Rear facing until they are 4 - which ones?

Unregistered · Jun 12, 2009

I just saw a report that says children should be rear facing up to the age of 4.
http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/Ho...line=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=True

Do we even have any in Canada that we can keep rear facing until the age of 4?????

keri1292 · Jun 12, 2009

My son is 4 in my siggy pic below. He is in a Britax Marathon. But, the True Fit has a taller shell, higher weight limit and is more likely to get a child to 4yo. The Radian is also a contender for super-extended rear-facing.

spokaneCPST · Jun 12, 2009

Yes, depending on your child's size. My 4yo is still rear-facing in a Britax Marathon and will probably fit until somewhere around 5.5-6yo. Seats with a tall shell like the TrueFit, Radian, Marathon, and Evenflo Triumph Advance allow for extended rear-facing. The Graco MyRide even allows rear-facing up to 40 pounds!

ETA - The MyRide is not yet in Canada, I don't think

Unregistered · Jun 12, 2009

I researched this like mad 1 1/2 years ago. I didn't think we were able to get the Marathon here, or at least use it up until it's US weight limit. And I can't remember exactly why I didn't go with the Radian, it was my second choice. But I think I read that it was uncomfortable and came apart in two pieces if my memory serves me.

I ended up getting the Safety 1rst Apex. I also have the Costco Alpha Omega. Any chance either of these can be used rear facing????

unityco · Jun 12, 2009

The only thing I would add is that right now in Canada only the True Fit and some Cosco/Safety 1st/Eddie Bauer seats (all made by Dorel) have a 35lb rear-facing weight limit. The rest of our convertibles (including the Marathon and Radian) have 30lb RF limits.

HTH!

ETA: Just saw your latest reply. Of the seats you have, only the Alpha Omega can be used RF. Was it purchased very recently? Only the very newest models of that seat offer the higher 35lb RF limit. We do have the Marathon in Canada, but you're right, we don't have the same RF weight limit, and at the time you researched it, it may not have even had the same forward-facing limit (it's now 65lbs.) The Radian folds in half, and I think it's a good seat (it's the one we primarily use,) but it is hard to install and very upright to sit in.

sparkyd · Jun 12, 2009

The following seats rear-face to 35 lbs in Canada:

First Years True Fit
Sunshine Kids Radian XT (ONLY the XT model)
Cosco Scenera (newest models only - check label on seat)
Dorel 3-in-1 seats (all brands, i.e. Eddie Bauer, Safety 1st, Alpha Omega etc - also only applies to newest models - check label on seat)
Safety 1st Avenue
Safety 1st Enspira (newest models only - check label on seat)
Britax Advocate (brand new seat, not sure if it is actually in stores yet).

None of these seats went to 35 lbs RF in Canada when you doing your research. The True Fit was the first one and it just came out last year. It is definitely one of the best options in terms of how long it will last (tall seat shell) and the price point ($200 regular; often on sale for $150 at Zellers). Oh and it also harnesses forward-facing to 65 lbs which several of the others do not (just the Radian and the Advocate).

unityco · Jun 12, 2009

Thanks for the more detailed and accurate

o) list, sparky.

amyd · Jun 12, 2009

Okay, Britax...time to test the MT & TWE for the North American market

canmom · Jun 12, 2009

amyd said:
Okay, Britax...time to test the MT & TWE for the North American market

I will be the first one in line buying AT LEAST two!!

hipmaman · Jun 12, 2009

sparkyd said:
The following seats rear-face to 35 lbs in Canada:

First Years True Fit
Sunshine Kids Radian XT (ONLY the XT model)
Cosco Scenera (newest models only - check label on seat)
Dorel 3-in-1 seats (all brands, i.e. Eddie Bauer, Safety 1st, Alpha Omega etc - also only applies to newest models - check label on seat)
Safety 1st Avenue
Safety 1st Enspira (newest models only - check label on seat)
Britax Advocate (brand new seat, not sure if it is actually in stores yet).

None of these seats went to 35 lbs RF in Canada when you doing your research. The True Fit was the first one and it just came out last year. It is definitely one of the best options in terms of how long it will last (tall seat shell) and the price point ($200 regular; often on sale for $150 at Zellers). Oh and it also harnesses forward-facing to 65 lbs which several of the others do not (just the Radian and the Advocate).

