Hi all - I am looking to get my 2 1/2 year old a new car seat after the new year. He is currently in a convertable, but is getting too big. We can barley get the harness around him when he is in a coat and when he is not, there is very little room for him to grow. The straps are a far out as we can get them. He is a little bit taller than 38 inches and weighs in between 35 and 36lbs. He is really tall for his age and looks more like a 3 1/2 to 4 year old based on size. But because he is still 2 I would like to get one with a 5 point harness but then one that can also use just the seat belt in a few years. We don't want to spend more than $150 since we are a one income family. Any recommendations would be great! Thanks and Merry Christmas Everyone!
My sister loves the Nautilus. Expensive but worth it to her. Her kids are 4 and 5 1/2. They are small so she still wanted a 5 pt harness. She loves them so much that she is going to buy 2 more for the second car.
A.,
We have the graco nautilus and love it. It can be used with the harness up to 65 pounds and for a booster until 100 pounds. Height is also a consideration. Our son is 47 inches and 45 pounds. We can still adjust the height one more time before he is too tall for it. Therefore, he will probably be too tall before he is too heavy. Something else to keep in mind is that children are not supposed to wear their coats when they are in their carseats. I know it is a pain to take them off and on but wearing them in their seats can effect the ability of the straps to work in the event of an accident.
Hello A.! I had this same problem. I have an absolutely GIANT 3 year old. When he was 2, he grew too heavy for most of the seats with five point harnesses on the market. I do NOT feel comofortable putting him in a seat belt positioner or booster until he is AT LEAST 4 years old. I have purchased two different car seats for him. One is Safety 1st brand and I absolutely HATE it. The straps get twisted even when you don't touch them it seems like. The seat is big, but has no more actual sitting room then our other one. The other one is the Graco Nautilus and it is the most fantastic seat I've ever purchased. The five point harness is good up to 65 lbs, so that's fantastic and after that it can be deconstructed down to just a backless booster. It has so much room for my son, a cup holder than DOESN'T COME OFF that my son can actually use and seems to be a very slim line in the actual car. It fits like a dream in my husband's Ford Focus and in our Land Rover it doesn't even enfringe on the middle seat's space (I put it in the seat next to a passenger door since we have two car seats in the car). Basically it fits anywhere and I NEVER have ANY problems with it...unlike the other one. It's my reccomendation to you over anything else, including Britax and Sunshine Kids. I should also point out the the Eddir Bauer from Target and the Cosco High Back Booster (both mentioned by other posters) will NOT accomodate a child heavier than 40lbs in the five point harness. They can both be used as booster seats and belt positioners for heavier children, but not with the harness. Thanks =)
Graco Nautilus is a a great seat. It can hold to 65 lbs in the 5 point harness.
hi,
I have really tall children too.. so we bought two 5 point harness for our children that go up to i belive 100lbs.. I have a 3 year old and a 6 year old.. It is the britax regant 5 point harness booster.. it has such a high weight capcity it is the final seat we will have to buy.. they have them online at www.babyrus.com.. but we bought ours at www.babyage.com because they have free shipping and a lower price.. they are a big seat so I would not want to transfer them out of a car all the time.. They are kind of expensive but you will be able to hand it down someday to your second child or sell it on craigs list. we have had the smaller britax seats too and loved them.. but by far this one is the best value because of the weight limit..
best of luck,
Lenc
I just got a new carseat for my 2.5 year old... so I haven't used it for very long, she is also tall. We got a Cosco Summit High Back Booster, it's pretty nice, a little hard to tighten but if you don't have to move it around very much would be fine.She loves the cup holder.
Check out the Graco Nautilus. It harnesses to 65lbs, then becomes a high back booster, then a backless booster. You can usually find it at Walmart for $122.
Also, coats in carseats are a no-no. Only thin fleece is allowed. Please see your carseats owners manual.
Car-seat.org is a great resource for more info.
When our son was about 2 1/2, Segal's turned us on to the SafeGuard Go Booster. The five point harness is good for children 30-60 lbs and up to 52 inches, and then it converts to a regular booster for up to 100 lbs/57 inches. You can find them online for $149.00 at certain sites. It is not a huge monster seat like some of the more expensive ones, but Segal's recommended it so that was good enough for us.
I love our 5 points Eddie Bauer (???) from "Target", it is up to 48 inches, 100 pounds and later you can use it as a booster sit.
We had our big three year old in a higher weight convertible seat until our second child needed one, then moved her into a booster. After checking safety ratings and from personal experience in a fatality accident we got the britax frontier. It works as a 5 point harness to 80 lbs. Some of the other 5 point boosters only go to 65 lbs or less, so if you really break it down you save money by spending more now and getting the best one available. By the time my baby needs the booster, my oldest should be out of it, since the baby can stay in the britax marathon to 65 lbs!
I look at it two ways: buying the higher weight, nicer carseats is like buying good shoes, they will last longer and cost less in the long run. And check all the safety ratings too, don't try to save $100 now and regret it later or have to buy another one in a few years!
Hi A.,
I use the insurance institute site for recommendations when I choose seats for my kids here is the website for booster seats there are some listed that also have 5 point harnesses.
What to look for in a booster seat:
http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/boosters/default.html
Best bets:
http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/boosters/best_bets.html
Good bets:
http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/boosters/good_bets.html
Not recommended:
http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/boosters/not_recommen...
Most of the less expensive 5 point harness car seats are on the not recommended list. You might have better luck just buying a 5 point harness carseat that will fit your child and then when he is ready buying a less expensive backless booster. There is a $15 backless booster by Cosco at Walmart that is similar to the Graco on the best bet list. My oldest 2 kids have used the Cosco seat for several years and it has worked great. I hope this helps.
Check out the radian 65 or radian 80. They have taller harness slots for taller kids. They retail closer to $200 but you may be able to find a sale. Also check out carseatdata.org because they have data on some (not all) seats such as back height and where slots for the harness are.
