Question Need RF (convertible) help, please!

jlpoirier

New member
Hello again,

I recently posted about a problem I was having with not being able to tighten/loosen the harness on our Britax Boulevard (which -- if you are so inclined -- you can read here: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=259866 ).

I got such great input from that thread, and I thought I had solved the problem by removing the Boulevard from the car, turning our Britax Advocate rear facing for my younger son, and buying a Frontier 90 for my older son. But now I have a new problem I'm hoping y'all can help me with....

(Side note: I was not thrilled to be buying another Britax, but they won me over with the promise of being able to install the seat myself, in less than 5 minutes. Which was entirely true -- easiest carseat install I have ever experienced. So far we really like the Frontier 90.)

The new problem is with the Advocate turned backwards. Wow. It is extremely difficult to get my son buckled in now -- even when he is being cooperative it takes forever -- and it seems he somehow has less leg room than when he was in the Boulevard.

It is such a struggle each day that I have had thoughts of turning him FF (he is 3+ years old, ~27#, ~36"), but I'd really prefer not to. In theory he can stay in this seat RF for another 13 pounds (though he's likely to outgrow by height first), but the thought of doing this for another year+ makes me want to cry. So now I'm considering replacing the Advocate with something that is easier to deal with RF.

Does anyone have suggestions for me? I'm hoping to find something that might cost roughly about $100-$150 (which I'm hoping to offset with the sale of the Advocate), though I would definitely consider spending more if the seat had some special feature/would last a really long time.

Any and all input is welcome! Thanks!
 
ADS

jordansmom

New member
Kudos to you for keeping your son rearfacing! To be honest with you as a parent, I'm not sure i would buy another convertible seat to continue to rearface my 3+ year old. If money wasn't an issue and you felt very strongly about continuing to rearface, a Radian does not sit on a base like the Britax seats and has low profile sides. Have you tried to teach your son to climb into the seat himself? By that age, my guys are loading themselves and taking the strain off of me. I'm not entirely familiar with it, but maybe an Evenflo Sureride? I'm pretty sure it has very high top slots that would be good for forward facing as well.

Good luck!
 

MommyShannon

New member
I'd look at the Radian, Graco MySize70/Size4Me/Headwise, TrueFit (35lb rf), and NextFit. The NextFit is really deep though so you might have just as much trouble. My 38" tall dd is close to the height limit in our Britax seats. She normally rides in a True Fit though.
 

jlpoirier

New member
Thanks for your input!

Kudos to you for keeping your son rearfacing! To be honest with you as a parent, I'm not sure i would buy another convertible seat to continue to rearface my 3+ year old.

One of the issues in my mind is that he is so small. Yes, he's 3.25 years old, but he's about the size of an average 2-2.5 year old. Should that make a difference when deciding about RF vs. FF? I know that age is an issue because of the maturity of bones, but what about size? What do studies show, can anyone fill me in?

Otherwise....yeah, I am not excited about the prospect of spending more money. If I can spend as much as I get back from selling the Advocate, I might be ok with that, but I'm not enthusiastic.

Have you tried to teach your son to climb into the seat himself?

Oh yes, he does. (Which usually results in the carseat becoming soaked, this time of year, as he steps into it with snowy boots...) Getting him into the seat isn't hard, it's getting the harness over his shoulders and between his legs, and then getting it latched that's difficult.

I'm not entirely familiar with it, but maybe an Evenflo Sureride? I'm pretty sure it has very high top slots that would be good for forward facing as well.

Does anyone else have an opinion about the ease of use of the Sureride? Or about rearfacing?

Which brings up another question -- if I wasn't going to RF him anymore, which would be safer FF: the Advocate, or another Frontier 90? He would love to have a new carseat like his brother, and I don't mind buying a combination seat, since he could use it for such a long time. In fact, I'd probably prefer it, since it is easier for his brother to climb in and out of the combination seat than it was for him to climb in and out of the Advocate.

All thoughts welcome and appreciated!
 

jlpoirier

New member
I'd look at the Radian, Graco MySize70/Size4Me/Headwise, TrueFit (35lb rf), and NextFit. The NextFit is really deep though so you might have just as much trouble. My 38" tall dd is close to the height limit in our Britax seats. She normally rides in a True Fit though.

Thanks for the suggestions!

The NextFit and the MySize70/etc. are too pricey for me to justify. I am unenthusiastic about the Radian for other reasons. The TrueFit is a possibility -- I will check it out. Is your TrueFit RF? If so, how do you like it, as far as ease of use?

