Boulevard 65 vs Nextfit - second thoughts

Carolinadaisy

New member
Ok, I'm having a dilemma. Ds2 has been riding in a Boulevard 65 since he was 9 months and outgrew our Keyfit. He still has room to rf, but I was a bitsick of the seat. It expires when he will be 3.5 (next Sept). I want to rf him until 3.5 to 4 if possible. So I bought a Nextfit on Friday evening.

I love the color, the harness adjuster and overall it is a great seat. I am nervous about the legroom though. I don't think he has as much legroom in this seat as the Boulevard. I also tried my older son in the seat rf since he just hit 40lbs and he was so cramped. Ds2 is bigger than his brother was at 2 so it makes me so nervous about the long term usage of nextfit. It definitely has the height I need. I think the only other seat that will last us long enough would be the size4me.....which I'm not going to tough. Just not a Graco fan...don't like the buckle or harness adjustment.

So, I think if the Boulevard could've used with headrest above shell, we'd be fine. But obviously that won't work. My original plan was to rf to max of Boulevard and then turn him ff and use the seat until expired. Then at 3.5 he could go into our Frontier 85 and DS1 would be old enough to move to a hbb (age 6 yr 3 mo).

But I don't know if ds2 will have enough shell to even rf to 3 in the Boulevard 65. And that's my new minimum turn age.

Ds2 just looked a bit cramped yesterday in Nextfit. 37.25" at 2 is throwing me for a loop. We were in the accord yesterday though. Maybe the Altima will give him more legroom, but it doesn't look like it!

I haven't bought a new convertible since 2008. The fact that the harness cannot be removed is making me nervous as well. I had to replace our Britax harness between the kids since it had some fraying near the buckle. Also, ds1 puked in the seat a few times and taking the straps out to clean was nice.

So any advice? I figured we could use the Nextfit now for DS 2, use with next baby, and it would allow DS1 to use the Frontier 85 longer if needed. Somebody tell me this seat is going to work great, and that I'm just worried over nothing!
 
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Kel

Well-known member
How about the Sure Fit? You could RF in it first then F2F a long time. It top slots are supposed to be 19"!!

Toys r us carries it. And targets got a deep pretty purple for $99
 

MommyShannon

New member
How about the Sure Fit? You could RF in it first then F2F a long time. It top slots are supposed to be 19"!!

Toys r us carries it. And targets got a deep pretty purple for $99

Its the SureRide but has a 40" rf height limit.

Did your older son not like it or just look cramped?
 

Kel

Well-known member
Yah, sure ride duh. Lol, it was too early for me to be responding!

40" May get you to 4, I don't know...My son is 37"-37.5", it's had to tell. He will be 3 in 8weeks. I think he'll make it till 3.5 in his my ride maybe more.

How old exactly is your son?
 

Carolinadaisy

New member
Ok, yikes I'm going to edit that post. Doesn't make sense as I have mixed up my kids there. The nextfit is for my younger 2 yr old son. 4.9 yr old is in a Frontier 85. I put him in the nextfit to check legroom, etc. as I expect my younger son may be that size by age 4 if growth doesn't slow down! Older son was way too crowded with nowhere for legs to really go. He did just have a growth spurt with legs though so maybe I'm worried for nothing. I'll post some pics later. Little one is napping now.

My younger son just turned 2 in March 2 and measured at 37.25" at his checkup on Wed. He will most likely be 40" or taller by age 3 unless he slows way down.

My older son slowed down in growth, but not until after age 3. He was right under 40" at age 3.

I think I was just so excited about nextfit and it's just not quite how I expected.
 

Carolinadaisy

New member
And one more thought. I don't think the shoulder pads can be removed to wash, etc. I have washed all the harness covers on our keyfit and britax seats before due to just yuck invests or spitup or puke. Not being able to remove these from the Nextfit cleaning may be my deal breaker. Ugh! Ds2 might be fine, but of we use the seat with the next baby....spitup has to be washed out or my kids faces get rashy.

This seat was going to be the last seat purchase for awhile. Thought we would use the Nextfit in lieu of an infant seat with next baby, but not if I can not wash harness covers. I'm calling Chicco tomorrow and may be returning this beautiful seat. I'm sad now!
 

