[Climbergirl]

My son's head is just hitting the top of the Roundabout. Since he was right at the limit for height for RF (not weight though), we turned him FF. I really did not want to, but I did not want to have him RF if he was not within the height limit.

Is the intent that his head will evenutally be higher than the back of the shell? That seems like it would not be that safe, but I can't see how the distance from the last belt loops to the top would fit any child and still have their head below the top.

Little man outgrew the Graco Snug ride by 4 months of age!

Just curious. I don't want to have to go carseat shopping!

 

[DahliaRW]

Rfing any seat is fine as long as there is 1" of hard shell above the child's head AND the child is under the weight limit. Forward facing the child is ok as long as their shoulders are below the top slots AND they are under the weight limit AND the tips of their ears are below or even with the top of the plastic shell.

Regardless, your ds won't last in the roundabout until he's old enough for the booster. So you will need a new harnessed seat with a taller shell at some point. You might want to start saving now.

 

[alegna]

:

The roundabout is a notoriously bad seat because of that. If your child is still significantly under 35lbs you may get another convertible and put him rf again.

-Angela

 

[bobandjess99]

I'm sorry...you will definitely need a new seat.
I personally feel they should be required to put a big warning on the roundabout which says "this product is a complete and total waste of your money. You will not be able to Rf or FF in it as much as you will need to, and will need to buy other seats prior to a booster. "

If you want to RF, the truefit, radian, marathon, and 50-lb alpha omega seats are really good choices for RFing to 35 ( with shell height that actually allow you to do so!) and then FF to 50 or 65 lbs, with top slots of 17+ inches...all will get most kids to at least 5-7 years old..
If you want a FFonly seat,the graco nautilus and britax frontier have 18 topslots and 65/80 lb harness limits.

 

[mbhf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobandjess99 I'm sorry...you will definitely need a new seat. I personally feel they should be required to put a big warning on the roundabout which says "this product is a complete and total waste of your money. You will not be able to Rf or FF in it as much as you will need to, and will need to buy other seats prior to a booster. "

okay, sure, but then there would also have to be a sign on most other carseats that say the same thing. The roundabout isn't a bad seat and telling people they wasted money on it doesn't do anyone any good. It just has a shorter shell (and lower ff weight) than the other britax convertibles (and some other seats of course) and only very recently have there been other seats on the market that went above the standard 40 pounds FF/15" top slots. So really, the Roundabout it a more cushy (and RF tether-able) version of the standard carseat. So not "a waste of money" just a more expensive standard seat. Now that there are other options out there for harnessing past 40 pounds you can get a longer lasting seat for the cost of a roundabout, but that may not have been so when the OP bought her seat.

 

[Dabble]

OP, you did NOT waste your money on the Roundabout. You bought a safe, top-quality seat that has served your son well and kept him safe in the car. True, you will need to purchase another seat to get him to a safe booster age, and that will likely be another expensive seat. But that does not mean that the money you spent on the RA was wasted.

What DahliaRW posted above is exactly right. Follow those guidelines to know when he is getting to big for the RA, then look into purchasing a seat such as the Graco Nautilus which will harness him to 65 pounds and then convert to a booster. That should be the last seat he needs.

 

[Mommybree]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbhf okay, sure, but then there would also have to be a sign on most other carseats that say the same thing. The roundabout isn't a bad seat and telling people they wasted money on it doesn't do anyone any good. It just has a shorter shell (and lower ff weight) than the other britax convertibles (and some other seats of course) and only very recently have there been other seats on the market that went above the standard 40 pounds FF/15" top slots. So really, the Roundabout it a more cushy (and RF tether-able) version of the standard carseat. So not "a waste of money" just a more expensive standard seat. Now that there are other options out there for harnessing past 40 pounds you can get a longer lasting seat for the cost of a roundabout, but that may not have been so when the OP bought her seat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chimpmandee OP, you did NOT waste your money on the Roundabout. You bought a safe, top-quality seat that has served your son well and kept him safe in the car. True, you will need to purchase another seat to get him to a safe booster age, and that will likely be another expensive seat. But that does not mean that the money you spent on the RA was wasted.

I don't think that bobandjess99 was criticizing the OP, but rather the RA itself. While it is a high-quality, easy to install, and easy to adjust seat, it is a seat that will almost always need to be followed by another convertible for more rear-facing time or another harnessed seat before a booster. Given all the seats on the market today, there are others for slightly more or the same price and even cheaper that will last way longer. Even other seats of a similar size are at least a lot cheaper.

Also, I respectfully disagree that it has served her son well. If he is only 18 months, then he would be much safer rear-facing, which the OP knows as she stated the she did not want to turn him FF. Since he has outgrown it RF by height, then he would need another convertible in order to continue to rear face. Again, this is a criticism of the seat itself.

While it may not be helpful for the OP to hear now that the Roundabout is not as cost effective as just buying a taller convertible like the Marathon/Boulevard, Radian, True Fit, or Evenflo Triumph Advance, it still is true that the Roundabout will not serve most children well compared to other seats on the market. I don't think pointing out that the seat is very limited in its use and to wish that is was labeled that way is somehow wrong.

 

[Climbergirl]

Thanks for the insight!

Part of the reason that we got this seat was that we have a Honda Civic and in the RF position, a bigger seat would cause the passenger seat to have to be pushed pretty far up. We can't do the middle because then my husband would not be able to drive the car.

I think we will be ok for a few more months. We also want to use this on the airplane ride that we are going on (bought a seat for him and everything) to Hawai'i. It would just be more comforable for all involved.

At his last appointment (earlier this month) we was 32.5 inches tall and 25.25 pounds. There was really not an 1" left for the shell from the top of his head. He is only on the second straps and so he can be a little taller. I am glad to hear that the top of his ears is what we need to be looking for in the FF position.

Which one of the carseats mentioned will be good for RF in a small compact car?

DH got a Marathon, so we are good for his truck

 

[Mommybree]

Since you already have a Marathon, I'd try that first. It can go pretty upright (as upright as 30 degrees, compared to the 45 degrees needed for a newborn), so it could fit. The Evenflo Triumph Advance and the True Fit usually take up less room front to back than the Marathon in most cars, so those would be others to try. Also, if there is a problem with the front passenger seat being too far up to be comfortable for the passenger, maybe the passenger could ride in back behind the driver.

 

[DahliaRW]

Personally, I would put the MA rfing in whatever car your lo will be in most, and the roundabout ffing in the other.

 

[alegna]

Boulevard fits fine rf in a civic

been there, done that

-Angela