Shocked by rear-facing height limit on Britax Marathon - ideas needed please!

[PatioGardener]

I was shocked by the discovery today that my beloved Britax Marathon has a 32" (81.3 cm) height limit for RF. My 14 month old little guy is 80 cm tall right now, and growing like a week. I may only have another month or 2 before he outgrows it.

I guess I'm shocked because I only had to move the shoulder straps up today, and he has waaaaay more than an inch before his head reaches the top of the shell. He has long legs. I had planned to keep him rear-facing until he is at least 3 years old. (It tops out at 30 lbs weight RF too).

The Marathon was a gift by a friend who also has one. She researched it for safety (but has a very petite baby and I guess she thought I would too!)

So here is my question. What are my options for good rear-facing car seats (Canadian) that will last my tall son (he's about 11 kg or 25 lbs too) until he's at least 3 years old? It kills me that my friend spent $300 on something that will probably only last 15-18 months. I don't want to repeat that mistake!

Of course I would love to find a seat that I can turn to forward facing once he is old enough and that would last him FF until it expires.

Please tell me your ideas/thoughts! Thanks!

[MariesMama]

The seat is outgrown RF if he has less than 1" of shell above his head.  Companies have to put a certain height as a limit, but the seat can be safely used as long as there is that 1 inch.  Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. 

[JudiAU]

[Insert gripe about the short life of our single Britax carseat and my very tall son]

It sounds like you have some room still, based on pp. You might consider a Radian next. Very tall shell.

[SeattleRain]

As long as he has 1" of clearance below the top you're A-OK. If you're really looking for something taller when he outgrows this, you could look into a Radian or a True Fit (as long as you aren't bothered by the 35# weight limit RF).

[PatioGardener]

oooooh, just looked up the Radian. 44 inches rear facing! 45 lbs RF too! I think this may be our next car seat! (Too bad it wasn't our first...)

[Stitches]

 I had the same issue with our Marathon, my DD outgrew the RF limits by height WAY sooner than by weight.  Why do they even put a height limit on when what matters is the distance from the top of the shell?  I wish I had known that at the time :(

[Megan73]

The Radian has TONS of room for my average-sized three-year-old to grow into although it's a tight fit in our Honda Civic. It also FF harnessed to 65 pounds.

[APToddlerMama]

Originally Posted by Megan73 

The Radian has TONS of room for my average-sized three-year-old to grow into although it's a tight fit in our Honda Civic. It also FF harnessed to 65 pounds.

Yes to this.  I have a biiiig three year old and he will not be outgrowing his radian rear facing any time soon.  I am 99% sure that the Radian we bought (Sunshine) goes up to 80 pounds FF. 

[chickabiddy]

All the Radians are made by Sunshine Kids. :)  The 65/65SL harness to 65 pounds, and the 80/80SL/XT/XTSL harness to 80 pounds (forward-facing).

[PatioGardener]

OP here. I measured DS today in his Marathon and he has ~2.5 inches before his head is at the top of the shell. I'm anxious about ignoring Britax's 32 inch height rule, but sure could do with a couple of months to save for a Radian. WWYD?

[APToddlerMama]

Originally Posted by chickabiddy 

All the Radians are made by Sunshine Kids. :)  The 65/65SL harness to 65 pounds, and the 80/80SL/XT/XTSL harness to 80 pounds (forward-facing).

lol!  I have the worst preggo brain ever.  Yes, that is what we have...the Radian 80. 

[nutritionistmom]

Originally Posted by MariesMama 

The seat is outgrown RF if he has less than 1" of shell above his head.  Companies have to put a certain height as a limit, but the seat can be safely used as long as there is that 1 inch.  Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. 

Some companies have the 1" rule, some companies have a stated height limit. I would not advise you to go against the manufacturer's recommended use for the seat.

Originally Posted by chickabiddy 

All the Radians are made by Sunshine Kids. :)  The 65/65SL harness to 65 pounds, and the 80/80SL/XT/XTSL harness to 80 pounds (forward-facing).

All Canadian Radians harness FF to 65 lbs.
My 4.5 yr old is riding RF in a Radian Premier in our 2005 Honda Civic. He's 37lbs and 42".

[Boot]

I went through this exact situation but with my Radian 3 years ago. At the time the Radian specified 32" rear facing. After talking to various people I was comfortable keeping him rear facing past 32". See the end of the thread for the number of the Child Seat Information Line. HTH 

[nutritionistmom]

Post this question to the S.E.A.T.S for kids Facebook page and see what answer you get from the techs there. https://www.facebook.com/groups/306936044894?ap=1

[dollyanna]

It literally did not occur to me that DD may have outgrown the height limit RF... I thought it was just within 1" of the shell.  I just did a little googling and it looks like the height limit listed on Canadian seats is 32", whereas in the US they list it as shoulder height limits of 10.5″ to 16″ while rear-facing.  I don't think there's anything different about the seat, maybe it's regulations in the different countries? 

DD has been over 32" for quite a while now.  I guess I'll be measuring her shoulder height now.