Rethinking CA purchase... WWYD? (long, sorry!)

Initially I was SUPER excited about the Complete Air. At first glance, it appeared that it was a fantastic seat for both of my kids. After using it for a week or so, I'm running into some issues... nothing major, that I know of, just little inconveniences. Being a new seat on the market, I kind of expected that some things might come up. However, now I'm starting to rethink keeping them, and here's why:

1. Very narrow distance between shoulder straps - leaves terrible, long, deep red marks on DD's neck and she complains that it really hurts. I know I could buy aftermarket strap covers but what about when she's older and bigger? Just not sure how well the harness will fit her, plus Tyler is so much chunkier than her, he'll almost certainly have a problem with it.

2. Have to move the harness up sooner than recommended because DD's head was getting too close to the top of headrest and her shoulders were making contact with the bottom of the headrest. Not much of an issue right now, and I could have left them lower, but later on this could be a big problem. Tyler's shoulders are making contact with the headrest as well, and he's not close enough to the next slots up to move him (he's barely over the lowest harness position, moving to the 2nd would be way too high).

3. Installation issues - LATCH wouldn't work RF since I have to use noodles. Long story short, in order for the noodle to make enough contact with the bottom of the seat, the noodles have to be longer than the distance between the lower anchors. Installed with seatbelt, now have tipping issue. Tried locking clip, this helps, but still feels a little wobblier than I'm used to. Need to find sturdier noodles.

On the other hand, I LOVE the super tall shell, nice harness height, and of course the 40lb RF limit. I also LOVE the wings. The concept is great and really makes sense to me. I really wanted to use these seats for my kids.

What would you do? The way I see it, these are my options:

1. Keep them and hope the issues don't become a huge problem later. If we keep them, we can NOT buy new seats again for a few years. DH put his foot down, plus we just don't have the money to keep buying seats.

2. Return them and put Jessica back in her True Fit, Tyler back in the SS1 or AO that I have sitting in the closet. When Tyler outgrows his seat, either get him a TF or give him Jessica's TF, then get her a Frontier (I'm okay with this only if she's close to outgrowing the TF rear-facing). My Ride is too short and I didn't like it anyway. Radian is out - want something easier to install so that DH or someone else can do it if I'm not available. This is important to me.

If you got this far, thank you so much!! So... WWYD?

If I wasn't in love with them, I'd probably just return to the True Fit. I'm not one to waste money if I don't love it! When I test drove the CA, I had no trouble leaving it at the store. It was a hassle to install where I needed it to and that was that for me!!

I'm just sorry 'one of us' had to be the first to find out it's not that hot. Better to read the Amazon reviews on some things (and of course translate their uneducated rantings into what the real problem is, lol) and decide from there. If you return it to BRU, tell them it's injuring your child, they'll take them back without a problem and send it back to Dorel.

Thanks for the advice.

With it being new, there were no reviews ahead of time, and I was aware of that. I guess I just got my hopes up that it would be an awesome seat. The idea of the wings seems great... but the problems with the seat itself are really starting to bug me.

I really wanted a 40lb seat though, especially for Tyler. I guess for Jessica, I can live with a 35lb seat because at 3 years old she's only 29lbs dressed. I had envisioned keeping her RF to 5 years old... maybe I should have Pixels recalculate their growth for my peace of mind. That still leaves me with my chunky monkey and no feasible 40lb seat. I had thought about just buying him a TF right now, but I think I'd keep him in the SS1/AO a little longer to see if any new 40lb options become available... if by the time he outgrows what he has, then we'd just get another TF. Unfortunately DH isn't too fond of the TF because of the buried harness adjuster. Maybe I could get a TFP instead, since I heard the adjuster is easier to access...?

Ugh... I'm so.... bummed, disappointed, etc. Really. Why couldn't this have just been a perfect seat?!

Return them both and buy tech marathons.

((Hugs)) The elusive, near mythical perfect seat isn't always the one we think it will be, and early adopters (myself included, I was pretty early on getting a Signo and Frontier) who take the plunge sometimes end up with second thoughts or buyer's remorse. Were you reasonably happy with the seat models you already had? If so, I'd use those, return the CAs, and relax.

If the CA is hurting your daughter's neck they should go back to the store, without a doubt!

Splash said:

Return them both and buy tech marathons.

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I already have one True Fit, so I only need one seat if I return them.

I tried a Marathon, and personally, I'm just not a fan of the shell height and lack of leg room. Jessica is already just about too tall to RF in the Marathon anyway. It would work for a while for Tyler, but eventually I'd want more leg room and a taller shell for him.

Before I got the TF, I was deciding between the Radian, TF and Marathon. Radian was too tricky to install, Marathon just didn't have enough room... that's why I went with the TF. (For those who don't remember, EFTA was out because it bruised her back and the knobs ripped holes in my vehicle seat fabric. We had one and replaced it with the TF.)

Probably should have been more clear... DH isn't a huge fan of the harness adjustment on the TF, but I am in love with the seat myself. He hardly ever puts the kids in the vehicle anyway, so that's not a deal breaker. I've shown him how to adjust the harness from the back of the seat, so he does know how to do it properly.

Jeanum said:

((Hugs)) The elusive, near mythical perfect seat isn't always the one we think it will be, and early adopters (myself included, I was pretty early on getting a Signo and Frontier) who take the plunge sometimes end up with second thoughts or buyer's remorse. Were you reasonably happy with the seat models you already had? If so, I'd use those, return the CAs, and relax.

