Roundabout - When outgrown?

*jen*

New member
Ok, so I went on Britax's website to determine when DD will outgrow her RA. She is 26ish lbs.(weight is fine), 35" height, and I measured her sitting length from butt to shoulders and it is 12"(Britax says should be up to 15"), so she is fine, right? Her head is at the top of the RA. Can her head actually be over the top?? I thought I read somewhere that it should be 1" BELOW the top of the seat, but that isn't on Britax's website. Anyone know?

Thanks for the help.

Oh, and while I have your attention, any suggestions on her next seat? I have a Honda CRV and she is 2 1/2, so I need at least 3 years in another seat(probably more) before we move her to a booster. Baby #2 is coming in 5 weeks(we're getting the Graco Safeseat for him and then he will go into DD's RA) and the CRV isn't the hugest backseat, so any advice would be appreciated!
 
ADS

Maedze

New member
If she is 26 lbs she should still be rearfacing. If her head is at the top of the seat, she has outgrown it. She needs an inch of shell clearance over her head and needs a bigger convertible seat. How old is she?
 

MomToEliEm

Moderator
For rearfacing the seat is outgrown when one of the following occurs:
* Child exceeds the harness weigth limit for rearfacing
* Child's head had less then 1" of hard plastic shell above their head

FOr forward facing, the seat is outgrown when one of the following occurs:
* Child exceeds the harness weight limit
* Child's ears extend above the top of the shell
* Child's shoulders extend above the top harness slot

Your child still has has plenty of time in the roundabout. Maybe a year, maybe 2 years. It is hard to know exactly how long it will fit.

As for seat recommendations for next year when you need to pass down the roundabout, there are several choices that may work, though it might be best to wait until that time as there may be several new seats on the market by then. Some of those seats may be a better choice than the seats out currently.
 

crunchierthanthou

New member
Ok, so I went on Britax's website to determine when DD will outgrow her RA. She is 26ish lbs.(weight is fine), 35" height, and I measured her sitting length from butt to shoulders and it is 12"(Britax says should be up to 15"), so she is fine, right? Her head is at the top of the RA. Can her head actually be over the top?? I thought I read somewhere that it should be 1" BELOW the top of the seat, but that isn't on Britax's website. Anyone know?


The 1" rule if for rear facing. You'll find it in the most recent version of the manual. It is outgrown ff by height when the tops of her ears are above the top of the shell or her shoulders are above the top harness slot (also in the manual).
 

*jen*

New member
Thanks guys! She is FF so that explains the 1" dilemna. Good to hear she still has plenty of room in her RA. I probably won't move baby #2 until he is 9 months(unless he is REALLY heavy) as I'm getting the Graco safeseat which goes up to 30 lbs. I'm hoping the seat is comfier than the snugride too as my DD didn't really like the snugride and we moved her to the RA at 5 months. I'll just have to see how it goes. I'll see what seats are out when she is ready for the big move. Man..so many options it can be overwhelming. Thank goodness for this board! :thumbsup:
 

Maedze

New member
How old is she? At that weight she should REALLY be rear facing barring some sort of other extreme issue.
 

crunchierthanthou

New member
How old is she? At that weight she should REALLY be rear facing barring some sort of other extreme issue.

Yes, rear facing is safer. There are several US studies showing that it is ~5 times safer under age 2 and a recent European study stated rf is safer through at least age 4. The AAP recommends rear facing to the limits of the seat. There's no question that it's safest.

However, that doesn't necessarily mean ff at age 2 1/2 is unsafe. The child has outgrown the seat rf by height. The OP is aware of the benefits of erf and has made the parental decision to ff. We have to respect that. I'm a huge proponent of erf, but there's not really wrong with choosing to ff a 2 1/2 year old- especially when rf any longer would mean purchasing another seat. It's an okay choice as long as she's in a properly used harnessed seat, preferably with the tether in use. Now if she were riding in a booster... well, I'd have a lot more to say about that.
 

