Calling All Car Seat Experts - Help!!

[WDWorBUST]

Okay - here's the stats....my dd is 33 pounds and 39 inches tall. She is 3 1/2 years old (as of May 1). We currently have 2 Britax Marathon carseats - 1 for my mom's car (she takes care of her while I work and totes her back and forth to pre-school) and 1 for us that we leave in our Jeep Liberty. If she goes we drive the Liberty. However....we also have a Ford Escort and a Chevy truck (1991 - pre-airbags). We seem to be going in more directions here lately and we really need a 3rd carseat to move between our other 2 vehicles. I would like to go ahead with a booster since she's getting closer to "needing" one, but her safety is my first priority. Can anyone give me some recommendations?

 

[tanyaandallie]

I would recommend you post your question on the babycenter car safety board. There are tons of car seat experts there!!! Be sure to post all of her stats. Her age, weight, height and torso height (sit her against the wall and measure her from bum to shoulders).


http://boards.babycenter.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=bcus9421&redirCnt=1

I would not recommend putting her in a booster. The minimum suggested age for a booster is 4 AND 40 lbs. If you can get her to 5 or 6 that would be even better. There are some seats that have a 5 pt harness that convert to a booster but they only harness up to 40 lbs. Since she is only 33 lbs and kids this age go so slowly, a seat like that may get you a long ways. You just need to make sure the one you get has high top slots. The ladies on the safety board can give you better details.

Another option would be to get her a Sunshine Kids Radian. It harnesses up to 65 lbs and has really high top slots (even higher than the marathon). It comes highly recommended on the car safety board. It would run you around $200 and would get her to 5 or 6 for sure.

Another option is the Apex. It harnesses to 65 lbs and then converts to a booster. However, it requires adjustable headrests so if you don't have them in any of your cars, it wouldn't work.

Anyways, I'm no expert but have read tons on that board. Post there and the experts can help you!

 

[dhardawa]

At her age, I wouldn't put her in a booster at all. I never recommend a booster for a child under 4 and don't like to see them in boosters until 5. My daughter just went into a booster a few months ago at 7 1/2. The problem is that younger kids lack the maturity to sit properly for every second of every trip and they MUST be in the correct position in the seat at the very instant of impact. If they are not, the seat will likely fail.

That said, what I would probably do is get a Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe for the least used vehicle. (You can find them online for about $139 with free shipping.) They are made by Britax so they are extremely high quality. They lack some of the features of the Marathon like rear facing tether (a non-issue at your daughter's age), built in lock-offs, and the weight maxes out at 55 lbs vs. 65 lbs. The weight thing shouldn't be an issue though. The vast majority of kids outgrow seats by height well before they outgrow them by weight.

Dana
Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician

 

[dhardawa]

One other thing. If you look into the Radian, keep in mind it has about a 60% incompatibility rate with vehicles so unless you can actually install it in your car before you buy, I'd skip it. I have also heard complaints about it being very uncomfortable for the child and saw pictures of someone's seat who was in a very very minor wreck and the shell of the seat came out with a big break in it. That scares me a lot and makes me wonder how it would hold up at 70 mph. It is also made by the manufacturers of the Mighty Tight which is an extremely unsafe product so I question the integrity of the company as well.

 

[tanyaandallie]

Dana, very interesting info on the Radian. On the bbc car safety board it gets excellent reviews (other than some install issues).

 

[WDWorBUST]

I am really wanting to keep her in a 5 point harness. I was looking at the Britax Regent (I think), but it seems like she really won't be able to use it any longer than her marathons....I need to keep reading. I spent my lunch hour researching options for children as they get older and there's just so much info available.
Thanks for the input....I'll check out those resources too.

 

[mexican-mouseketeers]

The Regent would be the best option. It has higher slots than the Marathon and a higher weight limit too, so it will definetly last her longer.

