OT - how to find height limits on 5-point boosters?

[katerkat]

I'm looking for a new carseat/booster for my son - one of the ones that is five-point up to 40-50 pounds and then a booster. For starters it'll be something lighter and smaller to carry onto the airplane and on vacation (we have an Evenflo Triumph and while I love it, it's large and unwieldy and doesn't leave him much leg room! And this isn't off-topic if the first trip he'll make in the seat is flying to WDW. ) Eventually he'll switch into in the car full time, so I want to get a good one, not just something cheap for the plane.

However, while I can find weight limits everywhere, I can't find how high the five-point harnesses go. My boy is sweet but scrawny - 38" tall and 28 pounds. He will outgrow every seat in height long before he reaches 40 or 50 pounds. So I want to find a good one that he will have a chance of using for a while! Especially since he's already in the top harness slot on his Triumph, though he has a couple more inches to go before totally outgrowing it.

I know things vary by torso length and whatnot, but I still want to get a general idea. Anyone know where I can find this info?

 

[Minniemouse07]

There are a few combo seats (harness to a certain weight, then become high backed boosters) that have higher harnessed weight limits on the market today, but not a lot.

Your best bet is to go ask the experts. They will be able to give you the best advice as well as a list of possible seats.

Good Luck!

 

[memobrien]

I usually go o the manufacor's website and look at the online manual. It will have he height and weight limits. One thing o think about is how your child fits in the seat too. I saw that becuase my daughter actually our grew her marathon in height before she reached the height limit.

She was still about 4 inches shorter than the limit. But the straps were too lower and her ears were too high on the seat.

So that limit was more of a guide for her. Just something for you to be aware of.

Maura

 

[Gillian]

That's what I did also, check the website of the manufacturer. Soooo many times Amazon.com/babies r us had mistakes!

What was said about fitting in the seat is true. If you go online and read the actual manuals, there will be guidelines for fit (shoulder height, strap location,etc.)

For example, page 10 for the graco platinum cargo tells you exactly what the limits are for height, weight and strap location

Graco website platinum CarGo

 

[katerkat]

Thank you for the car seat website!! I knew about that one but couldn't find it last night.

I did look for the manuals fairly unsuccessfully. Finally found info about the Evenflo seats in their FAQs. Still looking for the Eddie Bauer manuals.

I'm definitely going to try him in the seats before we make a final decision. And I know they limits aren't always "correct" for every child - Russ actually stayed in his bucket seat about a month longer than the "height" limit because his head wasn't to the top spot it could be.

 

[MickeyCrazedMom]

I highly recommend the Alpha Elite Apex Booster by Cosco. I use it for my son who is 4yrs old, 44 lbs, 43 inches. He is tall enough to be in just a booster, but I am not comfortable with that. We tried the booster for a week and he stretched the seat belt and it never seemed safe enough to me. THis one can be used with the 5 point harness until 65 lbs. We have used it for 5 months and my son finds it very comfy. I just purchased a 2nd one this morning at Babies R Us for $129.99. THat is the only place I have found it so far, other than on line. I did lots of research before making this purchase so I hope that helps!

 

[katerkat]

I just purchased a 2nd one this morning at Babies R Us for $129.99. THat is the only place I have found it so far, other than on line. I did lots of research before making this purchase so I hope that helps!

That does help!! Online I couldn't find it at BRU and I have a 15% off coupon, so I was hoping to buy from BRU. (I know, using a coupon to make such an important decision!) From advice on car-seat.org, it looks like the Apex is among the higher height limits. Oh, wait, I did find it on the BRU site, but it said from 4-10 years old, so I didn't look at it again. But looking again, it says 22-65 with the harness, so I'm not sure where the 4 years old came from.

 

[MickeyCrazedMom]

I used a $10 off coupon for mine today! Hey - we save $ where we can!

 

[GoinToDisney]

Just so you know, you have to have headrests in the back seat where you will install the car seat in order to use an Apex. I learned that on the car-seat.org site from the experts over there. As far as I know the Regent will get you the longest use for 5 point as far as height goes, but would not work for the plane.

