Carseat issue

[kscwgirl]

Okay, so I realized on Friday that J is 4 lbs over the weight limit for the car seat that is in my mom's van, my car and Jeff's truck. However, he can't go in a highback booster seat for another 15 months. Any ideas? I really really really don't want to go buy another carseat for him to use for a year and then buy another one, especially since we'd a. have to get 3 of them, and b. I can't find anything that will work at either Walmart or Target.. it's either the seat like I have or a booster...

[jessica31876]

what about one of those car seat/booster combos that works as a car seat until they are big enough for a booster?

[kscwgirl]

that's what a highback booster is.. the back part comes off when they are old enough for a booster seat, but kansas law, he can't be in a highback booster until he is 4.

[ColleenSwerb]

Make him lose 4 pounds and keep it off for antoher 15 months? I kid, I kid. I have no idea.

[Tracie Stroud]

Well, if you buy a high-weight seat, you can use it as long as he's within the weight and height limits for the seat. You don't have to move him to a booster just because he's eligible for it. It's actually safer to keep them in a harness for as long as possible. Honestly, I see that as your only option, legally and safety-wise. I'm a carseat Nazi, though.

I can recommend some great (and not all super-expensive) high-weight seats for you if you'd like more info.

[Linz]

how much does he weigh?

this is what we have for our 3yr old. they can be harnessed 'til they reach 65lbs and then it can be used as a highback booster and a backless booster 'til 100lbs.

graco nautilus

^^normally I'm not a graco fan past the infant seat stage, but this one has gotten nothing but great reviews on every site I've seen.

[Jennifer]

Originally Posted by psalm149

Well, if you buy a high-weight seat, you can use it as long as he's within the weight and height limits for the seat. You don't have to move him to a booster just because he's eligible for it. It's actually safer to keep them in a harness for as long as possible. Honestly, I see that as your only option, legally and safety-wise. I'm a carseat Nazi, though.

I can recommend some great (and not all super-expensive) high-weight seats for you if you'd like more info.

I'd love to see what you think, Tracie. I have a car seat issue, too.

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by psalm149

Well, if you buy a high-weight seat, you can use it as long as he's within the weight and height limits for the seat. You don't have to move him to a booster just because he's eligible for it. It's actually safer to keep them in a harness for as long as possible. Honestly, I see that as your only option, legally and safety-wise. I'm a carseat Nazi, though.

I can recommend some great (and not all super-expensive) high-weight seats for you if you'd like more info.

Tracie, that would be great, thanks.

He's 39 lbs and will be 3 in February.. which, seriously, how is that possible, since I freaking JUST gave birth??

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by Linz

how much does he weigh?

this is what we have for our 3yr old. they can be harnessed 'til they reach 65lbs and then it can be used as a highback booster and a backless booster 'til 100lbs.

graco nautilus

^^normally I'm not a graco fan past the infant seat stage, but this one has gotten nothing but great reviews on every site I've seen.

That one looks awesome, although the walmart site so lies, since I was IN the Shawnee walmart this morning and that carseat is not there.

[Tracie Stroud]

I'll go dig up some links for you guys.

[AmyM]

I am of no help but Kassi needs a new one too. It just doesn't look comfy to me. But the law in NC is 8yrs or 80pnds so in March she doesn't have to have one. I'm still kinda weird over it though, putting her in a regular seat and seatbelt just scares me. I may get a new one and make her sit in it anyway. Car seat nazi here too LOL

[DawnMarch]

looks like they have the Graco Nautilus in stock at Babies R Us, and free shipping today.

http://www.toysrus.com/family/index....goryId=2256193

[Linz]

Originally Posted by psalm149

Well, if you buy a high-weight seat, you can use it as long as he's within the weight and height limits for the seat. You don't have to move him to a booster just because he's eligible for it. It's actually safer to keep them in a harness for as long as possible. Honestly, I see that as your only option, legally and safety-wise. I'm a carseat Nazi, though.

