Car seat question - RF limits

MamaPhm

Hi ladies
I am usually just a lurker so I hope no one minds if I post here. I know there are a lot of people here who are very knowledgable about car seats and I am hoping to get some advice.

My son will be 3 at the beginning of March. He is on the small side, only 26 lbs and 36" tall. I also have a daughter who will be 4 months old next week. So far her growth curves have been very similar to my son's, she is just slightly smaller than he was at the same age points.

My son currently rear faces, we have an Evenflo symphony 65 LX in my car and an Evenflo Titan Sport in my husbands car. My daughter is still in her infant seat.

Weightwise, my son still has lots of room to go for RFing, but he is almost at the max height for the Symphony, which I think is 37". I was planning on turning him when he turns 3, getting him a combination booster and putting my daughter in his current seats, but now I am thinking of keeping him RFing and getting another convertible for him with a higher height limit.

I was looking at Car Seats for the Littles and they recommend RFing until 3-4 years, or until they outgrow the seats limits. With the new seats available now that have very high RFing limits, my son could conceivably remain within the limits well past age 4.

So my question is, is it better to get a seat with high limits and keep him RFing past 4, or should I get one with lower limits that will fit him RFing until age 4 and then turn him? Is there much benefit to keeping him RFing past age 4?

Also, any specific recommendations for a seat? I need one with a long enough expiry that it will accommodate my daughter. Cost is also important as we need to buy 2, one for each car.

Thank you!

Disneygeek77

Well we have a Diono Radian.  My DD is also on the small side and she is rfing and is almost 5. 

It wasn't cheap, but used a 20% off coupon from BBB and that helped. 

MintBerryCrunch

We have a Radian RXT, Chicco Nextfit, and Graco Headwise 70. Of the three, the Chicco is my overall favorite for ease of installation, features, and comfort. The Radian has the highest weight limit and the Graco has the highest height limit and is the most affordable, but lacks seat padding. The Graco and Chicco both RF to 40lbs, the Radian to 45lbs.

The Graco regularly goes on sale at Target for $150. I used a coupon for my Chicco and got it for $230, and my Radian RXT was $219 on Amazon.

MamaPhm

Thank you! I think I might just be over thinking things. Chances are whatever seat I get he will fit past 4. Then I can keep him RFing until my daughter outgrows the symphony and get him a booster at that point.

I guess I'm mostly wondering, is there an age at which RFing no longer offers a benefit over FFing? Like if he doesn't exceed the limits when he's 8, should he still be RFing?

ASmallWonder

I think you should rethink your plan  When he changes to forward facing he's still going to need a harnessed seat (not a high back or no back booster) - which a high height/weight limit convertible is going to get you.  The seats he would still need at 4 aren't mega cheap like a no back booster is so it doesn't make sense to buy him a convertible now, give it to your daughter in a year and then have to buy him a combination seat.  

So, there are two ways to approach this.  Yes, rear facing is safer but even experts will agree that forward facing at 3 is an ok decision.  You could opt to forward face him when he outgrows his seat in a combination seat such as the Graco Nautilus, which forward faces as a harnessed seat, a belt positioning booster and a no back booster so it will be the last seat you would need.

If you want to keep him rear facing, invest in a long lasting convertible seat like the Graco MySize/Headwise/Size4Me (same seat, different retailers).  It will keep him rear facing to 40 pounds and until he has 1" of headrest left and then he'll forward face for year and years in it.  By the time he outgrows that seat you would be able to buy him an inexpensive no back booster.

MamaPhm

Thanks for the info, I knew you guys could help! @fredalina your explanation really helped clarify my question about RFing age vs seat limits. Thanks you.

So I'm thinking of getting a Radian. I like that it has a tall RFing height limit and that it has a 10 year expiry. Also cool that it folds up for travel. Hopefully it will come on sale at some point before my son grows out of the Symphony.

As far as I can tell the Chicco Nextfit and Graco Headwise aren't available in Canada, at least not at BRU.