 

[northriver]

My DD2 is tall and skinny but not quite as tall and skinny as yours! I just bought another Britax, the Boulevard this time, since she just outgrew her Roundabout rearfacing. I'll be keeping her rearfacing until she hits the RF weitht limit (33#). But if I were looking at a forward facing seat I would have chosen the Radian (convertible seat but doesn't fit in MY car RF) or the Britax Regent, to keep her in a five point harness as long as possible. Of the Convertible Britax seats, I think the Marathon has the highest top harness slots. I picked the Boulevard for the side inpact protection and more inportantly theinfinately adjustable harness.

The (Sunshine Kids) Radian folds for travel but weighs a ton. We don't fly often but I like the seat for this feature. It also has high top harness slots and the company has a fantastic reputation. Right now I still have a Britax Roundabout to travel with, it is a great seat for travel. The Marathon isn't bad either, a little wider but still not too hard to get on and off the plane.

I love the boards at car-safety.org. They will help you choose the right seat for your situation. I was planning on moving DD to a Forward facing seat and they convinced me to keep her Rear Facing longer, even if it means buying yet another seat at some point down the road. (I have 4 Britax seats now.)

 

[tanyaandallie]

Torso height is far more important than actual height, so the info that the manufacturers list in regards to height limits is really not that helpful. As all kids grow in different ways, the best thing to do is find the height of the highest harness slots on the seat and compare them to your son's torso height.

Did you get help on the other board? if not, post your childs torso height and I can give you some of the recommendations from a car seat board I post on. Torso height = bum to shoulders. sit him against a wall and measure bum to shoulders.

 

[cindarella]

check out Safekids.org they do car seat checks and know the requirements and all the stats.

 

[katerkat]

Did you get help on the other board? if not, post your childs torso height and I can give you some of the recommendations from a car seat board I post on. Torso height = bum to shoulders. sit him against a wall and measure bum to shoulders.

I found a thread where someone posted the shoulder heights of different carseats (ie, Triumph I think was 17") and it's...confusing. The Apex manual says it harnesses to 52" (compared to 43" on the Evenflo Generations and Chase) but on car-seat.org they say it's only 17.5" in the torso, similar to the ones he already has.

I forgot to measure him but I know about where his shoulders hit in the current carseat, so I measured that - he's about 14.5"-15" in the torso. And I know it's just a "guess" but if he stays on his current growth weight, he'll be around 7 when he hits 52" and 10 ( ) when he hits 65 pounds. (I hope he puts on some muscle before then! I graduated eighth grade at 85 pounds, but I at least was short too!) I can't really imagine keeping a 7-year old in a five-point harness... And I even kept him rear-facing longer!

I do have headrests if we decide on the Apex.

I looked at the Sunshine Radian but if it's heavy...ugh! I'm trying to go lighter for the airline part of it, since I'm usually flying alone with the munchkin. I love my Triumph, but it is terribly unwieldy in an airport.

 

[northriver]

Here is a post from that website that I am shamelessly copying and pasting here for you. One key piece of information that you need to find about all of these seat is: are they approved for airline travel. That might narrow your list. Disclaimer, I am not a car seat tech and I did not write the following information, cannot attest to its accuracy. Just trying to help the OP sort out her options!

"Currently out right now:

Sunshine Kids Radian 65 and Radian 80, harness to 65 and 80 lbs, but both have same top harness slot heights (18"), convertible carseat. Not available in many stores but available on-line lots of places. www.target.com (can return to your local Target), www.albeebaby.com

Evenflo Triumph Advance convertible carseat (updated Evenflo Triumph), brand new, harnesses to 50 lbs, top harness slots of 17", in some BRU stores, on-line at www.babiesrus.com and www.walmart.com. Nicer cover and padding on BRU model.

Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe convertible carseat, stripped down Britax MA/Decathlon made by Britax, being d/c'd (FP no longer doing carseats, again!), harnesses to 55 lbs, same top harness slots as MA (17.5"). Available on line www.albeebaby.com, www.target.com, and others.

Britax Decathlon and Boulevard, convertibles like the MA, more features, available where you can find the MA.

