DS is almost 4 and needs a new car seat...what next?

[bstandlee]

I'm a little clueless about the next stage of car seat for him. From what I've read it sounds like he should still be in a 5-point harness car seat and not a self-buckled booster seat (we live in CA and I'm not even quite sure what the rules are for weight/age/car seat vs. booster ) Is there a car seat that converts into a booster seat for when he's old enough? He's currently 38 pounds or so and we have a Cosco Scenera that goes to 40 pounds I think. Can anyone help me with some seats that would be good for him?

Also, we are expecting twins in October. Does anyone have experience using the Cosco Scenera as a rear facing infant seat? Is there anyway this might work for one of the twins even if they're, say, 5 pounds? (the minimum weight) It would be great if we only had to buy one infant seat, especially since DS was out of his by 6 months! Otherwise we're looking at the Safety 1st onBoard 35 based on a recommendation from another thread here.

Thanks for any recommendations! I feel silly being so ignorant, but the world of car seats/boosters is still very confusing to me!

[KempsMama]

A nautilus or a frontier would be a good choice for a harnessed seat for your oldest, they both convert to boosters. 

I don't have experience with the Scenera, so I'll yield on that. 

[TheGirls]

The Scenera is fine as a RF seat, we used ours exclusively RF (DD outgrew it RF and FF at the same time).  It fits average sized newborns well and has lower strap slots than some infant seats (ie the Graco Snugrides we used for our twins).  Our boys fit ok but not great in their snugrides at birth and they were 6lbs 11oz and 5lb 11oz, born at 35 wks.  The OnBoard seat does have much lower strap settings for small babies.    As you get closer you may have a better idea of how early your twins will come and how big they will be. 

The 3yo should be harnessed for sure, until he is mature enough to sit properly in a booster seat, and over 4yo and 40lbs.  For most kids it's more like 5-6yo.  The Maestro, Nautilus, and Frontier are often recommended FF harnessed seats.  The Maestro is a somewhat short booster so you'll need another booster down the road, but you can pass it down and the seat is cheap enough that it may be worth it.

[DahliaRW]

I'd be surprised if your ds still fits in the scenera.  Are his shoulders still below the top slot?  If they are even a smidge over, he cannot ride in that seat again.

If you never want to buy another seat, get a nautilus or frontier.  Or, for about the same price as the nautilus you can get a maestro now and a dedicated booster later when the nautilus is outgrown.

[bstandlee]

I will definitely look into the nautilus and frontier. I looked at them both on Amazon and they both have great reviews. I did notice many reviews on the nautilus mentioned it being really uncomfortable and poor padding...anybody have experience with this? I think we'll go to a real store this weekend and hopefully look at them both in person and have DS sit in them if possible. Thanks for the recommendations!

[bstandlee]

Originally Posted by TheGirls 

The Scenera is fine as a RF seat, we used ours exclusively RF (DD outgrew it RF and FF at the same time).  It fits average sized newborns well and has lower strap slots than some infant seats (ie the Graco Snugrides we used for our twins).  Our boys fit ok but not great in their snugrides at birth and they were 6lbs 11oz and 5lb 11oz, born at 35 wks.  The OnBoard seat does have much lower strap settings for small babies.    As you get closer you may have a better idea of how early your twins will come and how big they will be. 

Good feedback, thanks! It does make sense to wait a while and get a better feel for how big they might be.

[JudiAU]

We love our nautilus.

[rik8144]

I have had both the Nautilus and the Frontier. I (and both of my kids) prefer the Frontier. When the kids fall asleep their heads would flop forward in the Nauti but in the Frontier they stay up and comfy. The padding seems better on the Frontier.

The Frontier is on sale right now at babycatalog.com for $204 and free shipping. I think it is well worth the extra money.

[bstandlee]

Originally Posted by rik8144 

I have had both the Nautilus and the Frontier. I (and both of my kids) prefer the Frontier. When the kids fall asleep their heads would flop forward in the Nauti but in the Frontier they stay up and comfy. The padding seems better on the Frontier.

The Frontier is on sale right now at babycatalog.com for $204 and free shipping. I think it is well worth the extra money.

Ooh, that's not a bad price. I'll check it out, thanks! We're still hoping to see a nautilus and frontier in real life to compare them. Hopefully this weekend (we live in a small town and have to drive quite a ways).

