[kellid]

i have a safety first alpaha omega (3 in 1) for my boys. the description says

*from birth through toddler for a child between 19 and 52 inches in height

*in the rear-facing position for a child weighing between 5-35 pounds

*in the forward-facing position for a child weighing between 22-40 pounds

*as a belt positioning booster seat for a child weighing between 40-100 pounds

my question is my boy is 40 pounds and i would prefer not take him out of the 5 point. it doesn't see tight or uncomfortable. can anyone help on this?

tia

kelli

 

[chickabiddy]

The harness is only tested to 40 pounds. You must take him out. He cannot use a harness past the stated limit because it might not hold the child in a crash.

 

[soccermama]

I have a Graco Nautilus and the harness holds up to 65lbs. My DS is 3 and close to 40 as well, but I've also heard of the 4 and 40 rule - 4 years old AND 40 lbs before a child can be placed in to a booster seat with a seat belt strap.

 

[DahliaRW]

No, he cannot stay harnessed past the weight limit. It is not crash tested that way and it could fail in an accident. But, there are other seats that will keep him harnessed past 40 lbs. The one that will last you the longest is the Graco Nautilus or Britax Frontier and both convert to good boosters. If you decide to booster him, I would NOT use the AO as a booster. It makes a lousy booster. Go buy a $45 turbobooster at the least.

 

[kellid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chickabiddy The harness is only tested to 40 pounds. You must take him out. He cannot use a harness past the stated limit because it might not hold the child in a crash.

ahaa....that answers my question then. thank you! please answer this dillema for me then, if you can. this carseat converts to a booster too, which is what i need to put him in. are any boosters safer than others, or are they just boosters? reason why i am asking is, i have an inexpensive booster that i could put him in and instead of buying a new carseat for my infant, i could now put her in the 3in1 convertible and him in the other booster......IF there is no safety difference. thanks again!

 

[chickabiddy]

How old and how tall is he now?

 

[kellid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DahliaRW No, he cannot stay harnessed past the weight limit. It is not crash tested that way and it could fail in an accident. But, there are other seats that will keep him harnessed past 40 lbs. The one that will last you the longest is the Graco Nautilus or Britax Frontier and both convert to good boosters. If you decide to booster him, I would NOT use the AO as a booster. It makes a lousy booster. Go buy a $45 turbobooster at the least.

what is an AO? why is it lousy?

thanks!

 

[DahliaRW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kellid what is an AO? why is it lousy? thanks!

AO is the alpha omega, the 3 in 1 carseat you most likely have. It usually does not position the seatbelt low enough on the hips and such. A dedicated booster usually does a much better job. I would recommend keeping him harnessed in a new seat if at all possible.

 

[kellid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chickabiddy How old and how tall is he now?

he is 4yo..5 on may 8th, and i don't know how tall he is?

average

.

 

[chickabiddy]

An average-height 4yo actually probably outgrew that seat some time ago: a seat is outgrown by height when the shoulders are above the top strap slots, and in most Alpha Omega seats, the top headrest/strap setting is for booster use only. If you intend to pass this seat down, you should be aware of this.

He does meet the minimum recommendations to use a highbacked booster. The Graco Turbobooster and Recaro Vivo fit smaller kids like your son well. It is also an option (one that I would prefer if at all possible) to put him in a higher-weight harnessing combination harness-to-booster seat like the Graco Nautilus or Cosco Apex65 (which requires vehicle support like high headrests or seatback behind the carseat).

 

[kellid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DahliaRW AO is the alpha omega, the 3 in 1 carseat you most likely have. It usually does not position the seatbelt low enough on the hips and such. A dedicated booster usually does a much better job. I would recommend keeping him harnessed in a new seat if at all possible.

i have the turbo booster. at least until i can try to raise the funds for a $300 car seat........oye!

