Question 1st Yrs Tru Fit - Head Rest

mariac124 · Jun 26, 2009

Hello- thanks to all of the great info everyone provides on this site. I just purchased the 1st Years True Fit car sear for my 10-mo daughter who has outgrown her infant seat. My question is this: when installing the seat in the RF position, it specifies to use the additional headrest if the child is 22lbs or more... but I don't really understand what additional protection the headrest provides when it's a good 3 inches away from even coming close to her head. I completely understand the guideline about adding the headrest when the child's head is within 1 inch of the top, but the weight factor just seems a bit arbitrary. My guess is, there's a good reason for it, and I'll follow the rules and use the headrest, but I was just curious if anyone ever wondered the same thing or knew the rationale...
Thanks so much,
Maria

Shaunam · Jun 27, 2009

I don't know the reasoning (I'm not sure if anyone does) but I'd encourage you to add the headrest. Better safe than sorry ya know? Now if you had a super chub 2 month old who didn't have good head control yet and you couldn't install the seat at a 45 degree recline without the headrest....I would consider it a parental decision to use it without the headrest. But assuming your 10 month old can hold up her head, and you can install it more upright, the headrest shouldn't take up more room.

flutie128 · Jun 27, 2009

I am assuming that the metal rods add some stability when a child weighs more RFing. I am not really sure but don't want anything to happen to my DD.

solmama · Jun 27, 2009

In a crash, a child will ramp up the seatback. The heavier a child is, the farther they will ramp up. Without the headrest, a child's head could go over the top of the shell. So, I would add the headrest.

rexforever0 · Jun 27, 2009

DH had the same question today after we installed it for the first time. It takes up a lot of room in our Corolla with the headrest... I'm pretty sure he has a few lbs to go before 22, but it's not going to be fun after he does.

Splash · Jun 27, 2009

You've got two possible/likely reasons. Reason number 1- downward rotation. The heavier the kid, the more the seat is going to rotate down. Reason number 2- line in the sand. People will screw up a "one inch" thing. Most people understand "at 22 pounds, add headrest." It's dumbing it down to the lowest common denominator.
The "ramping up" is not really a valid argument. Ramping up does change with weight, but mostly with height, and they've already drawn a line where they think the ramping danger begins. A properly tightened harness will not allow a child to move up more than an inch or two, certainly not 3,4,5 inches.

mariac124 · Jul 2, 2009

Thanks everyone. Good to know I'm not the only one who ever wondered about this.

Maria

Question 1st Yrs Tru Fit - Head Rest

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