[sara_m]

We have the nautilus in our car for my petite 6yo and the maestro (two of them, actually, one for our 6yo and one for our 3yo) in grandparents' car. No complaints with either. The kids aren't in the maestros very long (just around town, mostly), but the nautilus has been used for cross-country treks. When I bought it, I also seriously considered the frontier, but ultimately went with the nautilus which gets better rating for slender kids. In my car, my girls (3yo and 10mo) are in sunshine radians. Love, love those seats. You might consider getting two of those, which are good from 5 lbs until they grow out of the shoulder harnesses (or hit 65 or 80 lbs - depending on the model - but most kids grow out of harnesses before that). They are fabulous seats - narrow, so you can fit three across, comfortable, super safe, and travel really well.I despise "bucket" seats and the third time around, completely skipped buying one. My kids were never happy in them and they seemed like such an unnecessary waste of money for such a short use.

[Thandiwe]

We have two Frontiers and love them.  My almost-6 year old is 65# and sits in his with the seat belt.  My 3 year old is in his with the harness, and he's about 38#.  I do love the Frontier, but it's huge and an absolute beast to install.  I am glad that they are really nestled safe inside a huge carseat, but I would definitely not recommend it if you cannot secure it with the top tether at all times.

[bstandlee]

Originally Posted by Thandiwe 

We have two Frontiers and love them.  My almost-6 year old is 65# and sits in his with the seat belt.  My 3 year old is in his with the harness, and he's about 38#.  I do love the Frontier, but it's huge and an absolute beast to install.  I am glad that they are really nestled safe inside a huge carseat, but I would definitely not recommend it if you cannot secure it with the top tether at all times.

Hmmm, interesting point about being huge and needing a tether. Right now we have a 2000 4Runner which doesn't have latches or tethers. We're looking at other cars but aren't sure what we'll be getting yet. It sounds like the nautilus would have a better chance at fitting 3 carseats across if need be. All this feedback is so helpful, thank you!

[Thandiwe]

Yes, I would definitely consider the Nautilus then.  The Frontier is very, very heavy and just not nearly as safe without that top tether because of it's massive size.  If you can, go check them out in a store.  There are certain perameters where you have to use the tether according to the manufacturer with the Frontier, though at the moment I can't remember which ones.  I *think* it's 80# and up.
 

Originally Posted by bstandlee 

Hmmm, interesting point about being huge and needing a tether. Right now we have a 2000 4Runner which doesn't have latches or tethers. We're looking at other cars but aren't sure what we'll be getting yet. It sounds like the nautilus would have a better chance at fitting 3 carseats across if need be. All this feedback is so helpful, thank you!

[karen1968]

Originally Posted by rik8144 

I have had both the Nautilus and the Frontier. I (and both of my kids) prefer the Frontier. When the kids fall asleep their heads would flop forward in the Nauti but in the Frontier they stay up and comfy. The padding seems better on the Frontier.

This is interesting, because the Fronteir seems so STRAIGHT, no incline at all (at least not as we looked at it at BRU). My son needs a new seat and we were looking between the Frontier and Nautilus. He falls asleep in the car often. We are almost set on the Nautilus before researching (now more confused!)

[bstandlee]

We ended up buying the Nuatilus and it seems very well padded and comfy for DS. He loves it. The only thing I don't like about it is that he can completely unbuckle himself. My main reason for convincing DH he needed a 5-point harness still instead of moving to just a seat belt booster is that I wanted to make sure he would for sure stay put once he was buckled in! So far it hasn't been an issue, and it is nice for him to be able to get out by himself as I am pregnant with twins. The Fronteir was just too much money for us, and even the Nautilus is larger than we were expecting. Supposedly the Frontier is even bulkier. But overall we're very pleased with the Nautilus. Hope this helps a little bit!

[Mom2M]

Originally Posted by karen1968 

This is interesting, because the Fronteir seems so STRAIGHT, no incline at all (at least not as we looked at it at BRU). My son needs a new seat and we were looking between the Frontier and Nautilus. He falls asleep in the car often. We are almost set on the Nautilus before researching (now more confused!)

If it helps at all, we have a Nautilus for DD and she falls asleep in it and is very comfortable! It does have a recline position.

[L J]

I drive a 2000 Jeep, so narrow back seat, and when I tried both the Nautilus and the Frontier my only option for my 4 year old ds was the Frontier - the Nautilus would not install in my car, it was just way to big at the base.

For what its worth, my 4 year old stopped sleeping in the car (in a Britax Boulevard) when he was around 3. Didn't matter how long the trip was, he just didn't sleep. The FIRST day we took a ride in the Frontier, he fell asleep! He really loves it, and doesn't complain about it being uncomfortable, ever. Another selling point for me, even before I realized the Nautilus wouldn't install in my car, was the additional crotch room in the Frontier. He still fit in the Boulevard in every other area other than the crotch, so I was happy to find a seat with more adjustments in the area.