Cosco Apex/Safety First Biltmore, ff'ing only combo seat (becomes a hbb), harnesses to 65 lbs. and top slots of 17" but seems to harness longer than MA due to how it fits kids, available in many stores like BRU and on line, requires high seat backs or headrests behind it (must have head support from vehicle up to the tops of your child's ears while seated in the carseat)

Safeguard Go!, ff'ing only combo seat (becomes a nbb), harnesses to 60 lbs, requires top tethers for harness, $179 on-line.

Available soon (fall):

Recaro Como and Signo, convertible carseats, harness to 70 lbs, top slots of 19" possibly, same features as Britax seats, on-line many places for pre-orders."

For airport travel, you need to get one of those aluminum/stianless luggage carts with wheels, they fold flat. I think you can get them at Target for about $25? Anyway, you strap your carseat to that, toss your carryon luggage in the seat. Your child is old enough to walk and you have one hand to pull the luggage cart and one hand to hold on to your child. If you are traveling alone you will need help getting your luggage checked when you get to the airport. In Orlando, I often use a towncar service, they meet me at baggage claim and help with the luggage. LOVE it! But don't be afraid to get help at the airport if you need it, just plan on having extra time.

HTH.

 

[tanyaandallie]

If you have an old Triumph it does not have 17 inch top harness slots. Only the new Triumph Advance has the 17 inch top harness slots. The older Triumph only has 15.5 inch top harness slots. The TA just came out so it's likely you have the older one.

The Chase, the Triumph Advance and the Apex all have 17 top harness slots. They just all have different weight limits. The Bolero/Generations is just a hair shorter in the harness height. Honestly, with a 28 lbs kiddo, you could do a 40 lb seat and get a ton of use out of it. The Apex would give you a ton more room weight wise, but it sounds like you may not need it. The torso height/top harness slots of the seat are far more important than overall height. My biggest concern is if he has a 15 inch torso already, if he has a huge growth spurt he might outgrow a 17 inch seat soon. But, my dd is 4 and about the same size (heavier, though) and I am hoping for at least another year in her MA which also has 17 inch top harness slots.

The Radian would be a great seat for him, assuming it's compatible with your vehicle. It would give him 18 to 19 inches or torso. It is a very heavy seat but it also folds for travel and is very narrow so fits in a plane better than some other seats. Also, for easy travel in the airport, you can strap it to a luggage cart.

I don't see on here how old he is. If he is under 4 and the Radian does not have compatibility issues with your vehicle, I would get one for sure. You can find the Radian 65 for sale at www.kyledavidmiller.org. Click on merchandise. It's a great price and all the profits go to their foundation!!

 

[tanyaandallie]

OK, is see now that he is 2.5. If he is 2.5 I think I would get the Radian for sure (assuming no compatability issues). If he has a 15 inch torso at 2.5, he will really need the additional height of a seat that has a higher harness.

 

[katerkat]

For airport travel, you need to get one of those aluminum/stianless luggage carts with wheels, they fold flat. I think you can get them at Target for about $25? Anyway, you strap your carseat to that, toss your carryon luggage in the seat. Your child is old enough to walk and you have one hand to pull the luggage cart and one hand to hold on to your child. If you are traveling alone you will need help getting your luggage checked when you get to the airport. In Orlando, I often use a towncar service, they meet me at baggage claim and help with the luggage. LOVE it! But don't be afraid to get help at the airport if you need it, just plan on having extra time.

Oh, yeah, we've been doing the luggage cart thing since he was 16 months old. He's really good in airports (I bribe him with a strawberry frap from Starbucks ) - it's just that things are heavy and annoying when you're alone! And I don't even take a lot of carry-ons, just my laptop and his bag of toys and diapers.

The Radian looks interesting - I guess heavy isn't that bad if it folds down and easy to carry. (Unlike my Triumph which doesn't always like to stay on the luggage cart...) Is it available in any stores so I can try it before I buy it?

 

[tanyaandallie]

The Radian is not that easy to find!! You will not find it at BRU, Target or Walmart. You can find it at some baby specialty stores. In my area (Houston) that are a handful of stores (including The Right Start and USA Baby) that stock the Radian.

 

[northriver]

You can try to look up the Radian and your vehicle at carseatdata.org and what I'll do when I get a Radian eventually is to buy online at Target and return it locally if it doesn't fit. You might need to find a car seat tech in your area to help with installation if you have trouble.