Outgrowing the True Fit already : (

[Katie T]

I just raised my sons straps to the top setting on his True fit. He is not a tall kid (41") but must have a tall torso. (He is 4 1/2 yo btw). I am bummed that he is this close to outgrowing this seat already as he and I love it. What brings me here is 1. how old was your child when they out grew this seat. and 2. There is the Graco Nautalus (sp?) but what other options are out there to harness and then go to tall back booster. I want something good but not really pricey (thinking around 150ish for max). I am out of the loop on car seats. He is only 35lbs as well. I am going to wait till he gets closer to the limit of this setting before purchasing because I know depending on how he grows he can take a yr to out grow it or gain a inch in his torso like he did in 6 months. 

Sorry this is all over the place, I have a crabby little one. Thanks so much!

[BathrobeGoddess]

I think that the GN is pretty much the same top harness height as the tf: TF is at 17 inches and the GN is at 18.5 for top strap height according to car-seat.org

So your child must be pretty close to even with the second to top strap? So you have three inches of growing room left. My daughter is 4 as well (turned 4 in November) and she is also on the top strap height. You could have another year to get there really...I'm not at all worried she will outgrow the seat to fast, they tend to grow legs more around this age anyway.

I wouldn't spend that kind of money to get another finch of harness length with a child so near to booster age, especially since the GN doesn't fit thin kids very well...I would just move to a good fitting booster when they outgrow the TF...that is my plan and what I also did with my older son.

My son was just over 6 when he outgrew the straps. He is still way under the weight though

[DahliaRW]

I would definitely wait on buying a new seat.  If he lasts another year, he'll be 5 1/2 and probably ready for a booster, and you can save yourself a ton by not having to buy a convertible seat. 

[Katie T]

he never rides in the car. So when I put him in this weekend I noticed it was below his shoulders and he has at most 1 1/2 to 2inches. (I put him in it again tonight to double check). I am hoping we have at least a year of growth left. He seems little to me, weighing only 35lbs (and has for a yr now) I didn't think he even weighed enough to ride in a booster nor am I comfortable with it. (Maybe in a yr or more). Thanks for the info that the straps on the GN are not much higher, I agree that is not worth the money then. Hmm I guess we will just keep a eye on it and see how long we get. 

Thanks

[an_aurora]

Kids average an inch of torso growth a year, so you would have at least a year if not more. It's around this age that kids start sprouting legs as opposed to torso anyway.

[BathrobeGoddess]

Originally Posted by Katie T 

he never rides in the car. So when I put him in this weekend I noticed it was below his shoulders and he has at most 1 1/2 to 2inches. (I put him in it again tonight to double check). I am hoping we have at least a year of growth left. He seems little to me, weighing only 35lbs (and has for a yr now) I didn't think he even weighed enough to ride in a booster nor am I comfortable with it. (Maybe in a yr or more). Thanks for the info that the straps on the GN are not much higher, I agree that is not worth the money then. Hmm I guess we will just keep a eye on it and see how long we get. 

Thanks

Did you stick you hand in the back and make sure of where the belts are coming through in relation to the shoulders? I found they often look lower than they actually are. I'm just wondering because my dd is 42 inches and is just over the second to last slot. She is really long torso-ed too her torso is 14.5

[an_aurora]

My 5.5 yo is 42" too, and 37 lbs and has outgrown the TF by height. She has a huge torso, though, and wears a 7/8 shirt.

[kalamos23]

My 2yo is almost 40" with a 15" torso, so I totally feel for you. I've been looking for the tallest strap slot seats that I can find because obviously she needs to harness for quite a few years. From what I've come across, the Frontier 85 has the tallest strap slot heights at 20" followed by the Nautilus and the Maestro at 18.5" and I think 18"?. The Maestro might be a viable option for you, you can pick one up for 80-90 bucks and while it only has a ffing weight limit of 50 lbs, it sounds like that is not really a problem with you. It does convert to a booster, but generally is outgrown as a harnessed seat at the same time as a booster. 

The Frontier does go to a highback booster, so it would last quite a while (9 year expiry), and it is 207.xx from babycatalog.com right now, so only a little out of your price range, but you probably wouldn't have to buy a booster later.

[an_aurora]

The Maestro really isn't much taller than the TF, though.  

[Katie T]

I never got notified that I had more responses. 

So I measured his torso and it is right at 15 so he has 2 inches left. If he were to grow that in the next 6 months or something crazy I would probably get the frontier. But I am going to just keep a eye on it and hope he grows more in  the legs. His last growth spurt was almost all torso so I may be in luck!

If I need to get the frontier I will be able to pass it down to DD2 when he can go to just a booster. 

Thanks ladies this brainstorming was what I needed. : )

[bobandjess99]

Did you stick you hand in the back and make sure of where the belts are coming through in relation to the shoulders? I found they often look lower than they actually are. I'm just wondering because my dd is 42 inches and is just over the second to last slot. She is really long torso-ed too her torso is 14.5

lol    I'm sorry this just made me laugh.  My dd is long torsoed.  Her torso was 14.5 inches.  When she was 1 year old.   ;)    By 42 inches tall, her torso was nearly 17 inches  :)