Manufacturer guidelines for rfing?

thepeach80

Senior Community Member
Do you go by Britaxes rfing guidelines (tips of ears) or do you reccomend more than inch between head and top of seat? I reccomend 1" b/c it makes sense to me to have the head entirely coverd by the seat so when the seat rotates back the head doesn't smack something. Thoughts? I know this probably would be best asked on the tech board, but I don't have an ID yet. :(
 
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Longhorn Lady

New member
To be honest, its never even come to this for me. I only have a MA, but the only time that I've had a kid who has 1 inch or less above there head, they've needed to be turned around FF for weight anyway. I mean, really the MA/DC/BV/WZ shells are all REALLY tall.

I just headed over and checked out the extended RF album and it looks the same over there. Even the four year olds still RF have at least one inch above their heads.
 

j4m4d8

New member
It might be an issue for Roundabout users. Although even then it would likely only affect skinnier long-torsoed children. I'm not a tech, but as a parent I was quite comfortable leaving my daughter rear-facing in a Britax until her head was even with the top shell. I can't imagine too many kids getting much farther than that before 33 pounds. (At the time my daughter was below the 5th percentile for BMI--among the thinnest of children.) Then again I can't imagine too many parents IRL that would even be considering rear-facing by the time their child is that big. Really if you do have a parent that is knowledgable enough to be considering it I would recommend they do their own research before making a personal decision.
 

rachel3612

Senior Community Member
When my dd was 17 months she was within one inch on her RA so I turned her FF she was 20lbs but that was the rule back then. (she is now 6) If it was now, I would keep her rf a little longer, not to the ears but at least to the top of her head. She was 33lbs after she outgrew the RA ff with her shoulders above the top slots, she was over 3 years old. She is very tall and skinny though.

Rachel
 

LuvBug

New member
I think the assumption is tips of ears=top of shell for RFing in the britax but generally suggested(and when Ive called the britax reps they suggest) top of head=top of shell. The new graco safeseat1 also says top of head=top of shell. I am comfortable with this. All other seats(non britax) I go by the 1" rule unless the man. says otherwise.
DS's head was just about even(less than a centimeter from) with the top of the shell for rearfacing when he hit 33lbs, had he gone a few weeks longer(and since I didnt notice he went back down to 31.5lbs for a few weeks he could have been) then he would have been top of head=top of shell.
 

KaysKidz

Senior Community Member
LuvBug03 said:
The new graco safeseat1 also says top of head=top of shell.

Hmmm...you sure about this??? I have a safeseat and don't recall reading that in the manual. From what Kat says, it still has the same 1" rule that Graco has always had. Gonna go have to find my manual! lol
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
I don't see anything in my Safe Seat 1 manual about the head at the top of the shell either. The only height limit I see mentioned is the 32" overall height, so I'm going by the rule of thumb of 1" of shell above the baby's head.
 

KaysKidz

Senior Community Member
I sure wish manuals would list that kind of information. All the manual for the safeseat says is up to 32". Says nothing about a 1" rule or if it's safe to use with the head even with the shell.
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
Unless the manual, like Britax, says the top of the ears, then I go with the 1" rule ... Leila actually did need the top of the ears rule for her to stay RF in the BLVD/WZ at 4 yrs. old :rolleyes: :D :p
 

LuvBug

New member
I was pretty sure a tech on another forum I visit has the safeseat and said you could use the top of head=top of shell rule. I didnt see anything in the manual but I also never see the 1" rule in the manuals so Im thinking she called them. Worth a call I for sure.
I replied with something like maybe that is how they extended the height limit without making the seat so overly long, but now I cant find the stupid thread. I definitely wouldnt want misinformation floating around like with that husky thing.
 
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LuvBug

New member
Ok I just called 2 reps(cause I always double check) and the first rep said they do not go by the top of the head to anything rule, they go strictly by the weight and height. I asked if my child was 31" but the top of his head was even with the top of the shell, if that would be ok and she said as long as he was under 30lbs and 32" then its ok.
The second rep I said I tried my child in that is about 31" and the top of her head was even with the top of the shell(I fibbed for safety's sake lol!) and she said as long as she was under the weight and height limits and her head was NOT over the top of the shell, then it was ok. She said if the head was over the shell at all then it was outgrown or if she was 30lbs or 32" it was outgrown.
So I guess this is where it came from but now that I know it Im not sure if Id consider using it that long. What do you think?
I wonder if Id get this same answer for the snugride? I think Id still go by the 1" rule because its always better safe than sorry.
 

ccjones

New member
I had an older SnugRide (26" and 20lbs) and when my DS was 26" and 16.5lbs when I moved him to a convertible seat. His head was about 1" from the top of the seat shell. But I moved him immediately to a convertible as soon as I found out he was 26". Maybe I could have gotten another month or so out of the SnugRide height-wise, but even at only 16.5lbs, he looked pretty cramped in it.

My reason for posting in regards to the Safe Seat, was that what if your baby is long-legged and hits 32" but there is still 1" or more of seat shell room at the top of the carseat? Is the 32" a hard and fast rule in that situation? I'm not sure what the rule is about the legs/feet of an infant hanging over the bottom of the seat shell? I would think the feet would merely touch the seat back as they would if the baby was in a convertible seat.

Colleen
 

LuvBug

New member
According to their 'policy' then the child would be outgrown. I have never liked height limits on seats because kids are so different with legs vs torso. This is very interesting.
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
I went round and round with the Graco rep on their RF limits a few mos ago. Basically they say you should turn your child at a certain height so they're not (quote) "uncomfortable" !!!
 

KaysKidz

Senior Community Member
LOL, so the 2.5yr old who is under 40" tall/40lbs, but has a long torso (even if the ears are under the top of the shell) can by Graco's "policy" continue to stay in their convertible, even though they are over the top slots! This is say in a ff comfortsport! Doesn't sound like a very safe policy to me! Or does it say something in the manual of the comfortsport about the shoulders being above the top slot??
 

KaysKidz

Senior Community Member
Well nevermind! LOL I just downloaded the instructions for the Comfortsport, and they do say not to use it if the shoulders are above the top slot!
 

j4m4d8

New member
Graco has never struck me as being very friendly to the concept of extended rear-facing. (Just read a ComfortSport manual...yikes!)

I must have been feeling part of the canopy or something, but my impression was that the Infant SafeSeat had a plastic lip that comes up at the top of the car seat. Could someone check for me, please, and see? Because I remember wondering how that would work (an inch inside the lip or right to the lip), but if it doesn't have one I won't worry about it. I bought one for my niece, but she lives seven hours away.

TIA,
Julie D.
 

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