To forward face or not to forward face...

[NamastePlatypus]

I really look forward to hearing some outside opinions on this.  DH is of no help at all here!

My youngest son, Junah, will be three tomorrow.  He has always rear faced, and has no problem with it.  ( even though his older brother has been forward face since J was born)  I figured out this week he was 36 lbs so for his Marathon I need to turn him around.  Also, his seat expires this month so there is a new seat that is getting bought, the question is which?  Here is my question... should I get the radian and keep him backward until 45lbs?  ( he is three inches shorter than his brother was at this age so he just seems so little to go forward.)  OR should I give his older brothers Boulavard to Junah making him forward facing, and get the older almost six year old the Frontier?  This is driving me crazy!

PLEASE any and all advice is really needed!

[kalamos23]

How long before his older brother outgrows the Boulevard? If it will be soonish, I don't have a problem flipping a 3yo. In fact, I do have a Radian, but mine is the XT so it only RFs to 40 lbs. Anyway, DD is tall and heavy and close to outgrowing it by weight. She will be 3 in July. I've gone back and forth on it, but I think in the end we will flip her and buy a Frontier when the new one outgrows the bucket seat (or if she outgrows the seat, whichever comes first). I'll then give the Radian to the new baby. 

I think it is more about their bones ossifying and age than their actual size as far as flipping forward goes. 

[kalamos23]

I should add, the reason why I asked if the brother was close to outgrowing the Boulevard is because you will end up buying 2 seats quickly if you buy a Radian for Junah and then the brother outgrows the Boulevard shortly thereafter. Plus, BRU has the 25% off tradein sale right now and it applies to Britax, so you can get a Frontier for about 210. You will eventually have to buy Junah a bigger seat or a booster, but it should be pretty far down the line if he is that much shorter than his brother, I would think. (unless he is all torso that is). I would think you would be able to get to 5-6 yo at least in the Boulevard FFing though by height. 

[Friday13th]

FWIW, three is about when I'd stop buying seats to keep RF-ing.  I have a tiny peanut 3 year old but if he suddenly had a growth spurt that put him at the height or weight limits, I wouldn't buy another convertible.

[mama2soren]

I am a staunch ERF'er, but I would probably be comfortable with my son FF at 3 if he no longer fit in his current seat.  Rather than buying 2 seats (one for ODS and one for Junah), I'd also recommend doing the trade-in at BRU of Junah's seat for a Frontier for your ODS and passing down the Boulevard.  

If you feel unsettled about FF him full time, you could do a trade-in for a Complete Air, which RF to 40 pounds.  The Radians can be great, but they don't install well in all cars.  3 year olds don't tend to gain weight as quickly, so the extra 4 pounds might last him a while.  When he goes FF in the Complete Air, it will almost definitely get him to boostering age because it is quite tall, so only a dedicated booster would be in your future for Junah.  You could let your ODS outgrow his Boulevard (how much growing room does he have left?) then decide what he needs down the road.

If you do decide to go with a Radian, check out JustKidsStore.com  Right now they have some super deals!  The Radian 80 is priced at $199 with free shipping.  I've ordered from them before and I was very happy.  They do not have free return shipping, though, so be sure that your car is Radian friendly (ask the CPST's here!)

Happy birthday, Junah!

[kalamos23]

I agree with mama2soren - I believe the Compete Air has strap slot heights that are the same as the Radians (or very very close). My long torsoed tall 2yo still is in between the second to top and top slot on the Radian (her torso is ~15" for comparison purposes) so if the slots on the Complete Air are similar, you would still have a decent amount of height left FFing for him. The only thing that is weird about teh Complete Air is that you are not to use it rearfacing past 40" tall (though most techs I know say it is more than likely ok to use the 1" of shell left vs 40" tall rule), It also installs much better than the Radian.

You could check out car-seat.org - the techs there are awesome and you don't have to sign up to ask a question. I asked about switching DD at just turned 3yo and they said that they would feel comfortable switching her at that age. 

[NamastePlatypus]

WOW thanks for the quick replies!

Just looked at our growth chart, Easton is right at 47 inches... so I am thinking I should hand his down to Junah and get E the Frontier. 

Thank you for all the advice, it was just what I needed to hear.

I live in Germany, can I do the BRU thing?

Thank you for the Birthday wishes!  I can't believe three years ago tonight I went to bed having no idea the next morning I would be in full blown labor!

[~Amy~]

Are you able to tether his seat if you turn it forward facing?  That would make the decision for me.  If I could tether, I'd turn him.  If I wasn't able to tether, I'd get a seat with a higher RFing limit.  Honestly, if I couldn't tether, I'd do everything I could to keep him RFing until he was old enough for a booster.