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Do you mean (just an example) a child who has a seat with a 40 inch height limit in the manual. The child is 40" exactly, but is more leg than torso, and so still has 5 inches above the head? So per the manual, the seat has been outgrown. I've wondered that a lot too.
carseatcoach said:The manufacturer states that it matters.
We don't know why it matters.
As a manual reader and step-by-step "I can't deviate from a recipe to improvise if my life depended on it" kind of person, that's what I believe. The manufacturer says so, so we do it.... My own personal "but whyyyy?!" comes from how not every manufacturer says that, so why is it life or death with seat A but totally acceptable with seat B.
I believe it's largely due to dummy size and growth chart averages. Manufacturers often dumb stuff down so everyone can understand it, and saying "40 inches" is easier than explaining how to measure shell height, etc.
My own personal feeling is that torso height is much more relevant than overall height. Some manufacturers also realize that and will tell people that it's ok to disregard their stated height limit as long as there's sufficient shell left. Others are adamant that the standing height limit be followed, period, no matter what. I suspect cases like that are more of a legal CYA move, but without further details, I'm not one to tell people to ignore it.
What I'd love to see is a "do not exceed" line printed on the cover of the seat. Until your kid reaches that line, you're good. After that, it's outgrown.
I actually think it would be worse for all the weight to be in the torso (or, worse, head) than in the legs. It would raise the center of gravity and, consequently, put more torque on the shell.
That said, I can't guarantee the weight's not all in the feet (heavy boots?), which could fly up in an accident and cause the same effect. That could be even worse, since the legs tend to be longer than the torso. The manufacturer can't verify every weight distribution, so they set limits "on the safe side." At least that's my read on the situation.
:yeahthat:
For some of the seats that go by a set height it could be possible that the additional weight high on the seat back could be causing too much rotation in an accident. Who knows.
A 'do not exceed' line would be ideal, but I wonder if the general public would understand the correct way to measure. There are plenty of posts here where even people who know about the 1" rule don't understand the correct way to measure that. (perpendicular to the seat back instead of parallel to the ground)
What I'd love to see is a "do not exceed" line printed on the cover of the seat. Until your kid reaches that line, you're good. After that, it's outgrown.
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