OT - Car Seat/Booster Seat questoin

[JulieEck]

I could use some help please. My dd is 4, will be 5 in August. She is small for her age - about 42" and only 33 pounds. Her car seats are both Graco Comfort Sports. That car seat is good from 5 pounds to 40 pounds. At the rate she's going, she won't hit 40 pounds until 2nd grade! Anyway, I'd hoped to keep her in this car seat until close to 40 pounds, but I think she's outgrown it height-wise. I looked through the manual and it mentions (in only one place that I could find) a 40" limit. Her shoulders hit pretty much right at or just above the top slot and the manual also says that the shoulders need to be at or below the top slot. All the booster seats I find have 30 pounds as the minimum and I'm hesitant to put her in one yet. Which one is safer for her? A booster using the car's seat belt or her current car seat? When we do go up to a booster, I wanted to make sure it was one that she could still fall asleep in - not a backless one. So far as she is concerned - I have no problems with her getting buckled up and she has no "peer pressure" to move on up even though she's finished Pre-K and will be in Kindergarten next year.
Sorry that this is so long. So, which one is safer and does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[pantherlj]

I could use some help please. My dd is 4, will be 5 in August. She is small for her age - about 42" and only 33 pounds. Her car seats are both Graco Comfort Sports. That car seat is good from 5 pounds to 40 pounds. At the rate she's going, she won't hit 40 pounds until 2nd grade! Anyway, I'd hoped to keep her in this car seat until close to 40 pounds, but I think she's outgrown it height-wise. I looked through the manual and it mentions (in only one place that I could find) a 40" limit. Her shoulders hit pretty much right at or just above the top slot and the manual also says that the shoulders need to be at or below the top slot. All the booster seats I find have 30 pounds as the minimum and I'm hesitant to put her in one yet. Which one is safer for her? A booster using the car's seat belt or her current car seat? When we do go up to a booster, I wanted to make sure it was one that she could still fall asleep in - not a backless one. So far as she is concerned - I have no problems with her getting buckled up and she has no "peer pressure" to move on up even though she's finished Pre-K and will be in Kindergarten next year.
Sorry that this is so long. So, which one is safer and does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

Sounds like my DD. Glad you posted this. I knew she was fine weight wise (currently about 34 pounds, will be 5 in OCT) in her current carseat - I know it goes to 40 pounds. But I didn't think to check the manual for height max on my current car seat! I will check tonight.

 

[MSSANDRA]

You could look for a booster that has a 5 point harness. All of those go up to at least 40 pounds and then convert to a seat belt harness. I would use the 5 point till she reaches the max for that as it is so much safer. DS did not hit 40 lbs till 1st grade and we used the 5-point harness till then. They have some alwsome boosters now that will be confortable and safe.

 

[KadysMom]

I just switched DD5. She will be 6 in Oct, and is about 36 pounds. I found a great booster chair. Here it is, i got it at target...

 

[LilGMom]

We have our six year old in a Graco Turbo Booster (high back booster) that uses the regular seatbelt. He has always been tall and lean so we had to stop using the five point harness because of the height of the straps. He has been in this seat for about two years and we like it. HTH

 

[robinb]

Well ... a regular car seat would be safer than a booster. Then again, we would all be safer in a 5-point harness! I know that Britax sells a car seat meant to be used up to 80 lbs and I assume that it will be tall enough for your DD.

When my DD maxed out the height of her car seat I went with boosters. I bought a Britax booster because it had a narrow base and would fit in the deep bucket seats of my convertible. I also bought a Graco Turbo Booster (I think the one in the photo above is a Turbo Booster). We used the backs on both boosters until she was about 5 or 6 and then we went backless. My DD likes the Graco better because of the built in cup holders.

It was much easier for me to buckle her in using the seat belt instead of fussing with the five-point harness. I can't tell you how happy I was when my DD could finally buckle herself in !

 

[Minniemouse07]

You could look for a booster that has a 5 point harness. All of those go up to at least 40 pounds and then convert to a seat belt harness. I would use the 5 point till she reaches the max for that as it is so much safer. DS did not hit 40 lbs till 1st grade and we used the 5-point harness till then. They have some alwsome boosters now that will be confortable and safe.

My almost 6yo is still in a 5pt harness in our primary car (dh's she has had a booster seat for the last 9mo). Dd is about 46" tall and about 40lbs. She outgrew her "harnessed to 40lb" seats by height at about 3.5yo and we purchased a Britax Husky (now called a Regent) for her, it harnesses to 80lbs. At the time, it was our only choice.

There are a number of seats that harness to higher than 40lbs now. Manufacturer's are Britax, Costco, Radian & Recaro... and I think a few others are coming out w/in the next year. Don't just look at seats in stores, but go online and check them out. Most higher weight seats aren't sold in stores... although Babies R Us has started to w/ the Costco and some Britax seats.

