Graco Snugride 32 question

[lkvosu]

For those of you have/had this carseat, when do/did you plan on replacing it for a bigger seat? I know it's designed to go up to 32 pounds and/or 32 inches, but ds's feet hit the car's seat back already.  He is only 27 inches and barely over 17 lbs, so I know he's technically not too big for it, but for his comfort I wonder if it's time to replace it. Not that he really seems to care that his feet graze the back of the seat, but still. It will only get worse as he grows, and he's not slowing down anytime soon obviously. I'm wondering what other moms have done or plan to do.  Thanks!

[llwr]

I don't have that seat.... But generally, with extended rear-facing, their feet/legs will be on the seat back.  It's not a big deal.  They just need to meet the weight requirements of the seat and have an inch or more of carseat above the top of their head.  Rear-facing is WAY safer even when they're allowed to face forward.   Switching him to a RF convertible won't necessarily even give him more leg room.

[lkvosu]

Yes, I plan on keeping him RF for as long as possbile. I didn't realize the other seats would cause the foot issue too.

[TheGirls]

Well, if you are going to ERF, you'll have to move to a convertible at some point, so there's no reason to not switch if you want.  Some convertibles have quite a lot more legroom than others (avoid Britax and Recaro if this is important to you).  Most likely he'll have more legroom in a convertible than an infant seat. 

However he's also perfectly safe (and likely comfortable) in his current seat for as long as he fits.  And eventually, if you RF to the limits of the seat, his feet will touch the seat in front of him and he'll have to bend his legs, cross them, or put them over the side.  Most kids are not bothered by this in the slightest. 

My 3yo is still RF in a Complete Air (she is 38" tall and weighs 37lbs).  Here's a picture of her from a few months ago.  She is very happy in her seat and has never complained about her legs.  And trust me, this is a kid who would complain!!!

[neonalee]

We have the snugride 35 and I just ordered the true fit tonight from amazon.  DS seems about to outgrow the bucket, but the real reason to switch now is that when he was smaller he'd fall asleep on longer car trips.  Now on longer car trips he starts crying and/or screaming more often than sleeping.  Maybe he's uncomfortable, I don't really know,  but I'll have to make the switch at some point, might as well now.  We  hope to ERF as long as physically possible.  He's 10 months today.  Not sure about exact weight/height, but last doc appt a month ago he was 18.something lbs and twenty-something inches (just moved and no idea where this info is).

[nutritionistmom]

My 4 yr old is still RF in a Radian. He's 37lbs and 40 in. He doesn't mind having his legs bent up a little, although I mind when he's back there kicking his brother. You can PM me your email address if you want to see a picture.

[tysmamaca]

I have the Snugride 32 and I JUST moved my 25-month-old out of it and into a convertible.  He's only 23 pounds and nowhere near the top so I didn't see any reason to move him out before.  We're going on a long road trip and I thought me might be more comfortable in a convertible so that's why I did it now but he could have been in it for a LOT longer.  Don't worry about the legs at all.

[SeattleRain]

My 11 month old is a tiny little nugget and totally fits in his Chicco KF30, and we just took a Graco SS1 (same thing as the Snugride 32 but only 30lb weight limit and is an older version) on vacation. He has probably 3 inches above his head (he's about 19lbs and 28"). We switched him to a Combi Coccoro around 9 months because his legs seemed a little bit cramped. He likes to tuck his legs into a cross-legged position and a convertible gave him more width to do that. The True Fit was especially wide inside (without being overly wide on the outside) but we found the harness slipped off his narrow shoulders. I've heard of 3 year olds being able to fit in the snugride.