Question Time to change or keep riding?

Slinger646

New member
Greetings,

Been lurking here for a while and I wanted to get your opinions on when it is time to change from my RF Chicco KeyFit 30 to my Graco Nautilus.

My Twins are 9mo, Girl is 20lb, Boy is 23.

I don't have their exact heights handy, but I feel they are outgrowing the Chicco when it pertains to length.

Vehicle is a 2002 Subie Outback.

Thanks
 
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lourdes

Well-known member
Hi and welcome! According to the American Academy of Pediatrician children need to stay RF until 2 years olds or longer. Here on this site is recommended to keep them RF until at least 3 years olds. The Graco Nautilus is a FF only seat so is not recommended for your twins right now. My recommendation is: research here on this site on why RF is safer than FF and then we can give you recommendations on convertible car seats for your kids. You can also do a Google search on RF vs FF. That's what I did. Good luck!
 

lovemy2kidstw

New member
Slinger646 said:
Greetings,

Been lurking here for a while and I wanted to get your opinions on when it is time to change from my RF Chicco KeyFit 30 to my Graco Nautilus.

My Twins are 9mo, Girl is 20lb, Boy is 23.

I don't have their exact heights handy, but I feel they are outgrowing the Chicco when it pertains to length.

Vehicle is a 2002 Subie Outback.

Thanks

Hi & welcome to car-seat.org!

It is legal to turn your twins FF when they are 1 year AND 20 lbs, however legal doesn't equal safest. ( see below)

The AAP recommends keeping your children RF until they are 2 years old or when they outgrow height or weight of their dwarfs ing convertible seat. A convertible seat can be RF ( usually 35-45 lbs depending on the seat) & FF (usually to 65-80lbs). The nautilus is a FF only seat.

You will find varying recommendations here on how long you should keep your children RF, but we can all agree that age 2 should be the minimum age to FF ( unless the child has outgrown convertible seat).


Also if you think they are outgrowing their keyfits by height, you will need new RF seats anyway. They have outgrown their RF seats by height when they have less than 1 inch of hard shell above their heads.
 

Slinger646

New member
Thanks for the responses. They have plenty of room above the head, it's the feet that stick out. Both are high percentile for height, and it's all leg. I'm trying to find a happy medium between wrapping them in bubble wrap and setting on "the hump" with a lap belt like I did (and survived).

I suppose an additional car seat is in order, I do wish there was a dedicated RF seat for toddlers because when I see convertible, I read "compromise".
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
Thanks for the responses. They have plenty of room above the head, it's the feet that stick out. Both are high percentile for height, and it's all leg. I'm trying to find a happy medium between wrapping them in bubble wrap and setting on "the hump" with a lap belt like I did (and survived).

I suppose an additional car seat is in order, I do wish there was a dedicated RF seat for toddlers because when I see convertible, I read "compromise".

Welcome to car-seat.org!

Convertibles are definitely not compromises. :) They are wonderful seats that many of us actually favor :eek: (meaning some of us here choose to use them from birth or to use them until kids outgrow them even though there may be dedicated FF seats). There are some truly wonderful convertibles out there that are user-friendly, comfy, and often very cute. ;)

Do you need some recommendations for convertibles?
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
Slinger646 said:
Thanks for the responses. They have plenty of room above the head, it's the feet that stick out. Both are high percentile for height, and it's all leg. I'm trying to find a happy medium between wrapping them in bubble wrap and setting on "the hump" with a lap belt like I did (and survived).

I suppose an additional car seat is in order, I do wish there was a dedicated RF seat for toddlers because when I see convertible, I read "compromise".

You don't need to worry about their legs--that's not a problem at all, though it's a common misconception.

Properly using an appropriate child restraint IS a compromise between bubble wrap and nothing. Riding in the car is, statistically, the most dangerous thing we do everyday. It's not obsessive to want to be safe.

A convertible seat isn't a compromise at all. Convertible seats meet the same safety standards as infant seats when rear-facing and dedicated forward-facing seats when forward-facing.
 

mylittlet

Senior Community Member
Do you already have the nautilus? If so can you return them? It really doesn't make since to let them sit around your house wasting their life while you use a convertible.

