Could my 3 year old really be too big for Boulevard?

[Krisrich]

DH and I were just doing some switching around of carseats. My 2 year old is approaching the rear-facing limit of our old Britax Boulevard with the 35 pound rear-facing limit. So, we decided to use my 3 year old's Boulevard 70 for our younger DD and switch the old Boulevard around and use it for my tall 3 year old who is too big to rear-face, even in the 70. But, after I put my 3 year old in the carseat to try it out, even with the head rest fully raised, the straps are slightly BELOW her shoulders, instead of at or above, as it should be when forward-facing. She is about 42 inches. The manual says that the seat should work forward-facing to 49 inches. Is this really possible or did we do something wrong? Thanks!

[jjordan]

Well, that is pretty short to be outgrowing the Boulevard harness. (This is the classic boulevard, right?) Sometimes the head rest gets a little sticky for those last few inches. Is the head rest sticking several inches above the shell of the seat?

[KrisM]

I think tall toddlers are still proportioned like toddlers with long torsos and can outgrow it at a shorter height than a 4 year old at that height. My friend had her 23 month old outgrow the old Wizard. He was very tall with a long torso.

[Joolsplus2]

42 inches is very, very tall for a 3 year old, so yeah, it's very possible. What size shirts is she wearing? Size 5 or 6 is about when that seat is outgrown. Probably need a Frontier to keep her harnessed longer (my tall 49" 6 year old is wearing 7/8 shirts and has some room to grow in the FR).

[Krisrich]

Thank you all for your responses! I cannot believe we need to buy a new carseat already. See new thread asking for advice that I am about to post...

[happymom]

Don't mean to hijack, but can someone remind me what exactly I should check for to make sure DD still fits in her seat appropriately? I'm pretty sure we have time, but its good to know anyways. DD is 3 1/2- weighs 35 lbs and is 40" tall. She is forward facing in a Boulevard.

[Krisrich]

Originally Posted by happymom

Don't mean to hijack, but can someone remind me what exactly I should check for to make sure DD still fits in her seat appropriately? I'm pretty sure we have time, but its good to know anyways. DD is 3 1/2- weighs 35 lbs and is 40" tall. She is forward facing in a Boulevard.

The shoulder straps need to be resting at or above her shoulders forward-facing. Apparently, my DD's torso is so long that the straps are slightly below her shoulders. I really thought this carseat would last at least until age 5!