# Does My Baby Still Fit In This Seat? *Pics Post 16*



## chely7425 (Aug 8, 2007)

Our younger son just turned 1, and me and DH cant decide if he still fits in his roundabout. He is 31 inches and 24 pounds so technically he should, but DH says he looks big in it. I think he still looks fine and looks to have enough shell over his head still, I think there is about 2 inches. Here is a pic of him in the carseat:

http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/h...6/CIMG2788.jpg

Does he still look ok in it? Do you think it will last him another year? If not, what seat DO you recommend? Needs to be something relatively slim and not super expensive and not huge and not a Radian...


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## mama2soren (Feb 12, 2009)

He fits until there is less than 1" of hard shell (no padding included!) above his head. Most kids outgrow the RA by height long before by weight.

Are the straps below his shoulders?

I'll be the first here to tell you to remove the after market harness covers







They can get in the way of getting the harness adjusted safely. Anything that Britax did not test during its crash tests (ie: anything after market!) should never be used with the seat.

ETA: he is still rear-facing, I assume? Now that I look at the pic again, it looks like he might be FF? There are many affordable, non-Radian seats that should fit him well RF at least until 2 years old. If you're looking for narrow, the Complete Air is narrow, and has the tallest shell for RF until 4-ish, then FF until booster age. Other good convertibles are the MyRide (wide, but inexpensive), and the TrueFit (also wide, but a nice seat).


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

I'd say he still fits now, but probably not for another year, no. I'd get a new convertible - maybe a complete air (their fairly thin, and not outrageous - you can usually find them w/ coupons/sales for ~150)


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## chely7425 (Aug 8, 2007)

The seat was FF in that pic, but we weren't actually driving... we had taken the seat out to clean the car and I just sat it there to take a pic. How does a Complete Air compare to the Roundabout in terms of width? We are trying to fit 3 car seats (2 rear facing) in the back seat of a 2010 jeep liberty...


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## mama2soren (Feb 12, 2009)

What are your other 2 seats?
The CA should be comparable to the RA in width. But, most CA models are baseless, so it sits lower than a Britax seat. This can help puzzle the seats better, IYKWIM. They have them at most Targets.


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## chely7425 (Aug 8, 2007)

We have a Combi Coccorro for our baby due in October, and a Graco Nautilus for our older son. Looking online it looks like it is 18 or 19 inches wide, which seems like it might be wider than my RoundAbout and might fit weird with my Nautilus... I dunno tho, this is all making my head hurt. I wish I could actually try the seats in my car before buying them but there is literally NOWHERE within 200 miles of us that has them!! Yeah, we live in the middle of nowhere. Right now we have the Combi behind the passenger seat, the RA in the middle and the Nautilus behind the drivers seat, it all fits but with no room to spare. I can order it online and easily return it I guess...


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## chely7425 (Aug 8, 2007)

Is this the CA you guys are all talking about?

http://www.diapers.com/Product/Produ...roductId=21489

I have a coupon for that website so I would like to use it if possible... there are a couple of other models on there, some limited edition one and an LX model? But they are more expensive. Is this one ok?


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## chely7425 (Aug 8, 2007)

I just measure his "seated height" like it says to on Britaxes website and it is seems to be 12.5 to 13" (hard to be totally precise on a squirmy 1 year) but that means he should be ok in that seat for a little while longer right? He is on the second/middle height setting for the straps, the 3rd is still above his shoulders...


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

It's impossible to tell from that angle. Can you post a picture directly from the side?


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## chely7425 (Aug 8, 2007)

Yeah, as soon as DH gets home from work with the car I will put the kidlet in his seat and take another pic for you guys







I am just REALLY hoping we don't need to get another seat and that we can get him to 2 in this one... but of course, I want him to be safe!! If I need to get him a new seat I will, just want to figure it all out soon so I can use my coupon if I need it!


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## mama2soren (Feb 12, 2009)

The seated height gives you an idea of how kids will fit, but the hard and fast rule is the 1" of hard shell above the head.

The LX model has a base, which allows you to recline the seat without using pool noodles/a towel. It will sit up higher than the cheaper baseless models. The cheaper ones are just fine. You'll likely need a noodle to recline it a bit, but that's allowed and perfectly safe. The benefit to a non-LX model is that it is easy to get a very upright install (up to 30*), which makes the seat relatively compact from front to back, even though it's a very tall seat.

What about RF Coccoro behind the driver, Nautilus in the middle (slightly safer for FF kid to be in the middle, since s/he is less protected than a RF kid in a crash), and CA RF behind the passenger?


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## mama2soren (Feb 12, 2009)

The benefit to diapers.com is that they price match, and have free return shipping so that you can try out the seats without much risk.


