What's the take on the Foonf?

[OKKiddo]

I've seen the responses on here about how long a Chicco KF30 lasts and so I'm already researching our next convertible purchase for our daughter, Briella. Keep in mind that our purchasing will be complicated by a military move to Japan for 3 years. I can order it online and then have family send it on to me if necessary but I will be driving some sort of small van--this I won't know until we have housing (the police literally come to your home and measure your parking spot and then tell you the size limits on which vehicle you can purchase!). I have the three kiddos Bryan 5 y/o FF'ing in a Frontier 85, Brennan almost 4 y/o FF'ing in a Frontier 85 and Briella will be 15 months old when we leave for Japan and even there she'll still be riding rear facing for as long as I possibly can. :)

Her current stats area: 9.5 months old and doing great in her Chicco KF30, we go for her 9 month check up this week so we'll see how much she weighs but I'm sure no where near the weight limit. As far as height she's got about 3 inches to the 1 inch mark on her seat.

What do you guys think of the Foonf? I love, love, love the colors and how long it will allow rear facing, and how narrow it is, but--is it as safe? How's their customer service? Price aside, would you choose Britax Blvd/Advocate or Clek Foonf?

[Joolsplus2]

I have nothing but love for Clek as a company :) And the quality of their other products is without compare. But I haven't seen a Foonf yet to judge if it's worth the money, lol. Saw one picture where it looked really nice, though. :thumbsup:

[OKKiddo]

I have nothing but love for Clek as a company :) And the quality of their other products is without compare. But I haven't seen a Foonf yet to judge if it's worth the money, lol. Saw one picture where it looked really nice, though. :thumbsup:

Thanks Julie! I saw the video and the pictures of available color options...that purple with the hearts has my heart thumping! Still, pattern is nothing where safety and reliability are concerned and Britax hasn't ever let me down.

[Ms B]

This thread is the first time I had heard of the Foonf and now I am enchanted by the features and especially by the size because it should fit in whatever I get to replace my current SUV. DS should be outgrowing his KF35in about eight weeks, so timing may work out perfectly.

Does anyone know what pricing is going to be? And where we could see one live in person? My plan had been to take DS to a couple stores to see what fits him best because he is loooong.

[legaleagle]

I think it's supposed to be $400+. It looks really cool, my major concern is that it sits so high up - the base is kind of ridiculously high. (Concern is for loading ease, not safety.) It has so many cool features though, if I didn't already have 8 carseats for soon-to-be 3 kids, I'm sure I could justify it somehow.

[peanut520]

I love it! i have no need, but i like to see the latest and greatest.

does that mean rigid latch for ff that rf will be seat belt install only?

[legaleagle]

does that mean rigid latch for ff that rf will be seat belt install only?

I think it will just be regular LATCH belt - I believe car seats in the US are required to have latch available.

[OKKiddo]

I think it will just be regular LATCH belt - I believe car seats in the US are required to have latch available.

And the question I have related to this (and haven't seen in the description) is does it have built in lockoffs? We'll be using it in Japan which I've been warned (on here) that they don't have latch and I'll be lucky to get locking seatbelts (?). So, I want to be prepared with the best seat safety/size/compatibility wise.

[legaleagle]

And the question I have related to this (and haven't seen in the description) is does it have built in lockoffs?

According to this car-seat.org thread (http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=214206) - yes! You can't see the rf'ing ones in the pics but she talks about them in the description.

[OKKiddo]

According to this car-seat.org thread (http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=214206) - yes! You can't see the rf'ing ones in the pics but she talks about them in the description.

YES!!! And apparently the tech discount is supposed to bring the price down considerably. All the more reason for me to keep my May class time (when I'll have a baby old enough to go all day without breastfeeding).

[legaleagle]

Definitely a good reason! Am I the only one that thinks that green color is straight out of the 70s though?

[Ms B]

According to this car-seat.org thread (http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=214206) - yes! You can't see the rf'ing ones in the pics but she talks about them in the description.

So I went and read the thread on car-seat.org and have even more love for the Foonf. That said, DS is 5 1/2 months and (by my guessimate -- we will know more after his six month appointment in two weeks) already over 27 inches and 20 pounds. On that basis, I am thinking that we still might be happier (and get more life out of) either the Diono Radian or a Britax Boulevard or Marathon (whichever I find a better deal on), especially if the goal is to RF until at least 2.

Am I wrong?

[OKKiddo]

So I went and read the thread on car-seat.org and have even more love for the Foonf. That said, DS is 5 1/2 months and (by my guessimate -- we will know more after his six month appointment in two weeks) already over 27 inches and 20 pounds. On that basis, I am thinking that we still might be happier (and get more life out of) either the Diono Radian or a Britax Boulevard or Marathon (whichever I find a better deal on), especially if the goal is to RF until at least 2.

Am I wrong?

From what I understand while doing research, the radian/diono only allows you to rear face to within 1.5 inches of the top of the shell and the Foonf allows to 1 inch. So, the Foonf is expected to last longer rear facing than even the radian/diono.

As for me, I don't think I'll ever be purchasing a radian/diono seat after the fiasco with the latch straps. My girlfriend has that car seat and says she didn't like how they didn't issue the recall so that more families would be made aware of the issue but she isn't as bothered by it since her straps were just fine. I think if it had affected her personally (and God forbid in an actual accident) her tune would be drastically different. For me, customer service and how they handle recalls or defects is BIG.

Britax replaced a seat for me after I had an issue with dialing down the headrest on the older BLVD and it created a hump in the plastic--it didn't make it unsafe, just uncomfortable. They sent out a new seat after just a phone call and sending a picture, polite and helpful attitude to boot. That matters a great deal to me.

[legaleagle]

From what I've read, the foonf should last about as long as a radian - same rf'ing weight limit and very tall shell. Harness slots are about the same too, so should last about the same ff'ing. I have both a marathon 70 and radians, and I must say for my huge toddler I much prefer the radian just because it's so much easier to load him with the lower sides. He can easily climb in himself (if he's in the mood, obviously!) My toddler also much prefers it - I switched him into the radian after he kept insisting on sitting in DS1's seat. My tall 3.5 year old still has tons of room in it too. I really really like the marathon too - soo soo easy to use, both installation and on an everyday basis with a not-huge kid.

For DC3, I'm planning on using the combi coccoro for the first 6-9 months (depending on how big she is), then the marathon for a year, and then the radian once she's big enough for the 3rd harness slots.

[alirebco]

I was just coming here to inquire about this seat. I love how it's narrow but the other safety and comfort features look awesome. I hope I can see it in person first though.