 

[tanyaandallie]

The regeant would keep her harnessed much longer than a marathon!! It's huge but it's a good seat. Weight limit is 80 lbs vs 65 in the marathon and the top harness straps I think are 21 inches vs. I think 17 inches on a marathon. So, she would get many more years of use out of it.

I guess it all depends on how long you want her harnessed. If you want her harnessed until 5 or 6 than a marthon, fpsvd are great. If you want her in a harness until she is 7 or 8 then a regeant is the best bet. Both britax seats are awesome seats.

 

[all4fun]

Okay - here's the stats....my dd is 33 pounds and 39 inches tall. She is 3 1/2 years old (as of May 1). We currently have 2 Britax Marathon carseats - 1 for my mom's car (she takes care of her while I work and totes her back and forth to pre-school) and 1 for us that we leave in our Jeep Liberty. If she goes we drive the Liberty. However....we also have a Ford Escort and a Chevy truck (1991 - pre-airbags). We seem to be going in more directions here lately and we really need a 3rd carseat to move between our other 2 vehicles. I would like to go ahead with a booster since she's getting closer to "needing" one, but her safety is my first priority. Can anyone give me some recommendations?

I know you're already leaning towards the Regent and that might be a very good option for you but since she's only 33lbs I was going to recommend the Evenflo Bolero or Generations seat which harnesses to 40lbs and has 17" top slots. After the harness is outgrown it then converts to a very nice booster seat. Just something to consider. It won't keep her in a harness any longer than her current seats will though. Your dd is alot like my ds who is also tall but slender and just needs the taller harness slots, not necessarily the higher weight limit.

Another option you might consider is the Recaro Young Sport, which I believe has 18" top slots (40lbs weight limit w/harness) and converts to a VERY nice BPB. It runs for about $250 though.


hth

 

[dhardawa]

I am really wanting to keep her in a 5 point harness. I was looking at the Britax Regent (I think), but it seems like she really won't be able to use it any longer than her marathons....I need to keep reading. I spent my lunch hour researching options for children as they get older and there's just so much info available.
Thanks for the input....I'll check out those resources too.

She will most definitely get more use out of the Regent. It has much taller harness slots than the Marathon and a heigher weight limit. Most kids don't outgrow the Regent until about 8-9.

 

[dhardawa]

I know you're already leaning towards the Regent and that might be a very good option for you but since she's only 33lbs I was going to recommend the Evenflo Bolero or Generations seat which harnesses to 40lbs and has 17" top slots. After the harness is outgrown it then converts to a very nice booster seat. Just something to consider. It won't keep her in a harness any longer than her current seats will though. Your dd is alot like my ds who is also tall but slender and just needs the taller harness slots, not necessarily the higher weight limit.

Another option you might consider is the Recaro Young Sport, which I believe has 18" top slots (40lbs weight limit w/harness) and converts to a VERY nice BPB. It runs for about $250 though.


hth

That is something I didn't think of. Recaro has a new seat coming out any day now with a 70 lb weight limit and heigher slots than the Marathon. So far, it has gotten very good reviews based on people who have seen the prototypes.

 

[WDWorBUST]

After spending $500 on carseats (not even counting her infant seat with additional bases) I really wanted to not spend quite so much this time....but I will if I need to. I guess I was dreaming that there might be something more affordable yet just as safe AND I could move easily from the car to the truck until she outgrows the Marathon I will continue to research though - it isn't so much as a "need" at this point as a convenience that will meet a "need" later.

 

[dhardawa]

Dana, very interesting info on the Radian. On the bbc car safety board it gets excellent reviews (other than some install issues).

The people on the bbc board tend to have very different ideas on what makes a good seat. They also tend to sugar coat things and are hesitant to come right out and say that a seat stinks (which some do). I hang out more at Car Seats and More on Delphi and you'll find the people there are much more likely to tell it to you like it is.

 

[WDWorBUST]

Is there anyplace I can see the new Recaro coming out?

