What car seat for almost 4 year old?

[Plarka]

We live in the UK but will be visiting my family in the US in the summer.  My dd will be a few weeks away from turning 4, maybe even turning 4 there.  In our car, she uses an extended rearfacing car seat. I need to have my mom find a car seat for her to use there on Freecycle, but what do almost 4 year olds use?  I don't want to buy one, and will deal with her forward facing while there!

[serenbat]

most 4 year old (for that matter most 3 year olds) are NOT in rear facing car seats here

First I would check with the type of car you are using plus your child's weight and height to find the proper type (our car only can take certain types) and I would never use freecycle to get one - I know two people that were given seats that were in accidents, a lot of people use it to just dump seats you really need to check

most states have free car seat checks that can be done by local police to see that it is in properly and adjusted for the child

[pbjmama]

If you supply her height and weight perhaps your mom could contact some families she knows and see if you could borrow a seat while visiting?

[RoViMama]

Depending on her weight and height, there are some 4 yr olds that are rear facing.  Very few!!  But the AAP finally came out with 2 yr old rear facing guidelines, so we are on our way.  

My 4 yr old almost 5 is in a Graco Nautilus (sp).  It goes to 100 #.  Why don't you bring the seat with you?  I always travel with mine.  At least within the states, it's free to send.  At least, you would know how to use it and then take it back with you. 

Go to the babycenter.com car seat page. They know all!  Not sure if mothering has a page. 

[KempsMama]

I would not get a seat on Freecycle.  A used seat is fine if you know the history of the seat, but that's not possible with Freecycle or Craigslist.

[Plarka]

Sooooo...what type of car seat does one use at this age?

[chattyprincess]

Britax frontier, they are expensive for sure especially just for a vacation use. Maybe you guys could buy one and your mom might know a friend who would buy it back for a discounted price?

[pbjmama]

Originally Posted by Plarka 

Sooooo...what type of car seat does one use at this age?

Depending on height and weight you could use a variety of seats including front or rear facing 5 ft harness, if over 4 and 40+ lbs you can legally use a booster (highback or backless) with a seat belt in most states. I think a ff 5 pt harness is most likely to fit your needs. There are alot of options that fit that need. Here are examples of possibilities, you can see there are many many choices.

http://www.diapers.com/product/subcategory.aspx?categoryid=6&categoryname=Gear&subcategoryid=310&subcategoryname=Car+Seats&queryfrom=SUBCATEGORY&filtername=Type&filtervalue=Booster+Car+Seats

http://www.diapers.com/product/subcategory.aspx?categoryid=6&categoryname=Gear&subcategoryid=310&subcategoryname=Car+Seats&queryfrom=SUBCATEGORY&filtername=Type&filtervalue=Convertible+Car+Seats

[JudiAU]

Please post height and weight. You might also consider posting to family safety.

In the US, most insurance companies will pay to replace carseats when they've been in accident. But they don't necessarily insure the carseats are destoryed I would urge you not to get a carseat from Freecycle. Odds are it is expired or non-functional or  been in an accident if they are giving it away for free. If they thought it had value they would try and sell it on Craig's List and I wouldn't buy one there either.

[mama2soren]

Most near-4 year olds are harnessed in FF seats.  I would have your mom purchase a new Evenflo Maestro.  It has a FF weight limit of 50 pounds, and a nice tall harness that fits older kids.  It is a FF seat only.  They can be found for $80.  Here's the seat at Target, Walmart (on sale!), Babies R Us, and at Burlington Coat Factory (also on sale!).  Most people have at least one of these stores nearby, though it'd also be easy to order online.

Please do not just use a Freecycle seat.  You would not know if the seat was properly cared for.  Not all damage is visible to the naked eye.  It could have been in a car accident, dropped, checked as baggage on a plane and treated roughly, the straps washed in harsh cleaners... all things that would be difficult or impossible to see, but could compromise the seat's safety.  The Maestro is a great seat, and relatively inexpensive.  If money was really tight, you could consider selling it at the end of the summer on Craigslist for $40 or so.

Have a great trip!