car seat advice needed - UPDATE post # 69 - Page 2

[hottmama]

Crash tests show, much better than accident statistics (which do not take installation into account), the difference between a seatbelt and a 5 point harness.
If a carseat goes to 65 or 80 lbs., yes, it is designed to be comfortable and fit a child that big. What kind of logic says otherwise?
My sons carseats (a Husky and an Apex) are both big enough for ME to sit in comfortably (at 5'7" and 125 lbs) when they aren't in the car (in the car, I'm too tall and my head bonks the ceiling!) I can't imagine a 3 yr. old on this planet who wouldn't fit in either of them comfortably.
I would hate for my child to die in an accident and know that I he might have been okay if I was willing to bother with an age appropriate carseat.

[PatchyMama]

I agree with the regent recomendations... my 5 year old DD loves hers! If you were to get a neat looking black one it could totally be passed off as a racing car seat LOL

[wednesday]

Okay, I looked up the Regent and I'm thinking it may be the better choice over the Recaro. It looks more like the high-backed boosters other 3-5 year olds are in, and less like the toddler-type seats, so I'm thinking it will be easier to pass off as a "big boy seat."

He has been complaining for a while now that it "pinches" when I buckle the crotch part of the RA, and I don't think I've been taking that seriously enough...I think the seat may be genuinely too short from the buckle to the seatback.

Having just turned 3, and attended several other birthday parties recently, DS is really tuned into the idea of "presents" right now. I'm thinking of wrapping the new seat up in wrapping paper and making his new big boy seat a surprise present to him. I think that he will get really excited about that.

[Joannarachel]

Originally Posted by wednesday

Okay, I looked up the Regent and I'm thinking it may be the better choice over the Recaro. It looks more like the high-backed boosters other 3-5 year olds are in, and less like the toddler-type seats, so I'm thinking it will be easier to pass off as a "big boy seat."

He has been complaining for a while now that it "pinches" when I buckle the crotch part of the RA, and I don't think I've been taking that seriously enough...I think the seat may be genuinely too short from the buckle to the seatback.

Having just turned 3, and attended several other birthday parties recently, DS is really tuned into the idea of "presents" right now. I'm thinking of wrapping the new seat up in wrapping paper and making his new big boy seat a surprise present to him. I think that he will get really excited about that.

Way good idea, mama

[thepeach80]

I don't think you can go wrong w/ a Regent, I can't wait to get ours.

Freakanomics if full of crap. I'm a carseat tech and I can't tell you the flurry it caused among carseat techs when that came out. It just justifies people's lack of interest in their child's safety, nothing more. No grop of any kind supports his findings or ideas. His whole basis was most carseats are in wrong, so why use one? Why not try and promote the idea to get your carseat checked and learn how to use it right? There was a little girl not too far from here who was riding in a booster w/ her mom, she was 3. The window was open and she actually flew out of the window b/c the seatbelt was not meant for a 3yo in a booster. Thankfully she is fine, but she flew into the middle of a highway, that could've easily had a very tragic ending.

[wednesday]

Just wanted to update -- we ended up ordering one each of a Regent and a Recaro. Just couldn't really make up our minds, and DH really really liked the Recaro. Well the Regent hasn't arrived yet but the Recaro did, and uh...we're sending it back.

For one thing, I didn't see this documented anywhere on websites I looked at, but it says not to use it as a harness-style seat after the child reaches 40". Um, DS is almost 39" now. I don't really get it because it seems like he still has quite a lot of room before reaching the top harness slot, and before his ears would be above the top of the shell (and this is at the "3" level of the headrest, the highest setting they say you can use with the harness), but then elsewhere in the owner's manual it is adamant that the harness can not be used after 40". I would be inclined to think they're just being overly cautious in assuming parents can not understand how to evaluate the harness slots and ear height thing, but who knows...it made me uncomfortable. Following DS' typical growth trajectory on the CDC charts, it would be reasonable to assume he will be 40" within about 3 months, tops.

I think my hesitation on the Regent was simply that I don't see myself harnessing him all the way to age 8, just to be honest. Also there is something I read on the car safety forum about having to tether the Regent if used over 50 pounds and I just got really confused about that. My car is a 95 Saturn and it doesn't have any of this LATCH or tether anchor type stuff other people are always talking about. I have always gotten a really good tight fit with his Roundabout by putting my full weight on it and buckling the lap belt. But anyway DS is a long way from 50 pounds so I think we are going to see how it goes and if he outgrows it in a couple years due to age or weight or whatever, I think at that point we'll feel okay about going into a high-backed booster.

[DevaMajka]

Ok, it looks like you made a decision, but I was searching and found this site that has charts for various car seats, boosters, and combos, and the weight and height limits for each.

http://www.sickkids.ca/SKCForPartner...ety&ssID=11309

Just thought I'd post for anyone who was interested.

eta- that's limits for Canada. Oops. I didn't realize when I posted that the weight limits were different here!

