OT: Please help with booster seat selection

[laughinplace199]

DS4 is outgrowing his Britax Roundabout car seat. He is 32 pounds, so he is still within the weight limit, but he is getting too tall for it. DD6 has a Britax Starriser booster, which we like, but he seems small for it. It says it's for 30-80 lbs. and 43-? inches. He won't be 43 inches for another year or so.

Does anyone have exprience with choosing a booster for a 32 lb., 40 in. child?

Thanks so much!

 

[puddleduck]

My oldest is in a Britax Bodyguard. He loves it and so do I. You can make the seat narrow or wider, plus it has clamps on either side that clamp the lap part of the belt down. I believe it goes from 30lbs. to atleast 80lbs. maybe a bit higher. You can adjust the height of the headrest. My son will be 5 in Oct. and we have barely raised the headrest. It goes high. I see him in this seat for several more years. When ds#2 and #3 outgrow their britax carseats, we will be buying the bodyguard for them also.

the headrest kind of wraps around, so when he falls asleep he has something to lean his head against.

 

[laughinplace199]

Thanks! I'll check out the Bodyguard.

 

[taximomfor4]

we go through carseats at an alarming rate. I always find things I don't like, and replace them.

We currently have 3 kids in seats... dd7 (just turned, but is SHORT) is in a convertible carseat/booster by Cosco. Don't love it. Very basic, nothing wrong, just don't love it. Ds5 (about 43", probably a tad under 40 lbs) is in a Graco turbo (I think) booster. I don't think that one is ever a carseat, though. Just a highback booster which can convert to a backless booster. DD2 (just about to be 3) is 24-25lbs and about 34" I would guess. We had a different carseat for her but about 6 mos ago switched her to the Eddie Bauer convertible carseat/booster. LOOOOOOOOVE it. Can remove the pillow (velcro's on), can attach/remove the snack+cupholder, has a little net pouch on the other side for little toys or whatnot. And the material washes VERY well. We are still using it as a carseat, not a booster yet. Actually, since I just got a new (used van) with integrated carseat, her Eddie Bauer is stashed. But as soon as she gets too tall for the integrated, I look forward to putting her back in the Eddie Bauer.

I VERY strongly recommend taking your child with you to sit in the display carseats (if they come down onto the floor).

Beth

 

[LibertyLover]

We just got the Britex Bodyguard and love it. DD is just 3 feet tall and 36 pounds. It works well for her.

 

[momxx5]

At BabyUSA they allowed me to put the Britax Bodyguard into my car so I could test it with DD in it. She just turned 6 at the time and was under 40lbs.

The part I could not understand was the lapbelt clamps. It didn't seem like it was something she would be able to buckle herself. It seem hard to be able to clamp it properly each time. I really need something that she can use to buckle and unbuckle to get in/out easily at the car circle at school.

 

[puddleduck]

You don't have to use the clamps on the bodyguard. I like them for my ds, though because they seem to give a snugger fit. I always buckle him in myself, he's not quite 5 yet, I want to know that he is in, so it doesn't bother me to have to do it myself. He is able to unbuckle it though. When you have 3 in carseats, any little bit helps.

 

[JMSMommy]

Not a booster, but the Britax Marathon has higher strap slots and goes to 65 pounds. My 36" tall, 28 pound almost 3 year old is no where NEAR outgrowing this seat. LOL He'll probably be in it until he is at least 5 (even though he is begging to use his brother's Turbo-booster seat). When we got the seat, my older son was 4, weighed 45 pounds and was around 45 inches tall...he still fit great in it. The user guide says "for use with children less than 49 inches tall." Hmmm...so my 6 year just NOW outgrew it.

 

[Zoesmama03]

I would think you could use a booster with shoulder belt once they are 40". They aren't tall enough to safely wear it until 40".


I think your Britax are the ones that go the highest on height. Because most kids are able to use the shoulder belt type boosters at 40" I'm glad there are ones that go longer. I may end up needing one as my dd is tall but lean and light. My dd is just turning 2 and over 34" tall. I measured 36" but I think she is closer to 35".

this is the guidelines from the website on my dd's carseat(Cosco Alpha Omega):
When should my child be moved to a booster seat?
A. If you child is between 30 and 40 pounds and his shoulders are above the upper slots, you should remove the harness and use the seat as a belt-positioning booster. If your child is over 40 pounds, you must remove the harness and use the seat as a belt-positioning booster regardless of the child’s height.

