Carseat help for huge toddler

[rhiOrion]

I recently wrote a blog post about the misconceptions about extended rear facing.  And a friend has decided to considering turning her 15 month old back around.  Yay!  But, her 15 month old is huge, and her car is tiny (small hatchback), and she and her husband are both tall.  I'm trying to figure out what would be the best seat to recommend.  Her son is 33 pounds and about 34 inches tall, with a lot of the height being in his upper body. 

Obviously he needs a seat that RFs to at least 40 pounds.  She doesn't have a lot of money right now so she needs a seat that is either cheap or that she might have a decent chance of finding used from a reliable source (friends, family, etc). 

The MyRide is my first thought, and I can suggest she bring her son over to try out ours.  But any other thoughts?  Big baby, small car, tall parents.

Thanks!

[alegna]

I think the complete air is the best choice.  The my ride has a short shell.

-Angela

[rhiOrion]

How about some of Britax's 70 line?  Assuming she could find one used from a reliable source, how would they work for a tall toddler in a small seat?

ETA:  I've seen some things saying the Complete Air doesn't allow for a more upright install for toddlers.  Is this true or wrong?  He's not a fan of being reclined way back and it makes tall seats not fit in the small car.

[chickabiddy]

The Complete Air does install very upright in most vehicles.  I'd also look at the Evenflo Triumph 65.  (Please excuse the weird formatting -- I can't seem to fix my errors.)  Britaxes have relatively short shells and harnesses -- they are not a good recommendation for a tall child because they will be outgrown by height long bef

ore the 40# RFing limit or the 70# FFing limit

[DahliaRW]

The complete air is super easy to install more upright.  That would be my rec because it hass the tallest shell for rfing.

[kalamos23]

I agree, the Complete Air is her best bet - I have one of those tall toddlers (36" and 36 lbs at 18m) and we got a Radian, so that is an option as well, but I think with the small hatch, the Complete Air will work better for them. 

[redvlagrl]

Complete Air did not fit RF in my MAzda3 sedan, even with a more upright recline.

[an_aurora]

Hmm...I have seen several people with Complete Airs and Radians in the Mazda3.

[illumini]

I have a tiny hatchback (Nissan Versa), a tall husband (6'5"), and a Complete Air. It's such a great fit for us that we even have it currently driver side, even when dh is driving. He can put his seat all the way back and not touch the car seat at all. I would see if you can try the CA at Babies R us. We love it.

Oh and we are due in August so we will have to fit two car seats in that tiny backseat. The CA will allow us to do that.

[MJB]

I have a Complete Air installed very upright RFing in my Mazda5, and my husband is 5'11". It'd definitely be my recommendation. I bought mine on sale for $130 and prefer it to my Radian. 

[ellairiesmom]

We just switched DD1 to a Complete Air 65 in our Prius so we could get more rf time & it is a nice fit in a small car.  It was a pain to install-but the video on post #3 below ended up making all the difference...

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=165847&highlight=prius

I also have had some annoyances with the straps but that's a story for another thread...lol.

[redvlagrl]

Originally Posted by an_aurora 

Hmm...I have seen several people with Complete Airs and Radians in the Mazda3.

DH is 6'2 with verrry long legs! Maybe we should have persevered! Oh well, we are bvery happy with our new Roundabout

[Virginia Mom]

Has anyone heard about some new carseat law that may become federal mandate......that all kids 2 and under will need to be rear facing?? Maybe before your friends invests in something,she should make sure it will hold child past 40.........(we had trouble finding a forward that we could use a 5 point harness beyond 35 pounds..........)

[an_aurora]

There is no such law; it's merely the recommendation of Safe Kids Worldwide, NHTSA, IIHS, the AAP, etc.  

And FWIW, there are no seats that only are forward-facing to 35 pounds.  They are all AT LEAST 40 lbs, with most being 50, 65 or higher.  Right now the Graco My Ride, Evenflo Momentum and Triumph 65, Safety 1st Complete Air, Cosco Scenera, and Britax seats all rear-face to 40 pounds, and the Radian XTSL and SL rear-face to 45 pounds.  :)

Originally Posted by Virginia Mom 

Has anyone heard about some new carseat law that may become federal mandate......that all kids 2 and under will need to be rear facing?? Maybe before your friends invests in something,she should make sure it will hold child past 40.........(we had trouble finding a forward that we could use a 5 point harness beyond 35 pounds..........)