By the way, the nautilus is kind of known for head slump. I would hate for my kids to have head slump a.d be ff before 2y at the minimum.
 

lovemy2kidstw

New member
Slinger646 said:
Thanks for the responses. They have plenty of room above the head, it's the feet that stick out. Both are high percentile for height, and it's all leg. I'm trying to find a happy medium between wrapping them in bubble wrap and setting on "the hump" with a lap belt like I did (and survived).

I suppose an additional car seat is in order, I do wish there was a dedicated RF seat for toddlers because when I see convertible, I read "compromise".

As others have stated, feet sticking out or touching the back of the seat isn't a safety concern. Sure, it looks uncomfortable to us as adults, but kids are really flexible & get themselves into all kinds of positions. Both of my kids can pull their feet up to their mouths & if I tried that, I wouldn't be able to move for a week ;)

Car accidents are the number one killer of children, so it is very important to keep them properly restrained & reduce their risk of injury.

Yes, you & many of us 'survived' childhood even though we were riding unsafely. There are many kids who didn't survive though & they aren't here now. Im sure if there was more research back then & our parents knew better.... They would have done better.

Do you have any other children or just the twins?
 

Slinger646

New member
I know they meet the same standards, but my rationalizing is that a convertible car seat cannot offer the same level of protection as a purpose built seat. I do have the Nautilus seats, but they are kept in a climate/humidity controlled room with no windows, so I'm not too worried about the deterioration factor.

My biggest issue with convertibles will be space, the KeyFits ate up the entire back seat of the Subie. A Suburban is in the works in early '13, but for now We're stuck in the OB.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks!
 

alex9179

New member
If you can return the Graco seats, I would. Or sell them. They expire and you'll be losing almost 2 years of their life while they sit around waiting for your babies to reach FF age. Besides, better and longer expiration seats keep being developed. It would be nice if you didn't have the Nautilus baggage to consider when the time came to get new ones.

A dedicated use seat isn't safer, but it IS limiting.
 

lovemy2kidstw

New member
Slinger646 said:
I know they meet the same standards, but my rationalizing is that a convertible car seat cannot offer the same level of protection as a purpose built seat. I do have the Nautilus seats, but they are kept in a climate/humidity controlled room with no windows, so I'm not too worried about the deterioration factor.

My biggest issue with convertibles will be space, the KeyFits ate up the entire back seat of the Subie. A Suburban is in the works in early '13, but for now We're stuck in the OB.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks!

The nautiluses will still have the same expiration date regardless if they are kept in the box in a climate controlled area or not.

A bit of good news, most convertible seats take up less front to back room than the infant seats. Also, most can be at a more upright angle so they will take up even less room.

The convertible seat is a purpose built seat & the best level of protection is to keep children RF for as ling as possible. The convertible's purpose is to keep your child safe by RF & then to keep then safe FF after they outgrow the RF limits :D

What is your budget for new seats? I'm not familiar with your vehicle, so I can't really be helpful there.

If it was me, I would either return the nautiluses or try to sell them on craigslist & put that money towards new seats. Depending on when you bought them, they have a 6 year expiration, so they are losing valuable time. If you keep them, then you will still be in the predicament of buying new seats in a few years because they will be expired.
 

lourdes

Well-known member
The Evenflo Triumph is a great seat, it has energy absorbing foam all around and it doesn't take that much space. Also the Graco My Ride is also a good seat.
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
The Outback is quite small in the backseat, but it is definitely possible to get two convertibles back there. :)

I would get two Radians with angle adjusters. They are tall, but with the angle adjuster will sit up more upright, which should help with the room they take up. They are also narrow, so they will seem to take up far less room than the KeyFits or the Nautiluses would.

My sister has an 06 Outback and I know the Radian installs beautifully in her Outback. I'm not sure how similar the 02 and 06 are.
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
The Evenflo Triumph is a great seat, it has energy absorbing foam all around and it doesn't take that much space. Also the Graco My Ride is also a good seat.

The Triumph, in my experience, doesn't install well in the Outback. Not even a well-experienced CPST could get a Triumph in without some more movement than we were both comfortable with.
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
That may depend on the year. I have successfully gotten Triumphs in Outbacks, but I think it was before the latest redesign.

Agree that the Nautiluses shouldn't be used for at least another 15 months. Better to sell them now rather than let them lose value and life, and get something that will keep your kids safe for the next 15 months or more.

Convertibles are in no way a "compromise" -- IMO and IME, the only two seats any kid NEEDS are a convertible and a booster.
 

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