Best Convertible Car Seats For Tall Kids

July 7, 2014 By Kristian

Average Sized People Have It Easy

As in all things in life, buying things for average sized people is much easier than buying for people that are the extreme ends of the size spectrum. Manufacturers often try to target their products towards the “average” person since that gives them the best chance of selling to the largest possible market.

The world of child car seats is no different and in this post I will try to help you identify the best convertible car seats for tall kids.

If your child is significantly smaller or taller than average, you will need to be a lot more careful about the purchasing decisions that you make. If you simply rush out and buy a convertible car seat without considering the fact that your child is (or is likely to become) taller than average, there is a real risk that you will end up buying a seat that it completely unsuitable and/or requires replacing much sooner than you would wish.

Obviously, child size is not the only important factor to consider when choosing a suitable car seat and all of the models that I will mention in this post also have excellent safety, comfort and convenience features too.

If you are buying a child car seat online and are unsure whether or not it will fit into your vehicle, it is always best to choose a store that offers Free Shipping and Free Returns so that you can double-check before fully committing to the purchase.

The Importance of Weight & Height Limits

The obvious things to look for when choosing a convertible car seat for a tall child are the height and weight limits since these will determine how long the seat is likely to last.

There is no uniformity amongst convertible car seats and some provide much higher weight and height limits than others.

You must bear in mind that the stated height and weight limits are “either/or” limits – so that, if either your child’s weight or height exceeds the limit, then they can no longer use that particular seat.

This is an important to consider because children usually exceed the height limit well before the weight limit. Some seats have weight limits that even smaller than average children will never reach due to their relatively low hight restrictions.

So, I highly recommend that parents of taller than average children concentrate primarily upon the height limits rather than the weight limits when looking for the best seat.

Convertible Car Seats With the Highest Weight & Height Limits

There are 2 convertible car seats that stand out as having exceptionally good weight and height limits. They can also be converted into booster seats when your child finally exceeds the maximum weight/height permitted for use in the convertible seat mode.

The overall weight limits for both seats is from 5 to 120 lbs and so they could be the only car seats that you would ever need to buy for your child.

#1 Diono Rainier

The Diono Rainier is new to the market in 2014 and has the most generous forwards facing and rear facing limits of any convertible car seats that I have ever come across. It is also a very narrow car seat (17 inches at the base – slightly wider at the top) and you will stand a better chance of fitting 3 of them in the same row of a standard sized family vehicle than many other convertible car seats.

The Diono Radian RXT is even more narrow that the Rainier and is said to fit 3-abreast in the vast majority of mid-sized vehicles.

The Rainier’s height and weight limits are:

Rear Facing between 5 and 50 lbs – up to 44 inches in height
Forwards Facing between 20 and 90 lbs (harness mode) – up to 57 inches in height
Forwards Facing between 50 and 120 lbs (booster mode) – up to 57 inches in height

Read my full review of the Diono Rainier here.

Read my side-by-side comparison of the Rainier and the Radian RXT here.

Note: Since writing this article, I have discovered that the head wings on the Rainier can cause problems for kids with long torsos (their shoulders bump up against the head wings) and that they cannot expect to get full use of the seat.

Check Price of the Diono Rainier here.

#2 Diono Radian RXT

The Diono Radian RXT has been on the market for a number of years and has become a firm favorite of parents (especially those with taller children and those that need to fit 3 in a row in the back of their vehicles).

At just 17 inches across, it is also a very narrow car seat, and you should be able to fit 3 of them side-by-side in a mid-sized family vehicle.

The Radian RXT also has a very impressive shelf-life of 10 years.

The Radian RXT’s height and weight limits are:

Rear Facing between 5 and 45 lbs – up to 44 inches in height
Forwards Facing between 20 and 80 lbs (harness mode) – up to 57 inches in height
Forwards Facing between 50 and 120 lbs (booster mode) – up to 57 inches in height

Read my full review of the Diono Radian RXT here.

Read my side-by-side comparison of the Rainier and the Radian RXT here.

How Do the Diono Seats Measure Up to the Competition?

It’s all very well providing you with weight and height limits for these 2 vehicles, but how do the Diono seats measure up against the competition?

I am not going to list the specifications for all of the other convertible car seats on the market, but to give you an idea of just how impressive the Diono limits are, the following limits apply to some of the more popular convertible car seats:

Britax G4 Series – RF to 40 lbs / FF to 65 lbs (max height of 49 inches)
Peg Perego Primo Viaggio – RF to 45 lbs / FF to 70 lbs (max height of 1 inch below top of seat – seat is 2.5 inches shorter than Radian RXT)
Chicco Nextfit 65 – RF to 40 lbs / FF to 65 lbs (max height 49 inches)

So, as you can see, the Diono seats have maximum height and weight limits that are significantly higher than their main competitors and they are the perfect choice for parents of taller children.

Other Options?

If you want to look at some other convertible car seats that have slightly higher weight/height limits than normal, you can check out:

Safety Information

After purchasing any child car seat, you should always read the User Manual thoroughly before using it. It is also advisable to visit your local Fire Department or NHTSA Child Car Seat Inspection Centre to ensure that the seat is definitely suitable for your child’s specific requirements and that you have installed it correctly. These services are usually provided free of charge.

You can find your nearest NHTSA Centre here.

If you have any questions or experiences to share about the issue of finding the best convertible car seats for tall kids, please contact me by email or leave a comment in the box below.

[Image credit: Ben Watkin]