Carseat height issue

[Novelectro]

Hi Everyone. First time poster here and looking for some help. I recently bought a GX460 SUV and am having a room issue with our front facing car seat behind me (chicco myfit harness + booster seat).

Basically the height of where my daughter actually sits is very high. The actual position where her butt is is like half a foot above the bottom of the carseat itself. Then the seatback of the front seat sort of curves back at the top, and as a result her feet are always touching the seatback.

This is nearly impossible to describe and for some reason the photo wont link, so I'll try this url here.

https://imgur.com/a/KLrn1gF

Anyway, I think the only solution is a different car seat in which the actual seating position is lower and closer to the vehicle seat. Does anyone have any suggestions? Or know of a carseat that might work better?

 

[SafeDad]

Hi Everyone. First time poster here and looking for some help. I recently bought a GX460 SUV and am having a room issue with our front facing car seat behind me (chicco myfit harness + booster seat).

Basically the height of where my daughter actually sits is very high. The actual position where her butt is is like half a foot above the bottom of the carseat itself. Then the seatback of the front seat sort of curves back at the top, and as a result her feet are always touching the seatback.

This is nearly impossible to describe and for some reason the photo wont link, so I'll try this url here.

https://imgur.com/a/KLrn1gF

Anyway, I think the only solution is a different car seat in which the actual seating position is lower and closer to the vehicle seat. Does anyone have any suggestions? Or know of a carseat that might work better?

It don't recall how similar the 460 is to the 4Runner, but seems like that is less space than I would expect. Is the 2nd row seat all the way back? Any room to move the front passenger seat forward or make it a little more upright? Guessing you've already checked that, so the next question is what is the age and weight of your daughter?

Finding a different restraint that seats her lower may address the feet, but it could also put her head in much closer proximity to the front seat. So, make sure you are using the top tether attachment.

Another possibility may be a smaller car seat with a shallower depth that would allow her to bend her knees at the end of the child seat base.

 

[Novelectro]

It don't recall how similar the 460 is to the 4Runner, but seems like that is less space than I would expect. Is the 2nd row seat all the way back? Any room to move the front passenger seat forward or make it a little more upright? Guessing you've already checked that, so the next question is what is the age and weight of your daughter?

Finding a different restraint that seats her lower may address the feet, but it could also put her head in much closer proximity to the front seat. So, make sure you are using the top tether attachment.

Another possibility may be a smaller car seat with a shallower depth that would allow her to bend her knees at the end of the child seat base.

They're pretty similar. If anything the GX is probably a touch larger interior. 2nd row is back all the way. First row could move up a few inches but that seating position is comfortable for me.

I think the space issue is more that theres so much wasted space underneath her seat where the front seat curves back inward. But the seat depth means her legs stick out rather than hang. And the height means they stick out right where the front seat back is closest to her.

She's using the top tether and the latch straps. She could probably be a tiny bit closer if I took the seat protector off but it wouldn't help much.

She's 3.5 years old. About 37, 38 lbs or so and 40.5 inches.

 

[SafeDad]

The lowest would be a RideSafer vest. This would allow her to sit directly on the vehicle seat cushion.

2020 RideSafer Travel Vest Review Update – Now in THREE sizes!

The 2020 RideSafer Travel Vest XL Delight! A Mini-Review of the new RSTV. By Brigala and Erin Brill Do you have a bigger kid for whom a booster isn’t a good option? Maybe your car doesn’t have enough space to buckle a booster. Maybe your child is still too young for a booster or has...

carseatblog.com

I would advise shopping where there is a free returns policy, as they are different to use than a standard 5-point harness car seat. The downside is that you may find she puts her feet there anyway ;-)

I gather there is an infant seat on the other side? I don't suppose baby is close to the limit of that seat such that they might be able to move into a relatively upright rear-facing convertible and allow your daughter's seat to move to the other side if there is more room?

 

[Novelectro]

The lowest would be a RideSafer vest. This would allow her to sit directly on the vehicle seat cushion.

2020 RideSafer Travel Vest Review Update – Now in THREE sizes!

The 2020 RideSafer Travel Vest XL Delight! A Mini-Review of the new RSTV. By Brigala and Erin Brill Do you have a bigger kid for whom a booster isn’t a good option? Maybe your car doesn’t have enough space to buckle a booster. Maybe your child is still too young for a booster or has...

carseatblog.com

I would advise shopping where there is a free returns policy, as they are different to use than a standard 5-point harness car seat. The downside is that you may find she puts her feet there anyway ;-)

I gather there is an infant seat on the other side? I don't suppose baby is close to the limit of that seat such that they might be able to move into a relatively upright rear-facing convertible and allow your daughter's seat to move to the other side if there is more room?

Correct. Infant seat on the other side. Shes a newborn so she'll be there for a little while. Unrelated question but you mentioned "relatively upright rear facing seat". Do you have an example of one? Because I think the bigger rear facing seat that the baby will grow into will take up a ton of space.

Thanks for that other recommendation I'll check it out.

 

[SafeDad]

Some models like Britax ClickTights and Nuna Rava can install more upright in general when rear-facing than others, like the Chicco NextFit that tends to take up a bit more room. How much room this saves does vary from vehicle to vehicle depending on the seat contours that you've noted.