There is a list of currently available higher weight seats here, Recaro's seats are coming out this summer.

You can also check out the following links for info and/or message boards to ask more questions about car seats...

http://www.cpsafety.com/
http://www.carseatdata.org/
http://www.car-safety.org/

And a bit of info... When you are moving a child from a rear facing seat to a forward facing seat OR from a 5pt harness to a booster seat you are NOT hitting a "milestone" in their childhood. This is NOT something you should be looking forward to, but dreading. When you change their car seats in these instances you are making them LESS SAFE. There are significant decreases in the safety of a child in a forward facing seat as compared to a rear facing seat, and for that of a child in a booster seat using a lap/shoulder belt vs that of one in a 5pt seat.

If you have any questions, just give me a yell... I'm a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CSPT)

 

[SandrainNC]

I haven't read everyone else replies, but my oldest is small too. He is 6 and a little over 40 inches tall and around 32 pounds. He is in a convertible carseat to booster. He is still using the 5 point harness right now and has one more shoulder level up to go before he is too tall. I can't remember the weight limit, but it is more than 40 for sure.

Sandra

 

[WantToGoNow]

If your childs shoulders are above the top harness slot, then the seat is outgrown. I had that happen with my dd3 just after her 3rd birthday. I knew that she was NOT ready for a belt positioning booster -- most kids aren't until 5 or 6 years of age. Your child needs to be able to sit up straight all the time (no leaning to pick up things or falling sideways when asleep) and keep the selt belt in front of them. Many children do not like the feel of the belt (mine included) and slips the belt behind them. If the seatbelt is not worn properly, then it won't protect in an accident.

I bought my dd3 the Safety 1st Apex 65 carseat. It harness up to 65 lbs. and the top slots are pretty high. It runs around $100 which is less expensive than all of the other high-weight harnessed carseats. The one downside is that you must have high seatbacks or adjustable headrests on your car. One the seat is extended to use the top slot or booster mode, the seat will not be reinforced and needs the support of the cars seat/headrest.

 

[tanyaandallie]

4 years and 40 lbs is really the bare minimum for putting a child in a booster seat. Most kids are still not mature enough to sit correctly all the time in a booster seat. I would recommend buying a new seat that will allow you to keep her harnessed longer.

You are actually very lucky that your dd lasted so long in the comfortsport. It has very low top harness slots and most kids outgrow it by the time they are 2.5!

A few I would suggest -

Any of the Britax seats are going to keep her harnessed much longer. They have top harness slots of 17ish inches so she would have a ton of growing room. Britax Marathon, Decathalon or the Boulevard. Excellent seats. You could also look into the Regeant but with your daughters size it might be more seat than you need.

The Fisher Price Safe Voyager Deluxe. Bascially a stripped down Britax Marathon. Not all the bells and whistels but still has the 17 inch top harness slots, 55 lb weight limit. You can find these seats on line for only $129ish. Great price on an excellent seat.

The Sunshine Kids Radian 65. They also have an 80 lb version but it's much more expensive and I don't think your dd would ever need it. It has harness slots that I believe are 1 inch taller than the FPSVD and the other Britax seats. It does have install issues in some cars. $200

If you want a seat that is much less expensive but will keep her harnessed a bit longer look at combination seats. 2 I would look at are the Evenflo Chase and the Evenflo Generations. Both have much higher top harness slots (can't remember the exact measurement) than the Comfortsport but only harness to 40 lbs. However, with your dd size either of these seats would likely keep her harnessed for a good while to come. Enough time for her to get a little older, a little heavier and more ready to move to a booster. Both of the seats convert to boosters after 40 lbs. The Chase is only $60ish and the Generations is around $100.

She is so much safer in a 5 pt harness so I would buy a seat that will keep her that way a while longer.

 

[all4fun]

Hi,
My ds(4) is about the same size & age as your dd although longer torso'd. He outgrew his 40lb limit convertibles (Cosco AO 3in1 and Touriva) at 34mos by height because of his long torso. He's currently riding in a Britax Blvd in our vehicle and an Evenflo Bolero (lower cost version of the Generations, avbl at Kmart) in my MIL's car. Even with a long torso - apprx 16" - he still fits in the harnesses in these seats. They both have approx 17" top harness slots btw. I can see your dd lasting a while in a 40lb limit seat like the Generations/Bolero, but the other seats listed by Tanya are also all great options too.