[Tanibani]

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=543997

Read my reply... my 6.5 yr old DS is quite happy in his Regent. He's not leaving it anytime soon.

[KarenEMT]

Call your Saturn dealer (even if you didn't buy the car there). I bought a Husky and saw the tether after 50 lb rule, so I called up my local GM dealer, as my 1989 Buick obviously did not have tether anchors. They installed one absolutely free of charge! Hopefully it is the same for all GM products.

[thepeach80]

Yes, it's the same, they'll put one in for free and if you want more, they're not that expensive. I wouldn't worry about height if that's the only thing you don't like about the Recaro (the 40" rule that is). There are a lot of seats that have that rule (it seems a common height for 40# seats) and my AJ has outgrown many of those seats well before 40" so it's all relative.

[wednesday]

Originally Posted by KarenEMT

Call your Saturn dealer (even if you didn't buy the car there). I bought a Husky and saw the tether after 50 lb rule, so I called up my local GM dealer, as my 1989 Buick obviously did not have tether anchors. They installed one absolutely free of charge! Hopefully it is the same for all GM products.

How exactly does that work in a sedan? Is the tether anchor in the back deck, or in the trunk??? I'm confused about where it actually goes and how it works. :

[rubelin]

The tether anchor usually goes on the back deck in a sedan. Most cars, even the earlier models, have a few perforated holes already in the deck (one behind each seating location), but it's covered up by the upholstry. All they have to do is pop out the hole and screw in the hook. If the hole isn't there, they drill one.

And sometimes, especially if you have fold down seats, they'll put the hook down in the trunk, so you have to thread the tether behind the seat and into the trunk area to hook it on.

[KarenEMT]

My Buick was a 2-dr sedan (RIP LOL). The tether anchors were on the back ledge directly behind each of the seating positions. For example, the middle tether anchor was directly behind the 3rd brake light there. They worked really well, easy to use.

I was technically entitled to 1 tether anchor free, but the dealership installed all 3 free of charge upon direction from Buick - it was a really nice surprise! Just wish I could've gotten a few more years out of the car.

[wednesday]

Thanks for all the info! I will try calling a dealer around here.

[PatchyMama]

I have a 2000 saturn (with no latch system) but I did have tether anchors. They were on the carpeted ledge thing behind the seats. They had little plastic covers over them so for a long time I didnt realize that they were tether hooks, LOL! I have one behind each seat I think....

[Kleine Hexe]

It seems the OP has made a decision. I haven't.

My ds is 5 yrs and weighs about 35#. He's in an Eddie Bauer Youth seat and the harness weight goes to 40#. It's also almost 5 years old and yucky looking. (He vomited *a lot* when he was younger.) So I'm trying to decide between the Regent or the Parkway. He has no issues with being in a harness so far. I like it better because A) it's safer and B) he buckles himself in.

I like the harness up to 80# but the price tag is high. I don't know if DH will go for it.

I like the Parkway because it has the SIP. The Regent does not have that. It's also cheaper. Oh, and there's the new Monarch.

Sigh. If I had known about the Regent carseat *before* I bought toddler seats for both my boys I would have gotten it instead of the Eddie Bauer seats.

[wednesday]

Well...the Regent is going back too. It is HUGE. I guess it would have to be to hold an 8-year-old comfortably, but seriously...there ought to be a disclaimer that it is only for mini-vans/SUVs. I literally could barely get it through the door into the car. I did manage to get it installed, although not as securely as I would have liked--I think it is really not meant for a lapbelt-only installation. DS seemed to like it, and he looked comfortable in it, but here's the thing--a carseat that I can not get in and out and install securely by myself, and which is so wide that it can not be installed outboard, and no booster seats can be installed outboard next to it, is simply not a feasible option for us. I transport my son's cousins and friends on a regular basis.

I'm feeling very frustrated...maybe I should look at the Radian? I am out a LOT of shipping costs at this point :

We saw an Evenflo Generations seat at Babies R Us that seemed like it would pretty much fit our requirements for the next couple years. I just felt very sad that it seemed so flimsy and cheap compared to the nice Roundabout DS rides in now.

[hottmama]

What about the Cosco Apex? It's between $110-130. It harnesses up to 65 lbs. and then can be used as a booster up to 100 lbs. My son has one and we really like it- it's MUCH MUCH MUCH smaller than our Husky (Regent). It's about the same size as any high-back booster. You do need headrests or a high seat back to use it, though- maybe you could try it out at Babies R Us in your car to see if the seats are high enough?
Our Husky fits fine in my Volvo station wagon and it even fit into my stepdad's little Saturn, behind the driver's seat.

[beanma]

wednesday, have you looked at http://www.elitecarseats.com/Car-Sea...dex.cat?sNav=4 ? when i was shopping for dd1's booster (5.5) somebody on MDC pointed me in their direction and i really liked how they had all the seats layed out and made it easy to compare them.

hth

[PatchyMama]

wednesday, you said you had a saturn, what kind? I have my regent in my saturn.. its just the sedan from 2000 I can take a pic if you need me to!