I can recommend some great (and not all super-expensive) high-weight seats for you if you'd like more info.

I'm the same way, Tracie. our little guy just turned 3 and he was still rear-facing until October or so of this year. he was soooo confused when we turned him around. dh was trying to put him in his seat and he just kept trying to turn backwards in the seat instead of facing forward.

we want to keep him harnessed as long as we can, which is why we bought the nautilus.

[lisabranka]

In Washington St. the recommendation) is that they be 4 ft. 9 inches before they move out of a booster seat. My 9.5 year old is still in a booster as she is only about 4ft. 6 inches. I'd keep them in a carseat/booster as long as you can!

[ColleenSwerb]

The 4'-9" thing amazes me, but that's because I'm only 5'-4". So I would've been in a booster til I was like in middle school, LOL!

[lisabranka]

Yeah... I'm only 5 ft. 2 in. so I would have been in a booster FOREVER!! LOL

[Tracie Stroud]

OK, here are some great general links with tons of info: Especially important is the info on extended rear-facing and extended harnessing. The videos linked are really eye-opening.

http://boards.babycenter.com/n/pfx/f...s9421&tid=2214
http://www.car-seat.org/

The best seat for you depends on the height and weight of your child, the type of car you have, your budet, etc. These seats all have high weight and height limits (65 pounds and 49 inches):

* Britax Boulevard
* Britax Decathlon
* Britax Marathon
* Safety 1st Apex 65
* Sunshine Kids Radian Car Seat

More companies are making them each year, since they're in demand. We have the Radian and LOVE it. It's very narrow in the car, but still lots of room. I think we could fit 3 of them in the backseat if we needed to. Of these listed, the Safety 1st is usually the cheapest, but you can sometimes find great deals in Britax's and Radian's at Target and Amazon, so just look around first.

Here are the AAP's rec's for carseat safety, which are often more stringent (and SAFE) than many states' laws:
http://www.aap.org/FAMILY/carseatgui...ardFacingSeats

Please ask if you have more questions! If I don't know the answer, I'll find it for you!

ETA: totally forgot about the Graco Nautilus! Thanks Linz!

[kscwgirl]

Thanks Tracie!!!!!!!!! Really appreciate it.

[Tracie Stroud]

No prob! I hope you find one that works for you!

[Leila]

I see Tracie beat me to the Car-seat.org link. The folks over their are so knowledgeable, they helped me figure out what to do for D when we figured out that he was heavier than the 40lb weight limit his seat had. Today he's riding in a seat that harnesses (yes, harnesses) to 115lbs and has 22½" top slots. He's 63lbs now, and on the fourth of five slots for the harness height. (He has lost 15lbs since August, when he started Adderall for hyperactivity.)

JP is still in a high-back booster and will be until he passes the 5-step test. He's 9, 80lbs and 4'3½". By law in WI, he doesn't require a seat any longer. Of course, seatbelt in the face isn't good, so he's in a booster. His father didn't make him use when while he was in SC. JP actually thanked me for making him use one (even though he's the only one in his class still using a booster at all.) because he feels so much safer in it.

I'll also recommend the Nautilus. It's a great seat, especially considering the only other seat like it on the market today is $300. (Yes, that one harnesses to 80lbs, but the harness height would probably prohibit that for most average kids. We tried it with JP, who is SHORT for his age, and he was too tall for the top slots. Devin was too, but he's tall for his age and ALL torso.)

Ok, stepping off my carseat freak soapbox now.

[Jennifer]

Thanks so much for the info!

[crecia27]

My 4 yr old is in a 5 point harness where the harness can later be removed (if she ever makes it to 40 pounds). I got it at Walmart for under $60. I think it is good up to 60 pounds.

[lauren grier]

not the most fabulous seat.. but this is what ce has.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=1943168

since you need to buy 3.. I figured I'd suggest something no the lower $$ end

it's got a 5pt harness.. which is removable when they out grow it.. and then just stays as a backed booster- which is what ce uses now. I've never seen one of the ones where you can take the back off hahaha.. This works great though, I never had any problems with it.

