outgrowing the AO

When do kids typically outgrow the Alpha Omega (the harness)? My DS is only 13 mo and he's at the next to last slot, which I think he will reach in about 6 months... and he's definitely not moving to a booster.

I'm just wondering why this seat is so popular here (Canada) and why the harness slots are so low. (And I curse the salesperson who told me this would be the only seat I'd ever need)

I think the AO is my most despised carseat: for the fact that the top harness slot must be used in booster mode & because the harness slots are so low & also because salespeople/ads make it out to be such a fabulous seat I'm not certain what's available in Canada, but I believe the Britax Marathon would be a safer choice for the primary seat, especially if kiddo is long/tall - hopefully you can afford it somehow (the AO could still be a decent spare, but well I just totally hate it) What age is your child? Actual height? Oftentimes kids growth really slows down at a certain point, perhaps giving you time to save up for a safer seat....

DS is 32" and 24# (at 12 mo, so just a smidgeon more at 13 mo), currently RF in the AO in our main car and (please forgive me) FF in the AO in my 2 door car (but only for a 2 mile ride to and from day care, in a residential area at 25 mph speed limit).

I think I will have to buy 2 MA. There aren't a lot of alternatives, I'm afraid.
Any suggestions?

And why, oh why do salespeople keep pushing the AO as the greatest thing since sliced bread to naive parents like me?

Unfortunately, they're usually more naive than many parents ... few of them are parents themselves & even fewer of them actually read the user manuals They're not professional technicians

Ok i've misplaced my AO manual (not like i need it as the seats totalled) but what do they mean by 'booster mood'? I read that portion of the manual when i bought the seat and as DN was still RFing i didnt store it in my memory. Now i want to know for my SIL who is in the top slots of her AO and now i'm nervous for her (and getting closer and closer to buying an apex for the next 3 weeks before the custody changes!)

The very top slot in the back of the AO is where the bar sits when you're using it as a BPB. It is not a reinforced slot and will not hold the harness in case of an accident.

AJ was ffing (silly me, he's rfing again now) when he outgrew the AO at 35". He has a long torso and just got too tall, even though he wasn't even 30#. I don't even think he would've fit rfing in it b/c of the silly head thing that's on them. The baby is in it now and won't be outgrowing it anytime soon. He's only on the 2nd slot from the bottom and all his lenght (or lack thereof) is in his legs.

That crazy seat requires you use the vehicle seat belt on it just as you would for a booster while kiddo is using the harness in the top slot (so buckle kiddo into harness AND regular seatbelt - carseat is just sitting "loose" on the vehicle underneath) ... doesn't make any sense & I can only imagine how many parents either didn't read this in the manual or totally disregarded it as nonsense since that's what it seems like *UGH*

P.S. appologies if I sound cranky - I'm hungry & have to stay late at work so I'm cranky, LOL

OMG you've got to be kidding me! I remember reading that and thinking i was wrong but not bothering to reread it as i was using it RFing in the bottom slots.

How could they even allow that seat be produced like that? I mean really. i doubt any parents are actually doing it, i mean if i visited a tech who told me to do that for SIL i would have just considered them wrong and keep doing it the *right* way! Are all the seats regardless of year like this??? (Sorry if i sound like a lunatic but my SIL has an older AO and is in the top slots now using latch in her mother's car. and of course she pitched the manual so convincing her to do it right will be impossible.)

So someone explain to me the point of this? The only thing i can see it doing is helping teach a child that you have to sit right regardless of the belt being there or something stupid. i think i'm going to go to Lowe's for a sledge hammer. I need to kill the one i have from the accident to alive a little anger at 'safety 1st' (yes those quotation marks are sarcastic. safety my ***)

Hmmmm, I thought you couldn't use the harness in the topmost slot, at which point you must use the seat as a BPB, w/o the harness. At least that's what I remember from the manual. Am I correct?

Yes, the harness should be removed if using the top slot. Mine was manufactured in 2003 and that's how it is. You can look up manuals online if you need to read it and don't have it.

thepeach80 said:

Yes, the harness should be removed if using the top slot. Mine was manufactured in 2003 and that's how it is. You can look up manuals online if you need to read it and don't have it.

Click to expand...

do you have a link for that? i tried to find one on the website and it didnt seem to have one listed. i know most manufators have them in PDF format but 'safety first' is wierd about it.

http://www.coscojuvenile.com/instructions.asp#

I'll run to the basement and see if I can get the instructions for mine. It's a Cosco Alpha Omega, not the new Elite. I think March 2003 was the DOM. When was your SIL's done?

You're right, they're retarded! Now I'm going to have to look for my book for you. It says on the back of the seat though that the top slot is for booster mode only though if that helps at all.

My SIL's seat is fairly old. I dont have the DOM on me and she's a good hour drive from me. I know they had it and it was fairly dirty when i first met them 3 years ago so its at least a 2001.

My AO doesnt have a sticker that says anything like that, that i see. It has one about threading the seatbelt thru the belt guides for booster but nothing that i see about the top slots. mines a 2004.

