carseat question

Hello All!

So over the weekend I finally got to pick up the girls new carseats. They've been in their infant seats until now (GRACO snugride 32) and it is passed time that they graduated! We bought the Safety First Alpha-Omega 3-in-1 carseat, mostly because the price was right. (combined cost under $200) The weight limit for rear-facing is 35lbs, so I was under the impression they could be rear-facing for a while still, but I was just reading the manual, and it says the rear-facing height limit is 32inches...that's what they are right now!!! Does this mean I can't put them rear-facing?? Or do I just ignore the height limit and do it anyways? I'm confused as to how anyone could have a 2+year old rear-facing if this is a normal height restriction???

Any help is much appreciated!
Melissa

 

That's very odd! Is it in the manual? I would call them to ask... it makes no sense!

 

32 inches sounds really short for a convertible carseat! My guys are 33 and 34 inches and still rear-facing. My understanding is that the height limit is for the *carseat itself*, not for rear-facing vs. forward facing. For example, we have Britax Boulevards; on their website they say they have a height limit of 49 inches (a seated shoulder height of 16.75 inches), but they say nothing about whether this is forward or rear facing.

HERE is a really great website with information about rear-facing carseats. About halfway down is a section about rear-facing height limits.

I would absolutely call the manufacturer and question them about this!

 

All three of my kids were forward facing early because they were so and still are, quite tall. I felt it was more dangerous to have them rear facing with their legs all bunched up then to have them facing forwards. And honestly life in the car is so much better when they can actually see you!! But for sure give the company a call and ask.

 

It's not. Please read all the evidence about why rear facing is safer before you make such statement. I understand that we all make the decisions we feel are best, but you can't tell people that it's more dangerous to be rear facing than forward facing, when it's been proven wrong.

To OP - I thought about something though, definitely read the manual... it should tell you how to tell when a child has outgrown the carseat rear-facing (usually it's when their head is less than one inch from the top). Then put your kids in it and look how far they are. I can't find a manual online or I would have checked.

 

I was also under the impression that the height limit wasn't specific to rear or forward facing. I am anxious to look at the manual now.

As for their legs being squished, this is what I thought at first before speaking to my pediatrician. Remember: it's easier to fix a broken leg than a broken neck.
The importance of rear facing-video

 

I agree, I would contact the manufacturer with your questions.

 

yes some seats will rear face at higher weight limits than 35#. I read recently a good rule of thumb is the top of the ears should not be over the top of the seat back. The growing trend is to rear face longer and most of the "older technology" seats will only rear face up to 35 pounds and those are being phased out and thats why you find great deals on these seats now... because no one wants them.

 

A lot of seats that allow for extended rear facing to higher weights are outgrown by height well before the weight limit is reached. Unfortunately, the Alpha Omega is one of the seats most quickly outgrown by height

 

I looked up this seat in babybargains book and they didnt have many good things to say about this car seat, especially as a rear facing seat. They said the LATCH was poorly designed too.

 

Well, thanks everyone for all your comments. Looks like I bombed on this one. And the clincher: I came home from work today to find that my husband had thrown the boxes out...and one of them had the receipt taped to it. Yep. I'm in a SUPER good mood now, as you can imagine. Looks like I'm stuck with these lemons, and I just want to cry...

 

Don't cry! :hug: I would sit your kids in the seats and take a look at where their heads hit. I was reading an extended rear-facing forum (yes there is such a thing!) and one of the posters mentioned that the old recommendations were more strict on height for rear-facing, but that new recommendations allow the "1 inch rule" that Fran mentioned earlier. See if your LOs really are within 1 inch of the top of the seat!

I would also call the manufacturer and voice your concerns; they may be able to either reassure you about the height limit. If they say 32" rear facing only, then definitely do the "1 inch test", and if your kids are below this you could probably keep them rear-facing. If they say 32" is the upper limit of the carseats, then you could make a stink until they give you satisfaction, boxes or no!!

Take care, and don't stress out!

ETA: I just found this on the site I recommended in my earlier post:

An appropriate height guideline to determine when a child is too tall for a rear-facing convertible is when the top of their head reaches the top of the shell. Make sure to measure to the top of the hard shell and not the fabric cover that may appear be taller. If your seat has an adjustable head support (like the Britax Boulevard or the Cosco Alpha Omega/3-in-1), then the top of the head support is the important level if it extends beyond the main shell.

I hope this helps!!

 

:grouphug: I have done the same thing with stuff and I have been able to recoup 60-75% of my money by reselling on craigslist, so that could be an option for you.