[lauren grier]

also wanted to add... skimming the reviews super quickly.. I dunno how peeps kids are too tall for it, ce is just about 4' tall.. and it's suited him just fine. I in fact JUST took the harness off a few months ago (he's a pune weight wise lol)

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by lauren grier

not the most fabulous seat.. but this is what ce has.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=1943168

since you need to buy 3.. I figured I'd suggest something no the lower $$ end

it's got a 5pt harness.. which is removable when they out grow it.. and then just stays as a backed booster- which is what ce uses now. I've never seen one of the ones where you can take the back off hahaha.. This works great though, I never had any problems with it.

I looked at that one, but he'd only be in the harness for another pound.

[lauren grier]

lol I skimmed and missed the post on his weight.. stank. LOL .. ce JUST hit 40lbs last week haha.

[Leila]

Originally Posted by lauren grier

not the most fabulous seat.. but this is what ce has.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=1943168

since you need to buy 3.. I figured I'd suggest something no the lower $$ end

it's got a 5pt harness.. which is removable when they out grow it.. and then just stays as a backed booster- which is what ce uses now. I've never seen one of the ones where you can take the back off hahaha.. This works great though, I never had any problems with it.

This is not directed at you in any way La!

I find those seats to be entirely too misleading. The boxes read, "For children to 80lbs" in huge letters, then in fine print tell you that the harness is only good for kids from 22-40lbs. Honestly, Andrew & I fell prey to that when we replaced D's seat after Andrew was rear ended by a school bus in 2004. We figured, "Oh, this one goes to 100lbs, we're good!" $130 out the door and in the seat he went. It was a thread much like this one that led me to figure out that D needed a new seat and fast! After just a year in that seat, he'd outgrown it not only by weight but by height as well since his shoulders were above the top slot for the harness.

That said, price can be a major factor when it comes to carseats. It was for us. We saved for months to buy Devin the seat he's in now (it was $500, a special needs seat) Now, there are a few other seats that harness past 40lbs, but they're all in the $120-$150 range until you get the the Britax seats which are $270+. You'll be hard pressed to find anything for less than the $120 price tag, if you can even find that!

[Shawna]

Originally Posted by kscwgirl

that's what a highback booster is.. the back part comes off when they are old enough for a booster seat, but kansas law, he can't be in a highback booster until he is 4.

Both my girls went into high back boosters when they turned 3 since they were well over 30lbs by then and too big to sit comfortably in the carseats we had, I wasn't aware Kansas law stated that they had to be 4 to be in one. We just went by the age & weight requirements on the boosters we bought. Kelsie is almost 5 now so she's still in a highback but Kaylie is 7 so she's using a backless booster now.

[BrattyMeg]

I have 2 Marathons right now and Teaghan is still in her Graco babyseat but I need to get a new carseat with a heavier weight limit to move Cam to (although she's far from 65 lbs but I have 2 more to go into it behind her) so I can have her Marathon for Teaghan.

[Stacey42]

We're getting the Nautilus next month. DS1 hasn't outgrown his Greco CarGo seat (he's good for a few more inches and about 35 more pounds) but we've had it so long it is about to expire. I like that it converts to backless. I can't recall the age limit here but he's staying in a booster until the seatbelt fits correctly & given his growth so far, we have a few years to go.

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by Shawna

Both my girls went into high back boosters when they turned 3 since they were well over 30lbs by then and too big to sit comfortably in the carseats we had, I wasn't aware Kansas law stated that they had to be 4 to be in one. We just went by the age & weight requirements on the boosters we bought. Kelsie is almost 5 now so she's still in a highback but Kaylie is 7 so she's using a backless booster now.

Yah, I don't know if they changed it or what.. but I was actually pulled over last year by a state trooper who tried to tell me that Abby was too young to be in one and didn't believe me when I told him that she was 4.

