shoulders.

misstj9 · Aug 14, 2011

Re: BV child size limits

Mommy2Marcus said:
Yeah, also make sure that you're measuring the 1" rule properly. He needs to have at least 1" of hard shell above his head & the headrest/wings don't count, just the shell.

As for the head rest/wings for FF being as high as they will go, I would probably try uninstalling the seat & raising them. However I have never played with a BV, so not 100% how they work, but with you saying the knob is tight against the seat makes me think uninstalling could deffinatly help you. Also try loosening the harness all the way before moving them up so as not to put stress on the harness. That should also help.

ETA: I started this 20 min ago, but DD distracted me. When I finally finished, now I see Wendy's info about the TC height limit. Hope some of this info still helps!

Definitely try to adjust the BV with the seat uninstalled or at least loosened. I have a Boulevard from 2006 (expires next fall) currently RF for my 28 month old. Even RF my knob can stick for a second on occasion and then suddenly it's responding to being turned again (sorry, can't think of a better way to say it!). When I had if FF for my DS2 it was hard to raise unless it was loose from the back of the seat. Also as M2M said, definitely loosen the harness COMPLETELY before cranking.

My DD is 28 months old, 34" tall and has a 12.5" torso. She still fits RF and has quite a bit of room to go. I'll see if I can find/get a picture and add it. My BV manual has a weight limit for RF (33 lbs) but not a height limit, simply the 1" rule. I don't know the differences for a Canadian seat, sorry, but I hope some of this info helps!

3kitty · Aug 14, 2011

Thanks all. We are driving now (always do this stuff day before a trip, right?) with DS RF in the BV (with the 1" rule, I think he has plenty of room) and DD FF in the Ra.

3kitty · Aug 16, 2011

BTW, I'm pretty sure the wings were all the way up on the BV because there was only a few inches on the strap-tightening belt sticking out of the front of the seat.

mommycat · Aug 16, 2011

While I think that the FRXT would be the best choice in your case if you were looking to upgrade one of the seats in order to ERF while still following the BV manual, you may be able to find a Radian on a good sale in the coming days (since SK is changing it's brand name and redesigning the seats I imagine the old ones will be getting clearanced) - how much room does your DD have in that harness? The Nautilus would probably work as well but it does have lower slots much closer to the height of the Radian and the back/harness is only good for 6 years whereas the Britax harness can be used for 9 years, giving you more flexibility to pass the seat down to your younger child in the future.

snowbird25ca · Aug 16, 2011

wendytthomas said:
If it makes you feel better, that same exact seat in the US has a higher rear facing height limit (if one is stated at all). The 32" was required by TC, not Britax.

Wendy

Not to pick on you Wendy, but just because I see this stated quite often by different people. TC didn't require the 32". There has never been a limitation in our standards that has prevented manufacturers from using the 1" of shell height rule - the only requirement is that the seat list the size of child it is designed to fit.

Evenflo had actually used the 1" of shell height for years over the period of time that most of the other manufacturers had 32", and the TF has always gone by 1" of shell and it wasn't until 2010 that our standards were revised. (And manufacturers still have until January 2012 to comply.)

The Advocate didn't have a 32" height limit when it came in to Canada, so I'm not sure that I'd feel finicky about the 32" on the boulevard, but I would be curious what Britax said if you called them. There is potential for a child's height to affect whether or not a seat meets a specific part of the standard, but the bottom line is that our standards are weight based and not height based.

3kitty · Aug 16, 2011

I've always wondered. Maybe I will call Britax and ask.

I agree that the Frontier is probably the obvious choice for DD next.

3kitty · Aug 16, 2011

OK, I just got off the phone with Britax and the rep said that it did have to do with TC's regulations and that the Advocate also had a 32" limit when it came to Canada.

That being said, as you all know, the US and Canadian versions of the Boulevard are exactly the same (per the rep) and the US one has a higher height limit (or goes by the 1" rule).

She added that their new seats all comply with the new rules and regs for 2012.

Thanks for all the input, everybody.

snowbird25ca · Aug 16, 2011

3kitty said:
OK, I just got off the phone with Britax and the rep said that it did have to do with TC's regulations and that the Advocate also had a 32" limit when it came to Canada.

That being said, as you all know, the US and Canadian versions of the Boulevard are exactly the same (per the rep) and the US one has a higher height limit (or goes by the 1" rule).

She added that their new seats all comply with the new rules and regs for 2012.

Thanks for all the input, everybody.

LOL - well, I went to look at the manuals for the advocate and RA50 because I was familiar with what the stickers had said on the seat, and the manuals mention 32" in that very intro page of warnings and then it's not mentioned again in comparison to the other manuals which clearly stated 32" beside the diagrams and under the lists of things the child needs to meet. The other seats actually had a death or serious injury warning in relation to the rf'ing height limits. I recall there being some inconsistencies between different stickers on the Advocate and the RA50 in comparison to the manual, and I seem to recall someone here calling and being told that the 1" referenced in the manual was correct. However - this was a few years ago, so who knows... I just get annoyed when manufacturers don't give accurate information... there was no change in standards when they removed the 32" and changed to 1", and other manufacturers didn't have 32" rf'ing height limits in the period of time where they did, so they can't rightfully blame our standards. But that's neither here nor there at this point other than the rep being wrong.

For the record and purposes of clarification - their line of 65 seats does NOT all comply with the 2012 regulations. The ones shipping now do - they've raised the minimum ff'ing weight limit to 22lbs. But the ones out there with a 20lb minimum ff'ing weight limit are NOT compliant to the updated standards. The Britax rep himself was stating this for awhile until I corrected him on it, so I'm not really surprised to hear a customer service rep say it, but it is rather annoying. (That being said, it's possible that they were compliant from a crash test perspective, but they were not compliant from a weight limit, sticker or manual perspective.)

Question BV child size limits (Canada)

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