 

That's a great idea! Or if you own your home, I'm sure you itemize your taxes; you could donate the carseats and write off the full value, which would help to defray the cost of new ones.

 

Great ideas Valerie and cat mommy - thank you!
When they wake up from nap, I'll sit them in them and see how they look. Then I'll talk to DH about reselling or the tax write-off idea.
Deep breath - this could turn out okay after alL!!

 

:hug: I've also done the same thing, and i agree with reselling on craigslist. Be honest. Say they are brand new never been used seats, you thought would work great but your girls are just too big and you didn't realize. Most people will pay close to full price for items that are brand new. :hug:

 

I like your attitude! :good: It will turn out okay, one way or another. Let us know what the results of the test are!

 

Well, there seems to be lots of room above the heads it seems to me. But we might still try to resell them. A friend told me that because they will grow out of these seats so quickly, we'll probably have to buy ANOTHER set of seats before going to boosters!! Yikes. Better to resell and get a better seat now, I think. Plus, my girls are on the road with me a lot (my work is about an hour away) so I really don't want to feel that they are not as safe as they could be...

SO - any suggestions on what seats I should have bought in the first place???
I've heard good things about the GRACO my ride, and the Radion Sunshine Kids....

 

so sorry for the challenges! did you call the manufacturer? on the height limit? I have the Recaro carseats and the manual said something similar... but when I called the manufacturer they did say that I could use them rearfacing to a higher height limit than it initally said. the main thing was the 1" below the top.

I still kinda wish I'd gone with the Sunshine Radian XTSL. One main reason is that I think that they sit lower and don't have high sides, so it would be easier to get them in the car without bumping their heads... You can do a price match on other websites with Diapers.com and then if you're a new customer (or your local friend/neighbor...) then sometimes they offer another % off in addition. I got my carseats for less than $200. I also purchase the Sunshine carseat cover - to cover the car's seat back... and protect from FEET, and it protects the bottoms of the seats too. anyway, since we're rear facing while we needed to protect the car. (we paid $432 for both carseats and the carseat protectors). I think the Recaros were a little cheaper in the end than the Radians, but now I kinda wish I'd gone with my gut and just done the Radians. I believe they go to 53", which is about the highest of all.

Not sure if this is the one you got, the Alpha Omega, but in my spreadsheet of comparison's it only went to 36" high. I don't know if that was a forward facing limit... or if its even your exact carseat...

I will say that it does seem like you pay more money for the ones that have the higher height limits.

good luck! I hope you're able to sell them.

places to price match: babycarseats.com
babycatalog.com

 

Another option is to keep them for now and replace them once your kids outgrow them (40lbs I think?) with a nice seat that does 5 pt harness to 80lb+ then converts to a booster (like the Graco Nautilus)... this way you won't need another seat before boosters, plus if for some reason you have to replace your seats in the meantime, you won't have wasted money reselling these and getting new ones. At least it's what I would do.

Otherwise if you want to get new seats now, personally I hate the My Ride! It's awful to adjust and the strap keeps getting stuck. We got it in a rush when our other seat broken when we switched cars, otherwise I would have got the True Fit, which is still pretty cheap and has great reviews.

 

The height thing is a bummer - we've had to move out of car seats because of it. I second others who recommend re-selling - Craigslist, consignment sales like Just Between Friends, etc. - you can get a surprising amount of your investment back.

I started out as a Britax lover with my first two kids and have Radian XTSLs for my twins. We have had them for two months now - the Radians - and although I think the seats themselves are great, I HATE the fabric - I got some bumpy fabric that snags on their velcro Robeez and I hate it - totally ticks me off to have $300 (x2) snagged seats compared to my slightly cheaper Britax that do not snag (but are sadly too wide for their positions in my Suburban). I recommend smooth fabric - I live in a small town and could not see them in real life before I ordered - ugh!

 

That's funny because I love the Graco MyRides in my husband's vehicle. DH and I find ourselves getting more frustrated with the Britax Marathon seats in my van I guess everybody is different in what they have issues with

 

My mom bought the seats you did for her van and I couldn't get them in tight rf for the life of me. I had to take our marathons out of my van and put them in hers, they're SO much easier to install.

I had to turn my boys around after their last appt b/c they're a few ounces shy of 30lbs which is the weight restriction for rf Marathons

 

I'd check your manual, as far as I know most of them go to 33lb, if not 35. Ours goes to 35 and we got it two years ago.

 

I did, I don't know if the weight restrictions are different in Canada or not but it says right on it rf to 30lbs

 

The Canadian and US versions of the same seat can be slightly different--such as having different weight limits.