My 5 year old girl is in the Britax Marathon. It fits her well as she is 31 lb's and 39 inches tall. And my 3 year old son is in an Evenflow convertible. He is 30 lb's and 36 inches tall. The problem is that the Evenflow is about to be expired and I need a new carseat. I'm thinking that I'd like to bump the Marathon over to my son and get a new carseat for my daughter. Most of her friends are in boosters. But, my daughter does not make the weight requirement. Any suggestions? Someone told me about a "harnessed" booster. Would that be right for us? Safety is the most important factor in my buying decision.
Thanks!
Thank you for all your thoughts and great leads. I really appreciate the jump start on my search. Also, I definately plan to keep my daughter in a harness until she's 40 lbs. Socially, it's hard though. If anyone else has other ideas or thoughts to share, please do!
She weighs enough for a booster. You just need to get one that has a back on it. They only need to be 30lbs for a booster with a back. Once they reach 40 lbs then you can take the back off.
J.,
I'll add another to the mix...my best friend just replaced 3 Regents with 2 Britax Frontiers...it's their newest Harnessed Booster...goes to 80lbs harnessed, 100 in high back booster mode, not as huge as the Regent (which is being phases out), has armrests & cupholders which make it seem more big kid to some children, will latch to stay in place when in booster mode and has a long life (I think up to 10 years for the booster part)..my friend LOVES hers, it is also FAA approved and the SKY PINK is very pretty...much nicer in real life than online...it would be the perfect seat for your daughter and would last her until she's driving!!! There was nothing really wrong with my friends Regents but she needed a seat to fly with her 5 year old and once she got on Frontier she had to get more (and so she sent me her still good Regents, lucky me!)
I've seen them online for about 240.00 shipped...If you've had Britax in the past you get spoiled by some of their features...but that said, the Graco Nautilus is also a good choice (but no girly covers) and many Britax diehards have been very happy with the seat.
As for the other kids/parents...my DD will probably be the only one in Kindergarten in a harnessed seat but I don't really care...she is safe and actually notices when kids don't have a harnessed seat and questions it...I just tell her her seat will keep her safe and that we don't worry about what other families do (but I have tried to explain to a few friends that low back boosters are not safe for 4 and 5 year olds!!!)
B.
Check out the Graco Nautilus. It is one of the new seats that holds a child in a 5 pt harness for longer (65 lbs). It also converts to a high back booster and then a low back booster so you won't have to buy another seat. And....it's only 149.99! Britax has come out with a similar seat too but I think it doesn't convert to a low back booster and is of course way way more expensive. I have heard the Graco is very easy to install as well. I have a 4 yo in a Marathon who is 41.5 lbs, 41 inches and when his baby brother (who is 17 lbs at 3 1/2 months....eeeek) outgrows his infant seat I am moving him to the Marathon and buying a Nautilus for my 4 year old. The Britax is called the Frontier if you are interested in that one and I believe you can harness higher in that one (up to 90 or 100 lbs). I don't feel my son is mature enough to be in a booster yet and it is so much safer to stay in the 5 pt seat if you can.
Just something to think about... Britax puts their seats on sale two times a year, at significant reductions. One will be coming up in September, and the other is usually in late January (the last week) or the beginning of February.
I agree with what moms here are saying. Keep kids in a 5-pt harness for as long as possible. It is the safest place for them to be... and keep them there WAY beyond 40 pounds!
We have a Regent in our bigger vehicle, but due to the age of our car (and no LATCH system) as well as a smaller interior, we went with the Graco Nautilus for the other.
I have been advised by car seat technicians that due to the narrowness of the seat the Sunshine Radian is great with multiple kids (and seats) installed in your car (easily can achieve 3 in a row), that it is better to by the Radian 65. BECAUSE the 65 and the 80 have the same maximum height for shoulder straps... and given that the 65 is significantly less money, you might be able to by that and another seat for less than the 80! Someone else posted links to great sites... I won't post them again, but go to them! They're awesome! Those techs will give you the answers you're looking for!
Good luck, and safe driving!!
THIS is the safest option. I have not used it yet, but plan to. My dd is only 16 months old so she is still rear facing in our Britax Boulevard right now.
Hi J.!
Since you already know about the wonderful safety features of the Britax line, I would definitely recommend the Britax Regent. The safety features are immeasurable and its so easy to install (and its in there TIGHT!).
Since the law in Illinois is that children have to be in a safety seat until they are 8 and 80lbs, with the Regent, you will not need anything else for her. I have a light-weight 4 year old, so I understand your concerns. I love the fact that it is a 5pt harness for now and as he gets bigger, it can be changed into using the seat belt. We always joke that when he gets his license, we may need to put the seat in the front, because we worry if he will actually be 80lbs by then.
I hope this helps!
B.
Hi there,
For safety, you definitely don't want a seatbelt booster yet- you want a 5 pt. harness as long as possible. Especially if she is only 31 lbs., she technically could still be rear-facing! (not really b/c of her height) There is another seat we got called the Radian80 (up to 80 lbs- we got it b/c our boys are big for their age). It is also made in a 65 lb. weight limit (Radian65), and it is very narrow, and able to fit in most cars more easily than the very large Britax Regent, for example. My 3-year old, 45+ lb. son used it fine for awhile, but just recently is telling us it's not comfortable. So, we're going to probably try the Graco Nautilis, since the price is right and we need more comfort, as well as the 65 lb. weight limit. I just write this to maybe help your research and that you might learn from my experience. Best wishes!
S.
A couple great websites for carseat safety and reviews are www.elitecarseats.com and http://www.car-safety.org/. Amazon often has good prices on the seats too.
Your daughter should meat the weight requirements for any booster with a 5 point harness. It is as low as 20lbs on some of them (30 on others). As she grows, the harness can be removed on most of them. We use one with my 31 lb two year old in her grandma's car.
We have the Britax Regent which is a 5 point harnessed booster that handles kids up to 80 lbs. It is literally the Cadillac of car seats!! Safety was our main concern as well, I I feel more comfortable with my kids in a 5 point than a traditional booster with a shoulder strap seatbelt. The owner of the store that we bought it at told us that a lot of the manufacturers (Graco, Evenflo etc, ) will be moving to the 5 point boosters in the next year b/c studies are showing they have higher safety ratings. My only warning to you about the Regent is that it is huge and takes up a lot of space. Even so, I will by another one for my younger son when he is ready.
check out the fisher price safe voyage deluxe made by britax at
http://www.albeebaby.com/fiprsavodeco1.html
its 129.99 bought one for my 3.5 year old it goes up to 55lbs harnessed! It is a great car seat!
i highly recomend the nautaulis
its is a 5pt harness till 65 pounds but can be changed to a booster with a back then later without a back
please do not use a belt positioning booster until she is at least 40 pounds and 40 inches it is dangerous
J.
