How To Install Nuna Rava Forward Facing

2021 Nuna Rava Convertible Carseat Review

I had my first experiences with the Nuna Rava years ago when it was just a prototype. Equally I put my easily on it for the start fourth dimension, worked through the various settings and installed it in a couple of vehicles, I had a feeling that information technology was something really special. Every feature seemed to exist well thought out, carefully designed and intentionally placed. It was articulate to me, even dorsum then, that the folks at Nuna had spent a prolonged period of fourth dimension evaluating what parents wanted and how car seat pattern could improve prophylactic.

At present that the final product is in my car, I can happily confirm my before suspicion- the Rava is indeed special.

Rava Weight and Pinnacle Limits

• Rear-facing: v-l pounds and 49 inches or less
• Forward-facing: 25-65 pounds and 49 inches or less, suggested 2 years or older

Rava Overview

• Rear-faces to l pounds, one of the highest limits available
• Extension console at human foot of the seat that tin be used rear-facing for increased legroom or frontward-facing for thigh support
• 10-position headrest with no-rethread harness
• 5 rear-facing and five forwards-facing recline settings
• No chimera, level indicator, or horizontal line for rear-facing recline—if information technology'due south on ane of the rear-facing recline settings (and in a newborn, if the caput isn't falling forward), the recline angle is safe per Nuna
• Infant cushion for utilise up to 11 pounds
• All-steel frame and steel-reinforced belt paths
• 2 collapsible, removable cupholders
• Retractible side touch on protection (SIP) pods
• Cover over adjuster release button to keep little hands from loosening harness
• Plush shoulder harness pads and hip harness pads
• Buckle holders to proceed harness out of way for loading and unloading
• two crotch buckle positions, with longer length in outer position and easy push-and-slide adjustment

2021 Rava Fashions:

There are 5 fashions: Caviar, Frost, Granite, Lake, & Rose

All 2020 & 2021 fashions are gratuitous of flame-retardant chemicals.

Rava Measurements

• Lowest harness meridian: see "Fit to Child" section
• Highest harness acme: 16″
• External widest indicate: 19″
• Total top with headrest fully extended: 25″
• Crotch buckle width: 5.5″, 7″
• Width of base: 14″
• Depth of base: 14″

Installation

When creating this seat, Nuna wanted to decrease the widespread confusion over the lower LATCH anchor weight limits and they decided to do this by encouraging a seatbelt installation for all kids and all cars. They did this with their "simply secure installation" using "truthful tension doors"- one for rear-facing and 1 for forward-facing. The seat comes with premium push-on lower anchor attachments, but multiple labels discourage their utilize and encourage a seatbelt installation. So how does this piece of work for the typical parent?

Rear-Facing Installation

Using the seatbelt, the toughest part of the installation is unsnapping and tucking the encompass out of the manner to expose the "True Tension Doors" (and that's not difficult). Also, you'll demand to flip upwardly the integrated cupholders to access the rear-facing beltpath. (The cupholders can be flipped back down once the seat is installed.)

Next, you choose the recline angle that best suits your vehicle and child (for newborns, you will desire the deepest possible recline). Adjacent, loosen the harness, heighten the headrest to the top position and unsnap the seat absorber to expose the true tension door located where the kid's bottom would go (everything for rear-facing is color-coded in bluish and there are directions for installation on the door). Push the button to open up the compartment, thread the seatbelt through the rear-facing beltpath and buckle the seat belt.

At present, this is where the seat is a little dissimilar than others on the market: the "True Tension Doors" are NOT seatbelt lock-offs, which I will explain in more detail afterward. Instead of just endmost the Truthful Tension Door, yous must also switch the seatbelt into locked way (past pulling the chugalug all the style out of the retractor, and then feeding it back in). You don't need to yank the seat belt tight or use any meaning corporeality of force–just make sure at that place isn't whatever slack in the belt. And so close the true tension door. Without whatsoever tugging or knees in the seat, you go an accented rock-solid installation. It really is unbelievably easy, and I cannot enlarge how simple it is.

With lower anchors, you must go through all the start steps you'd go through for a seatbelt installation because the lower anchors are stored under the rear-facing True Tension Door (which means you may as well but use the seatbelt). So, you thread the lower anchors through the rear-facing beltpath, remove all the slack and close the true tension door. It's not difficult, but in this case, using the lower anchors is not easier than the seat belt, which was Nuna's plan all along. The lower anchors may be used to a kid weight of 35 pounds in rear-facing way.

The Rava is very compact when installed rear-facing. With the legroom panel stowed and with the seat in the near upright rear-facing position, it is a contender as 1 of the near meaty rear-facing seats from front-to-back. Information technology's also relatively narrow side-to-side, especially at the base of operations and somewhat less then at the widest point. I was hands able to put it both in a captain's chair and in the eye spring seat of my 2015 Honda Odyssey without side overhang and without information technology making contact with the seat installed side by side to it. The manual states that "when used rear-facing for children over 40 pounds, calf back up should be in the apply position." Given that the legroom tin can become a lilliputian cramped for bigger rear-facing kids, I doubtable that y'all'd do this somewhat intuitively fifty-fifty if you missed this piece of fine print.