 

[kellid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chickabiddy An average-height 4yo actually probably outgrew that seat some time ago: a seat is outgrown by height when the shoulders are above the top strap slots, and in most Alpha Omega seats, the top headrest/strap setting is for booster use only. If you intend to pass this seat down, you should be aware of this. He does meet the minimum recommendations to use a highbacked booster. The Graco Turbobooster and Recaro Vivo fit smaller kids like your son well. It is also an option (one that I would prefer if at all possible) to put him in a higher-weight harnessing combination harness-to-booster seat like the Graco Nautilus or Cosco Apex65 (which requires vehicle support like high headrests or seatback behind the carseat).

he has NOT outgrown it in height, at least according to positioning. it is still at if not above his shoulders.

thanks for all the advice that has been given! i appreciate it!

 

[ChristyH]

If you can swing it I'd try to get him into a Graco Nautilus. They harness to 65lbs and have nice tall harness slots so you could keep him harnessed longer. We just purchased one for my 5 1/2yr old after he outgrew his Marathon height-wise. You can find them online usually for about $150 and can usually get free shipping to boot. It also turns into a booster later and is a little better as a booster than some others.

 

[Smithie]

"If you decide to booster him, I would NOT use the AO as a booster. It makes a lousy booster. Go buy a $45 turbobooster at the least."

Sorry to drift but - the Turbobooster is actually a decent seat? We use it for ds (5 y.o. and about 45 lbs) in one of the cars he infrequently travels in, and honestly, I always assumed that its low price meant it was of relatively low quality.

Is it just the high-backed option that's decent, or is the backless version also decent for kids of an appropriate size (i.e., can I take the back off when the time comes and still have myself a decent booster seat in Grandma's car)?

 

[DahliaRW]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smithie "If you decide to booster him, I would NOT use the AO as a booster. It makes a lousy booster. Go buy a $45 turbobooster at the least." Sorry to drift but - the Turbobooster is actually a decent seat? We use it for ds (5 y.o. and about 45 lbs) in one of the cars he infrequently travels in, and honestly, I always assumed that its low price meant it was of relatively low quality. Is it just the high-backed option that's decent, or is the backless version also decent for kids of an appropriate size (i.e., can I take the back off when the time comes and still have myself a decent booster seat in Grandma's car)?

Yes, the turbobooster is fabulous. I have the hbb (no way I'd let my 4yo in a lbb), but it does convert to a lbb. I in fact took the back off to haul it through the airport because it was easier that way. It's really easy to do that with. I often see the turbobooster recommended on car seat safety boards. I looked at other high priced boosters, but they don't seem to position the belt any better than the turbo, and the sip seemed similar on most I saw. I'm totally comfortable with the seat. And I got it when Costco had them for $40!

 

[Smithie]

That is just awesome news, Dahlia. I will stop feeling guilty about letting Grandma purchase that seat! I am very glad that I did not bully her into a more expensive hbb... maybe I will buy one for our own car, who knows? Maybe it would resolve my 3-across issue!

 

[chickabiddy]

The Turbobooster is a very good booster. Some children who are old enough/large enough to go backless feel a little squished in the backless portion of the Turbo -- but that's an individual thing, not a quality issue.

 

[an_aurora]

I agree to get a Turbo. They are a bit lacking in SIP but they position the belt great.

BTW, the top adjustment on the 3-in-1 seats is NOT usable with the harness. Most average-height kids outgrow the harness by 2.5-3 years of age

 

[kellid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by an_aurora I agree to get a Turbo. They are a bit lacking in SIP but they position the belt great. BTW, the top adjustment on the 3-in-1 seats is NOT usable with the harness. Most average-height kids outgrow the harness by 2.5-3 years of age

i have no idea what you mean by that? the top adjustment is not usable. i have never heard that........it doesn't say that. could you please elaborate?

 

[an_aurora]

It says on the back of the seat. If look at the back of the seat, stamped into the plastic (you can barely read it) it will say "for booster mode only" near the top strap slot. Horrible horrible design on their part, since it's not obvious at all.