Roundabout help, please.

[lmwbasye]

I just got a new roundabout for DS who is 11 months and used it for the first time today (we have a Marathon in our other car and the RA replaced a Wizard, which DS hates!). Anyway, I have two questions:

1. I know the manual says straps should be at or below shoulders when RF, but how close can it be? We have the straps at the bottom level since the second level is just slightly above DS shoulders? I guess I'm asking how you can tell when the straps are "at shoulder level?"

2. I was surprised to see that DS's head is near the top of the seat. I know the RA is smaller than the Marathon and Wizard, but I can't see how this seat will last him until the 40 lbs. I don't think DS is super tall or anything (he was around 27" about a month and a half ago). Does there need to be an inch between the top of the seat and the top of DS's head like with the infant seat? How does this height thing work with convertible carseats?

Thanks so much for your help. I just want DS to be super safe. I'm already upset about having to move him out of the Wizard, but didn't want to turn the seat FF at a year and he would just cry and cry in it.

Laura :)

Liam (10/21)

[Joolsplus2]

Here's a three year old in a Marathon...of course, he's not the biggest guy... http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx and if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, there's lots more "big kids" in Roundabouts in the album of extended rearfacers.
Oddly enough, Britax allows you to keep using the seat till the tops of the ears are even with the top of the seatback when rearfacing..so yes, the head can stick out above the seat shell. Some of us are afraid to do that, and stick with the AAP recommendation of "head even with the top of the seatback"...one inch is more for infant seats, because they would be safer in a convertible at that point, but rearfacing is so safe, that the head being closer to the top is less of a risk than being forward facing (you get extra points for finding "Kendra" in the album, she shows that top limit very well).

Most kids tend to move up to the second slots around a year old...think of it as "at or closest to" the shoulders... you don't want the straps ALL THE WAY down his back, or they fall of the shoulders, but they should be snugly holding him down in the seat to prevent "ramping up" and out of the seat in a crash... so just see how it goes with the straps in the lowest ones for a few trips before you decide.

Tall or skinny kids only make it to about 33 pounds in the Roundabout...it's not a huge seat but lasts usually to age 3.5-4 or so (when the shoulders creep over the top slots when the child is forward facing).

I hope he's happier in his RA! He might still be grumpy that you are pinning him in and strapping him down and he'd rather be crawling and FREE, but just bear with it... I notice that moms who would never even consider turning their kids forward before 33 pounds have kids that don't fight back, while parents who have mixed feelings about extended RF tend to have kids who fight it...kids can read our emotions better than we can ;)

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[lmwbasye]

Julie,

Thanks so much for your help. I guess what you say makes sense after seeing those pictures. I'm used to Liam growing soooo fast in the first year and keep forgetting that he won't grow as quickly from here on out, so I could definitely see it lasting.

FYI...interesting what you say about the moms and their attitudes about RF. I am totally committed to Liam staying RF until the weight limit (although, I admittedly may need to get really pushy with DH....he's already talking about the switch, so I have a fight ahead of me). I'll show him the link sometime to help me convince him. Either way, Liam will stay RF.

He does seem happier in the RA. I think he was annoyed by the wings of the Wizard b/c he couldn't see out the sides like he could in his Marathon. We hope to use the Wizard for our next baby, though.

Thanks again!

Laura :)

Liam (10/21)