Outgrowing RF convertibles

[ARon]

I've heard that most children outgrow most car seats by height before weight. On higher weight limit convertibles (Boulevard, Radian, TrueFit, etc...), are they hitting the height limit before they reach the 35lbs turn around? Are any of these (or similar) seats being outgrown before they even have a chance to be used forward facing? I guess what I'm trying to ask is if there is one (or several) seat(s) that will allow for maximum (to 35lbs) rear facing based on the height limitation? Is there a "tallest" seat on the market?

 

[An Aurora]

The True Fit (and probably the Radian) will get the vast majority of kids to the max RF limit. I have a tall skinny kid who has outgrown the Marathon and the Evenflo Triumph Advance RF'ing and still has 4-5 inches of shell above her head in the True Fit (so 3-4 inches of torso growth). She's 32.5 pounds and I'm sure she will gain those last 2.5 pounds before she outgrows the seat RF by height. However, she only has about an inch of harness height in it, so FF'ing she doesn't have much room.

 

[SPJ&E]

A convertible seat is outgrown rear-facing when the child reaches the weight limit (33 or 35 lbs) OR the head is less than 1 inch from the top. Forward-facing, a seat is outgrown when the weight limit (40-65 lbs. usually, some go even higher) is reached OR the shoulders go over the top slots OR the tips of the ears are past the top of the carseat. Most of the time, once a seat is outgrown RF, there will still be some FF growing room.

All kids are proportioned differently and grow at different rates. What lasts one child to 3 years old RF, might last another to only 2 years old.

We do have some favorites around here, that tend to last the longest overall. The Britax Marathon/Decathlon/Boulevard, the True Fit, and the SunShine Kids Radian are probably the most used. The Evenflo Triumph Advance is typically pretty good too. The new AOE seats are likes pretty well, as is the Safety 1st Avenue.

 

[Pixels]

There's always the kid who is an exception, but generally, very tall seats like the TrueFit and Radian will get 99.9% of kids to 35 pounds RFing. The TF is the tallest convertible on the market currently, with the Radian a close second.

When I say the seat is tall, that means how much room the child has to grow. Neither the TF nor Radian sit up on a base like a Britax does, so they aren't necessarily much higher than a Britax seat in the car.

 

[Mama!]

I've heard that most children outgrow most car seats by height before weight. On higher weight limit convertibles (Boulevard, Radian, TrueFit, etc...), are they hitting the height limit before they reach the 35lbs turn around? Are any of these (or similar) seats being outgrown before they even have a chance to be used forward facing? I guess what I'm trying to ask is if there is one (or several) seat(s) that will allow for maximum (to 35lbs) rear facing based on the height limitation? Is there a "tallest" seat on the market?

My signo is super tall. I can't imagine most kids outgrowing it by height before weight.

In comparison, I have a "tall" older daughter who actually sat for pictures one day in her brothers uptown (cheaper dorel seat) and fit. I'll try to find the picture.s

 

[joolsplus3]

My dd easily made it to 33 (that was the limit of her seat, actually I forgot to weigh her for a couple weeks and she hit 35, oops...) in her Marathon at age 4.5 with plenty of room over her head rearfacing...her she is.. http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx Given that the 'average' 3 year old boy is 33 pounds, I think the Marathon tends to get most average or thin kids to the full weight limit just fine. The Radian is a little taller, but it's also harder to install and takes up more space front to back than the Marathon. It's fine in my minivan, and my next kiddo still has even more room over her head for rearfacing (though she's a little bigger than her big sister and hit 35 pounds at 3). Here she is in it http://picasaweb.google.com/joolstag/LeahInCarseats#5296727218524439154(same van seat as the picture of her sister in the Marathon, the top picture on that page). I do like my Radian, but we really adored the Marathon

 

[Patriot201]

Jools, your L and my DN look like they could be sisters. The fact that they are only a few days apart (I think, at least) in age, though, would make it difficult for them to be sisters (unless they were twins, of course).

 

[zeo2ski]

My signo is super tall. I can't imagine most kids outgrowing it by height before weight.

Yup the Recaro Signo and Como are right up there in shell height too, but they are very difficult to RF a toddler in because they have very little leg room.

Most kids will make it to 35 before outgrowing by height in the MA/BLVD/DC or EFTA, but if you're thinking you'll have a tall babe based on genetics, you may want to go with the TrueFit or Radian. At almost exactly 2.5 years my DS hit the height limit on his BLVD and we got him a Radian to keep him RFing, but in the following 2.5 months he's continued to grow in the torso and is now well over the height limit, but still has 2 lbs to go.

 

[NannyMom]

I keep buying new seats because DD keeps outgrowing them by height rear facing. I have already replaced 2 Evenflo Titans. I am working on replacing 2 Cosco Sceneras. She still has an Evenflo Triumph Advance, Britax Marathon, Britax Boulevard, Safety 1st Uptown, and soon a Radian or True Fit. Had I known she would be rear facing this long, I would have skipped the Titans. The Sceneras were given to me, so I don't count them as a loss. But yes, some seats are outgrown too soon. My DD is skinny, and could easily rear face until she's 4 or 5. My boss' baby, I don't expect her to rear face long after she's 2 (unless we get some 40-55 RF seats). So she may not have the height problem.

 

[April]

Both Riley an Rayn outgrew the the Radian RF by weight before running out of height room (RN's only go up to 30lbs RF'ing in Canada).

Then they outgrew the TF by weight and they had loads of height room left. When they both hit 35 lbs and outgrew the TF, Rayn was 38 months and Riley was 25.5 months.

So *my* kids could've continued to RF if we had higher WEIGHT limits, height was not a factor in this particular household.

 

[skylinphoto]

I don't think there's ever going to be a seat that my daughter will outgrow by weight. lol.
She's only 16 lbs at almost 13 months old.

My son rides in a signo ..and it is TALL. I can't imagine him outgrowing it by height before weight..he's 3 and 27-28 lbs.

He will outgrow his seats by weight (he's short with a tall seat).
My dd will outgrow her's by height (she's normal height but very low weight).

Every kid's different.

EDIT: Torso height is a factor here..big time.