4.5 Year Old Really Doesn't Like Her Britax Marathon, What Should I Get?

[BeingMe]

I want the safest carseat, and one that will last her a while.  Preferably one she can't adjust because it's a battle with her loosing her marathon all the time to the point it's not safe.  She's about 36lbs and around 41-42" tall.

Thanks

[leighi123]

Why doesnt she like it?  

[BeingMe]

She has been saying the tags itch her, but now she says she doesn't like it at all.  Personally it's easy to install my only issue, and it's a big one, is that she can adjust it.  She loosens it really loose and I can't find a way to make her stop.

[BeingMe]

I have seen good reviews for the Britax Frontier 85, but also have read that a combo booster isn't as safe as one that doesn't change.  I have also read some good things about Sunshine Kids Radian XT and the others, but to be honest I'm kinda lost.  Any advice?

[leighi123]

There is no point in getting a convertible for a forward facing only child unless you plan on passing it down to a younger child.  

Combination seats (ie ones that go from harness to booster) are just fine, its the '3 in 1" seats that rearface/forwardface/booster are the ones that make awful boosters. 

I'd look at the graco nautilus, britax frontier and the evenflo maestro.   The nautilus I think has the tallest harness slots, 3 of my ds's friends have them and they all really like them, and I know its a highly recomended seat.  The frontier is equally as good, and the maestro is the cheapest of the 3 for HWH seats.  All 3 make good boosters as well.  

If she is loosening the harness, Britax makes a thing that prevents this, if you call them they send it to you.  I forget what they call it though.  

ETA: my ds rides RFing in a sunshine kids radian XTSL, and I really like the seat, but remember it doesnt turn into a booster, its just a convertible for rearfacing and forward facing only

[Drummer's Wife]

My youngest rides in both a Apex and a Graco Nautilus - the Nautilus he can't get undone by himself (he complains when riding in my car, but it sounds it might be good for your DD).  Both of our seats harness to 65 lbs and can be used as boosters later on.  My kids outgrew the Marathon when they were 4/5 - by height. 

[DahliaRW]

A combo seat is your best bet.  At 4.5 she probably is getting close to outgrowing the MA anyways.

Someone mentioned the Apex.  Ok seat, but doesn't make a good booster for most kids because it is super super wide.

Your best bets if you want to never buy another seat again are the Britax Frontier and the Graco Nautilus.  The Frontier has the highest top slots and lasts longest  in hbb mode, but it is a lot more expensive.  I've owned a nautilus and loved it.  Really nice seat for the price.

You could also do an evenflo maestro and then buy a dedicated booster later.  The maestro does work as a booster, but it's very short and outgrown in harnessed and booster mode around the same time.  The plus side is the maestro + turbobooster later on is the same price or less than the cost of a nautilus, which is good to know if you plan on handing down seats.

[chickabiddy]

Originally Posted by BeingMe 

I have seen good reviews for the Britax Frontier 85, but also have read that a combo booster isn't as safe as one that doesn't change.  I have also read some good things about Sunshine Kids Radian XT and the others, but to be honest I'm kinda lost.  Any advice?

There is absolutely no reason to believe that a combination seat, used properly, is any less safe than a convertible seat.  It is a perfectly safe and appropriate choice for a forward-facing 4yo.

[BeingMe]

Thanks everyone for the help.  I feel better knowing that the britax frontier 85 is a safe seat as that's the one I was leaning towards.  Plus she loved the cupholders.  If there isn't any reasons I should go with that one, then that's the one I will get.

Thanks!!  You have made my crazy world less crazy.  And that is huge right now.  THANKS!!

[Danielle283]

We have the Frontier and love it!

[jessica_s]

We recently bought the Frontier, actually found one on the shelf at Target that was an online return, not opened, for about $50 cheaper than normal retail! We tried out all the seats at Babies R Us and that's the one our son thought he liked the best. I needed something that had a high seated height for the harness, he's tall! I've been really happy with it so far.

[Lisa1970]

My son loved his Nautilus and I bought it for him when he was 5.

[snowgirl]

I have a Frontier, love it for harnass, HATE it for booster. It is so freaking wide that it is impossible for dd to buckle herself. And I have a big car. So my car isn't the issue.

