40lb limit vs. 65lb limit convertibles

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abigaylebelle

Active member

• May 22, 2009

• #1

If a child were going to outgrow a 40lb seat around 5.5yrs old, and a 65lb seat around 7 would it be worth it to get the higher limit? My son has a very short torso apparently, and I'm wondering if maybe in kindergarten he would rather have something like a nautilus or frontier instead of a convertible?

 

MomToEliEm

Moderator

• May 22, 2009

• #2

If I had a child who I expected to have a shorter torso, I would probably choose a convertible that seemed the easiest to use and installed the best in my car and not be concerned about getting one that went to 65lbs harnessed. Lots of 40lb harnessed seats are great seats, they just don't last long for taller kids. Kids also seem to prefer the combination type seats like the nautilus and frontier as they get older as they sit lower in the seat and look more like a big kid seat.

 

jujumum

Well-known member

• May 22, 2009

• #3

What are the stats on the child right now and what seat is he riding in?

 

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abigaylebelle

Active member

• May 22, 2009

• #4

DS is 25 months old, weight fluctuates 25-25.5lbs, and has a torso a little under 11.5" but it's hard to get a good measure on that. He has an ss1 he's on the middle slot, still has plenty of room, but I wanted to get him a new seat for DH's new car and keep the ss1 as a spare. In my car (fit!) he has a rearfacing roundabout, bottom slots. He outgrew the snugride by weight when he was over 1 year, not positive on the exact date.
So I'm wondering if he will want a lower profile, combination seat before he outgrows a 65lb convertible or if elementary kids are okay with riding in convertible seats?

 

cookie123

New member

• May 23, 2009

• #5

My grandkids outgrew their Marathons at about age 5.5 and 4.5. Brett is a bit long torsoed. They never minded the MA's, but they don't have much of a social life. They are now in the Nautilus with some room to grow.

The Avenue is a nice cheaper seat that harnesses to 40 lbs. It has the tallest top slots and shell of any of the 40 lbs convertible seats, I believe.

 

emandbri

Well-known member

• May 23, 2009

• #6

The only problem with most convertibles that go to 40 lbs is they also have shorter backs so you won't be able to keep him rear-facing as long. The avenue is the exception and would be a good option for you but in some cars the adjuster does get buried in the back of the seat.

Also if you are going to have more kids you can always pass down whatever convertible you buy to the new baby and buy a nautilus or frontier or whatever cool new seat is out 3 years from now!

 

skaterbabs

Well-known member

• May 23, 2009

• #7

My kids growth at two-ish really did not indicate long-term patterns. I would suggest getting the tallest seat you can, you never know when he'll have a massive growth spurt.

My two youngest started out quite small (DD was borderline failure to thrive), now they're both in the 75th percentile. On the other hand, DS #1 was off the charts huge until early elementary school, when he dropped to the 25th percentile and didn't climb back up to the 5th until he was ten years old.

 

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Maedze

New member

• May 23, 2009

• #8

Precisely...most '40 lb convertibles' are only going to get the tiniest of the tiniest children to 40 lbs. Their shells are too short and the top harness positions too low to get anywhere near 4 or 40.

I would still get a tall backed seat like the First Years True Fit to allow for maximum rearfacing.

 

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mylittlet

Senior Community Member

• May 23, 2009

• #9

I would go with the truefit. It is a lower profile seat. It will last you a long time

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• May 23, 2009

• #10

AND, even if you have a tiny kid in a larger seat, it doesn't mean you HAVE to keep using it till it's outgrown. It just gives you the coverage in case they grow, or if you simply want to use it longer. My kids were in Regents for a couple years, I didn't make them sit in them till they were 10 when they actually got too tall, but we loved them when they were 5-8. A larger convertible is maybe only a couple bucks more (I mean, if that... a True Fit is cheaper than a Roundabout...)than a smaller convertible, and you need one anyway, so you aren't going to be out extra money for an extra seat you only want to use for a couple years...
Anyway... My petite DD 1 was happy to ride in her Marathon up through kindergarten (she rearfaced till age 4.5, then fit in it forward facing till age 6 and about 40 pounds when she got too tall for it..she rode in the Radian till she was 7 after that happily).

 

natysr

New member

• May 23, 2009

• #11

I agree with some of the other PPs. I would look more at how long they could remain rearfacing in the seat...not the FF weight limit.

I used to have a Roundabout, and while I loved it, Jordan would have outgrown it by height about 2 years ago. We had to replace it due to an accident, so we replaced it with a Marathon. He was able to rearfacing in that seat up until a few weeks ago.

Now, he is in the marathon FFing in one car, and a Frontier FFing in the other car. He tells me he likes the Frontier better.

Bottom line for me, my priority when he was younger was to be able to keep him rearfacing as long as possible.

 

Ducky5306

New member

• May 23, 2009

• #12

Maedze said:

Precisely...most '40 lb convertibles' are only going to get the tiniest of the tiniest children to 40 lbs. Their shells are too short and the top harness positions too low to get anywhere near 4 or 40.

I would still get a tall backed seat like the First Years True Fit to allow for maximum rearfacing.

Click to expand...

Guess it depends on the child, My DS just outgrew his Roundabout (he is 3) He is 38ish lbs I know i had another pound or so to go but I found someone to buy his roundabout and I ended up getting a Natuilus, I hated it (although most people seem to love theirs so maybe its just me) I ended up ordering him a Marathon (albeebaby has them for $179 w/free shipping if you get the girl print, you can find someone to trade covers with if you have a boy) He was only on the middle shoulder harness slot of his RA.. He is in the 25 percentile for height and around 50th for weight (last time we checked) He really isn't a tiny kid, alot of it depends on torso height.

He outgrew RF around 18 mo he was 34 lbs! then of course stayed at the 35 pound mark for a year! if only he would have stayed at 32lbs for a year! I hated to turn him but what else could i do?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mamaduck/3556910486/

here he is at 2yrs 11mo

 

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abigaylebelle

Active member

• May 23, 2009

• #13

Thanks for the advice. I've heard conflicting arguments on this topic so I wasn't sure what to do. A bigger seat now might be nice for air travel in the future as well.

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• May 23, 2009

• #14

Since my goal is to get to 6 or 7 in a harness, I'd choose the bigger convertible so I could go straight to a booster after it.

 

Blondie87

New member

• May 23, 2009

• #15

I would get a Radian or True Fit. They are both low profile seats, will last as long as you need it, and have nice tall shells so you lil guy can rear face as long as he can.