Isofix car seat for very tall 2.9 year old

[sebsmummy1]

I wonder if anyone is in the same predicament.

We have two car seats for my son in my car and my DPs. My car has a maxi-cosi Pearl on a family fix base and my DP has a generic isofix car seat from JANE. The Pearl was meant to take him up to 4 years of age or 18kg/105cm. Well he is around 16/17kg and just under 100cm now. The top of his head is nearly at the top of the headrest (at max height) so I need to get new car seats for both cars as the JANE car seat is totally inadequate as his head is now above the head support (only realised as we are on holiday and using DPs car).

Ideally I want a five point harness car seat that will continue to give him head support for as long as possible. The ones I'm looking at are 9-36 months isofix which are meant to take them to 12 years but I'm not convinced the head supports are high enough.

Any thoughts?

[AliceMum09]

The seats are outgrown when your child's eye level gets to the top of the seat. It doesn't matter if his head is sticking out of the seat a little.

I guess you'll just have to try your son physically in any of the seats you like and see whether the headrests go up high enough. Don't forget that when he reaches 18kgs in weight you'll have to stop using the harness anyway. We have two Britax high backed boosters (Adventure and Kidfix) and the headrest on both goes high enough to easily accommodate my 141cm tall 9 year old.

If you are buying a Group 1-2-3 seat (one with a removable harness that then converts to a high backed booster) then the headrest will be restricted by the harness but when you take the harness out the headrest should go much higher.

[sebsmummy1]

Alice I had no clue re. eye level. I read top of head! If that's true then the Pearl will be ok for a while longer, thank you! I also didn't know about the harness only being used up to 18kg.

I have a lot to learn I think

[carriebrody]

We have this. My 5 year old still fits in it fine and it isn't anywhere near it's highest setting.

[AliceMum09]

You should check the instructions for your particular seats, but all the Group 1 seats I've had have stated eye level at the top of the seat before it is outgrown. For rear facing infant carriers it's head at the top of the seat, I think this is because past that point the child's head is at risk of hitting the back of the driver/passenger seat as they slide up the seat in a crash.

There are only 2 seats that will allow you to keep your child in a 5-point harness past 18kgs (they go up to 25kgs). They are both Britax, the Advansafix (forward facing) and the Two Way Elite (can be used rear facing up to 25kgs if you want to, or forward facing). The Advansafix sounds good in theory, and it's widely available, but your car has to have isofix and top tether points and parents of tall children are finding that they are outgrowing the harness by height long before they reach 25kgs. The Two Way Elite has a higher harness (I think) but it's only available from the In Car Safety Centre (which has branches in Essex and Milton Keynes I think).