[Thandiwe]

Actually, I need to get the link for this article, but we have Frontiers, so I was intrigued by something I read.  When crash tests were done with the Frontier in booster mode, the children who were in the booster w/o the top tether, just the seat belt, sustained more severe head damage than without the booster.  I can see this, too, because the Frontier is sooo heavy.  The point of the article was informing people that the top tether has a weight limit, which most people don't know.  Britax informs parents to use the top tether at all weights, but the manufacturers actually impose weight limits similar to the lower LATCH anchors.  So the debate was whether or not to use the top tether on weights outside the limits in booster mode.  And, like I said, they actually found the dummies sustained serious head injuries.  I will try to find the article and link it.

 

Originally Posted by chickabiddy 

Originally Posted by BeingMe 

I have seen good reviews for the Britax Frontier 85, but also have read that a combo booster isn't as safe as one that doesn't change.  I have also read some good things about Sunshine Kids Radian XT and the others, but to be honest I'm kinda lost.  Any advice?

There is absolutely no reason to believe that a combination seat, used properly, is any less safe than a convertible seat.  It is a perfectly safe and appropriate choice for a forward-facing 4yo.

[Thandiwe]

 http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/baby-toddler/booster-combination-car-seats/higher-weight-limit-seats/index.htm 

Scroll down about halfway, to "From Our Own Testing," particularly the second bulleted point.  Hth!

[an_aurora]

It's speaking about using the seat not tethered, but I believe the tether is mandatory after 50 pounds anyway.  

Also, I put zero stock in Consumer Reports's car seat testing.

ETA: here is the exact quote:

[QUOTE]In our tests of the Britax Frontier toddler booster seat, installed with a lap belt and without the top tether, and tested with a harnessed 52-lb., 6-year-old hybrid III dummy, the dummy's head exceeded the limits for head excursion that would be allowed by the standard test. That means the head moved forward more than the federal standard for child seats allows. Additional forward head movement in a real crash can potentially expose a child's head to injury. When we tested the same seat with the top tether installed, and with a 3-point safety belt, the head excursions were within the limits. Based on those results and recommendations from the Britax manual, we would not recommend use of the Britax Frontier for older vehicles that have only a lap belt for installation and lack a top-tether anchor.[/QUOTE]

[Thandiwe]

Completely agreed about the tether, but I do need to stress that there *is* a weight limit for the top tether, which Britax fails to inform consumer's about.  So, *technically speaking,* you shouldn't be tethering the booster past 50#.  Personally, I regret buying the Frontier for booster use past the harness.  It has been a major PITA.

[devon]

Originally Posted by Thandiwe 

Completely agreed about the tether, but I do need to stress that there *is* a weight limit for the top tether, which Britax fails to inform consumer's about.  So, *technically speaking,* you shouldn't be tethering the booster past 50#.

Where are you getting this information?  I don't see anything about it in our car manuals (2006 Odyssey and 2004 Corolla) or the manual for our Sunshine Kids Monterrey Booster, which you can tether/latch.  I was under the impression that you can still latch/tether a booster that allows it past the 40 lbs or whatever since the seatbelt is being used to restrain the child, and the tether is just to restrain the seat.

[chickabiddy]

Originally Posted by devon 

Where are you getting this information?  I don't see anything about it in our car manuals (2006 Odyssey and 2004 Corolla) or the manual for our Sunshine Kids Monterrey Booster, which you can tether/latch.  I was under the impression that you can still latch/tether a booster that allows it past the 40 lbs or whatever since the seatbelt is being used to restrain the child, and the tether is just to restrain the seat.

This is absolutely correct.

[an_aurora]

Originally Posted by devon 

Where are you getting this information?  I don't see anything about it in our car manuals (2006 Odyssey and 2004 Corolla) or the manual for our Sunshine Kids Monterrey Booster, which you can tether/latch.  I was under the impression that you can still latch/tether a booster that allows it past the 40 lbs or whatever since the seatbelt is being used to restrain the child, and the tether is just to restrain the seat.

Yes, you are correct.  

Faulting the Frontier for being used against the manufacturer's explicit instructions is not fair, IMO.