The reason the the harness needs to be AT or ABOVE the shoulders in a forward facing car seat is to hold the child back. Having the straps too low can cause the harness to not hold the childs upper body back far enough in an accident and if there's too much fwd head excursion the head can strike the interior of the car. It can also cause spinal compression. So if you were wondering "why" that is it in a nutshell.

hth

 

[Zoesmama03]

My dd has outgrown the 40 inches too. She still fits for now even when she is nearly 42". Many states have a law of 40 lbs and 4 years atleast to move out of seat now I know in my state that means with a carseat belt no booster but I do not believe a child that young fits in a car seat with no booster and have the seat belt shoulder belt fit correctly. I mean I'm 5'8" and sometimes have those things cutting into MY neck no way is a child under 5ft gonna fit an differently.


If you want to keep her in a harness she will need a new seat but watch the height limits. The Sunshine Kids one are affordable options or you can go with Britax who have many seats that go to 53 and 65 lbs atleast.
The Apex sounds pretty good too in the affordable range of extending 5pt harness past the norm 40 incehs and 40 lbs. Which you aren't having problem with weight right now.


Its very common to outgrow the height and not be of a weight required or recommeneded for not using a harness or booster(with seatbelt) either one.


Hope that you have found some info that will help. Someone posted the lovely links that helped me figure this out a while ago. Why didn't I look more closely at this when dd had outgrown her infant seat by 6 months in the height area. I would not have gone with the Alpha Omega and just went for the Britax which would have been a little more than I spent but worth it. I was very much mislead by the 5-100 lbs limit on them. The harness goes to 40 lbs that is all it designed to hold down on the typical convertible carseat. Also has 40 inch limit on the harness which my dd must be long in legs because she is still below the highest slot for harness use. There is one more slot up but the manual says its for non-harnessed use only. So she has almost outgrown it and I'm going to get the sunshine Kids radian that goes to 65 lbs as my dd is like OPs and weight is not the issue ONLY height.

 

[nisi]

I'm a car seat tech, too, so I'll chime in with my .02

My first thought was "Wow, you're lucky! You'll be able to keep your dd safely harnessed for a long time without having to spend the big bucks on a car seat with a higher weight limit"

If your dd's shoulders are above the top harness slots, she's outgrown the seat, regardless of her overall height. She needs a new one very soon.

Because she's so light, I recommend keeping her in a 5pt harness. The minimum we want to see kids moved to a booster is 4yrs AND 40lbs. Personally, I think 4yrs is still too young. Most 4 yr olds I know still are not really capable of consistently sitting still in the car. They often do ok with lots of reminders, but when you're driving, you want to keep your eyes on the road, not on your squirmy kid in the back seat, right? My personal preference is to keep kids in a 5pt harness until at least 5-5.5yrs, or longer if the car seat can accommodate them. Your dd is close to a good booster age, but since she's so light, I still recommend a 5pt harness.

If you get a 5pt harness that can convert to a booster, it'll last you a few years at least. The Evenflo Generations would be a good choice. It has pretty tall harness slots - lots higher than your current seat - and will keep your dd in a 5pt probably for a couple years (depending on her growth rate). It also makes a good booster when the harness is outgrown. There are other good options, too, but I'm not going to go into them now. MinnieMouse07 gave you some great references if you want more information. I can personally vouch for the techs and advocates at the car-seat.org/car-safety.org forums. I've known some of them for years, and even post there myself sometimes


BTW - I do practice what I preach. My older dd is 6.5yo, weighs just over 50lbs, and is in a 5pt harness (Britax Husky). I plan to keep her in it for a few more years until it expires. And to bring it back on topic -- for our Disney trip (next week!! ) I'm bringing a Ride Safer Travel Vest for her to use in our rental car. I can't post a link, but you can google it.

 

[taximomfor4]

My youngest is really petite also. 31 lbs and 39.75 inches tall today at the pediatrician! she is now in a Britax booster seat (the Parkway). We talked to many people in all areas of expertise, and did tons of research before purchasing it. She didn't love the head part coming around the sides of her head, but the safety ratings are good. Also, she got used to it really fast (not that she had a choice, lol).

I am going to save and get another one for dh's car, too. I must say that ALL my kids sit perfectly, and facing forward, in the vehicle at all times. I don't put up with any less, and it has just never been an issue. Only oldest dd (now MY height, lol) played Houdini and wormed out of car seats as a toddler.

ETA: my second daughter is going into FOURTH grade, and is in a Britax Parkway booster as well. She is about 45 inches tall.

 

[thepeach80]

Hi Nisi, it's amazing who you find on these boards!

I'm a tech too and for a lightweight child (I have 2 of those, lol) I wouldn't bother w/ a seat thatr harnessed past 40#. The Evenflo Generations will still fit her for the harness and makes a decent booster later, most combo seats don't. We have the Chase as a spare and it doesn't make a good booster.