Also: what about the Graco MyRide65? Any reason to avoid that seat?
 

MommyShannon

New member
Yes, she is still rf in the True Fit Premier. I find it pretty easy to use. It has a continuous harness so if you aren't used to transferring slack between sides, it can be harder. We don't live where we have to worry about coats and boots so I don't find any of our seats difficult really. DD2 is 3.75 years, 38", and 32lbs. It's the yellow/flower seat in my siggy. The MyRide isn't as tall as the others and it is very reclined ff which some people don't like.
 

1mommy

New member
I have a true fit premier and really like it, however you might find trying a few things first like to remove his boots before he climbs in the car seat and ensuring that he has no bulky clothing on. You could also try loosening the harness every time you take him out instead of just unbuckling. If you decide to FF him their is no difference in safety between seats as long as both seats are properly installed and tethered (and he meets the height/weight requirement)
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
His smaller size does have something to do with being ready to be forward-facing, but as you said, age and maturity of bones is most critical.

Some seats do have a "FF minimum," but your son, at 27 pounds and 36 inches, meets those requirements. Therefore, if you do decide to FF your preschooler, that would be okay.

It sounds like you need a wider and deeper seat if you do decide to continue to RF. If you decide to RF, I would be tempted to get a TrueFit Premier or a Diono Radian (even though the Radian is narrow, its shallow sides might make it easier to get his shoulders in. Maybe.).

For FF, I would recommend a Graco Nautilus. IT fits "littles" well, but also fits older and bigger kids well.
 

jlpoirier

New member
Yes, she is still rf in the True Fit Premier. I find it pretty easy to use. It has a continuous harness so if you aren't used to transferring slack between sides, it can be harder.

Oh yes, we've dealt with that with our travel seats (Coscos). I think I wouldn't mind that if the whole process was easier.

We don't live where we have to worry about coats and boots so I don't find any of our seats difficult really. DD2 is 3.75 years, 38", and 32lbs. It's the yellow/flower seat in my siggy. The MyRide isn't as tall as the others and it is very reclined ff which some people don't like.

Thanks for the info! Very helpful. The TrueFit looks really tall -- my son is at least 2 inches shorter than your daughter, so it looks like he could RF for quite some time in it.
 

jlpoirier

New member
I have a true fit premier and really like it,

Good to hear!

however you might find trying a few things first like to remove his boots before he climbs in the car seat and ensuring that he has no bulky clothing on.

I appreciate the brainstorming -- and he never wears his "puffy" coat under the harness. But taking off boots first would eventually result in pneumonia, I think. (The forecast for Monday has a high of 17 degrees.)

You could also try loosening the harness every time you take him out instead of just unbuckling.

Yes, this is an excellent idea! I think I had gotten so used to loosening/tightening being impossible (see previous post about our old Boulevard), I forgot about this option. I will try it next time we go out. Thanks!
 

jlpoirier

New member
His smaller size does have something to do with being ready to be forward-facing, but as you said, age and maturity of bones is most critical.

Interesting. I'd love to read more about that, actually. Any chance you can point me at studies about age and size issues when FF?

It sounds like you need a wider and deeper seat if you do decide to continue to RF.

Perhaps....I feel like the issue now is due to three things:

1) We had to move the crotch strap to the inner position to accommodate the seatbelt going through the RF belt path;
2) the seat feels deeper than the Boulevard (not sure it actually is -- maybe just feels that way because of #1); and
3) the gigantic wings/side cell things make it hard to reach behind him to get the shoulder harness straps (this was not a problem in the Blvd).

So deeper sounds more problematic - but maybe it wouldn't actually make it harder to deal with the harness? Not clear to me at all. Any thoughts?

Wow, after typing that out, I just had a 'Eureka' moment, maybe....we could be using LATCH, instead of the seatbelt install, since 21# (the carseat) + ~27# (DS) < 60# (or is it 65#?).

We would no longer have the issue of the crotch strap being waaaaay underneath him, which would go a long way towards solving the problem I think. And we could still RF until 39#, which is a long ways off!

If you decide to RF, I would be tempted to get a TrueFit Premier or a Diono Radian (even though the Radian is narrow, its shallow sides might make it easier to get his shoulders in. Maybe.).

Sounds like if the tether solution does not work/is not enough, I should find a local TrueFit to try out.

For FF, I would recommend a Graco Nautilus. IT fits "littles" well, but also fits older and bigger kids well.

Oh, interesting, good to know! I definitely keep that in mind for the future. Thanks for your thoughts!
 

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