Having a dilemma, please help!

kayleigh

New member
First all, I guess I should introduce myself as I just joined.

I am Kayleigh and I live in BC, Canada.
I have two children. Alex will be 11 on August 2nd, and Gracie just turned 2 on July 4th.

I am having a carseat problem with Gracie. She is just shy of 25lb, and is about 31-32".
She currently faces forward in an Evenflo Titan 5, I believe is the name of it.
I found that she is very "slouched" in it and no matter how tight I adjust straps, I don't find she is as safe as she should be.

So I decided to go with a combination booster seat today. I purchased an Evenflo Traditions because it didn't have the "room" she needed to slouch.
So I brought it home and adjusted all the straps for her and tried it out. Only I found that because it doesn't recline, she just didn't seem comfortable at all.

The issue I have with Grace is that she is developmentally delayed due to a chromosome disorder she has. She did not sit up independently until she was 15 months old. So although she can sit fine now, I don't think her trunk control is enough for the combination booster that I have chosen.

I am hoping that some of you maybe have some suggestions or know of some combination boosters that recline a bit more than the Traditions.

Thanks!
 
ADS

raelynn

Senior Community Member
Welcome!

I agree with Rachel. I would turn her back RF'ing if possible, as you can get a better angle and that would help with slouching and make her more comfortable.
 

hipmaman

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Welcome to the forum!

With her weight and development delay, I would say rf the Titan is safer and should take care of the slouching you see in the upright ff carseat. When she outgrows the Titan by weight (rf 30 lbs) or height (min. 1" of carseat shell above top of her head), whichever is reached first, then you turn her ff in either the Titan or the next carseat.
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Hi, and welcome to the forums. I moved your thread to the CDN forum so that you'd get CDN specific seat suggestions if need be. :thumbsup:

I agree with Hevy, that she may be best off rf'ing. She's about the size of an average 13 or 14 mo old, and combined with her low tone, it would probably be much more comfortable for her and would offer her more protection. Rf'ing past the minimums in general is recommended, but I believe kids with low muscle tone especially benefit from it.

That being said, she may or may not have enough room to rf in the Titan depending on where she's carrying her height. She would need to have 1" of hard shell above her head in order to rf in the seat...

In general combination seats are quite upright. I'm thinking the Frontier may recline the most of all of them, but I haven't actually seen one installed to say for sure.

Your other option would be to get another convertible carseat that had more of a natural recline if you're wanting to keep her ff'ing, or if she's outgrown the Titan rf'ing. The TF would probably be my first choice - it's reasonably priced at $199, has a tall top harness height that's a bit taller than the MA, and naturally has a recline when ff'ing. It has deep sides that will give nice support for sleeping.

The MA also has a natural recline when ff'ing, but it is more expensive at $300 - if one of the other options worked, I'd pick it before spending $300 on a convertible seat...

The other convertible seat option would be an EFTA (Triumph Advance.) It has kind of a bowl shape to it that provides some natural recline. It also has a ff'ing recline adjustment that would help a little. It's a fairly wide seat, but it's possible with the recline it would be fine. It again has high top harness height and is $149.99, so would be a less expensive option.

So far as the above options, the TF and the EFTA would also both be great options for keeping her rf'ing. The TF has a 35lb rf'ing limit and the EFTA has a 30lb limit. Both have nice tall shells and permit rf'ing as long as there is 1" of hard shell above her head. They also have deep seats, so allow plenty of leg room which I think will be helpful for her if she gains weight slow and will be able to rf for quite awhile longer. There's no danger with long legs and seats that have less leg room, but I do think when choosing a seat, that the ones with more leg room are probably more comfortable. I know my ds definitely seems more comfy in the EFTA than the MA...

So those are my thoughts anyways. Feel free to comment on what ideas you like or don't like and ask as many questions as you want. :)
 

babychild taxi

New member
Hi,

Another thing you can try is speaking with Gracie's occupational therpapist. He/she should be able to help you find a seat that properly fits her and her developmental needs. This can be done by going to a store that has all the display models out so you can try them in person.

Hope this helps!

K.
(a child development consultant)
 

kayleigh

New member
Thanks everyone!

I finally just found my thread :) The entire time, I thought it had just not been moderated yet! (Its ok that it was moved to Canadian content!)

I will attempt to try her RF in the titan to see it how it goes. I bought this carseat when she was 13 months old and put it FF almost right away. Prior to this, she was in a Graco infant carrier that came with her travel system.
I do recall trying to put her RF when I first got the seat but I had a very difficult time getting the harness tight enough for her and that was when I switched it to FF because I felt she may be safer.
I drive a 2 door hatchback and found it so hard to get her in tightly.

I did purchase a TF today at Babies'r'us. Unfortunately it was a special order and I do have to wait about 3 weeks before it arrives; it was on sale for $50 less though so that kinda made me day!
I am going to keep it for sure though as I am very happy that the harness is good up to 65 pounds.

Thank you for all of your opinions and comments!

I will try re-installing the titan RF today and post some pictures :)

Kayleigh
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
For installing the Titan rf'ing, you may have an easier time adjusting it if you use a small rolled towel to help achieve the angle. Also, I'm not sure what method you're using to install it, but if it's a lap-belt or lower anchors, put the tail up through the rf'ing belt path so that you're pulling in a way that keeps the tail and the main portion of the belt parallel to each other. Since you're in a 2dr car, the easiest way for you to put pressure is probably going to be to push in on the seat from the back with your hips/tummy while hunched over the seat. That trick is often used in 4dr vehicles, but I suspect it may be just as useful if not moreso in a 2dr car.

If you have any problems with the install, feel free to start a thread in the installation forum. Pictures are always helpful too - you can attach them, or upload to a free photohosting site like photobucket, and then just use the direct link to the picture or put it in bb code so it shows in the post.

As for tightening the harness, if you pull on the harness straps on the back of the shell, so that the straps are the proper tightness on your dd, and then pull on the adjuster strap to get the slack out, it'll be much easier to adjust. :thumbsup:
 

April

Well-known member
You can always go to zellers and try out the True Fit and see how you like it in the meantime. Where in BC are you? They have it on the shelf at a few stores in the lower mainland.
 

babychild taxi

New member
Hi Again,

There have been some very good suggestions given here, especially turning Gracie back to RF. Due to your daughter's physical needs, I really feel it's important that one of her specialists who deals with seating issues (likely an OT or PT) help you out with this-it's like teamwork: you know your child the best and they have the tools to help where needed. It could make all the difference if you were to be in an accident (proper positioning, etc).

I hope this is helpful and good luck!

K.
(child development professional)
 

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