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For those of you who have a toddler approaching the max use of the car seat (near 40lbs or height max)...are deciding to go with a booster seat or getting a bigger car seat that you can still keep the kids in 5-point harness until they are bigger (80lbs). Any feedback is appreciated.
My son (who just turned 5) is in a Graco Nautilus to keep him in harnessed as long as possible since I've read that harnesses are safest. Also, you shouldn't switch the child to a booster that uses the car's seat belt until they are mature enough to sit up straight and not slouch, wiggle, sleep, etc. since the seat belt can only work if the child sits up straight and leaves it on correctly. My son is DEFINITELY not mature enough!
With my son we went through the infant to car seat to booster progression. He is pretty big for his age and the booster is perfectly fine for him. We originally switched him into the booster right at 4 years and 40 pounds, he is now 6 1/2 and around 58 pounds.
With my girls they both started out in the infant carrier, but we ended up switching them to a broad use car seat that could go from infant rear facing to forward facing to a booster all the way up to 80 pounds. The model we bought is called the Sunshine Radian 80. It's a really good car seat (one of the top rated models), but it is also fairly expensive. The thing I personally like about it is that it's a slim design, making it fit easier in cars. You can also choose not to use the booster as the 5-point harness adjusts to accomodate an 80 pound child.
IMO, if you are at the point that you need to buy another seat, I would personally just go with a booster if your child is big enough. If you were starting from scratch, I would recommend a seat like the Radian 80 that you can use all the way up till they are done with car seats.
Thanks for the feedback. I will be needing to buy another seat. I had an infant seat, and now I have the convertible one (now it's forward facing). I'm thinking to get either a regular booster seat or get a harness-to-booster...something like the Britax Frontier 85. Have pediatrician appt coming up so will ask also. It looks like it would be better to keep her in the 5-point harness for longer and then remove the harness to use as booster.
Thanks for the feedback. I will be needing to buy another seat. I had an infant seat, and now I have the convertible one (now it's forward facing). I'm thinking to get either a regular booster seat or get a harness-to-booster...something like the Britax Frontier 85. Have pediatrician appt coming up so will ask also. It looks like it would be better to keep her in the 5-point harness for longer and then remove the harness to use as booster.
Probably a good plan, I think a lot comes down to the kid themselves and what they are ready for. My son was definitely ready for a booster and we haven't had any issues. He is also rather tall and built for his age, so there was less of a concern size wise. My girls on the other hand have much slighter builds and I couldn't see putting them in a booster until they are much older.
Big difference from when most of us were growing up and we just rode around in the backseat or the "way back" in the family station wagon, sliding around everytime dad hit the brakes, lol.
My 5 year old is riding harnessed in a Nautilus, and will be for quite some time as she is only 32 pounds. The minimum recommended for a booster is at least 4 years old AND at least 40 pounds. She is over 4 years old, but not even close to 40 pounds. In our Nautilus, she can stay harnessed to 65 pounds and it also converts to a high back booster or a backless booster to 100 pounds, so this seat will last her until she no longer needs a seat. If your child is 40 pounds, but under 4 years old, I would recommend that you still continue to harness too. If over 4 years/40 pounds, then consider maturity and whether the child still falls asleep in the car.
Also, you can ask on Car Seat.Org - I always ask my carseat questions there. You can tell them your child's stats (age, height, weight), what kind of car you drive, and your budget, and they will give you the best options for seats that fit your situation.
Thanks ADVentive. She's already 4 and need to confirm her weight and height with PedDr. Last time I weighed her at home she was somewhere around 36-37lbs and the back of her current car seat has been stretched to the max height. I'm not going to change right away, but I know I will need to make a move soon after she hits the 40lbs (then again...she only gained 1lb between year 2 and year 3, who knows!). I wanted to get the research done on what to get before rushing to the store and buy something that may not be appropriate for our needs. I will check out the carseat.org site as well.
I did not switch my daughter to a booster seat until she was tall enough that the seat belt didn't cross in front of her neck. I didn't feel comfortable having the seatbelt going across her neck in case of an accident the belt would dig into her neck. She stayed in a car seat until then.
My DD has always been kind of big fer her age, so she was always outgrowing car seats way before the suggested max. age was reached. I got kind of lucky when DD was 2. She was just getting to the point where I needed to replace her car seat again when we were rear-ended. The other guy's insurance covered a replacement car seat so I was able to get the next stage car seat with the money. We got a 5 point harness seat that transformed into a high-backed booster. She is now 6.5 and still rides in the same booster. We only paid about $80 (nice sale). I think we got our money's worth out of the seat, and she was in a safe seat that fit her.
One thing I did when picking a seat was I made sure to feel the padding in the seat. I was shocked that some seats had plastic covered in thin fabric right on the seat. I know I would not be comfortable riding in that, so why would I make my child ride in something so hard. I wasn't expecting her to sit on something super soft, but at least a bit of padding. Just something to keep in mind.
Thanks for the feedback. I will be needing to buy another seat. I had an infant seat, and now I have the convertible one (now it's forward facing). I'm thinking to get either a regular booster seat or get a harness-to-booster...something like the Britax Frontier 85. Have pediatrician appt coming up so will ask also. It looks like it would be better to keep her in the 5-point harness for longer and then remove the harness to use as booster.
If you have a tall kid, then I would recommend the Britax Frontier 85. My daughter is very tall and I found her outgrowing her Britax Marathon due to her height (straps we on the highest setting and starting to be below her shoulders). I wanted to keep her in a 5 point harness and found that the Frontier allows for taller kids than the Graco Nautilus. Though for an average sized kid, I would go with either the Frontier 85 or the Nautilus.
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