I don't necessarily agree with the second part about 40 lbs and up regardless of heigh. If they seat holds to 80-100 lbs like mine why move them until they reach that heigh limit. The height in my opinion is important part because if shorter the belt will not fit and could cause injury.

 

[Zoesmama03]

Not a booster, but the Britax Marathon has higher strap slots and goes to 65 pounds. My 36" tall, 28 pound almost 3 year old is no where NEAR outgrowing this seat. LOL He'll probably be in it until he is at least 5 (even though he is begging to use his brother's Turbo-booster seat). When we got the seat, my older son was 4, weighed 45 pounds and was around 45 inches tall...he still fit great in it. The user guide says "for use with children less than 49 inches tall." Hmmm...so my 6 year just NOW outgrew it.

I think the 49 inches refers to the use as should belt booster combination.

 

[JMSMommy]

The Britax Marathon is not a booster seat, it is a convertible carseat that has much higher size limits. It really is a BIG carseat.

Also, on the Alpha Omega, they say to move to the regular car seat belt at 40 pounds and use the seat as a belt positioning booster because the 5 point harness straps are only designed to hold up to 40 pounds. They are not strong enough to hold a child in beyond that (well, engineering will get you a couple of pounds leeway). The seat is rated for 80-100 pounds based on a belt positioning booster seat with the plastic clips for holding the seatbelt from the car.

All carseats with a 5 point system, EXCEPT the Marathon and Decathlon from Britax and special order seats for special needs children/adults have a 40 pound weight limit. My older DS hit 40 pounds at 2.5 years old and had to be moved to a lap/shoulder belt position booster seat. I bought the Marathon seat because I though DS#2 would be similar ( who knew he'd be a 10-25% child and weigh a whopping 28 pounds at 2.75 years).

 

[tlbwriter]

When should my child be moved to a booster seat?
A. If you child is between 30 and 40 pounds and his shoulders are above the upper slots, you should remove the harness and use the seat as a belt-positioning booster. If your child is over 40 pounds, you must remove the harness and use the seat as a belt-positioning booster regardless of the child’s height.

I don't necessarily agree with the second part about 40 lbs and up regardless of heigh. If they seat holds to 80-100 lbs like mine why move them until they reach that heigh limit. The height in my opinion is important part because if shorter the belt will not fit and could cause injury.

Take a look at your seat's shell. It's made of plastic. In a crash, the harness is going to strain against that plastic shell. The shell was only made to withstand a certain amount of force by that harness. If you put more force on it, the harness will rip through the shell, and your child will be flung about the vehicle. That's why you should never fudge the weight limits on a carseat.

Now, when you use that same seat as a booster, all it does is lift your child up so he is the correct height to use the adult seatbelt. That's why it's safe to use as a booster for heavier kids.

If you don't like the way the seatbelt fits in booster mode, try a different booster. Seats that are meant to be used only as a booster (like the Graco TurboBooster and Evenflo Big Kid, both of which I own and can highly recommend) tend to be better booster seats, since they're not trying to fit two different needs.

 

[Zoesmama03]

Okay you are right I do see a need to go beyond 5 pt harness at 40 lbs. Like I said I won't have that problem because my dd will reach the height before the weight I'm SURE Of that.

Very interesting about the marathon because from what I've been told the max height in those is 43".

I have an Alpha Omega and it does work as a shoulder belt booster up to 100 lbs

 

[shelly3girls]

We own a Britax Bodyguard and a Graco CarGo (starts as 5 pt. harness then turns into booster). My older DD uses the Britax but we purchased the Graco for my younger DD. DD4 is now 45" and 45 lbs. Up until just recently we did not feel that she was tall enough for the Britax. Britax states the child should be 40 lbs. and 43" before using this seat. When I purchased the seat I had a tech show me how high the child's shoulders needed to be to use the seat and my younger DD was just not tall enough. We ended up purchasing the Graco and have not regretted the decision. We used it as a 5 pt harness until she reached 40 lbs and now use it as a booster. I think we will get many years out of it since my older DD6 still fits in it comfortably. I may end up purchasing another Britax b/c of the side impact protection but would not have even considered it until DD was 43".

