Convertible Car Seat for a Big & Tall Baby?

My son is in approximately the 92nd percentile for both height and weight. At his 6 month doctor's visit, he weighed 20 lbs and measured 28 inches. He has just outgrown his infant bucket seat (Britax Bsafe which he hated!) and we are needing to upgrade to a new seat. We are looking at convertible seats that would work well in our '01 Nissan Xterra (does not have a latch system). We are interested in finding a car seat that will allow him to rear face as long as possible and also one that has great side impact protection. Comfort is equally important to us as well- we are planning on taking a long road trip to his nana's this March and it would be nice if he was happy for the ride. Even nicer, if he would sleep in his car seat

We just bought the Chicco NextFit which we thought we would love, but the harness straps cut into his neck and face because they are so narrow. We had the seat installed professionally by Safe Kids and they told us that the straps were not adjustable to go any wider. The woman also told us that he would quickly outgrow the seat as the seat is not wide or deep enough. We were also thinking of the Diono, and actually purchased one so we could take back the NextFit. However, the woman at Safe Kids said that this seat was only for tall, skinny kids. She thinks he is too chubby for it and recommended we take it back and look for something with more depth and width such as the Graco My Ride or My Size seats. However, they just had had a major recall and have pulled all their convertible seats off the shelves.

Can anyone recommend a convertible car seat that would work well for a big and tall baby? Also, has anyone heard good things about any of the Britax Marathon or the Recaro for big and tall babies? Thank you so much in advance!!!

If you can afford it the Foonf is a good option. It allows you to rf to 42.9 inches and/or 50 lbs. I have heard that the the Radian with the headwings (rxtl) will eventually have the headwings dig into the child's shoulders, but that won't be for a long time. No personal experience with either, but I am a little confised by what the lady was telling you because the Radian r120 and rxtl have a 45 pounds rf weight limit, 5 pounds higher then the Graco seats she recommended.

Britax Convertibles are not recommended for ERF for tall children because you can only use it until the child's head is 1 inch from the top of the shell (not the headrest like the Graco's) I don't know much about the Rearco convertible except its not often recommended because of the serious lack of legroom (not that it's impossible to erf in, just more difficult to cram the kid into the seat).

Did you actually try him in the Radian? I would, and see how he fits. My DD was probably not as big being a girl and all but she was up there on her growth curve too and we love the Radian. Especially since it has the higher RF limit which is great for bigger/heavier babies IMO (she is not quite 3 y.o. and 40 lbs). And after coming back from a trip I'm always glad to get her back in it, it looks so much more comfy. Plus, and this is from my perspective and not DDs, I love the low sides on the seat because with her being on the heavy side it made it easier for me to get her in and out (and now for her to do it herself).

:yeathat: (to both posts above)
I am, quite frankly, baffled by the comments of the CPST you worked with.

The Nextfit is NOT a seat that I would suggest is outgrown early, even for larger than average babies. The harness is more narrowly set than in many other seats, but not to an extreme I don't think. Were you using the chest clip on the smaller or larger setting? Also, how were the harness straps in any position to be cutting into your baby's face? Neck, I can see, but I'm having trouble picturing how they could be hitting his face. Also, did your Nextfit have the older or newer harness covers? I don't have measurements for the width of the seating area for the Next fit, but the seat pan is actually 2" longer than on Graco Size4me (according to CarSeatBlog measurements).

I have similar questions about her comments on the Radian as well. True, it's a very low profile seat, so the sides aren't nearly as deep as many other seats. But that doesn't make it unsuitable for more "solid" or "chubby" babies/kids, it's just a different style. If anything, I'd think the 45 lb. weight limit of some Radians would be especially useful for you. :shrug-shoulders:

Sorry to nitpick... I'm just really scratching my head here. :scratcheshead:

I would hesitate to suggest a Foonf since you don't have LATCH in your vehicle, but it certainly is an option to consider.

Finally, keep in mind that kids do often slim down a bit once they start walking, and growth curves can, and do, change significantly sometimes.

soygurl said:

:yeathat: (to both posts above)
I am, quite frankly, baffled by the comments of the CPST you worked with.

...

I have similar questions about her comments on the Radian as well. True, it's a very low profile seat, so the sides aren't nearly as deep as many other seats. But that doesn't make it unsuitable for more "solid" or "chubby" babies/kids, it's just a different style. If anything, I'd think the 45 lb. weight limit of some Radians would be especially useful for you. :shrug-shoulders:

Click to expand...

This! I have a big and tall "all torso" kid, and I really wish I'd started with Radians after his bucket seat. He is in the R100 (FF since the day we bought them--I'd had to FF him in his Triumphs due to head height at 25 months) and I'm pretty sure he would've outgrown them by weight just barely before he outgrew them by height. If I'd gotten R120 or RXT models, I could have kept him RFing well past his 3rd birthday. Also, he could have climbed into them himself, which was a serious consideration when I turned him FF. I was pregnant and large and having a lot of hip pain.