The Advocate is in the store now and has 35 lbs rf limit. I have not seen this in person, but there are a couple of other threads with techs working at TRU seeing it arrived in their stores.

snowbird25ca · Jun 12, 2009

Thought I'd post a picture of my 4yr old (at the time,) dd in a rf'ing True Fit. She only rode rf'ing in it for a month and then she was hedging on 35lbs so I turned her back ff'ing, but it shows that a 4yr old can fit very well in it.

4boysmom · Jun 12, 2009

IMO, it all depends on kiddos weight first off. Of my four children only one of them *MAY* have been able to still be rfing at 4. All the others were 32-35 (max of highest weighted seat at the time) pounds closer to 2-2.5. My now 4.5 yo may have been too heavy as well but he is 38 pounds now and I cannot remember when he turned 35ish pounds casting all potential height issues aside. If your kiddo is tall but light you can always try for a taller seat, if they are 35 pounds that is the top weight for all but one seat currently (the Graco My Ride, and that is US only) when comparing US to Canada, not the rest of the world

Adventuredad · Jun 15, 2009

It would be difficult keeping kids RF to 4 in current seats because of the low 35 lbs weight limit and also the relatively short seat shells and also the "1-inch rule".

I got an email last week from the Canadian transportation department saying foreign (in this case Swedish ECE R44 seats) are not illegal to import but are technically illegal to use. This would mean same rules apply as in US.

mommycat · Jun 15, 2009

sparkyd said:
The following seats rear-face to 35 lbs in Canada:

First Years True Fit
Sunshine Kids Radian XT (ONLY the XT model)
Cosco Scenera (newest models only - check label on seat)
Dorel 3-in-1 seats (all brands, i.e. Eddie Bauer, Safety 1st, Alpha Omega etc - also only applies to newest models - check label on seat)
Safety 1st Avenue
Safety 1st Enspira (newest models only - check label on seat)
Britax Advocate (brand new seat, not sure if it is actually in stores yet).

To add to the list, it appears that we may be getting new model Marathons with a 35lb RF limit, as well... http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=87253

marciemp · Jun 16, 2009

I have an Eddie Bauer 3 in 1 seat that was purchased for my daughter in 2004 and has a 35 pound rear facing limit, and it was either 32 or 36 inches for height. We passed it down to one of our twins who could rear face in it until she was about 3 because she was short and light enough.

snowbird25ca · Jun 16, 2009

Adventuredad said:
It would be difficult keeping kids RF to 4 in current seats because of the low 35 lbs weight limit and also the relatively short seat shells and also the "1-inch rule".

I got an email last week from the Canadian transportation department saying foreign (in this case Swedish ECE R44 seats) are not illegal to import but are technically illegal to use. This would mean same rules apply as in US.

I would like to clarify this - it is illegal to import for sale or distribution. It would be illegal for the parent who chose to import the seat to turn around and sell the seat to someone else.

TechnoGranola · Jun 16, 2009

Adventuredad said:
It would be difficult keeping kids RF to 4 in current seats because of the low 35 lbs weight limit and also the relatively short seat shells and also the "1-inch rule".

I got an email last week from the Canadian transportation department saying foreign (in this case Swedish ECE R44 seats) are not illegal to import but are technically illegal to use. This would mean same rules apply as in US.

snowbird25ca said:
I would like to clarify this - it is illegal to import for sale or distribution. It would be illegal for the parent who chose to import the seat to turn around and sell the seat to someone else.

Huh? Now it's not illegal to import them? I thought that a few years ago it was illegal to use but not illegal to import and that they changed something because we have read stories here that they HAVE seized seats at the border.

I posted this awhile back http://www.car-seat.org/showpost.php?p=789234&postcount=6 and it says that it is illegal to import and use. Do they mean "it is illegal to import and use" (meaning only illegal if you both import it AND use it)? or do they mean "it is illegal to import AND illegal to use" (meaning you can't import it either). I was under the impression that they mean the 2nd but just had poor wording. And if it's the first one, WHY are they seizing seats at the border then? Maybe it's only been seats that are in use that they are seizing and not new seats in boxes?

Rear facing until they are 4 - which ones?

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