[Amber1279]

I invested in a Britax Marathon for Ellie when she was a year old. She has been in it ever since. She is still using it in fact, and she will be 5 in March. She isn't even close the the 65 lb weight limit and still has another slot on the shoulder harness.

I have a hard time keeping my 7 yr old in a booster. He is just over 50 lbs so he has one, but it is a battle for him to actually sit in it.

[jessica31876]

OK I have no idea because my kids are 17, 15 and 11 LOL. Although from what I have read in this thread I would have been in serious trouble because my 15 year old weighed almost 40 pounds when he was about a year old (11 pounds at birth and 36.5 pounds at 12months).

Originally Posted by kscwgirl

that's what a highback booster is.. the back part comes off when they are old enough for a booster seat, but kansas law, he can't be in a highback booster until he is 4.

[MissKim]

This was interesting to read. My youngest is 8, almost 9, and we're in Kansas. She was actually out of a booster and then Kansas law went into effect and we had to put her back in one. I'm OK with that, better safe than sorry, but she is huge. She's taller than her grandmothers. I'm just glad she was over 4 when the law passed, because I can't imagine having had her in a car seat until her 4th birthday.

[Jennilyn]

We have 2 car seats that can be used from 5lbs rear facing to 80lbs forward facing. Maybe you can try one of those types?

[rochelle789]

One word of caution about these seats that allow you to harness an older/larger child.... I really, really wanted to harness my almost 5-year-old so I looked into the Nautilus and a couple of the others that harness up to 65 pounds, but they're huge seats! They wouldn't fit in my car! She's in a booster instead, which I don't feel good about, even though she fits it correctly. I just literally couldn't fit the seat in my car. Once I get a larger car, she'll be harnessed again.

Before you drop all the cash, just be sure it'll fit in your car.

[Leila]

Originally Posted by Jennilyn

We have 2 car seats that can be used from 5lbs rear facing to 80lbs forward facing. Maybe you can try one of those types?

Jennilyn, make sure you read the specifics of those seats. In an earlier post I mentioned having been "tricked" by the "80lbs" part on one of those seats (ok, 100lbs in our case). Most of the seats (aka 3 in 1s) that go from 5lbs to 80lbs only harness to 40lbs. There are currently only two seats on the market that harness to 80lbs, both from Britax (Regent and Frontier). Of those two, only the Frontier is available in Canada and then it's only allowed for harness use to 65lbs there.

[Leila]

Originally Posted by rochelle789

One word of caution about these seats that allow you to harness an older/larger child.... I really, really wanted to harness my almost 5-year-old so I looked into the Nautilus and a couple of the others that harness up to 65 pounds, but they're huge seats! They wouldn't fit in my car! She's in a booster instead, which I don't feel good about, even though she fits it correctly. I just literally couldn't fit the seat in my car. Once I get a larger car, she'll be harnessed again.

Before you drop all the cash, just be sure it'll fit in your car.

Great point, Rochelle! (BTW, the Sunshine Kids Radian is a pretty slim/small seat that harnesses to 65lbs. There's an 80lb version too, but IMO, it's not worth the extra money since the harness heights are the same as the 65.)

Fits the car, fits the child, used properly every time. THAT is the safest seat for anyone, from infant to adult. (Referring to seatbelts for adults of course.) We took a real gamble that D's seat would fit in our car since we couldn't test it first. Many stores (especially BRU/TRU, USA Baby) will allow you to install seats in your car before purchase to make sure they can actually be installed.

[ZaCola3]

Leila-have you heard good things about the Sunshine Kids seat?
We are ready to upgrade Landen, he is on the last harness and about 6 lbs away from outgrowing our beloved Roundabout.
I hate the look of the Regent, and am OK with the Frontier but to be honest neither one float my boat....

[ZaCola3]

I really like the looks of the new XT.
http://www.hipmonkey.com/car-seats/s.../prod_204.html

[Tracie Stroud]

I LOVE the Sunshine Kids Radian. We got it for K when Noah needed her seat, and we have been totally happy with it. It's very slim, but still really comfy. K falls asleep in it all the time. It's also super easy to install.

