Car seat advice for near-3-year-old in teeny tiny car

[newmamalizzy]

My daughter will be 3 in March, and has been FF since just after 2 year old, but lately I've been feeling like I'd like to turn her rear-facing again.  I went to do just that and realized that she's reached the RF height limit on her Cosco Scenera.  We were planning to get a new seat soon anyway (that will take her at least to booster age).  Looking at the seats for rear-facing, I know my DD will max out the height before the weight (she's 37" and 27 lbs now), so I need something with a high back.  BUT we have a Chevy Aveo, which is very, very compact, and I worry that the seat won't fit in the car front-to-back.  We've always had her in the middle seat for this reason, and even the shorter Scenera was a pretty tight fit in the middle seat.  Any suggestions? 

[Hdorothy]

With the car seats available today, I guessed it would be pretty for the kids for rear-facing to age 2. There are plenty of convertible seats with 35 lb RF limits, and one with 40 lbs with reasonably tall shells. You can choose your own convertible car seat with extended rear-facing in mind!

[brigala]

What would your budget be for a new car seat?

I think a Radian with an angle adjuster will probably fit. A Foonf would probably fit as well, but it's crazy expensive. The Safety 1st Guide 65 would probably fit, but with its 40" rear facing height limit I'm not entirely sure whether it's worthwhile in your situation. 

Hdorthy, actually, almost all convertible car seats on the market today have 40 lb RF weight limits. A few have 45, and a few have 35 or less. I can only think of 5 seats with a 35 lb or less limit: The Scenera, the Tribute, and the True Fit are 35, the Coccoro is 33, and the Graco Comfortsport is 30. 

The Radian models R120, RXT, and GTX have a 45 lb limit, as does the Peg Perego convertible. The Clek Foonf has a 50 lb RF weight limit. 

Unless there's something else I'm forgetting (I wonder whether Evenflo is still making the Titan 50? The new Titan 65 has the 40 lb limit RF), all the other convertible seats on the market are rated to 40 lbs RF. 

Maybe you're thinking of infant seats... there are a handful rated to 35 lbs and one rated to 40. But I certainly wouldn't buy an infant seat for a 3 year old, even if she could still squish into one. 

[newmamalizzy]

Thanks for the concise info, brigala. I think we might be able to swing a Radian, but that would definitely be the limit. Do you know what seats have RF height range higher than 40"? I would guess DD will hit 40" before even hitting 35lbs, so if there are no good options >40", I think I can sort of ignore the RF weight limit, you know? That might change my options.

[MariesMama]

The Radian is a great seat for RFing in compact cars, and does not have a 40" limit for RFing.  My DD fit RFing in it until about 46".
 

[newmamalizzy]

Do you use the angle adjuster with it? I've heard that the Radian takes up a lot of depth.

[sere234]

Yes, you'll definitely need the angle adjuster. Without that our Radian is very tight in our Honda Civic.

[brigala]

Originally Posted by newmamalizzy 
 Do you know what seats have RF height range higher than 40"?

All car seats made by Dorel Juvenile Group have a 40" (or lower) rear-facing height limit. So that's all Safety 1st, Eddie Bauer, Maxi-Cosi, and Cosco seats (some of the Cosco ones have a 36" limit). 

Evenflo seats have a 37" limit, except maybe the new SureFit 65 aka Titan 65. It may have a 40" limit. Or it may have no limit other than 1" below the shell. It depends on whether you believe the website, the manual, or the stickers on the side of the seat. :/

The Clek Foonf has a 43" height limit for RF. 

The Radian has something outrageous like a 57" limit or something like that, but no kid that tall will actually fit RF. Their rule is basically 1.5" below the top of the car seat, and it's a pretty darn tall car seat. Most kids will be too tall for the Foonf's 43" limit before they're too tall for the Radian, even though the Foonf is a physically taller seat. 

The Graco Size4Me 70 and its cousins have no overall height limit. The rule is 1" below the red adjustment handle at the top of the head rest. 

The True Fit, which has a 35 lb RF weight limit, is very tall, a little taller than the Radian. It's a good choice for tall, skinny children. I don't think it has a stated height limit for RF either, other than the standard 1" below the top rule. 

[newmamalizzy]

Originally Posted by brigala 

All car seats made by Dorel Juvenile Group have a 40" (or lower) rear-facing height limit. So that's all Safety 1st, Eddie Bauer, Maxi-Cosi, and Cosco seats (some of the Cosco ones have a 36" limit). 

Evenflo seats have a 37" limit, except maybe the new SureFit 65 aka Titan 65. It may have a 40" limit. Or it may have no limit other than 1" below the shell. It depends on whether you believe the website, the manual, or the stickers on the side of the seat. :/

The Clek Foonf has a 43" height limit for RF. 

The Radian has something outrageous like a 57" limit or something like that, but no kid that tall will actually fit RF. Their rule is basically 1.5" below the top of the car seat, and it's a pretty darn tall car seat. Most kids will be too tall for the Foonf's 43" limit before they're too tall for the Radian, even though the Foonf is a physically taller seat. 

The Graco Size4Me 70 and its cousins have no overall height limit. The rule is 1" below the red adjustment handle at the top of the head rest. 

The True Fit, which has a 35 lb RF weight limit, is very tall, a little taller than the Radian. It's a good choice for tall, skinny children. I don't think it has a stated height limit for RF either, other than the standard 1" below the top rule. 

You are amazing.  Thank you so much for this concise info.  I feel like I've been swimming in spec, and I was actually planning to make a chart.  Maybe I won't need to after all!

[TiredX2]

Originally Posted by newmamalizzy 

You are amazing.  Thank you so much for this concise info.  I feel like I've been swimming in spec, and I was actually planning to make a chart.  Maybe I won't need to after all!

Yes, that was amazing!  What would you say the likelihood of a child outgrowing a Radian rear-facing for height is? 

[LeighPF]

Most car seats are outgrown by height. It is a matter of when.