One more car seat question + how fast do 3 year olds grow?

[zmom]

Okay, so we've decided we'll get either the Regent or the Radian. DD will be 3 in about 2 weeks and by my rough estimate is about 38 inches. I'm tired of stressing about the car seats but we'll have to replace 3 of them so buying them all at once is going to be a financial strain. Anyone have any ideas on how fast 3 year olds grow? Is it likely to be a month, three, six months before she gets to the dreaded 40 inch mark?

Also, one of the car seats is a Decathalon which I know she could use until she was 49 inches but it's just about to the 5 year age mark (it was a hand-me down from a trusted relative so I know it wasn't crashed). Do I really need to replace that because of age or would it be safe for another 9-12 months or so?

Many, many thanks for your help!

[soygurl]

Britax seats expire after 6 years not 5 (as do almost all other car seat brands), so the Decathlon is still good for a year. Also, don't pay any attention to the "height limits" of ANY car seat. All you need to watch for is 1) that her shoulders don't go over the top harness slots, 2) that the tops of her ears don't go over the top of the car seat back, and 3) that she doesn't go over the weight limit. The height limit on car seats is an estimate of when 1 or 2 will happen.

[hottmama]

Originally Posted by soygurl

Britax seats expire after 6 years not 5 (as do almost all other car seat brands), so the Decathlon is still good for a year. Also, don't pay any attention to the "height limits" of ANY car seat. All you need to watch for is 1) that her shoulders don't go over the top harness slots, 2) that the tops of her ears don't go over the top of the car seat back, and 3) that she doesn't go over the weight limit. The height limit on car seats is an estimate of when 1 or 2 will happen.

Yep!

How close are her shoulders to the top harness slots? If there's still a couple of inches left you'll likely make it another year until the seat expires. My oldest son has really long legs and he's 43" but could still fit in most convertibles, height-wise.

[ThreeBeans]

What is the '40 inch' mark???


At 38 inches, he probably has another 2-3 years in the Radian, 4-5 in the Regent.

[alegna]

Decathalons have not been out for 5 years. So if it's a decathalon it's not that old.

I know for SURE they're less than 3 years old. (they weren't out when I had dd)

-Angela

[soygurl]

Originally Posted by alegna

Decathalons have not been out for 5 years. So if it's a decathalon it's not that old.

I know for SURE they're less than 3 years old. (they weren't out when I had dd)

-Angela

Haha, forgot about that! That too...

[zmom]

See, I THOUGHT Marathon, but I typed Decathalon. Decathalon was the car seat that she bought to replace the Marathon.