height limit on rear facing car seat

**~TT40~** · November 12th, 2012, 06:59 AM

Hi everyone.
I have Spock in a Safe n Sound Meridian AHR. She is rear facing and I was hoping to have her rear facing forever (or very close to it

). But I have a problem!! THere is a height marker, and when bubs shoulders are above the line they have to be turned around. Spocks shoulders are at the line!!! (or atleast half a cm from the line). she is only 5 mths, and 8 kg! no way she would be getting too tall yet?? right???
please reassure me, as she grows will her torso not grow as much and just her head and limbs grow so she might stay at that level for ages yet??
there is a padded "infant insert" can I take this out? cause that will give her an extra inch before she reaches the limit. the book is useless and i'm not sure if this insert has to be in for rear facing or you can get rid of it?
Im really at a loss cause seriously a 5mth old bub shouldnt be too tall! I know people whos 19mth olds are still rear facing!

please help!

**blessedatlast** · November 12th, 2012, 07:09 AM

I am absolutely no help because I have the same issue.. I have a hi pod milan. I discovered yesterday that DS has reached the height markers.. He's not quite 8kgs yet. I don't want to turn him yet.. So subbing for answers too..

**Frangipani Lou** · November 12th, 2012, 07:30 AM

I have The sane seat. I think the book gives clear guidelines as to when to turn them. I think they can't be turned before 6 months but I'm not sure about if they have reached the market yet.
I wouldn't remove in infant insert though.
Perhaps call Britax??

**LimeSlice** · November 12th, 2012, 07:34 AM

The seat you have has that marker set at 36cm from memory. Which isn't very big - it is just the average shoulder height of a 6 month old, 8-9kg baby. Which is exactly what the age/weight limits on the seats were. The conclusion I came to after a back and forth with Britax (SnS) was that the change to height markers was really not much more than a PR stunt, it doesn't mean the average child can be turned later.

We removed the inserts frpom the car seats when they started hindering the position of bubs in the seat.

**~TT40~** · November 12th, 2012, 07:36 AM

thing is I don't want to turn her. esp. before 6mths, it was going on about how you can use it to rearface until 4 years! so thats why I"m really stumped as to how a 5mth old is too big. makes me think Im doing something wrong, which then makes me worry because that might mean she is unsafe.

**misty** · November 12th, 2012, 07:49 AM

That sounds rediculous. Chantelle still easily fits in her capsule at 14mths. THere is a facebook group I can add you too that may have more info for you, and you could take pics and ask for opinions.

**~TT40~** · November 12th, 2012, 07:51 AM

that would be great please Misty, cause it really seems wrong to me....

I did just find this on the rta website about the new laws:

A child aged between six months and four years of age will need to move to the next level of restraint when:

Their shoulders no longer fit comfortably within the restraint; or
Their eye-level is higher than the back of the restraint; or
The top insertion slots for the shoulder straps are below the level of the child’s shoulders.

no mention of the height marker, and I can still raise the straps more levels, so they arent below her shoulders. so by reading the laws I can ignore the height marker. but that doesnt seem right to me...im so confused!!!

**Caz_88** · November 12th, 2012, 07:54 AM

I thought the infant insert was just that? Something to make them fit better while they are teeny tiny? I would think if you removed the insert and she doesn't seem way too small for it, it would be ok? I don't have a bub but a friend with the same seat as you removed the insert because she has a chubby bubba who is also very tall. She reached the markers at 4ish months. She is still RF at nearly 8 months now but will probaby only have another month or two before she hits the markers again

**misty** · November 12th, 2012, 08:07 AM

I've added you to the group - its just pending admin aproval. I agree about the infant insert - at least that has been the case with all the car seats I have owned.

**Eenee** · November 12th, 2012, 08:11 AM

Yep you can take the infant insert out. I have same kind of seat but it was before they had the height markers and had DD in it until 20mths. I think the weight limit is more important and more so what a PP said about eye level. I think the height markers were introduced so people wouldn't turn baby before it reached the markers well thats what I heard. There is a safe n sound fb page maybe ask there also.

**LimeSlice** · November 12th, 2012, 08:29 AM

thing is I don't want to turn her. esp. before 6mths, it was going on about how you can use it to rearface until 4 years! so thats why I"m really stumped as to how a 5mth old is too big. makes me think Im doing something wrong, which then makes me worry because that might mean she is unsafe.

You can use the seat until they are 4, not with it rear-facing though.
There aren't any seats approved for use in Australia that go beyond the 9kg/6months/height restrictions, this is the problem. The height and weight are the key factors though with regards to the seat and turning them, the age is really irrelevant, as the seat is tested for weight and height.

Call Britax and ask them directly to clarify for you exactly what the marker is telling you.

**calliemonroe** · November 12th, 2012, 09:12 AM

im having trouble with car seats too, so im interested to see the responses. my son is over the height marker too and i wanted to keep him rear facing well past 12 months. Is the facebook group open to anyone? can i join?

**onthefly** · November 12th, 2012, 09:40 AM

Other convertible seats approved for use in Aus do go till 12kg. This sounds like a 9kg one?
Mine lasted height-wise till around 15-17 months.

**~TT40~** · November 12th, 2012, 10:11 AM

this is so frustrating...
everything I can find about this seat says RF for 12 months or the height limit. nowhere does it say anything about weight. I only got it in April... The reason I picked this particular one cause it can RF for the longest. grrr

am I even sitting her in it right?? when she wakes up I'll go take a photo and maybe I'm just doing the whole thing wrong...

**Mumma T** · November 12th, 2012, 10:12 AM

I have the same problem, I have decided DS doesn't have the body/head/neck strength to be forward facing so I will keep him rear facing until the 6 mth mark when he will be pretty much on the weight limit.