 

[tanyaandallie]

If you don't want to spend a ton look at the Evenflo Generations like one of the pp suggested. I sat my dd in it at Target and she had tons of shoulder height left. It would give you another 7 lbs which at this age could be 2 years. It was only $60 to $80 (can't remember which). It coverts to a booster after 40 lbs. As a back up seat it would serve you well. I would hate to spend $200+ on a seat that is only used occassionaly!

 

[TheRatPack]

I did a quick search on Evenflo Generations and it said lowest base price found was 139.00! We have to buy 3 new car seats (we're adopting and they are all under 5), so we're trying to find something economical but safe. So far we've been told the Alpha Omega by lots of friends and family...it's 150.00 but looks nice. Any experience?

 

[tanyaandallie]

I did a quick search on Evenflo Generations and it said lowest base price found was 139.00! We have to buy 3 new car seats (we're adopting and they are all under 5), so we're trying to find something economical but safe. So far we've been told the Alpha Omega by lots of friends and family...it's 150.00 but looks nice. Any experience?

The type of carseat you buy really depends on the age and the size of the kids. There are some very economical options out there. How old are the kids you are adopting?

I'm thinking maybe it was the Evenflo Chase I sat my dd in not the Generations. Sorry. I don't think it makes as good of a booster as the Generations, though.

 

[all4fun]

The type of carseat you buy really depends on the age and the size of the kids. There are some very economical options out there. How old are the kids you are adopting?

I'm thinking maybe it was the Evenflo Chase I sat my dd in not the Generations. Sorry. I don't think it makes as good of a booster as the Generations, though.

ITA. It really depends on the size of the kids. If they are under age one & 22lbs then they will require a r/fing carseat. If they are under 35lbs they can still sit r/fing even if they are over one (it's the safest way to ride). If they are too big for r/fing then something like the Generations or Bolero might be a good choice, eta: however it really helps to know torso height and weight when looking at car seats, since many of them have a 40lb limit and once the shoulders go past the top harness slots, they are outgrown by height.

The Bolero btw, is a less expensive version of the Generations. The Generations has a plusher cover, extra seat cushion, and a slight recline feature. The Bolero is usually a little harder to find than the Generations though. K-mart sells it but I don't know who else does (Wal-mart used to but I haven't seen them carry it in a while). Some K-marts have had the Bolero on sale recently for as low as $60, it normally runs for about $90. BRU & Target and several online retailers sell the Generations. TARGET.com HERE has it for $99.99. They may carry it on store shelves too.

hth

 

[WDWorBUST]

But isn't the Generations the same as the Marathon as far as weight limit and shoulder slot height?? (40 lb 17") Although I do want a more "budget" option I also want it to be able for her to use it longer than her marathons. I would keep her in a 5 point harness until she was 16 if I thought I could get away with it Just don't think she would go for it. We can definitely "make do" with 2 carseats. It just would be nice if DH takes off in the Jeep if DD and I could go somewhere. (We usually try to plan well enough that it doesn't happen....but there are times)

 

[all4fun]

But isn't the Generations the same as the Marathon as far as weight limit and shoulder slot height?? (40 lb 17") Although I do want a more "budget" option I also want it to be able for her to use it longer than her marathons. I would keep her in a 5 point harness until she was 16 if I thought I could get away with it Just don't think she would go for it. We can definitely "make do" with 2 carseats. It just would be nice if DH takes off in the Jeep if DD and I could go somewhere. (We usually try to plan well enough that it doesn't happen....but there are times)

The Marathon has a 65lb weight limit and is a convertible seat that can be used r/fing and f/fing. The Generations/Bolero is a fwd facing only seat that harnesses to 40lbs and then converts to a booster w/out the harness. You're correct though...they do have the same top harness height so the HARNESS w/b outgrown by height at about the same time, but the upside to the Generations is you could then still continue to use it as a booster seat. I do understand about wanting to keep kids in a 5-pt harness as long as possible though!