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booster seat question  

post #1 of 12
7/9/06 at 8:58am
Thread Starter 
Okay, we are expecting a baby in Sept. We have Jason's old bucket seat and currently Jason is in a britax marathon. I kind of want to switch Jason to a new seat now, b/c I don't want him to feel like the baby is taking his seat when he outgrows the bucket. So, I am hoping to just buy one more seat for Jason that will last him until he can sit in a regular seat without a booster seat. Is this possible? He is 2.5 yo, i think over 30 pounds and over 3 feet tall. Hmm maybe I should weigh him before we head out to buy the seat. I think my inlaws have this one and he likes it a lot, very comfy and has good ratings if this is the right one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...725488-5168843

I can't really tell if this will get him all the way until they can go without a booster seat? Probably not...they have to be in one until like 8 yo or something right? Does anyone have something that would work for a 2.5 but could be used long term? I hope I am making sense.
post #2 of 12
7/9/06 at 9:01am
Thread Starter 
also do they make anything they can rest their dangling feet on instead of kicking the back of my seat on long car trips?
post #3 of 12
7/9/06 at 9:29am
I think I'd go with something more like the Cosco Apex so he could be harnessed past 40lbs. The Apex harnesses to 65lbs and becomes a booster.
post #4 of 12
7/9/06 at 12:24pm
The Apex can only be used if there are headrests or tall seats in the vahicle. It's a good seat though. The one you posted is a good one, but only goes up to 40#. Depending on how far over 30# he is, he may outgrow the harness before he hits 4 and then you'd have to get another seat. A seat is only good for 6 yrs as well as most kids need to be in a booster till between 8 and 12 yrs old so the longer you wait on getting his seat, the better. Why not use the infant seat for the baby and then get a new cover for the MA so it doesn't look like 'his' seat and then switch when the baby gets too big for the other seat and get him a new seat then. YOu'll also have a better idea of his height etc then as well. Another idea is the Britax Regent that harnesses till 80#.
post #5 of 12
7/9/06 at 1:51pm
I would go with the Britax Regent which is up to 80LBS and they can stay harnessed .. I dont want my DS to be in a carseat with a regular seat belt i rather him stay harnessed as long as possible.

michele
post #6 of 12
7/9/06 at 2:45pm
We are planning on getting a Britax Regent. Ds is 3 1/2. We'll be buying one in a few months. He isn't near 40 lbs. yet, but he is getting taller.
post #7 of 12
7/9/06 at 2:56pm
the regent can be used at 22Lbs and i think once at 48# then you use the seat belt not the latch system however the entire time you can always use the harness which is what SOLD ME

michele
post #8 of 12
7/9/06 at 9:50pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by thepeach80
The Apex can only be used if there are headrests or tall seats in the vahicle. It's a good seat though. The one you posted is a good one, but only goes up to 40#. Depending on how far over 30# he is, he may outgrow the harness before he hits 4 and then you'd have to get another seat. A seat is only good for 6 yrs as well as most kids need to be in a booster till between 8 and 12 yrs old so the longer you wait on getting his seat, the better. Why not use the infant seat for the baby and then get a new cover for the MA so it doesn't look like 'his' seat and then switch when the baby gets too big for the other seat and get him a new seat then. YOu'll also have a better idea of his height etc then as well. Another idea is the Britax Regent that harnesses till 80#.
this was very informative thanks! we went and looked at seats today but decided to think about it.

ok dumb question, but if they are the size of a four year old ( he is now wearing 3t-4t but gaining weight pretty slowly at this age...need to weigh him!!), why does it matter how old they are? i just think when he gets older, around four he is going to really hate to be in a harness. isn't that the point of the booster seat, to let them be in a regular seat belt but just a little higher? hmmm you have given me something to think about though.

thanks for the idea of changing the cover. and thanks for the recommendation for the regent. my thing with that one is that it is significantly more expensive, he is more comfy in the evenflo, and the britax is just ginormous. most of the boosters seeemed soooo big.

and gosh, some kids have to be in a booster until they are 12 now? he is just sooo tall (like 97 percentile)..i don't think it would be necessary. i know i'm sounding really negligent here. i don't think i would want to sit in a car seat when i was 11 years old. this is new to me and kinda a shock.
post #9 of 12
7/9/06 at 10:29pm
It all depends on the size of the kid on how long they should be in a booster. It will probably take AJ and definitely Evan a while just b/c they have short legs and their legs need to bend easily at the seat to sit w/out a booster.

For a booster to work, the child has to be sitting in the seat perfectly at the moment of impact, so maturity to be able to sit well in the car has a LOT to do w/ when a child can be in a booster, as well as harnessing is safer for them. You can see here for older children who are harnessed. http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/FFalbum.aspx Many children can go from the Regent to a seatbelt skipping a booster altogether. I plan on keeping my kids harnessed till at least 6 if their torsos agree. AJ is 3 and still moves in a 5pt harness! There are other options besides the Regent, but they don't turn into a booster. You may just take him to the store and see how much more room he has above his shoulders (and get an exact weight on him) in the Generations. It is a good seat and makes a good booster, but the reccomendations for a booster are 4 and 40# so keep that in mind.
post #10 of 12
7/10/06 at 5:03pm
I get that it sounds wacky to keep a kid in a car seat for so long, but try watching some crash test videos and see if you are really comfortable with allowing your baby (no matter how old that baby has gotten) to ride in a less-than-safe situation. I am no way an overprotactive parent, but, when it comes to my kid versus a car, I want my kid to have every advantage they can, and, for me, that means they are harnessed as long as possible. The world is not what it was when we were kids, and our kids are not safe if we apply the same standards that were ok when we were kids.

And, FTR, we know tons of bigger kids (over 8 yrs) who love their Regent seats and have no issues with riding in car seats. For them, it is not a babyish thing, it is a grown-up, responsible thing to do.
post #11 of 12
7/10/06 at 6:07pm
Graco Turbo Booster is ok to use for ages 3 and up depending on weight and height. I checked mine LOL ok ages 3-10 Weight 30-100 pounds. You can get them anywhere from Wal-Mart to Target all over for like 50 dollars. You can take the back off when their older for the backless booster. They have pink for girls and blue for boys. Thats what it looks like although they have diffrent colors and such at diffrent stores.
http://www.infant-car-seats.com/cgi-...html?E+scstore

It crash tested good for a booster according to Consumer Reports.

My six year old loves to ride in this and my five year old does too. Although we use a car seat for her only because she likes to get out of her seat belt when your going down the road. BTW my 5 year old is real small the size of average 3-4 year olds only weighs 31 pounds.
post #12 of 12
7/10/06 at 11:48pm
The new Turboboosters are actually labeled as 4 and up.
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