I'll take a pic of mine tomorrow. lol I love carseat pics. Mine is actually stamped into the seat on the back of the shell at t he very top if I remember right. I'll just take a pic. Thisis Evan in it, does it look like this?

OK - I could very well be wrong about the top harness slot FF & booster mode ... but, I seem to very clearly remember the techs & other AO owners explaining it to me the way I wrote above - it was the single most reason I never bothered to get the AO even though it would've allowed my daughter to remain RF a bit longer.... I do think I remember reading that they improved this in more recent seats, though???

I ordered a new manual for my seat from 'safety first' so i can read it for myself. (you cannot download the manuals for car seats on their website when you give them the DOM and model number they take you to a form for customer service.)

Yes. That's almost identical to her seat. She has the older buckle style like that one and i have another one with a different style button to release the belts and true armrests on the sides.

If i had EVER heard that i would never have bought it (i only bought mine b/c i didnt know how long i needed a seat and it was on sale.) I couldnt even sleep last night thinking that i have installed her seat wrong several times and i encouraged her to move SIL up to the top slots so now its half my fault she's in unreinforced slots.

I still cant believe any company would make a seat like that. I mean when you think about it, its understandable for the lower slots to but unreinforced as light children RF in them but the top slots are where the heaviest children will be buckled in. They've been making car seats for decades yet they somehow missed the fact that few parents read/understand the manuals well enough to make stupid recomemndations. Excuse me i think i need to have another 'talk' with the customer service rep about this stupid seat.

Oh, Dreaming - you're my kinda mama!

I was on the hunt for carseats when I was pregnant in the summer of 2004. The AO Elite was the obvious choice because it fits children 5-100 lbs! It was a little pricey, but you could buy it on sale at Canadian Tire for $169.99. I asked my Grandma for it as a baby gift. We already had the infant seat ready to go. My parents brought it out for us (1600km drive). One of childbirth classes involved a presentation from a tech that talked about carseats. (Clueless prior to this!) The one thing I remember her saying is that "not all carseats fit in all cars". I asked my mom to bring the box for the brand new carseat with them just in case it didn't fit. Sure enough, one week after DD was born, DH and my parents spent over 2 hours trying to install the AOE in the back of my Ford Focus wagon. I immediately became leary of the seat, although it seemed to be by far the most popular convertible carseat in the country! My mother was very very annoyed when I asked her to return it.

What a blessing that turned out to be. When DD was about 6 months old, I started researching convertible carseats available in Canada. DH thought I was crazy when I told him we were going to spend $380 (including tax) on a Marathon. My mother still thinks I am off my rocker, and cannot figure out why DD is still rear facing now that she is one year and over 20 pounds. My nephew moved to FFing in his AO a long long time ago, and is now probably not even using the seat since at age 26 months he is off the charts for height.

Anyway, the point of my rambling is that I wish that people knew that this would not be the only seat that they will ever need! I don't want to nag my friends not to buy this seat, and will only advise against it if they ask (only a few know that I am nuts about carseat safety). I agree that not everyone can afford $350 for a Marathon, but it is a wonderful seat, very plush, very user-friendly, and like a LazyBoy in the backseat of the car for DD. DH admitted the other day that it is sure a lot nicer than the Regal Ride (Touriva) he has in his car. The straps are non-twisty and DD will not likely outgrow it until she is 6 or 7! At that point, I will be very interested to see what types of booster seats will be available in 2010. Sorry, I just wanted to join the rant about the popular Canadian AO!

i sent them an email complaint about the seat (though i still didnt get a new manual grr!) Here's there responce:

Dear Ashley:
Thank you for contacting Dorel Juvenile Group Consumer Relations. We
apologize for any delay in answering your email.

I am sorry that you have had a problem with your seat. I do not see a
record of you ever contacting about the strap problem. Without knowing
that you have a problem we can not help. I have ordered a new strap for
your carseat. You can use the 5 point harness as long as the straps
come
at or above the child's shoulders. That would be with the headrest in
the 2nd from top slot. This is one of the safest carseats on the market
whether you use it with or without the 5 point harness. It is just as
safe when used as a booster. Once your child reaches 40 lbs or 40
inches
she will need to use this as a booster seat with the lap and shoulder
belt across the child.

If you require additional assistance, you can also contact our Consumer
Relations Department at 800-544-1108, Monday - Thursday from 7:00 AM -
6:00 PM EST. and Fridays 7:00 - 4:30 PM. To contact us direct, please
call 812-372-0141 between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM.

Thank You,

Dorothy
DJG Consumer Relations Representative
www.djgusa.com (Please reply with your original e-mail for better
assistance)

So cool my SIL will get a new harness for her mother's seat (the adopt process is being pushed back another month so now its 2 months in the AOE). They didnt explain the harness issue all that clearly but as they didnt go into great detail about it i think that means that you dont need to use it in booster mood, but i'm replying to the email to see if i can get more clarification.