Low profile or high profile?

jennzee · Sep 24, 2014

We're still a few months away from needing to purchase a new seat for DD2, but I want to start mulling it over in my mind. It will need to fit RF'ing in the +1 seat of the Odyssey. Next to it will be a backless booster and a KeyFit (and then eventually a CCO). Considering that I'll be reaching over either the KeyFit base or the CCO to load the middle seat child in, am I going to want to look for something with a lower profile, or something that sits up a bit higher? I'm guessing that higher will be easier to reach, but is there anything else I should consider?

I've read through the thread of seats that are compatible with that +1 seat, but it's been a long enough time since I've really researched seats to have a very good idea of what the profiles of those seats are, or how they'll puzzle with the seats next to them (which I'm not terribly concerned about, given the ability to use the Odyssey's wide mode).

sunnymw · Sep 25, 2014

I... oy. Keyfit in the middle.

In general, after owning Radians, Britax, EFTA, and a Foonf.... low profile. Lord have mercy, low profile. Korah still fits rear-facing in the foonf, but I am so over making her a pretzel to cram her in there.... when my 8yo still was easy to load into a RF Radian at age 5.

jennzee · Sep 26, 2014

For purely lazy reasons, I don't want the keyfit in the center. The booster seat has to be on the passenger side for school drop-off/pick-up, and I can't fit the keyfit over the CCO (or, likely, any other convertible) to get it to the center....which means I'd have to walk around to the passenger side to load every time we go somewhere. Inconvenient in the best of times, but while trying to load a toddler on the driver's side too...just don't want to go there.

We had initially thought we'd go with another Radian, but it sounds like they simply don't install well in that +1 seat. Plus, I worried about being able to easily tighten that ratcheting strap (do they still tighten that way?). But, like you said, I also hear plenty of complaints about getting kids in and out of some of those higher profile seats...I definitely don't want it to be a battle just getting her in, let alone reaching over high sides to tighten.