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Thanks Jean. As I said to Splash, I do love the True Fit that Jessica had. I just wanted a 40lb RF seat and liked the wings, which is why I got her the Complete Air. Tyler needs a new seat anyway because he'll be outgrowing the SS1, so I wanted him to also have these features in a seat, so he got one too. If I return these, I'll need another seat for Tyler but will have a few months to shop (hopefully) before he outgrows the SS1.

jodibug said:

If the CA is hurting your daughter's neck they should go back to the store, without a doubt!

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Thanks! I really need reassurance and help with this decision because I truly had my heart set on loving the Complete Air.

I'd return them. If you love the TF, go with TFP where the harness adjuster is easier to access. For the price on the CA, you really should LOVE them, and if you don't return them. I the MR, just got refund check today for the fraying strap, but think I want another one. I miss the cupholders, I like the way it cradles A, A can see me when looking up in it, and he has room to hug his lovey next to his face, things he can't do in his blvd.

Honestly, Jenny, I really think with you guys having the van I'd rethink the Radian/try it out again.

It was FFing that we had the issues and your new vehicle has 48 lb lower anchor limit. I can't in a million years believe that Jess will reach 48 lbs before outgrowing the Radian by height because she's such a string bean.

I just think it might be worth a second consideration given your new circumstances. And, With the tech discount you can get one for a good price.

If it were me, I'd get a radian and put Jessie in that and Tyler in the True Fit and evaluate how things are working.

Yeah, I would return them, too, and either let Tyler wait it out in the SS1 or AO for a new 40lb seat, or get him a TFP. As expensive as the CAs are, it's just not worth it to me to have a seat I'm not 100% happy with.

BW1426 said:

Honestly, Jenny, I really think with you guys having the van I'd rethink the Radian/try it out again.

It was FFing that we had the issues and your new vehicle has 48 lb lower anchor limit. I can't in a million years believe that Jess will reach 48 lbs before outgrowing the Radian by height because she's such a string bean.

I just think it might be worth a second consideration given your new circumstances. And, With the tech discount you can get one for a good price.

If it were me, I'd get a radian and put Jessie in that and Tyler in the True Fit and evaluate how things are working.

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I was going to say the same thing, didn't you just buy a van, have you retried the EFTA, maybe the knobs don't rub on the van, since you loved that seat, or like she said try the RN out again you might be surprised...

AustinsMommy said:

I'd return them. If you love the TF, go with TFP where the harness adjuster is easier to access. For the price on the CA, you really should LOVE them, and if you don't return them. I the MR, just got refund check today for the fraying strap, but think I want another one. I miss the cupholders, I like the way it cradles A, A can see me when looking up in it, and he has room to hug his lovey next to his face, things he can't do in his blvd.

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Thanks! I'm glad to hear that you love the My Ride. If my kiddos weren't so tall, I'd reconsider that seat myself. It's great though that you've found a seat you truly love.

BW1426 said:

Honestly, Jenny, I really think with you guys having the van I'd rethink the Radian/try it out again.

It was FFing that we had the issues and your new vehicle has 48 lb lower anchor limit. I can't in a million years believe that Jess will reach 48 lbs before outgrowing the Radian by height because she's such a string bean.

I just think it might be worth a second consideration given your new circumstances. And, With the tech discount you can get one for a good price.

If it were me, I'd get a radian and put Jessie in that and Tyler in the True Fit and evaluate how things are working.

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Thanks Brie, you do bring up some good points. It might be worth trying again. I'm just not sure if it would be THAT much easier now that it would be worth it... like I said, I'm paranoid that someone else wouldn't be able to install the seats in an emergency. I don't know how valid that concern is, but needless to say it's something that is important to me. It's worth a shot though... maybe it WILL be much easier in the van. Hmm... now I have to find another Radian to try!

Oh, and yeah, Jessica will probably be in high school before she ever reaches 48lbs... haha!

kidrepair said:

I was going to say the same thing, didn't you just buy a van, have you retried the EFTA, maybe the knobs don't rub on the van, since you loved that seat, or like she said try the RN out again you might be surprised...

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Yes, we did get a van. We now have the car we had before (2003 Civic) and a 2009 Grand Caravan. We replaced DH's Mustang with the van. I would consider the EFTA again, but if it's between that and the True Fit, I'd pick the True Fit for the taller shell. I will try to find somewhere to try out a Radian again. Thanks!

Mommy0608 said:

Hmm... now I have to find another Radian to try!

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I've been itching to make a trip to TCP outlet, but I don't have my radian down here with me

Question, if you return the seats and buy something else are you planning on selling the TF or keeping it as a spare?

BW1426 said:

I've been itching to make a trip to TCP outlet, but I don't have my radian down here with me

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Oh, bummer!

It would be fun to play car seats again with you!

Re: Rethinking CA purchase... WWYD? (long, sorry!)

I'd give the RN another try in your new van. If there was an emergency, you'd still have the TF and AO as back up seats, right? How close is Tyler to outgrowing the AO RF?

If it was me personally I would return the CA's obviously they aren't working for you, and sit tight for a little while until your kids are closer to outgrowing their seats.

It seems crazy to think a couple months ago their were no 40lb RF seats available and now their are 3 - so in another couple months there might be something even bigger and better to play with.

its such a shame about the CA - we played with one in person and as much as I wanted to hate it - it being Dorel - I really liked it.

I think I'd return them. $250 is an awful lot of $$ for a seat that you don't like that much. And as far as needing a 40-lb. RF seat for Tyler - it will a fair amount of time before you'd need the extra 5 lbs., right? Who knows what will be out by then! I'd be perfectly comfortable RFing Jessica to the limits of her True Fit and then FF her.