Support leg for rear facing convertibles

[Hazelandlucy]

I think it does count towards the limit, yes. I think the 2WayPearl's weight limit for the child is 18.5kg, at least over here, where car manufacturers are not allowed to make up weird rules [With ISize it's seat+child=max 33kg, and that's that]. The lightest ever isofix seat might be the Concord Reverso, but I don't think it has really hit the market yet. Both the 2WayPearl and the Reverso have a height limit of 105cm.

That's too bad! We now have a child + seat = 65 lbs.

The Reverso has a 3 point harness - is that ok?

 

[Hazelandlucy]

I am 90% sure I am going to go ahead and get the 2way Pearl and use it for DD1 until she is 35 lbs and then give it to DD2. I have about 5 lbs left for her and I think that might get me to 4. She only gained 4 lbs between 2 and 3. I think the load leg might take some of the pressure off the anchors and I feel comfortable going to the full 65 lb latch limit.

If she has a crazy growth spurt she can go back in the Foonf so I am not giving up RF time to get the seat.

That gets me through the year I am most worried about - the heavy toddler from 3 to 4 yrs old. Then I give it to DD2, who is lighter at 9 months, and hope it gets her to 4!

I will buy the extra base for DH's car and then can move the seat instead of buying two.

Is this crazy?

 

[Nedra]

I am 90% sure I am going to go ahead and get the 2way Pearl and use it for DD1 until she is 35 lbs and then give it to DD2. I have about 5 lbs left for her and I think that might get me to 4. She only gained 4 lbs between 2 and 3. I think the load leg might take some of the pressure off the anchors and I feel comfortable going to the full 65 lb latch limit.

If she has a crazy growth spurt she can go back in the Foonf so I am not giving up RF time to get the seat.

That gets me through the year I am most worried about - the heavy toddler from 3 to 4 yrs old. Then I give it to DD2, who is lighter at 9 months, and hope it gets her to 4!

I will buy the extra base for DH's car and then can move the seat instead of buying two.

Is this crazy?

I would say yes, it sounds crazy to me. I am only just now joining this thread, but I have asked all the same questions as you. My daughter rode in an Aton 2 infant seat and when we moved her to a Chicco Nextfit the lack of load leg freaked me out too. So I totally get where you are coming from.

However, reading through theses posts, it seems like you have multiple techs telling you that there isn't a high need to import a seat just for one particular feature. It would be an expensive, risky step to make for just one feature and, as you mentioned, it wouldn't actually change the time spent RF, it would just get you the load leg for those years.

I have thought about importing seats for a load leg too, but these kinds of reassurances from techs have convinced me that it's just not worth it -- the fact that you can't try the seat out in your vehicle before buying, that you'd never be able to take it to a tech event to get it checked (I would assume that like an improperly used seat, they'd have to recommend that you use a different one if you brought in an illegal one?), that getting customer service for broken parts would be a pain or maybe even impossible, the fact that I'd always be uncomfortable and worried that I'd get pulled over or some other mom would freak out and call the cops or spread rumors about my illegal car seat...this stuff just makes it not worth it to me.

But if it's worth it to you, that's fine. I just wanted to chime in because you asked if it was crazy!

 

[ERFmama]

That's too bad! We now have a child + seat = 65 lbs.

The Reverso has a 3 point harness - is that ok?

There is no safety difference between 3 point and 5 point. (or so they say in crash testing). It's more a parental thing, I for example enjoy a 5 point harness in infant seats more then I do a 3 point, but presumably there is no difference.

As for this discussion, I would say that the way we tether and have a foot prop is very beneficial, but they are also very much required here because our crash testing is different then American, we allow far less movement of the seats then the American standard so our seats are made with that in mind.

I too am not an engineer, neither am I a car seat designer, I can only speak for what to me makes more sense, and to me Swedish tethering style is better then American, but I have never seen the two compared, so if this would be true in an actual crash I don't know. Having a foot prop is proven to be beneficial in our seats, hence why they all come with it now for rear facing, I mean the Britax TWE is in England the only rear facing car seat sold that doesn't have one but it's also not changed since our last legislation R44/03.

Most of our seats also come with a rebound bar (like the said Max Fix2 has and the BeSafe) and the izi Plus comes with tethers, footprop AND a rebound bar which in their words is "the very safest option".

I would LOVE to work with this, but sadly maths and physics was not my strongest point in school so engineering was not something I could do. hehe


All in all I think that if we took a bit from both (America and EU) we would make a heck of a good legislation and quite good car seats.

 

[ERFmama]

And just because I can, I'm going to have a sense of humour and tell you that to avoid "other mums" and so forth recognising the seat as not American in a flash of seeing it, by buying an extra chest clip and use it on it. TADA...suddenly you have the first known make of an American seat.

 

[Hazelandlucy]

There is no safety difference between 3 point and 5 point. (or so they say in crash testing). It's more a parental thing, I for example enjoy a 5 point harness in infant seats more then I do a 3 point, but presumably there is no difference.

As for this discussion, I would say that the way we tether and have a foot prop is very beneficial, but they are also very much required here because our crash testing is different then American, we allow far less movement of the seats then the American standard so our seats are made with that in mind.

I too am not an engineer, neither am I a car seat designer, I can only speak for what to me makes more sense, and to me Swedish tethering style is better then American, but I have never seen the two compared, so if this would be true in an actual crash I don't know. Having a foot prop is proven to be beneficial in our seats, hence why they all come with it now for rear facing, I mean the Britax TWE is in England the only rear facing car seat sold that doesn't have one but it's also not changed since our last legislation R44/03.

Most of our seats also come with a rebound bar (like the said Max Fix2 has and the BeSafe) and the izi Plus comes with tethers, footprop AND a rebound bar which in their words is "the very safest option".

I would LOVE to work with this, but sadly maths and physics was not my strongest point in school so engineering was not something I could do. hehe


All in all I think that if we took a bit from both (America and EU) we would make a heck of a good legislation and quite good car seats.

I think what the UK has going on with Isize is great. Across the board height limits and rigid latch/load leg installation with most (all?) having a green light and sounds to identify correct installation. Plus a rebound bar. I bet in 5 years our convertibles are quite similar. I might steal back the Dualfix we gave BIL when we go over next month because they turned the baby at 11 months! What a waste of a load leg!

 

[ketchupqueen]

There is absolutely a performance difference between 3 and 5 point harnesses. And it is not advisable to alter a seat with an unapproved chest clip.

 

[ERFmama]

There is absolutely a performance difference between 3 and 5 point harnesses. And it is not advisable to alter a seat with an unapproved chest clip.

Chest clip: Hence why I said I was making humour...

3 point vs. 5 point: Not in European standard, they say it's the same performance here. Britax is known for stating otherwise, but they state a lot of things.

 

[ketchupqueen]

There is a demonstrable difference in transfer of forces and movement of the child's body between the two. That some seats can pass testing with a three point is a testament to their other features and engineering, not proof that there is no difference. There is a performance difference.