I have a 4 1/2 year old and a 16 month old. Weights are 36lbs and 22 lbs respectively. Still have big brother in a convertible car seat, facing forward, with chest harness and little brother in infant seat. He is growing out of the infant seat by the minute and is looking uncomfortable in there so I want to move to the next level but trying to figure out the best approach.
It seems to be a no-brainer to move little bro to big bro's convertible car seats (which I could install rear-facing for highest level of safety) and get big bro new car seats. But the question is, what kind for big bro? I read up on the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for big brother's stage and according to that, he should be 40 lbs before moving him to a booster seat that uses the seat belt. I do have many friends who have done this sooner than "4 years plus 40 plus lbs" as the recommendation is worded. But I know my son is on the small side and while he is age 4, he is still about 4 lbs shy of 40 lbs.
So, just wondering what other moms have done in similar situations. I'd love general suggestions as well as specific brand/model suggestions if you have 'em.
Thanks!!!
We have the Britax Frontier 85, it is much safer than the standard booster seat that you just use the cars seat belt. It even has a 5 point harness and my daughter who is 6 1/2 still rides in it, and as little as she is she will probably end up driving in the thing before she gets out of it.
http://www.target.com/p/britax-frontier-85-harness-2-boos...
Britax Frontier 85 SICT. HAS THE 5 pt harness and can later be used as a high back booster using a seatbelt.
Can you find the convertible style that starts as harness and converts to a highback booster for your oldest son?
Another thing to think about is the expiration date on your oldest son's convertible seat, will it expire before your younger son will outgrow it? If so, you may want to consider that.
My son will be 5 next month, is 42" and 34 lbs. His car seat was rated for 40" and 40 lbs so I had to get a new one b/c he outgrew the height. He is in no way ready for a lap harness booster, even a highback one. He is still much too slim, squirmy and small for that. A 5-point harness is the safest for as long as you can.
To that end, we replaced his seat with a convertible booster (chose the Britax Frontier and a comparable Evenflo for my husband's car). They have a 5-point harness for 57"/85 lbs and 52"/65 lbs respectively. They should last us in this configuration until he is in first grade (the Britax longer). At that point, they will convert to highback belt positioning boosters.
Some of his friends already use the little backless boosters b/c it is allowed by law. However, I don't feel they are nearly as safe, especially at this age and size, so even if he pulls the "all my friends are doing it" routine, it doesn't matter. He will use the safest configuration until he no longer can!
Graco nautilus....he can be in a 5 point harness for many more years! Which is always the safest.
I have a 6 1/2 year old and I second the recommendation of the Frontier. It is comfy and safe. I'm not sure when I'll finally let her move to the booster - I just feel the 5 pt harness is safer.
It is not safe to have him in a booster. He is 4, and he is under 40 lbs. At age 6, maybe. It depends if he can sit properly. Our 6-year-old is 60 lbs. and just moved to a booster...and I probably should have waited until 7.
I would get the 4-year-old a Britax Frontier or Recaro Prosport, or for a budget seat that's great, an Evenflo Maestro.
We keep ours rear-facing to age 4 as our seats go to 45 lbs. RF and have a tall shell, so it's easy and safe. I hope he stays safe and you find what you need! And little brother will be fine in the rear-facing convertible. Good plan!
I kept my son in the 5 point harness far beyond the legal time he could have been out for safety reasons.
On a side note, even though my convertible carseat also was a booster, when I compared it to the high back booster that my parents had that was
ONLY a booster my son had WAY more leg room with theirs since it wasn't so bulky. Keep that in mind when he is ready for the booster.
I would get a harness booster that goes to 100 lbs. Like this one.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=125462...
Think about how fast your child has/hasn't put on weight. Most harness boosters say the harness is until 40 lbs. My 6y just weighed in at 43 pounds.
I would get a seat like a Graco Nautilus for for older child. It will keep him in a five-point harness until he is 65 lbs., then transitions to a highback booster, and finally a backless booster. We really like ours.
Don't transition him to a booster before he meets the size requirement, and remember that those are minimums and chances are he will be safer in the five-point harness than a booster assuming he hasn't outgrown the seat.
My super tall, heavy 4.5 and 7.5 year olds are both still in the britax frontier, which uses the harness (safest!) until 85 lbs then the buckle to 120lbs. Safety first for us after a fatality accident. It's not just about size, it's about bone density at a certain age, and maturity to sit properly in a guided booster, not fidget or mess with and undo the belt.
5pt harness booster! We have a recarro, and Britax has a really great one as well.
Keep your older son in a harness. I know it's easy to move the younger one to the big brother's seat, but it's not safest.
Look into the Britax Frontier or, if money is an issue, the Graco Nautilus for your older one. It starts as a harness and converts to a booster later. That way, when he is ready for a booster, you don't need yet another car seat. These seats are forward-facing only with a minimum weight of 20 lbs. They go up to 85 and (I think) 100 lbs respectively. We prefer the Frontier but it's about $100 more than the Nautilus.
The younger one can then have the convertible seat and continue to sit rear facing.
My son is 5 1/2 and about 48 lbs. He rides in a Frontier on a daily basis. We do have a high back booster (Graco Turbo Booster) that he uses when he rides with friends or grandparents. I don't feel that he's as safe as when he's harnessed and would not feel comfortable having him do this every day. His friend, who recently turned six, can STAND UP while buckled into his booster seat because the seat belt doesn't get tight enough when used normally.
Although kids can legally be in a booster at 40lbs and 4years, we decided to keep our kids in a 5 point harness longer. My two oldest are 7y (40lbs) and 4.5 (30lbs) and they are both in a Britax Frontier. It is weight rated to 80lbs. If you choose to switch him, I would suggest a high-back booster, like the Britax Parkway. We prefer Britax because they have a high safety rating and they are made in the USA! I know the Graco Nautilus also gets very good reviews!
We bought a high-back booster with 5-pt harness. I bought the Evenflo brand from Walmart. It was around $60. My oldest used it with the harness, but by the time he was ready for a booster seat with an adult seat-belt, little brother needed the Evenflo, so it's only been used as a booster a few times. It has worked great, and I really liked knowing that it would be used as a booster - no need to buy yet another carseat.
When my daughter was 3 1/2, I took my car/car seats to a local hospital to have the installation checked by local police department (was expecting twins and wanted to be sure I had all 3 seats right).
Found out my daughter was too tall for her car seat. If they're head goes over the back of the seat they're too tall - has nothing to do with weight - but who knew? So I moved her to a car seat that was 5 point harness but could be converted to a high back booster and eventually take off the back and just use as booster (she's 6 now and that's what we did). Ours is the Graco Nautilus... but I know there's some other. That's just what the police woman recommended.
I do highly recommend finding a local free car seat inspection. I learn so much every time I go!
in Michigan... kids have to ride in a carseat till 8 or 80 pounds... so whatever seat you buy make sure it will go up to 80 pounds or you will have to buy another carseat in the future.
we have graco nautilus and they go up to 100 pounds.
but my daughter is almost 7 and does not weigh 40 pounds.
in one car we have 2 graco nautilus...
in the other car we have a britax marathon and a britax high back booster seat
I just bought 2 cheeap booster seats ($13 each at walmart) for our nanny to drive thekids to school..
