When does she outgrow the Chicco Keyfit 30?

[violet_]

I have a Chicco Keyfit 30. Baby is 31.5 inches. I read in the manual that she needs to be under 30" but it never said why, and she has plenty of hard shell over her head. She looks like she's doing fine, yet the manual says 30" should be a maximum.

Also, I'll be traveling out of state for a week in a few months. I was hoping to still take the Chicco, as it's super easy to travel with and I don't think she will have hit 30 lbs yet. But I'm not sure about the height. Her next seat is a Radian, and I'd rather not travel with it. Any advice? Is she likely to still fit? Should I buy a seat just for this trip? 

Edited by violet_ - 9/5/11 at 5:08pm

[DahliaRW]

Originally Posted by violet_ 

I have a Chicco Keyfit 30. Baby is 12 months, 25 pounds, and 31.5 inches. I read in the manual that she needs to be under 30" but it never said why, and she has plenty of hard shell over her head. In fact, she doesn't even use the top strap height yet -- they would be above her shoulders still. So I'm confused. She looks like she's doing fine, yet the manual says 30" should be a maximum.

Also, I'll be traveling out of state for a week when she's about 16 months. I was hoping to still take the Chicco, as it's super easy to travel with and I don't think she will have hit 30 lbs yet. But I'm not sure about the height. Her next seat is a Radian, and I'd rather not travel with it. Any advice? Is she likely to still fit? Should I buy a seat just for this trip? 

By height a seat is outgrown when there is less than 1" of hard shell above the child's head.  So if she has that she is fine.

When she outgrows the Chicco, if you travel quite a bit, you might want to purchase a scenera or other lighter weight inexpensive seat for travel and leave the radian at home.