mama of a lightweight 5 yo seeking car seat wisdom

[WaturMama]

I posted something similar to this in the Childhood years and this forum was recommended to me:

My 5.5 yo ds is just over 40 lbs, so he has outgrown the one and only car seat he has had--the Britax Roundabout. He is average height (about 44" or 3'8"). I'm getting stuck with the car seat question. I've googled extensively, but not finding a good overview and don't feel like I'm getting my mind around this. I'd appreciate some recommendations.

We could do booster seat or 5 pt harness, and booster would be more convenient, but 5 pt, safer, correct? If that's the choice I'll go for safer. I don't understand why some of them turn into boosters, why not just stay in the 5 pt?

Can just one more car seat last us until he no longer needs one? It seems the Radian is good for not taking too much space in a smallish car (we have a Honda CR-V). What about Britax v Radian and the myriad of Britax choices and is there something cheaper that is just as good?

Any answers or direction to a good web site would be greatly appreciated.

[ssh]

We went with a Graco Nautilus because it harnesses abit higher than everything but a Britax Regent and turns into a high back booster when our DD gets too tall for the harness. It's weight limit for harnessing is 65 lbs. but most kids outgrow the harness by height first.The Britax Regent harnesses up to 80 pounds and 53”.  The Regent is just really big and doesn't fit in all cars, but if you have a big car and the extra money you might like it better than a Nautilus.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

I got the apex 65 by safety first it is a 5pt harness that fits up to 65 pds and has really high harness slots I dont remember the exact height but ds is 48 inches tall and the top slot is below his shoulders by an inch so he has a good to go for a long while yet. It converts to a booster that goes up to 100pds and 57 inches.


I paid less than $100 for it here at albeebaby http://www.albeebaby.com/sa1stap65boc.html This one is $89.99 and then there are 2 more options at $129.00 I love ds's seat as a matter of fact this is the second one I got because I had to replace the first after a wreck. Ds was the only one who didnt have any pain the next day after it.

[TiredX2]

Originally Posted by WaturMama 

I posted something similar to this in the Childhood years and this forum was recommended to me:

My 5.5 yo ds is just over 40 lbs, so he has outgrown the one and only car seat he has had--the Britax Roundabout. He is average height (about 44" or 3'8"). I'm getting stuck with the car seat question. I've googled extensively, but not finding a good overview and don't feel like I'm getting my mind around this. I'd appreciate some recommendations.

First, I would be afraid that your DS has already outgrown the Roundabout.  Most children outgrow the Roundabout well before 44".  If his shoulders are above the top slots OR his ears are above the car seat frame he has already outgrown it and cannot ride in it again.

At 5.5 there is no evidence, that I know of, that harnessing is safer than a correcltly fitting high-backed booster.  The question is--- is your DS ready to be in a booster?  For both of my children, at that age I probably would have just gone directly into a booster, but they were both very willing to sit correctly.  Some kids definately aren't!
 

Do you have a store nearby that DS can try seats out in?  Do you need to travel (air) with the seat?  Do you carpool with the seat?  You'll want to consider these factors before deciding anything.

Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X 

I got the apex 65 by safety first it is a 5pt harness that fits up to 65 pds and has really high harness slots I dont remember the exact height but ds is 48 inches tall and the top slot is below his shoulders by an inch so he has a good to go for a long while yet. It converts to a booster that goes up to 100pds and 57 inches.
 

Do you mean that the top slot is ABOVE his shoulders by an inch?  Because if it is below his shoulders, wouldn't it be outgrown?  (or is the apex different than other ffacing harnessed seats?)

[DahliaRW]

The Apex is the same as any other ffing seat, outgrown when shoulders go over the top slot or the weight limit is exceeded.  And it has lower top slots than the nautilus or frontier.  It also doesn't make a great fitting booster on most kids because it is so wide.

There is no evidence that a sufficiently mature 5 yo is safter in a harness or a high back booster.  So you can decide what you think will work best for your child.  The important thing with a booster is that the child can sit properly to keep the seatbelt in position.  Most kids can by 5-7ish (some sooner, some later).

[chickabiddy]

I agree that the Apex is not a great choice for a small, slim child.  A booster would be a fine choice if he's ready to use one correctly, or an Evenflo Maestro is an inexpensive choice for a harnessed seat (it does convert to a booster, but it is a short booster, so you will need another dedicated booster down the line.)

Also agree that the Roundabout is likely well outgrown by height, the Apex is outgrown by height if the shoulder straps are below the child's shoulders, and the Apex will not actually booster to 100#/57" before being outgrown by height.

[deditus]

I love our Nautilus, it is by far the easiest to use seat I have worked with, but I don't have a good grasp of how long it will last us.

[urchin_grey]

Yes, I'm afraid that the Roundabout is probably LONG outgrown by height at 44".  At this age though, both a harnessed seat (I'd go with either the Graco Nautilus or the Evenflo Maestro) or a belt positioning booster are safe choices, provided he is able to sit in a booster properly for the entire ride.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Originally Posted by TiredX2 

First, I would be afraid that your DS has already outgrown the Roundabout.  Most children outgrow the Roundabout well before 44".  If his shoulders are above the top slots OR his ears are above the car seat frame he has already outgrown it and cannot ride in it again.

At 5.5 there is no evidence, that I know of, that harnessing is safer than a correcltly fitting high-backed booster.  The question is--- is your DS ready to be in a booster?  For both of my children, at that age I probably would have just gone directly into a booster, but they were both very willing to sit correctly.  Some kids definately aren't!
 

Do you have a store nearby that DS can try seats out in?  Do you need to travel (air) with the seat?  Do you carpool with the seat?  You'll want to consider these factors before deciding anything.

Do you mean that the top slot is ABOVE his shoulders by an inch?  Because if it is below his shoulders, wouldn't it be outgrown?  (or is the apex different than other ffacing harnessed seats?)

Yeah sorry typo (was having issues with sticky page and wasnt paying attention) he has another 2 inches at least before reaching the top slot rechecked it again when I went out a bit ago.

[WaturMama]

Thanks very much for all the info and recommendations. My ds must have a lot of his height in his legs, because he has not outgrown the Roundabout by height (ears and shoulders), but he is edging over the 40 lb weight, so I need to do something.

Very interesting that 5 pt isn't safer than booster at this age. What makes a child ready for a booster?

[DahliaRW]

The main thing a child needs to be ready for a booster is sufficient maturity to sit properly in the seatbelt at all times.  The other component is that they must be old enough and their body developed enough for the booster.  The recommendation is a bare minimum of 4 and 40 lbs.  But a 35lb 6yo would be fine in a booster too, kwim?  Most kids are ready sometime between 4-6 years old, and most closer to 5 and 6.

[sunnymw]

The Graco Nautilus, Recaro ProSport, and Britax Frontier85 are all great options for harness-to-booster and will likely last until you don't need anything at all anymore. Most other higher-weight harness seats either have short booster heights or do not make the best dedicated boosters once the harness is outgrown.