Convertible car seat- another Britax comment

BelhurstBride

DD1 has a Britax Boulevard. I've mentioned in the convertible carseat threads that I didn't recommend it. 

First off, she outgrew rear facing around 29 months old. She wasn't near the height and weight limits advertised by the seat, but her head was within an inch from the top of the shell. I was disappointed to have to switch her so young. 

Today I just realized that harness is at shoulder level (it should be at or above) and that the harness is already in the highest position. So at 3 years and 9 months old she's outgrown the seat entirely. She's 32 pounds and 35 inches tall. The advertised weight and height limits are 70 pounds and 40 inches. 

She's too young, too little and too immature for a booster so now I'm in the market for a "combination" seat, which will run me another couple of hundred dollars. 

I went with a Britax because that was what was recommended to me. I admittedly didn't do a ton of research. In hindsight I wish I had researched more myself and gone with something with higher limits, allowing for longer rear facing and hopefully, longer forward facing. Three carseats in under 4 years just seems wasteful to me. 

BelhurstBride

I almost hate to admit it, but I'm looking at the Britax Pinnacle. According to Car Seats for The Littles it has the highest harness and booster ratings on the market, but even more importantly, is the largest seat on the market. (Since limits seem to mean nothing for my child.) 

MammaBear81

Birtax is short lived as converitble seat, but their combination seats are the highest on the market (frontier 90) has 20.5 inch top slots).  As a whole weight and standing height limits are very overstated in almost every seat.  When looking at a seat the shell height (or headrest if you are able to use that rear facing, not all are, such as britax) is the most important, when forward facing it's the top harness slot that matters (since as you said the shoulders can't go above the top slot, unless you are using a Radian)

If you want to RF her again the mysize70 is a great seat (about 150 if you get it on sale) and will probably FF her until booster age with 17.5 inch tops slots (and boosters are cheap)- you could also use this to just FF, but a convertible is silly to buy if you aren't going to RF.

Nautilus will give an extra 1/2 inch more than the mysize with 18 inch top slots.

Anything longer lasting will be the Britax combination seats.

I fell for the "britax bubble" for my first kids, it was a very expensive lesson to learn!

BelhurstBride

@mammabear81, the Pinnacle is the same thing as the Frontier, but with added side impact technology. (I went with the Pinnacle.) 

I'm not going back to rear facing at this point, though I did consider it when I realized I needed to flip her. DH wanted to kill me when I suggested replacing our nearly $300 seat within two years of purchasing it. 

I'm going to start DD2 in the Britax, but once she outgrows the RFing limits replace it with a seat that will allow her to RF longer. 

carrotcake06

We had the roundabout as our second seat and the big one outgrew it a few months ago - he's the same age as your LO @BelhurstBride and is 42in and 46lbs.

We went with a Brotax Frontier as a combo seat bc I'm not ready (notwithstanding the fact he's not 4 yet) to put him in just a belt positioning booster.

Our other seat is a Diono radian and while the manufacturer says their shoulders can be above the straps FF, I'm not comfortable doing it. We'll prob switch him to a HBB w a 5pt harness like the Frontier when the babies make the move to convertibles regardless, though.

Granted, he's a big kid with a long torso. But I would like to keep him harnessed as long as possible and a Frontier does let you do that.

Revez

I think the seats that last the longest rear facing are the radian and the foonf. We ended up getting the foonf and we love it. Seriously, a 5 year old could rear face in that thing.

Unfortunately the short shells of the britax are outgrown long before the height and weight limits. I know lots of people that have had to go buy another seat for that very reason.

PB102012

So after a couple car rides with LO, I think I am going to keep her in her infant seat until she hits the max weight (or close too). My car seats are very reclined, so the convertible is very upright even at position 3. Other that, I am very satisfied with the construction and feel of the Advocate!

MammaBear81

PB102012 said:

So after a couple car rides with LO, I think I am going to keep her in her infant seat until she hits the max weight (or close too). My car seats are very reclined, so the convertible is very upright even at position 3. Other that, I am very satisfied with the construction and feel of the Advocate!

@PB102012 Britax does allow the use of a tightly rolled towel or pool noodle used under the carseat (where babies feet would go RFing) to achieve a proper recline for younger LO's

PB102012

@MammaBear81 I didnt realize that! Thanks!