[rochelle789]

Thanks, Leila. I'll definitely be looking into that seat.

Unfortunately, my ability to try seats is limited because we only have a TRU and Baby Depot in my city. These stores have very few options in these larger seats.

[Leila]

Devin adored the SK Radian 65 that we had. We were blessed enough to be able to rent the seat from a foundation here in town, so it only cost us a total of $30 for a year of use. If D hadn't outgrown it by weight, I'd definitely have purchased a Radian for him to use for longer!

The XT looks nice, but unless they've changed it, the harness slots are the same height as those of the Radian 65. So if Landen is short and stout, then the XT or Radian 80 would be a good purchase. If he's average to tall, the 65 is the better bet.

That said, do what you can to "test drive" the Radian in your car first. It's a fabulous seat, but it's notorious for having install issues with many vehicles because of the slim build. There's a pretty comprehensive thread about successful Radian installs at car-seat.org too.

[rach3975]

We have a high weight limit seat (Britax Decathalon) for my 38-lb. 5 year old and love it. We just moved the straps to their 2nd highest slot. His 2nd car seat is a high backed booster, but he's only in that seat for a few minutes a week.

One thing to know about high weight limit seats is that you may not be able to use them with LATCH when your child gets bigger. I've read that many cars' LATCH systems were designed before these carseats, so the LATCH on most cars is meant for a child up to 40 lbs plus the weight of their seat. You need to check weight limits with your car manufacturer since some are stronger, but if your child is over 40 lbs you may need to secure their car seat with a seat belt instead of LATCH.

[AmyM]

Ay ya ya ya yi all the info here! It's good but my head is totally spinning. Ok, my kiddo will be 8 in March. She's about 4'4 and 62 pnds. Need to figure out the best one for her because she's in one that doesn't have a back to it and I'm thinking that might not be the right kind

[SmallMoments]

Originally Posted by Linz

how much does he weigh?

this is what we have for our 3yr old. they can be harnessed 'til they reach 65lbs and then it can be used as a highback booster and a backless booster 'til 100lbs.

graco nautilus

^^normally I'm not a graco fan past the infant seat stage, but this one has gotten nothing but great reviews on every site I've seen.

This is exactly what I was going to recommend. We just bought this seat for Luke after getting high recommendations from a friend who is a carseat technician. It's awesome. We love this seat and he is just about too big for his Britax in Joel's car, so we'll be getting another one of these.

ETA: I haven't read through all of the replies, but just in case... the Nautilus is five-point harness up to 65 pounds (and has higher straps than other carseats- that's where Luke outgrows his seats). Then, the high back and the backless are both up to 100 pounds.

[isaacsmom]

Our little boy is also NOT so little. He weighed over 10# when he was born and kept growing FAST! He quickly outgrew the carseat we had and so my husband did a TON of research on what would be the best seat considering the fact that we knew he would keep growing and growing. We ended up with the Sunshine Kids Radian and absolutely love it! This carseat came very highly recommended from all the research that he did. I realize that it was a little more spendy than some of the others, but when you consider that you can keep your child it for many years, the price does not seem so bad. The installation is a breeze and we love the fact that it is slim/narrow. It also folds flat so you can carry it with you if you ever need to take your child on an airplane, etc. We have been very pleased with the Radian and would recommend it to anyone!

[thumper6423]

I stumbled on this post while looking for the click a sigs, and I just wanted to say thank you for all this great info. I'm looking for a new car seat for my 2yo because he's too tall for his current seat (he's 37" already!). The only seats I've found that he's tall enough for are the boosters that harness. I do know that if you're worried about vehicle fit, some car manufacturers have links on their web sites to which seats fit best in each model of their cars. I know Nissan does this as that's what we drive, and I think there's at least one other company, but I forget who. I always check the Nissan site before I buy because we had so many issues when we were first time car seat buyers with our oldest getting a seat to fit right.