a few ?s

Ok so my DD is 9 months 21lbs and were are looking to move her into the next seat and want to RF for as long as possible..she rides in a Britax chaperone right now and she still fits the limits so were ok for now although she does hate the thing weather she is just not a carseat baby or if its the seat we may never know lol I have been doing tons and tons of research on seats and we really have put some thought into getting a MT from sweden but we will have to save for it and may not be able to afford it for a few months, Im not sure we have that much time before she outgrows the height of the infant seat or before I go insane trying to make her happy in the car ! I have been eyeing the Diono RXT the BLVD. 70 and the TFP to get as a seat to use while we save for the MT if we go that route. I guess im just looking for some insight as to weather or not its really worth importing and if we should even buy an american seat in the meantime (considering the seats we like are costly anyway?). And regarding the MT i feel as if it upright is this suitable for a 9month old ? I see more pics of older kids them? well i could go on and on forever!! Im new here ! Any help would be awesome! TIA

Why do you want to import a seat? She's not terribly heavy, and even a 97% girl will be three before she hits 40 pounds. So a 45 pound rear facing seat, or even a 40 pound rear facing seat, should get you to three or four years old. I wouldn't deal with the hassle and expense of importing a seat unless she's so tall that the height will be an issue. What is her shirt size?

The True Fit is tall, but it has a 35 pound rear facing weight limit. So if you'd like to go higher, I'd nix that.

The Boulevard 70 has a high weight limit rear facing, but a much shorter shell. So if she's super tall I'd nix that.

The Radians have both a tall shell and high weight limits. But they can be hard to install. What car do you have?

You could also look at the Safety 1st Complete Air, Maxi Cosi Pria, Evenflo Triumph 65, and Evenflo Momentum 65. They all have 40 pound rear facing weight limits and tall shells as well.

Wendy

We had a MT, I wouldn't put a 9 month old baby in it & ds found it really uncomfy, intact he hated it. We sold it when he was 3 years 9 months & moved him into a frontier. I never use the MT ff it was too heavy & I would never use it as a booster.

It does however install very easily, a million times more easily than the radian bit that's not really a good reason to import one lol

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I wouldn't import. We have gotten some great seats in the US in the past several years. I would look at the seats Wendy suggested. They will all last her a long time. Even our 90-100% height/weight kids could have made it to 3y if those seats were availalbe when they we younger.

All seats pass the same testing. There is no standard in side impact testing, so it is up to the manufacture on how they test it and what they say.

One other seat to look at is the Graco My Ride. It will also RF to 40 pounds and then FF to 65 pounds. It is on sale at Target this week for only $100 too. It's a very comfortable seat, most people here that have them love them.

If you are in the States, I would not import for a child that small. As others have said, there are plenty of seats on the US market that can keep even a taller and/or heavier child rear facing to around 3. Who knows what newer, better US seats will be out in the next couple years. IMO, it's best to use a legal seat as long as possible. The sooner you use a foreign seat, the sooner you may have to deal with the possible legal ramifications of doing so. Anyone considering using a foreign seat in the US should thoroughly research the legal risks first.

lorismurph said:

One other seat to look at is the Graco My Ride. It will also RF to 40 pounds and then FF to 65 pounds. It is on sale at Target this week for only $100 too. It's a very comfortable seat, most people here that have them love them.

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Thank you everyone or all the info !!! I think this has swayed me not import right now maybe in a few years we will have more US options anyway we checked out the My Ride and I like it other than the fact that I feel like its lacking in the padding area..

So the TFP certainly has a nice cover but I would rather the 40lb limit? I understand that the TFP has a anti-rebound bar and the britax's offer rear tethers correct? Is one or the other better ..and does anyone else not like the fact that a radian or rxt doesnt allow for use of the wings untill the 3rd slot..on average what age/height would a child reach that? I hate that she wouldnt benefit from the extra side impact proctetion for awhile...

There are no studies to show the antirebound bar or tethers help, though maybe a little in side impacts. A properly installed seat is very safe.

There are no studies showing the wings are beneficial. Doesn't seem like they'd hurt.

The best way to protect a child in a frontal or side impact is rear facing with a harness. Beyond that -- wings, tethers, antirebound bars, air cushions -- may or may not help. You're talking about taking a child who is perfectly safe, and potentially making it better.

Wendy

I hate to sound like a broken record, but yeah, I wouldn't import. Not for a 9-month old, 21-lb child (how tall is she?), anyways.

Importing a child seat to the US is legal, but using it in the US is NOT legal.

We have plenty of seats here that will get your child a lot of time rear-facing.

For maximum RF time (both height and weight wise), I would look at the SKJP/Diono Radians (option to tether RF), Maxi Cosi Pria 70, Graco MyRide, and Safety 1st Complete Air.

Clek will be releasing their high(er) RF weight limit/generously shelled new convertible, the Foonf, in the Spring sometime as well. Exact specs are not yet known, but some are speculating it may be comparable to Swedish seats' RF specs. It's anticipated to run between $400-$500, which is still cheaper then importing. Also, if I remember correctly, the Foonf will have an anti-rebound bar.