Frontward-Facing Installation

Forwards-facing seatbelt and lower ballast installation will sound very familiar because they are essentially identical to the rear-facing installation steps. You lot demand to select your recline setting, loosen the harness, raise the headrest, unsnap the fabric and expose the Forrad Facing True Tension Door (everything for forrard-facing is color-coded in cerise, there are installation directions on that door). Open up the door, thread the belt through the path, lock the belt, shut the door. And of form, connect the tether and remove slack. That's it. It'south that easy.

Frontward-facing lower anchor installation is just similar rear-facing: Get them out of the rear-facing truthful tension door past following the same steps to open up the seat cushion, route the lower anchor strap through the frontwards-facing belt path, remove the slack, close the door, claw the top tether and remove slack. Again, it's just not at all any easier than using the seatbelt and the lower anchors can only be used forrard-facing to forty pounds, so information technology just makes sense to install with the seat chugalug from the get-go.

Fit to Child

The baby insert on the Rava has a curvature to the bottom, which is very helpful for making sure that baby isn't also upright in the seat, but it also makes information technology really hard to give you an accurate measurement of the lowest harness setting. My measurements were around 9 inches. And if yous're thinking that sounds a piddling too high for a seat rated from 5 pounds, you're not wrong. When I asked the folks at Nuna near this, they said that it's possible that it just won't fit every five-pound infant on the market. Their requirement for fit was 5 pounds AND straps at or below baby's shoulders. I would wager that there's probably not a 5-pound baby out in that location that will have a long plenty torso for this seat at nascence, just you never know.

Nuna was besides clear that the seat has not been designed to fit a premature infant, and so the poor fit on the premie huggable images doll was every bit expected. For the newborn, the straps are about an inch higher up the doll'southward shoulders. When nosotros asked Nuna nigh the use of a crotch roll to improve fit, they said information technology is non approved. Every baby will fit differently, only most newborns will probably need a unlike seat for the first few weeks of life, even with the sizable baby insert.

My smallest homo model was my nephew, Asher, who was 7 months at the time I tried him in the Rava. He was roughly 18 pounds and 26.5 inches of adorable. With a quick squeeze of the headrest handle, I was able to hands adjust the meridian of the headrest/harness from where I had it set for my 2-year-onetime to where Asher needed it to exist. The seat fit him easily and comfortably.

My very petite 2-twelvemonth-onetime (23 pounds, 32.5 inches) as well fits easily in the seat rear-facing, though I did notice that at the most upright recline setting, he had limited legroom, which was easily fixed by extending the panel, giving him several extra inches of legroom. The harness tightens and adjusts smoothly and hands at even the lowest settings in rear-facing mode.

My 4-twelvemonth-former (35 pounds, 41 inches) still fit with plenty of room to abound in rear-facing and with a decent amount of legroom as well. If he wouldn't get motorcar sick and/or bulldoze me completely crazy whining near being forced to render to rear-facing, I would happily use this seat for him rear-facing, as he had tons of room to grow.

In forward-facing mode, the same iv-year-old has i click of harness height left, roughly about ane.5-2 inches of trunk growth. He doesn't have a particularly long torso, so this seems likely to be outgrown earlier than some other convertibles for average height kids. (Jennie's 5-year-erstwhile, who wears a size 5 shirt, still has about an inch of room left on the harness.)

My child absolutely loved the thigh support offered in the extendable panel, which kind of surprised me because the panel itself doesn't seem that substantial when yous await at it. He's not a kid who is particular most car seats (he prefers i car seat because it has red on information technology–that's the kind of discerning he is), but he actually got very upset when I put the Rava rear-facing for his younger brother.

Ease of Utilize

If you oasis't guessed past now, the Rava is extremely easy to utilise. Installation with the True Tension Doors is a breeze.

Reclining the seat couldn't be easier: Simply push button a button and gently guide the seat into whichever position you lot want. There are no complicated levers or anxiety to deal with: But button and go.

The cupholders just pull out and push in. It does take some strength, but that'southward a practiced thing: You wouldn't want your kid to accidentally nudge the cupholders in while they're in utilize. Whatsoever adult should be able to handle information technology just fine, though.

The leg extension panel is too quite easy to pull in and tuck away, equally are the side impact cushions also flip in and out without any problem.

The crotch buckle can be shortened or lengthened by just pushing in and sliding information technology in or out: No rethreading of splitter plates and webbing.

Here is a quick video showing some of the features and how they're used:

What's the deal with the True Tension Doors?