 

[tlbwriter]

Okay you are right I do see a need to go beyond 5 pt harness at 40 lbs. Like I said I won't have that problem because my dd will reach the height before the weight I'm SURE Of that.

A lot of Cosco seats have that problem - their harness straps are so low that kids tend to outgrow them by height before they outgrow them by weight.

 

[laughinplace199]

I think I will bring DS with me to the store to try out some booster seats. Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. I now have quite a few brands to check out.

 

[Zoesmama03]

A lot of Cosco seats have that problem - their harness straps are so low that kids tend to outgrow them by height before they outgrow them by weight.

She has plenty of grow room in ours and she is 34 1/2 inches now. It seems pretty darn accurate to me with the 40" they promise. It adjust by turning two rods and pulling them up to lock into the next position. They don't have wholes for straps in the Alpha Omega elite that I have. It is fully adjustable with out threading any straps.

Also you have to consider the torso length of the particular child they are all shaped differently.

I haven't looked a lot of seats and its been months. DD was 6 months old when we bought this one it has worked great. We also had the Evenflo Titan 5 and she still has one slot ahead to use yet. She is just about in need of the next slot. She is tall for her age too so I'm surprised she hasn't outgrown it.

I think her seat is perfectly sized for her and the only reason I mention she will out grow the height is because she is quite tall for her age. I get that everywhere though when I mention I have a Cosco seat everyone belittles them to nothing and she is comfy and safe and it fits my car perfect. We could not afford the Marathon or I would have got it surely. My dh puts his full body weight(240-250 lbs) on the Alpha Omega when installing it and it gives in no way. When/if she outgrows the height before weight I will try her in a Marathon or other that goes to 43" and higher weight. I do think safety is important though and the longer she is in 5 pt harness "safely" the better.

 

[tlbwriter]

She has plenty of grow room in ours and she is 34 1/2 inches now. It seems pretty darn accurate to me with the 40" they promise. It adjust by turning two rods and pulling them up to lock into the next position. They don't have wholes for straps in the Alpha Omega elite that I have. It is fully adjustable with out threading any straps.

I'm sure you're aware of this, but since there are probably other AO (and its clone, the 3-in-1) owners reading this thread who don't realize it, I wanted to point out that the top position is not for harnessed use, it's for booster use only. Apparently it's a pretty common mistake for AO/3-in-1 users to make, from what I hear, since the instructions are rather subtly embossed into the plastic.

Also you have to consider the torso length of the particular child they are all shaped differently.

That's true. Rather than going by height alone, it's really best to determine where the shoulder straps fit your child. The harness should be at or above the child's shoulders. If it's below the shoulders, the child has outgrown it by height. So, like you said, torso height matters. A child with long legs might be taller than the listed height for the seat, but still fit the harness perfectly.

 

[Colinsmom]

Very interesting about the marathon because from what I've been told the max height in those is 43".

Here's the manufacturer link to the Marathon:

http://www.britaxusa.com/products.cfm?action=ShowProduct&pro_id=7C71C785-4FBA-422D-83DC419B3D5B8213

There is no specified height limit in inches. The limit is reached when their shoulders are above the top harness slots, or when the tips of their ears reach the top of my seat. DS is 41" tall at 2.5 years old and has a lot of growing room left - probably more in the neighborhood of 6" or so, rather than just 2".

 

[Zoesmama03]

Here's the manufacturer link to the Marathon:

http://www.britaxusa.com/products.cfm?action=ShowProduct&pro_id=7C71C785-4FBA-422D-83DC419B3D5B8213

There is no specified height limit in inches. The limit is reached when their shoulders are above the top harness slots, or when the tips of their ears reach the top of my seat. DS is 41" tall at 2.5 years old and has a lot of growing room left - probably more in the neighborhood of 6" or so, rather than just 2".

Gotcha so like I said it probably has a lot to do with where the child has the most length at. A long legged shorter waist child can probably fit longer. I see.

I probably will get a new second seat for dd as the Evenflo Titan 5 I have as second seat only goes to 40 lbs and I'm sure she will probably reach the height before the weight. I'll have to do a test run and put her in a floor model to see where she'd come. Then if I got a Marathon I would use it and the booster would be a second seat "if" needed. But I will likely be doing all the driving with her. Thats how its been so far. Then again she could slow down on her growth in height or gain weight quicker later on. Never know with kids.