RF seat bought! 2 questions; what do I do when DC2 is one, and how do I get more leg room with the TWE???

[Icoulddoitbetter]

Evening,

So after much deliberation and several threads on here, I've finally bought a Britax Two Way Elite today for DS who's 21 months. One thing i didn't think of when I was in the store (and I asked LOADS questions and we tried all the different seats) was about leg room. When I got home and put DS into it, his feet are already against the back seat. So I'm a little bit worried about what happens as his legs get longer, as it's supposed to fit him until he's four (and he's actually little short legs!)

I'm also pregnant again and there'll be two years between them. So DC2 will need to move from their group 0 seat when DS is still in his RFseat (age three). I am now very convinced that RF is the best for as long as possible, but I can't see how another RF would fit in the back (we don;t have isofix, not sure if that makes a difference). The TWE definitely wouldn't fit behind the drivers seat - we have a Focus and will be likely to keep it for a good few years.

What have you all found, oh wise Mumsnetters!

He'll just bend his legs as they get longer. It's not a big deal-children don't find it uncomfortable like we do!
If you keep your next child in his/her group 0 seat as long as possible, you may find that he/she will be 18 months. Although, the TWE goes up to 25kg, which they say is about 6 years old. I think turning your son around at three and a half is reasonable but you may find one that will fit at that point. I don't know how much room the TWE takes up, but my Klippan Kiss 2 fits behind the driver's seat in a 3-door Peugeot 207 even with the driver's seat pushed all the way back.

The problem with the TWE is it needs to rest on the seat in front. Fine for the passenger seat as that can stay in the same position, but DH and I have the drivers seat in different positions. This would mean re-tightening the TWE every time we switch drivers!

I'm not sure DC2 would be able to stay in the group 0 till 18 months. I took DS out at 14 months as he was really squished and like I said he's not a big child. I'm planning on using his baby seat for the new bubba as it's fine and not damaged in any way (Britax easyfit I think?).

I'm worring over a year too early though, aren't I?!

You are, yes! Perhaps you'll come into a load of money and then you can buy all the cars and rear facing seats you like!
I hadn't thought about it needing to rest against the seat back with two different height drivers.

We have the TWE behind the drivers seat and we have it so the drivers seat is positioned half way between where I have my seat normally and half way where DH has his normally and we compromise, so we don't have to keep changing it. I don't even notice now that my drivers seat isn't where I used to have it I'm so used to it.

I guess that would only work for some though, if you are 4ft10 and your DH is 6ft3 I don't think that would work!!

My DS (22 months) is in a TWE, he has loads of leg room. We swapped the 'foot' of the seat to the other position, then tethered the seat in so it was against the driver's seat. The seat is then a good 10cm from touching the back of the rear seat. The seat belt holds it all in place.

Ah, was just going to tell you about the "other" rf position but brachy beat me to it. Not sure if there's a suggested min weight (I have 13kg in my head, but check the instructions). Dd is 2.10 now and 92cm tall (short legs) and I was just thinking about changing hers over.

Brachy what do you mean by the "foot" of the seat? I'm used my TWE today for the nursery run for the first time. There was a fair bit of under-the-breath swearing trying to match the two two clasps togther before I could clip it in place (it seems to twist very easily when it's unclasped). And the front of the seat is right up against the back rest of the passenger seat. I doesn't seem to bother DS now but he's only going to get taller, isn't he?!

There's only 6" difference between my and DH but I need my seat much closer than he has it for comfort....

I've just watched the InCarSafety Centre video on YouTube on how to fit it with more leg room. It#s quite hard to see as they focus on the seat area rather than the top, but am I right in thinking that in this mode, it's not resting against the seat in front, but is kept in place by the foot prop? It also can't be as reclined in this position, can it?

The foot is the big black plastic lump under the seat! You can swing it out so that instead of resting on the seat portion of the car seat* on the horizontal underneath the TWE, it rest against the car seat on the vertical at right angles to the TWE.

There is a little strap that adjusts, pull it all the way out so it hangs freely then once it is installed pull the strap tight.

HTH
*car seat meaning the seat that is in the car not the TWE!

Oh forgot to add, DD2 rides rfing and she is 3.8 & 105cm just fine (and she has arthritis!). DD1 has even ridden in it rfing during a temper tantrum when I didn't trust her to keep still in her high back booster (DD2 wasn't in the car) and she is 117cm!

We use the big black plastic lump swung out for extra leg room method. Which I believe is the correct technical term

truth is the seat no longer resting against the seat in front? That's what I couldn't work out from the video.

The TWE does rest against the seat in front. It's called 'bracing' which serve the same purpose as a foot prop (preventing over rotation in an accident).

I can take a photo of our TWE in our car positioned so our 2yr old has loads of leg room, if you want to see how it is. Just let me know, PM me and I could email some to you if it would help.

But yes, it does still rest on the seat in front if that helps.