While the True Tension Doors closely resemble other tensioning seatbelt lockoffs, unlike those other tensioners, they are Non lock-offs. When we asked the Nuna engineering science squad, they gave united states of america a pretty reasonable explanation. There is no set dominion for the thickness of a seatbelt and many luxury vehicles are coming out with increasingly thin belts. Their concern is that there may come up a belt that is as well thin to be fully locked off inside the True Tension Door and they didn't want this to compromise safety for whatever family. And thus, though the Truthful Tension doors do a remarkable task of making the seatbelt installation easy and secure, you must switch the retractor to locking mode before endmost the door. (Nuna recommends locking the belt prior to endmost the door because information technology'southward too easy for people to forget that step once they hear the satisfying click of the door. A beau CarseatBlog author might have fallen into that trap…so simply lock the chugalug before you close the door.)

Cover removal and intendance

The embrace is among the nicest I've ever laid my hands on. It'south literally like a fine Italian suit. The soft appurtenances are extremely high quality, plush, but besides well ventilated. For extra peace of mind, all 2021 fashions are also free of flame-retardant chemicals.

Removing the comprehend isn't terribly complicated if you follow the directions to recline the seat and get information technology prepare upward only so. I volition say that I institute information technology mildly complicated to re-dress the seat as the cover needs to be carefully tucked into the vanquish forth both sides, only I practice non often remove and supersede my car seat covers, so it's possible that my struggle with replacing the embrace was more well-nigh my ain inadequacies than annihilation else. I did get it back on all the way and you'd never know information technology had e'er been removed.

The seat cover tin can be automobile washed with gentle soap and should exist left to air dry. The infant insert can also exist done by auto, but the wedge piece must be spot-cleaned only. The harness and the crush tin both exist paw-washed with a sponge and mild soap and then towel stale.

FAA status, Lifespan, Crash Details, Other Details

The Rava is FAA approved for utilise on an aircraft. The aeroplane lap belt should be routed OVER the true tension doors though, not under. I brought information technology on an airplane before this month and it fit beautifully forward-facing, but I made the foolish mistake of not stowing the thigh support panel and could not get it rear-facing. Since I was on a plane and panicked virtually getting it in, I failed to see whether it tin fit rear-facing without the support panel extended.

The Rava has a 10-twelvemonth lifespan and must exist replaced after whatsoever crash, regardless of whether there is visible impairment.

The lower ballast limit is a kid-weight of 35 lbs for rear-facing and 40 lbs for forward-facing. Nuna does let installation in a middle position (borrowing anchors from either side) if the vehicle manual also allows information technology.

The Rava is not canonical for use with inflatable seat belts (Nuna calls them "airbag belts" in the manual).

Rava Advantages:

• Rear-facing up to 50 pounds
• 10-position no-rethread harness
• Side touch on protection (SIP) pods on both sides of the crush
• Button-push button recline with 5 rear-facing recline settings and 5 forward-facing recline settings
• No bubbles or lines for rear-facing recline bending
• True Tension Doors hold the belt tight without whatsoever yanking or meaning effort
• Steel frame with reinforced chugalug paths
• 2 crotch strap positions and lengths with easy button-button adjustment
• Buckle holders on both sides of the seat
• Compact front-to-back in rear-facing way
• Push-on lower LATCH connectors (if you lot insist on using them instead of seatbelt)
• Harness release cover to proceed small hands from loosening the harness
• Dual collapsing loving cup holders
• Automobile-washable cover
• All 2020 & 2021 fashions are now gratuitous of flame-retardant chemicals
• FAA approved for utilise on plane
• x-yr lifespan

Disadvantages:

In fairness, these aren't necessarily problems but we listing them hither to address RAVA-specific problems.

• At $449.95, the Rava is one of the most expensive convertibles on the market place.
• The fit for newborns isn't great. Only very large newborns will fit from birth. About babies will fit by 4 months former.
• The lack of a recline angle indicator may complicate use for young babies, especially in vehicles with very sloped vehicle seats that may non allow adequate recline for babies without skilful caput and neck control.
• The 16″ max harness summit is shorter than most competitive convertible seats from other manufacturers.
• The Truthful Tension Doors are Not lockoffs and may cause some confusion among parents who are used to non having to lock their seatbelt with similar belt-tensioning devices.

Decision:

Overall, the Nuna Rava is a carseat dream. It has all the convenience features parents want, easy and secure installation with seatbelt, and beginning-rate quality from height to bottom. I don't know how else to draw it other than how I did in the header for this postal service: The Rava actually is the carseat equivalent of a fine Italian adapt. If y'all loved the Nuna PIPA babe seat, then the RAVA is a perfect sequel.

Updated Feb 2021

Thanks to Nuna for providing u.s. the Rava for this review! No other bounty was provided and all opinions are those of CarseatBlog.

CarseatBlog Experts Rating

Recommended: Rava

Source: https://carseatblog.com/39563/nuna-rava-review-the-fine-italian-suit-of-the-car-seat-world/

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