5.75 year old's car seat is expiring

[BeagleMommy]

Hi, safety experts!

I had a bit of a shock this morning. As I was removing the cover of my daughter's Britax Boulevard to clean it, I thought to check the date of manufacture and thereby the expiration. Well, my daughter will be 6 in January and her car seat will expire in March!

The rest of the story:
We have a 2001 Chevy Malibu.

DD is almost 6- 43" high and 43 lbs
DS is 3- 36" high and 28 lbs
Baby #3 will be here in May, so whatever we get will have to fit with three

If money were no object, I'd get 3 Radians. Money, however, is an issue.

I really like the 5 point harness of convertibles. But I fear the seats will be tight enough that she won't be able to buckle a booster without scraping her hands.

Currently, DS is in a True Fit which is also quite wide.

Help! Suggestions?

Thanks!

[chickabiddy]

Is your 3yo forward- or rear-facing?
 

[BeagleMommy]

Sorry I forgot to mention that. He's forward facing.

[brigala]

Can you afford one new Radian? I think I've heard that Radians and True Fits fit nicely next to each other when they're both facing the same direction. Later you can pass either the Radian or the True Fit down to the baby RF when you have to put the oldest child in a booster. 

[BeagleMommy]

I think we can afford one. I'll just hope we have a different car by the time my eldest is in a booster.

A Radian should allow use as a 5 pt harness up to 65 pounds, right? That should be a while. Thanks for the suggestion. I knew I didn't want to go into booster-land just yet.

[brigala]

The cheapest Radian (R100) will FF to 65. The R120 or RXT are rated to 80 lbs, but unless your child's a chunk 65 is more realistic anyway before the seat gets outgrown by height. 

[BeagleMommy]

Thanks again.
I think we'll be buying a Radian R100 and saving for another vehicle.

[DahliaRW]

Make sure to check your nearly 6yos height in the seats before you purchase.  A lot of 6yos are too tall for BLVDs (shoulders above top harness slot).  You'll want to make sure you have enough growing room.

[BeagleMommy]

I won't be buying another Britax product so height in the BLVD shouldn't be an issue. I won't buy anything for a baby with a less than 10 year expiration.

Thanks.

[chickabiddy]

Originally Posted by BeagleMommy 

I won't be buying another Britax product so height in the BLVD shouldn't be an issue. I won't buy anything for a baby with a less than 10 year expiration.
Thanks.

No harnessed seats suitable for a baby will actually last that baby for 10 years.

[BeagleMommy]

Perhaps. Perhaps not. But I spent a ton of my money ($329!) on a Boulevard for my daughter when she was six months old and was told by Britax how wonderful the seat was and how she could be harnessed for longer and move straight to a booster. Had I bought the less expensive Radian (Sunshine Kids at that time), we wouldn't be having this discussion. I feel cheated, overcharged, and misled. I'd buy another Graco (though never another bucket!) before I'd give Britax another dime.

[DahliaRW]

Originally Posted by chickabiddy 



No harnessed seats suitable for a baby will actually last that baby for 10 years.

I don't think there are many (if any) seats that last 10 years.  6-8 is average.

[BeagleMommy]

All of the Diono Radians (previously Sunshine Kids) have a 10 year life according to their website.
http://us.diono.com/en/car-seat-comparisons

[chickabiddy]

Yes, they have a 10-year expiration (for the booster portion -- harnesses have an 8-year expiration), but they will not fit a 10yo, so unless there are other kids to pass it down to, it is not terribly meaningful.