MommyShannon

New member
No, you explained it right, I was just curious about his opinion. My 3 year old has loads more room in our TFP than our Britax seats, but the lack of room in the Britax seats doesn't bother her.
What do the harness covers feel like? Can they be wiped clean or are they more fabric like and would need washed. Is the cover easy to remove?
 

Carolinadaisy

New member
My older son says it was comfy except his legs were too crowded. He much prefers his Frontier. The harness covers seemed to bug him a bit. He said they didn't but he kept unfastening the chest clip. The chest clip is much easier to undo than my Britax as well.

My 2 yr old isn't all that verbal yet. He talks, but it's not always understandable. He didn't have much to say about the seat, but he seems fine in it. He is much broader through the chest than my older son, so I'm not sure the harness will be all that comfortable as he grows. I can handle fathom keeping him rf to 4 as big as he looks now. In theory, I want to, but I'm not completely convinced I can do it comfortably.

The harness covers feel nice to me. Not how to explain it, but I do feat they would be absorbent of vomit or spitup. I don't want a stinky seat. I haven't taken the cover off because the instructions are vague and I'm afraid it won't go back on smoothly! The harness covers feel like the same fabric as cover on top, but may be waterproof backed. I'm going to call Chicco with a few questions tomorrow and then the seat may go back.
 

Kel

Well-known member
The harness covers would be a deal breaker for me too. I wash my seat covers ALOT. It's one of the reasons I keep hesitating on a foonf. I want to try one but I think the headrest cover is not removable. Ick!!


If he still has RFing room in his seat, how about a MR. It "might get him till 4. Then you can use it for a new baby. The sure ride fits New babies. I'm not sure about the size 4me and newborns.

Another option..did you try a raidian? It could be be used RFing for your little guy, then FFing. And they fit newborns.
 

Carolinadaisy

New member
Ok, I may back peddle a little. We used the nextfit yesterday at recline 3 in my DH's accord. Then I installed it in my altima at recline 2 and we didn't go out later. My 2 yr old didn't feel well this morning so he and I stayed home from church. I think it was allergy issues because he seems fine now. I just put him in the seat to go to the playground and he has so much more legroom than yesterday. He can put his legs straight out without needing to cross his legs! So now it is more room than our boulevard. So, since I really do need the height, I will probably keep the seat.

There really is not another seat out there that has everything I want. I'm going to take the cover off tonight to see how hard it is. The harness adjuster on this Nextfit is really great. So much easier for me than the old boulevard. So....I'm going to have to sleep on it. I do want removable harness covers, but I don't think even a Radian will get this kid to 4. We need all the height we can get while keeping an easy install, buckle and harness adjuster.

I will put up pics in a bit. Call me crazy, but I am not waffling as much now!
 

Carolinadaisy

New member
Not according to the manual. Pg 12 "Never remove harness or shoulder pads from child restraint."
This is the only major issue I have with this seat right now. I'm going to sleep on it.
 

Mercuria

Active member
The KeyFit manual says not to remove the harness, but it's removable without tools. Can the NextFit's harness be removed, or is it permanently affixed/impossible to reinstall?
 

Calesmom

New member
No, it is very clear that the harness cannot be removed or replaced. It's not actually accessible either, the back is closed.
 

Carolinadaisy

New member
Ok. I just got off the phone with Chicco. The harness covers will be removable and replaceable. Initially, the csr told me no, but she looked into it and called me back within minutes. I'm so excited! She said they are writing up instructions now for how to remove and replace. Not sure if they will be machine washable because of the backing, though.
 

MommyShannon

New member
Ok. I just got off the phone with Chicco. The harness covers will be removable and replaceable. Initially, the csr told me no, but she looked into it and called me back within minutes. I'm so excited! She said they are writing up instructions now for how to remove and replace. Not sure if they will be machine washable because of the backing, though.

That sounds promising, but it doesn't sound easy if the harness is enclosed now. I get that the covers are required like HUGS so there isn't Velcro but I don't want to need tools to take them off. I was cleaning both of my DD's seats at least weekly for a while.
 

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