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## chely7425 (Aug 8, 2007)

That set up might work... I can get the seat for 152.99 from diapers.com with free shipping and easy returns... I am just nervous about it fitting!! I do think he is getting REALLY close to being too tall for the seat, I am just having a hard time figuring out WHERE the extra money is coming from!! I mean, I will figure it out, probably sell my roundabout if the CA fits. Can I use a tightly rolled towel to tilt the seat as well?


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## mama2soren (Feb 12, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chely7425* 
I mean, I will figure it out, probably sell my roundabout if the CA fits. Can I use a tightly rolled towel to tilt the seat as well?

Yes on the towel









I just sold my 1.5 year old CowMoo RA on Craigslist for $85! I had about 6 people ask the same day I posted (and I am not in a super car seat crazy location....)


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## chely7425 (Aug 8, 2007)

Thats good to know they sell well!! Ours is about the same age but only used for like... 2 months? When DH gets home I am going to measure how much shell kidlet has over his head and take a picture from the side to give you guys a better idea of how he fits!!


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## chely7425 (Aug 8, 2007)

Ok, so I measured the kidlet in the seat... he seems to have 1-2" left over his head of shell, probably closer to 1 inch. I took 2 pics of him in it from the side, or kind of from the side. I think we really should just order the Complete Air... You guys said it was comparable to the roundabout in terms of width right? Here is Kidlet in the seat:

http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/h...6/CIMG3044.jpg

http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/h...6/CIMG3045.jpg


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## MamieCole (Jun 1, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chely7425* 
Ok, so I measured the kidlet in the seat... he seems to have 1-2" left over his head of shell, probably closer to 1 inch. I took 2 pics of him in it from the side, or kind of from the side. I think we really should just order the Complete Air... You guys said it was comparable to the roundabout in terms of width right? Here is Kidlet in the seat:

http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/h...6/CIMG3044.jpg

http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/h...6/CIMG3045.jpg

He's super cute.









Just my two cents, but it looks like he has plenty of room right now. If I were you, I'd hold off for a couple of months. You'll probably be able to get the same exact CA for less later in the year. Car seats seem to be like electronics: Super expensive when they first come out, then go down in price rather quickly as new stuff is put on the market. So if money is tight, I think you are ok holding off for a while.

Also, we just bought a CA for our little guy and it installed really easily and he is super comfy in it.







So whenever you get a new seat, I think the CA is a good choice.


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## chely7425 (Aug 8, 2007)

Thank you! I think he is pretty cute too







Money is pretty tight right now... I mean, we could swing a new seat if we NEEDED to but that money could definitely be used for other things too, if that makes sense. Is it the TOP of his head, like the tip top, or the back of his head where is rests on the seat that matters as far as shell height goes? I was measuring (with help from a ruler) from the tip top of his head back to the shell...


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

I would plan on getting the CA in the next couple of months, but I think you can keep an eye out for a good sale.

And it's tip top of the head, needs to be 1" below the top of the hard shell.


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## chely7425 (Aug 8, 2007)

Thank you Dahlia! I think I will just order it now... I need to make sure they all fit in my car, and if I am going to need to return things or reconfigure things I would rather do it before the baby is born and DH deploys!!


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## urchin_grey (Sep 26, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chely7425* 
Ok, so I measured the kidlet in the seat... he seems to have 1-2" left over his head of shell, probably closer to 1 inch. I took 2 pics of him in it from the side, or kind of from the side. I think we really should just order the Complete Air... You guys said it was comparable to the roundabout in terms of width right? Here is Kidlet in the seat:

http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/h...6/CIMG3044.jpg

http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/h...6/CIMG3045.jpg

Looks like he has a bit of time left. Though, I would remove the aftermarket harness pads. Not only are they not recommended, but they are so long that its preventing you from putting the chest clip in the proper place. It should be at armpit level, so its a bit low. Britax has said that you can put the harness pads for the Blvd or Marathon on the Roundabout so I would get a pair of those directly from the manufacturer (plus, you could get them in cowmoo print to match).


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Yes he has plenty of time. BTW, double check to make sure you can use center LATCH, and while you're at it you can certianly install his seat more upright. It will give you more room and he will probably be more comfortable. I'd put the FF child in the center too, since you want the least protected child n the most proteccted spot.

nak


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## chely7425 (Aug 8, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *an_aurora* 
Yes he has plenty of time. BTW, double check to make sure you can use center LATCH, and while you're at it you can certianly install his seat more upright. It will give you more room and he will probably be more comfortable. I'd put the FF child in the center too, since you want the least protected child n the most proteccted spot.

nak

I should have all my various seats here by Thursday, then I am just going to play around to find the best combo







I definitely WANT my FF seat in the middle, not only because its safest for him but also because it is the seat I feel the most confident installing with a seatbelt. Plus, I think he can easily climb thru the front seats to get into his seat and we can reach thru to buckle him as opposed to like, lifting my 26 pound 1 year old into the middle!!


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