Need some help please

[Monkeyfeet]

My 4 yo dd is in a Marathon in my car and a Nautilus in dh's. She is a tall, solid girl but has a lot of room to grow in both. My ds is in an evenflo, the model escapes me at the moment, and he just turned 10 months. He can go rear facing in his present seat until 33 pounds and he is about 8 pounds away from that. So I would like to get a seat with a longer rear facing limit for him but that will also have a higher weight limit as a 5 point harness. I am thinking that once he grows out of the weight limit for that I may then put him in dd's Marathon and her in his new seat if possible so she can be in a five point harness longer than the 65 pounds that the Marathon goes to. I have a Camry with just two seats in the back. I can spend up to $300. I would appreciate any suggestions. Kelly

[pixels99]

$300 for one seat, or for 2? It makes a big difference.

Most convertibles have a 35 pound limit. Not enough of a difference from 33 to buy a new seat for 2 pounds, IMO. So you're left with the 40 pound seats. Right now, there are 3. A few months ago, there were none. Since you have 8 pounds to go, I would wait a bit, keep an eye on his weight, and see what else comes to market.

A quick rundown of the 3 current 40 pound seats: Graco MyRide, Sunshine Kids Radian, Complete Air. The MyRide has a shell approximately the same height as your Marathon, maybe an inch shorter. I'm not sure how the top harness slots compare. 65 pound weight limit on the harness, but like the Marathon, it will be outgrown by height before any child gets there. $150

Radian: Shell is much taller than the MyRide. 65 or 80 pound limit on the harness, depending on model, though kids will outgrow by height around 60 pounds usually. Can be more difficult to install than most seats, particularly the forward facing seatbelt install, but once you learn which tricks to use it's easy. Because of the tall shell and rear facing foot that you're required to use, it takes up a lot of room front to back in the car. I have mine in the center seat of my Civic because that way the top of the seat comes up over and between the front seats. Folds for travel and you can attach straps to turn it into a backpack. $190-260 depending on model.

CompleteAir: The shell is again very tall, but has a 40 inch limit for rear facing. I don't know as much about this seat as it is very new. $250.

[chickabiddy]

Where are your daughter's shoulders in relation to the top straps of the Marathon?

[Monkeyfeet]

Thank you for the info Melissa, I appreciate it! My dd's shoulders are a quarter of an inch above the top harness level and I just read two different thoughts on that. One said that if her ears are above the shell then she is too tall for the seat and the other said if her shoulders are above the top harness level then she is too tall. So which is it? I never would have thought that she would have grown out of her seat yet! So if she has then I will scrap the idea of a new seat for now for ds and put him in the Marathon and get her maybe a Nautilus. Or is they another one that I should think about?

[chickabiddy]

It's either/or. A seat is outgrown if the ears are above the top of the shell OR the straps are above the shoulders OR the weight limit has been reached.

I think the Nautilus would be a very good choice for her.

(P.S. I am not surprised that a "tall, solid" 4yo has outgrown the seat. Most kids outgrow it by height between 41"-46" and almost no kids make it to 65# before outgrowing it by height.)

[Monkeyfeet]

Thank you so much, we are getting her a new seat tomorrow. I really appreciate your help!