Convertible Seat Dilemma - need some advice asap

[stook2001]

Hello!
Coming back for some additional feedback on our 2nd convertible seat. The forum's advice lead us to the Satefy 1st Complete Air 65 for our first convertible that we installed a few days ago.

We need a 2nd seat now(!) for a caretaker who drives our son on almost a daily basis. The caretaker is a very petite woman and she drives a late model Mazda 3 sedan. She has agreed to leave a convertible seat installed outboard. Here is the challenge in terms of what we need for this seat.

1 - Need a decent fit in her car. We can't render the front passenger seat completely useless because of the size of the convertible seat (the Complete Air takes up quite a bit of room in our Acura RDX setup outboard to the point that my 5'3" wife complains about legroom).

2 - Need a seat that is easy to properly tighten and use the harness. I don't have much trouble with the Complete Air harness but my wife does have difficulty getting it tight enough. We need to make sure that the caretaker can correctly use the harness and that means we need one that is easy to tighten and loosen, isn't prone to tangling, etc.

3 - Our son is big. He is 100th percentile for his age in height and weight. He is about 25lbs, 30" long and 7 months old.

We realize that 1 & 2 conflict with 3. Taking the bigger picture, I think we want to prioritize fit and ease of use over the long term use of the seat. If he outgrows it in a year or even less, so be it, we'll deal with that issue when the time comes. Having said that, if there is a larger height/weight limit rear facing seat that might work well given our needs, we would absolutely consider that as well.

Any good ideas for us? We really need to get this seat this week and I will either pick it up locally or order it tomorrow. We have no specific budget, just looking for the best options to consider.

thank you!

 

[Judi]

I would like to see your current install to check it. Wondering if it is too reclined.


About the 2nd seat. The Evenflo Momentum, I can fit in a small car and is pretty easy to use.

 

[stook2001]

Thanks for your recommendation, I can snap a photo of our current install tomorrow during daylight. To be honest, I have a feeling it isnt reclined quite enough based upon the level indicator on the seat. The indicator on the seat is pretty close to level with the ground though. The RDX is not a particularly big vehicle, it is more or less the same size as a Honda CRV. The rear seats are a bit more bucketed though, which likely affects the fitment a little.

 

[MommyShannon]

The CA takes a ton of space when installed properly with the line level. I really wish the US models had dual lines now to allow it more upright. As for ease of use, I love our Britax convertible for taking up so little room, easy install and easy buckling. They definitely are shorter though so you'd be buying another seat down the road. We have the Roundabout 55 but the the Marathon would give you about another inch I think.

 

[stook2001]

I went to Babies R Us this evening and bought an Evenflo Triumph 65 to try out. It seemed to me that the knob used for tightening the harness was by far the easiest. I'm not too sure how well the seat will fit in the Mazda 3 but we'll see how it works out tomorrow.

Strangely enough, the regular tightening mechanism on all of the other seats seemed pretty smooth compared to our Safety 1st Complete Air (even the floor model at the store seemed fine). With our seat, it is definitely a bit of a struggle to get the harness nice and snug. Keep in mind this was with the seat empty since I didn't have our son with me at the store --- I guess that is probably why.

 

[wendytthomas]

Dorel has stated that the Complete Air passes testing as upright as 30 degrees. The line on the side is a 45 degree newborn angle. I'd happily sit it more upright without worry about it being unsafe. That should help with the front seat space.

Wendy