Convertible car seat for tall kid?

[kaismama]

My son just turned 5 months old today and measures 19 lbs. 4 oz. and 27 and 1/4 inches. We expect him to be tall (Dad is 5'11" and Mom is 5'10"). I would like to buy a convertible car seat (3 in 1) that will last him until 80 lbs. However, I'm concerned he will outgrow most seats by height before he reaches 80 lbs. I also would like for him to be RF as long as possible. I am leaning toward the Radian RXT. Are there any others I should consider, or is that the best one for tall kids? I drive a Nissan Sentra. Thanks in advance.

 

[Patriot201]

Hello and welcome to car-seat.org!

We generally don't recommend many 3-in-1 (RF to booster) seats because they generally "fall down on the job" in at least one of the categories (rear-facing, forward-facing, and/or boostering). Instead, we generally recommend a good convertible carseat (a seat that harnesses rear-facing, then harnesses forward-facing) and, later, a dedicated booster.

The Radian is a good option, and it should fit in the Sentra. Your baby is still too young to use the angle adjuster with the Radian, but it still should fit. I hope.

Other options include the Graco MySize/Headwise, Clek Foonf, and Evenflo Sureride. Those should all work well for very tall kids.

 

[heather13619]

The 3-in-1 seats are generally regarded as Jack of all trades, Master of none. They usually do not do all 3 features well and/or may not be particularly long lasting in all modes, or a certain mode. Your best bet would be a good, long lasting convertible for your big guy and then if needed a combination seat later on down the line. The Radian RXT or R120 would be good for him with the 45lb RFing limit, the Graco Size4Me/MySize/Headwise would be great for height.

 

[Patriot201]

The Radian RXT or R120 would be good for him with the 45lb RFing limit, the Graco Size4Me/MySize/Headwise would be great for height.

Though the Radians would also be good for height (very tall shell) and the MySize/Headwise for weight (40lb RF limit).

I cannot imagine very many children outgrow the Radians by height, nor the MySize/Size4Me/Headwise by weight, much earlier than age 3.5-4. They are both great for both height and weight.

However, I'm concerned he will outgrow most seats by height before he reaches 80 lbs.

kaismama-- your son most likely will outgrow harnessed seats prior to hitting 80 pounds, but that's okay as long as he is able to sit in a booster seat properly (which for neurotypical children is usually around age 5.5-6.5).

By the time your son outgrows whichever convertible you choose now, there will probably be some great combination seat (harness to booster) on the market that will get him to safe boostering age (if he isn't already by the time he outgrows the convertible). There are already some really great combination seats on the market, but in 4-5+ years, who knows what incredible seats might be out!

It is possible that your little guy will slow down significantly in growth and will make it to age 5-6 in the convertible. Sometimes that happens. My niece and nephew were both REALLY long as young babies (parents are 5'11" and well over 6'0"), but slowed down big time and are now pretty much average. You never know!

 

[kaismama]

Thank you Patriot201 and heather13619 for your advice I will get a good convertible instead of a 3-in-1, and worry about the booster seat later. Thank you for recommendations on different ones that would work well for us.

:thanx!:

 

[Stelvis]

Just to be clear, because I didn't see it mentioned, the Radian is not really useful as a booster at all. It has a 50 lb weight minimum, and most kids will be too talk for it well before 50 lbs.

The Radian is pretty tall but not the tallest anymore. The Nextfit and Size4 Me etc. are several inches taller in terms of RF height. DS would've outgrown it RF around 3 RF and slightly after 4 FF, but he's got a huge torso and head.

 

[Rebekah]

Thank you Patriot201 and heather13619 for your advice I will get a good convertible instead of a 3-in-1, and worry about the booster seat later. Thank you for recommendations on different ones that would work well for us.

:thanx!:

Just wanted to clarify that the Radian is a good convertible that happens to be a 3-in-1. RF and FF harnessed, it is good. Booster is where it fails for the reasons listed by Stelvis. There are a lot of good convertibles out there now.

 

[Patriot201]

Just wanted to clarify that the Radian is a good convertible that happens to be a 3-in-1. RF and FF harnessed, it is good. Booster is where it fails for the reasons listed by Stelvis. There are a lot of good convertibles out there now.

:yeahthat: