At what point would you consider importing a seat?

mrosehughes · Oct 27, 2011

More a theoretical question at this point, since DS still has plenty of room to grow in his radian.

Just wondering at what point any of you would consider importing a seat (to the U.S. from, say, Sweden) for your LO, or if you never would, even if they were extremely tall and heavy.

I'm sure DS will make it to 3 in the radian, but I'm less sure about him making it to four (he is just two on Saturday, 30+ lbs and 37 inches, and I think a bit long-torsoed, based on his size 3-4 shirts and size 2 pants). As he gets closer to outgrowing the radian, importing is something I might consider, if he's just barely 3 (unless clek ups the foonf RFing weight and it's super tall).

momtotwogirls · Oct 27, 2011

Theoretically Id say if my kid outgrew the highest rear facing seats before 3 then id import. My goal is 4 but I wouldnt import after 3. I would LOVE to import now but both my kids did/will make it to within months after/before 4 yrs old in the TFP so I have no need for an imported seat.

Brigala · Oct 27, 2011

I think if my child outgrew all domestic options before approximately 3 years old I would consider importing.

Right now I don't think DD is in danger of that, although she's following a strange growth curve so it's really hard to predict (she was 8+ lbs at birth but was around 5th percentile for weight from about 3-9 months and now is at about the 60th at 14 months!!!).

An Aurora · Oct 27, 2011

Only if I had a kid under the age of 2 who was over 45 pounds. And they would have to be closer to 1 than 2.

lanwenyi · Oct 28, 2011

My child would need to outgrow ALL US seats before turning 3. Only then would I import.

That said, it's entirely academic to me. DD still fits rfing in the TFP, Radians, and Avenues. She has outgrown the Classic Blvd, MR, and Scenera. She's 4y1.5m.

CrazyBoysMamma · Oct 28, 2011

When I had the funds and Dh was somehow incapacitated and unable to stop me....:evil grin: Umm, but I want a Multi Tech just because I want one.

dewdrop222 · Oct 28, 2011

That was us! Patrick had out grown every seat except the XTSL (which at that point he has 2" above his head), by age 2.5 years. So I got a TWE and called it a day.

jourdysmom · Oct 28, 2011

An Aurora said:
Only if I had a kid under the age of 2 who was over 45 pounds. And they would have to be closer to 1 than 2.

This... I 1) can't afford to import and 2) don't feel that I as a tech can tell people not to do something that I am doing illegally. I think that it makes me lose credit as an educator. :twocents:

carseatcoach · Oct 28, 2011

An Aurora said:
Only if I had a kid under the age of 2 who was over 45 pounds. And they would have to be closer to 1 than 2.

This.

cryswilkins · Oct 28, 2011

An Aurora said:
Only if I had a kid under the age of 2 who was over 45 pounds. And they would have to be closer to 1 than 2.

:yeahthatlove:

I agree.

jeminijad · Oct 28, 2011

I wouldn't in any likely scenario.

Maybe if I had a child under the age of 3 with untreatable gigantism/acromelagy and s/he outgrew the Frontier. Or a 12 month old outgrowing the Radian RFing.

Not for anything else.

twinsmom · Oct 28, 2011

If my child was under 4 and had outgrown all US seats (assuming I could afford it).

My kids were 3 when I imported my Multi Techs, and RF until 5.5.

Brianna · Oct 28, 2011

An Aurora said:
Only if I had a kid under the age of 2 who was over 45 pounds. And they would have to be closer to 1 than 2.

This, unless there is research before that point that shows that there is a significant safety difference RF to 3 until 2.

luckyclov · Oct 28, 2011

An Aurora said:
Only if I had a kid under the age of 2 who was over 45 pounds. And they would have to be closer to 1 than 2.

Yeah...pretty much that.

Hopefully, at some point (well, I guess it needs to be released, in general, first...), the Kiddy World Plus will have a higher weight limit on the protection shield, which would be another option in between RF and FF with a 5-point for younger/heavier kids who should, ideally, still be RF'ing.

While importing a child seat is legal, using it in the U.S. is NOT legal. It's not legal in the same way that, say, a 10-month old riding in a booster isn't legal. As much as I reallllllllllly want a MT (and, I realllllly do), it's not going to happen. I just wouldn't feel good about breaking the law, when I had options here. How would I explain that to my children? Or the parents/caregivers I volunteer to educate about laws/proper use/misuse, etc? It just wouldn't leave me with a feel-good kind of feeling.

That said, like we always say, the final decision is up to the parent/caregiver. As techs and advocates/budding techs and advocates, we're still, at the end of the day, a parent/caregiver ourselves, and, I guess, on a *personal* level, the final decision lies the same as it would for any other parent/caregiver.

But, for me, the benefit would clearly have to outweigh the risk of willingly breaking the law and I would have to have NO other reasonable options left.

carseatcoach · Oct 28, 2011

jeminijad said:
Maybe if I had a child under the age of 3 with untreatable gigantism/acromelagy and s/he outgrew the Frontier.

I think the US has the highest-weight FFing harnessed seats in the Frontier85 and the ProSport. Just out of curiosity, are you aware of foreign seats with higher harness limits?

Baylor · Oct 28, 2011

If I knew then what I know now, I would have done it at a year and saved the money on the other seat and got a MT. Then little man could have rf to at least 3.

auto-correct on the loose..

luckyclov · Oct 28, 2011

carseatcoach said:
I think the US has the highest-weight FFing harnessed seats in the Frontier85 and the ProSport. Just out of curiosity, are you aware of foreign seats with higher harness limits?

I'm also curious.

Admittedly, I don't spend a lot of time researching European child restraints, but even the MT's FF (harness) weight limit is 40 lbs vs it's RF weight limit of 55 lbs. The TWE has a FF/RF harness weight limit of 55 lbs.

Us North Americans, as far as I know, hold the candle bright with HWH FF seats. The ProSport has a 90-lb harness weight limit, which is the highest weight limit on the market, but the Frontier85, with it's 20" harness top slots and 85-lb harness weight limit, would still probably qualify as the HWH that would last longer (in most cases, even "special circumstance" cases).

jeminijad · Oct 28, 2011

carseatcoach said:
I think the US has the highest-weight FFing harnessed seats in the Frontier85 and the ProSport. Just out of curiosity, are you aware of foreign seats with higher harness limits?

No. As far as I know, you are right. So even that scenario doesn't exist. I wouldn't import.

jeminijad · Oct 28, 2011

And to elaborate, the reasons I wouldn't import are not because it is technically illegal.

If I believe a law to be immoral/wrong/untenable for some other reason, I may break it. I wouldn't import a foreign seat because we are talking about diminishing returns here- spending a considerable amount of resources required for other, concrete needs in order to strive for an uncertain, unmeasurable increase in safety for an event that probably won't happen during the time frame at hand (a moderate to severe front or side impact collision.)

aeormsby · Oct 28, 2011

An Aurora said:
Only if I had a kid under the age of 2 who was over 45 pounds. And they would have to be closer to 1 than 2.

Pretty much this.

I would do everything possible to keep a kid RF to age 2. I would buy new seats (domestic) to keep a kid RF to age 3, I wouldn't jump through hoops to keep a kid RF past age 3.

At what point would you consider importing a seat?

New member

New member

CPST Instructor

Senior Community Member

New member

New member

CPS Technician

CPST Instructor

Carseat Crankypants

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

Carseat Crankypants

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Sponsors

Forum statistics