Car seats available in Canada?

[writing_girl]

My 6 month old baby is outgrowing his Safe Seat and I need to get him another seat. I've narrowed it down to a convertible and I'm looking at the Safety 1st Uptown and the Fisher Price Safe Voyage. Does anyone know if these are available in Canada? I can't seem to find much info on it. The Safety 1st says it's available at Wal-Mart but that could just be in the US.
Also, do you know what the harness slots are like? My baby is already 30 inches tall and only 6 months! I don't want him outgrowing a seat way before it can be used as a booster or before he can even use a booster.
If these aren't good seats, can anyone recommend something else? I might just break down and buy a Britax Marathon but I'd really like to get something cheaper if I can. Thanks!

[chinook]

I'm not familiar with those two you mentioned but just thought I'd pipe in and let you know I absolutely love our Marathons. Our twins have been in them since March and they are easy to install, have the rear tether, and the kids are really really comfortable in them. The Marathons are also great for tall kids with lots of harness slots. Well worth the money!

Good luck!

[Piglet]

I know that you said that your 6 month old has outgrown the Safeseat, but are you sure he is really too tall? The Safeseat goes to 32" and the better rule is that you need to have 1" of room above his head. The 1" rule is more accurate, since a lot of kids are all legs and then they have a lot of room left above their heads.

You might have better luck asking about seats in the Car Seat Forum. I don't think I have seen the Uptown, and I know for a fact that we don't have the FPSV (which was discontinued in the US as well IIRC). The Marathon or the Radian is your best bet. They are meant to last most kids until they are 5-6.

Good luck,
Marina

Mommy to
DS1 A 07/14/01
DS2 K 03/10/05
DD1 A 05/08/07

http://by.lilypie.com/Jz7Qm6/.png
http://b3.lilypie.com/UqL2m6.png
http://b1.lilypie.com/O20wm6.png

[bubbaray]

Um, are you sure he's in a Safeseat? Or is it a SnugRide??? The Safeseat goes to 30lbs. Is he out of the seat by weight, 30lbs at 6m is pretty big. Or by height -- if its "just" height, its not his overall height that is important. If he has 1" or more between the top of his head and the top of the shell (not the fabric and the shell, just the shell), he's still OK in the seat you have.

Anyway, no, the FPSV is not available in Canada. No idea about the Safety 1st seat, you could call Dorel and ask.

We really like our two MA's, they were DD#1s and are now being used by DD#2. DD#1 is now in two Radians. The Radian has the highest top slots in Canada. It also harnesses to 65lbs in Canada now. IIRC, the MA does too, but not sure about that. Previously, the highest weight seat was 48lbs.

Even if he's a big kid, you should be able to get him to 4 or 5 in a Marathon. Maybe 5 or 6 in a Radian. Depends on his build and torso height more than anything. Leg length is not important.


HTH

Melissa

DD#1: 04/2004

DD#2: 01/2007

[nurse4kidsrjn]

Wow already outgrown the SafeSeat at 6 months. I am looking to purchase a SafeSeat. Where are you located? Are you wanting to sell yours?
I haven't heard/seen of either one of those carseats. I know that I was told to buy either the Britax Marathon or The Radian when we choose to move to the next carseat. Both of these carseats have the extra EPS Foam like the Graco SafeSeat. I know that the US has different carseats than ours.
Just remember that if you live in Canada you must buy a Canadian Carseat (i.e. it must have a Canadian Certified Safety Sticker on it) Otherwise it is illegal to use.

[writing_girl]

Thanks for all the advice. We ended up going with the Marathon but aren't too thrilled with it. My son has less leg room in it that in his infant seat which seems really weird. His legs are crammed up against the back seat already. By the time he's a year old his knees will be in his mouth :P I don't see how that can be very safe. I'm also not thrilled with the huge rubber pads on the harness straps that seem unnecessary and just a pain as well as the base not being very solid. Our SafeSeat is rock solid.

Yup, he did outgrow his SafeSeat at 6 months. Nearly outgrew it anyway. He's 30 inches so we figured we should get his next carseat before he's really too tall and we would have to pick anything just to change seats. He is quite long in the torso but has decent leg length too. I'd definitely recommend the SafeSeat for anyone who knows they'll be having a large baby or just wants to be able to keep their baby in the infant seat longer. We're planning to start trying for baby #2 next year so we'll be keeping the infant seat for him or her.

[bubbaray]

What do you mean about the base not being solid? It should be. Our MAs are more secure than our infant seat was. How is it installed? Latch??? You should have your install inspected b/c you should be able to get that seat rock solid.

You can remove the rubber things from the harness while he's RFg (which is to 30lbs on that seat, the 1yr/20lbs is a minimum and not very safe to turn at age 1). Keep the rubber things (there is a pocket on the top back of the cover) b/c you need them for FFg.

It d/n matter if his legs are bent. Not an issue in terms of safety.

If you really d/n like it, he might still be OK in the Safeseat as long as he has 1" between the top of the seat (not the cover, the plastic part) and his head.

HTH

Melissa

DD#1: 04/2004

DD#2: 01/2007

[writing_girl]

We don't have the Latch system in our car so it's with the seatbelt. Our infant seat couldn't move at all in any direction but with the Marathon it can tip forward towards the backseat a bunch. We're going to try putting a towel under the front and hopefully that will help.

Where did you hear you can remove the harness things for RF? I didn't find that in the manual at all and when I asked a car seat tech she didn't think you were allowed to remove them at all.

[Piglet]

One hyphenated word - Versa-tether! The MA is unique in that it is can and should be tethered RF. Only Britax has this feature and it will give you a VERY solid install. No towel needed, generally.

Go to the Car Seat Board on here. There are tons of CPS techs that can help you with your MA install. They will tell you the same thing as Melissa - you can remove the HUGS until you need the FF. Also, make sure the recline angle on the MA is correct. The Versa-tether will help with the angle. If you have it reclined properly, you should have enough leg room. There are kids that RF to age 4, if you can believe it! Definitely nothing to worry about if your DS has to bend his legs. It is so much safer to RF!

Where are you located? Many of us have MA's and if you are in the same city as any of us, I am sure we would be happy to help you with your install. MA's are different than most seats on the market, so many techs do not know all the specifics (i.e. rear facing tethering, HUGS, etc.).

Good luck,



Marina

Mommy to
DS1 A 07/14/01
DS2 K 03/10/05
DD1 A 05/08/07

http://by.lilypie.com/Jz7Qm6/.png
http://b3.lilypie.com/UqL2m6.png
http://b1.lilypie.com/O20wm6.png

[bubbaray]

ITA with Marina.

You want the MA reclined at that age. Then in stall it with the belt. I've had MAs installed in a couple of different vehicles via seatbelt and they are rock solid. Do NOT put a towel under the front of the base, if anything, you would want one at the rear of the base to give more recline, but you really shouldn't need that. The Versa tether helps you get and keep a great recline RFg.

The best thing is if you can post your vehicle make/model/year, your DS's stats, details on the install (position, whether belts or LATCH ) even pics of your seat install over on the car seat board here. The techs there will be able to help you out.

car seat forum:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=13

And, yeah, if you are near any of us we also might be able to help.

ETA: Page 31 of the online Britax Cdn MA manual, paragraph 3 states "Removal of HUGS is optional for RFg use only". I did *not* just hear it and wouldn't post such a thing when it came to car seat use. Its in the manual.

http://www.britaxusa.com/support/documents/Marathon_CAN_P276200_R2.pdf


HTH

Melissa

DD#1: 04/2004

DD#2: 01/2007