Do I need to turn DS forward-facing in his Roundabout?

[mollyi]

I was just doing some reading on the Britax website, and was dismayed to see that according to Britax, it looks like I need to turn Ben FF in my car. (He is in a Roundabout in both cars, but the one in dh's car is much newer). His Roundabout in my car is one of the first ones produced with LATCH (August 2002). It has a sticker on it that gives the weight limit for RF as 30 lbs., and a height limit of 30 inches!!! Ben is nowhere near 30 lbs., but he is about 31 inches. Here is what I am reading on the Britax website:

Q. Previously I was advised I could use my older Roundabout rear facing up to 33 lbs. and no standing height requirement. Why is Britax now saying I cannot?

A. Britax continuously tests and reviews products, as well as our frequently asked questions. Based on continuous improvement reviews, Britax Child Safety has determined rear facing weight capacity and height limitations should be followed as recommended per the manual supplied and labels affixed to the individual restraint. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

There is another place on the website that reiterates the 30 inch height limit for RF for older seats. Andy used this seat rear-facing until he was about 28 months old, so he was WAY over 30 inches tall. But at that time, Britax said that it was OK to apply whatever the current height/weight limits were on the older seats. I had figured on keeping Ben rear-facing for another year or so.

Any opinions from techs or anyone who has faced this issue before? I'm just not sure what to do. :-( Thanks for any advice!!

[o_mom]

Where is the top of his head in relation to the seat? For RF, the general rule is until the top of the head is even with the top of the seat. The height limits are just guidelines, since each child is proportioned differently.

[Joolsplus2]

Most tech moms I know go ahead and fudge on that rule... they are really covering their butts after their old president said you could use ALL seats up to 33 pounds/tops of ears even with the top of the seatback. He left, they got new lawyers, and the result is that kids aren't as safe as they could (rearfacing longer)be due to legal technicalities. Even YOUR seat, with it's low limits, was, in fact, tested with the 33 pound/38 inch tall dummy and had to pass with that big dummy to be certified to 30 pounds.

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

[mollyi]

Thanks for your help - I have gone ahead and installed the seat in our new minivan rear-facing. :-) I hate to go against what the manufacturer recommends, but it does seem rather silly that I have 2 seats that appear to be structurally identical but have different height and weight limits!