Question need new seat 32 pounds, 36.5 in

[Karin]

Hello,

I think I need a new car seat. Just realized that my son outgrew the hight limit for RF in his current car seat. I turned it around and don't like the fit. Now, I am confused as what to get.

Part of me wants to get another convertable car seat (some have higher RF limits than my current one). However, after reading some posts I now realize that the weight limits that are advertised are theoretical limits only and that often kids no longer fit comfortably before they ever reach that limit.

In terms of convertable seats I have come across the Radian (120 and RXT) that have a RF limit of 45 pounds (would buy us many more months I would expect) and then can be turned around and be used with a harness. Then I read some postings that indicated that the company had (or still has? Does anyone know) problems with the Superlatch system and that the company handled the complaints pretty poorly (seems they were trying to cover up). So, not sure if that is a good choice. Are there other seats that are considered good that have a RF limit as high?

If not a convertible, then what? In another car we have a BRITAX Boulevard. What I like about that seat is that it is easy to use. So, I thought I'd just get another BRITAX and that based on brand reputation this might be a safe choice. Then I reviewed Consumer Reports and found that the BRITAX Frontier ranked badly.

Also, in the US it seems there's no independent magazine/automible club that does their own crash test rating and publishes the results in a consumer friendly way. I find it nearly impossible to compare saftey ... Yes, the government considers all sold car seats as safe... but there's a difference between passing a test barely and surpassing requirements. No way to tell the difference. Which brings me to my final question: Is it legal to import car seats from another country?

Comment: The seat has to fit into a mid-sized car (Hyundai Elantra).

Please share your comments/recommendations on any of these topics.

Thanks & Best Regards,
Karin

 

[wendytthomas]

How old is your child? And how are they outgrowing the seat by height? Less than 1" of shell above the height, or the stated height? And what seat is it?

Consumer Reports is notoriously bad with carseats. So I wouldn't trust them. And there are no safety ratings. We have no way to know if Dorel knocked it out of the park and Britax is barely passing. They all pass, though. So use whatever you get properly, follow best practice (rear face until as close to four as possible, harness until booster maturity around five to six, and use a booster until as close to puberty as possible) and you'll be as good as you can be.

It's legal to import seats, but many states say you must use a federally approved seat. So you can bring it in legally, but not use it legally.

Wendy

 

[Unregistered]

Hi Wendy,

Thanks for your response! My son is 3 1/2 years now. He has outgrown the current seat (Priori) according to the instruction manual and definitely by the 1 inch rule that I just learnt about from you! I liked the seat when he was little as it did not appear to be oversized for a small child, but I think I want to replace it now.

We are about to move to TN and I googled the state law. There's a reference that says that the seat needs to meet federal saftey standards. Is that the same as saying it needs to have federal approval and been tested in the US? Or does that mean it just needs to be at least as good as the US federal standards? And if I can find a seat that is better it would be o.k. (but what will they take as proof of that)? Ah, I don't really want to hire a lawyer when I replace a car seat.

So, back to the US... are there some seats that are believed to be good (in the sense of better than mandated saftey) that will fit a mid-sized car as ours? Other than the Radian, are there other seats that allow RF up to 45 pounds? Or what would be good FF options for a mid sized car?

Thanks & Best Regards,
Karin

 

[wendytthomas]

To legally use it it must be a federally approved seat. So American, not imported.

The Radians and the Peg Perego convertible are the only ones that go to 45 pounds rear facing. The Clek Foonf will be out in the fall, but that's not now.

All carseats pass the same tests. Diono releases their numbers, but without anything to which to compare them, we have no idea if they're better or worse than others. So nope, no way to know if one is better.

If you get the Diono, look into the angle adjuster as well. That'll give you more front seat space.

Wendy

 

[Unregistered]

Hello Wendy,

Thanks! You just gave me two more seats to research...

The Peg Perego Convertible I have mixed feelings about. There's a very similar looking convertiable Peg Perego Viaggio Convertible being sold in Germany (but lower weight limits so it is *NOT* be the same seat). While that seat is approved for sale in Germany, it did very poorly in both front and side impact crash tests that were independently done by the German automobile club. It got a failing grade overall. Again, it is not the same seat... but looks awfully similar. (Peg Perego also sells a forward facing only booster seat in Germany (starting at about 33 pounds) and this seat did well. However, this design looks very different from the convertible car seat).

I still need to understand the Foonf better. It has some innovative features like the anti-rebound bar and the "crumble zone" within the car seat. Based on a video I watched about the product I am not sure if my son has potentially already outgrown the use of the anti-rebound bar (some statement that you "could" remove it when the child is a year old). Cruble Zone still would be beneficial. Not sure if it is just the angle the pictures were taken, but somehow I am left with the impression that the base is rather high... which would make me wonder if the center of gravity is not too high to be safe (yes, I know it will have passed minimum government standards). I am not an engineer and I have no idea if one can ever even eyeball these things.

Ah, I wished there was a more independent testing culture here in the US also. Would make everyone's life easier (consumers' anyway) and finally reward the companies who already go above and beyond.

Best Regards,
Karin