*jen*

New member
Thank you SO much crunchier. Sometimes I feel like some folks on this forum go past sharing knowledge and go right to this is what you MUST do. I am aware of the benefits of RF and did keep my DD RF way past the 1 year requirement, but have chosen to have her FF now(not that it is anyone's business what I am doing). And yes, the RA is tethered as well. That is my choice. I'm worried that others that are seeking information might skip this forum all together if they feel judged or that others are trying to make them feel badly for the decisions they are making for their own children. I appreciate people sharing info, but why not ask the question "do you know the benefits of RF" before assuming the parent doesn't. Just a thought.. Maybe it is just because I am pregnant and more sensitive right now... :whistle:
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
The intent may not have been to offend but we need to remember that it may come across that way when ERFing is pushed without knowing where the OP is coming from in terms of knowledge and awareness of the benefits of rear facing. Tone and intent can also be difficult to gauge online at times. :) The whole "more flies with honey than vinegar" and "sandwich approach" are good ones to keep in mind.
 

*jen*

New member
Thanks Jean. This wasn't the first time someone has made a comment about my FF child in the last 3 days, which is why I felt the need to make a comment back.

I think saying something like "your child should REALLY be RF" is going past sharing information and going right to "I can't believe you aren't doing this", which I could say about ALOT of parenting topics not related to child seat safety but I refrain on those as well. Knowledge is power. Having this forum to share knowledge is great. I would have flipped my daughter around at age 1 if I hadn't had this forum to tell me why I shouldn't. I would have just thought "that is the thing to do", so I am grateful for it and I don't want others to not use this forum because they feel judged, even if that isn't the intent.
 

UlrikeDG

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
I wasn't trying to offend you.

I understand your enthusiasm, but pushing "rear face! rear face! rear face!" every chance you get isn't helpful and can turn off parents from seeking advice. It's not our place to push, only to inform, and that politely. :thumbsup:
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
It's an often repeated suggestion here, whereby you sandwich the recommendation to ERF or HWH or whatever advice in between more complimentary comments. For example, congrats for rear facing your toddler for 2.5 years, that's great, were you already aware of the safety benefits of rear facing as long as the child fits within the rear facing limits of the seat? If not, here's a link explaining those benefits blah blah blah. :) It's much more tactful and less likely to turn off posters.
 

Maedze

New member
It's an often repeated suggestion here, whereby you sandwich the recommendation to ERF or HWH or whatever advice in between more complimentary comments. For example, congrats for rear facing your toddler for 2.5 years, that's great, were you already aware of the safety benefits of rear facing as long as the child fits within the rear facing limits of the seat? If not, here's a link explaining those benefits blah blah blah. :) It's much more tactful and less likely to turn off posters. You can also do a search here for the sandwich approach for more example scenarios because Ulrike started an awesome thread a while ago. I'll try to bump if I have a chance to dig it up later.

Thanks for explaining that. It makes sense.

I really was not trying to offend the OP. For some reason I thought her baby was only 12 months old. Also, I didn't know people had mentioned it to her in the last few days.

I felt I was being polite :twocents:
 

UlrikeDG

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Sometimes our enthusiasm can be overwhelming to other people, and when it comes to our parenting, we tend to be extra sensitive, which means we often need to tread quite lightly when giving advice. Your posts may not have been horribly rude, but they weren't particularly polite, either.

Best practice is to leave the child rear facing to the limit of the seat, with a bare minimum of 1 year/20 lb. The OP did that, and you still told her, "...she should REALLY be rear facing barring some sort of other extreme issue." <emphasis original> Your enthusiasm comes across as pushy and (to some) rude.
 

*jen*

New member
Thanks everyone for understanding. And yes, my DD is 2 1/2. I left her RF for MUCH longer than 12 months. Again, I do appreciate all of the information and advice on this site. It is invaluable. :)
 

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