Ok Mommas, my oldest son is almost 5 and still in a 5 point harness car seat which will continue until he is to big for it. He will be starting Kindergarten this year and my MIL will be picking him and my youngest up from their daycare/preschool on ocassion. They already have one car seat and we are going to give them another so they can transport the boys safely. Here is the question, I need to know what seat is the safest for a nearly 5 year old (36 lbs 42")with a 5 point harness that will last as long as possible. This will be going in my car, my MIL will be getting the one I currently have for him in mine. We have looked at the Graco Nautilus (found the Elite version at Costco for $130), I also like the Britax Frountier 85 and the Sunshine Radian. My hubby isnt to keem on the pricing of the Britax or Sunshine though. I just want your thoughts and if you currently have one of these seats please sent me your input. Oh and I drive a 2003 Jeep Liberty if that makes a difference, also my youngest is in the Learning Curve True Fit seat, love this one.
We have the Evenflo Generation 65 for him now, it is a nice seat but not my favorite.
Thanks to Stacy S's coupon info and all of your input I have a Britax Frontier 85 on order for him. I explained this to my hubby again and told him that our youngest might even be able to use it so he was sold on the price. Also it is Side Impact Test and the Nautlius is not. Hooray for a great seat. Thanks Ladies
When I did my research (almost two years ago) to transition my son from rear-facing to forward facing, the Graco Nautilus offered the highest weight allowance for the five-point harness (60 lbs) and then it converted to a booster seat to up to 100 lbs. Best bang for the buck, then. There may be some on the market now that tie or beat that, but I don't think you can beat the price of Graco.
The important thing is to check your state laws.
All seats pas the same safety requirements.
8/10 people incorrectly use or install car seats.
www.seatcheck.org will locate a local, FREE inspection site.
Please take the time to double check your installation/usage, etc.
Take the vehicle, the kids and the seats you have. It could save a life.
Otherwise, it's all bells and whistles.
He's a peanut! :)
We have a Britax Frontier and a Graco Nautilus.
Love the Frontier, the Nautilus is ok.
Since he is so little he will be able to sit in either seat for a really long time! Yay! IMHO, the Frontier is holding up far better than our Nautilus which is used about 1/3 of the time (in G-ma's car).
I really feel you get what you pay for.
I find this website really helpful to compare: http://www.elitecarseats.com/home.jsp
HTH!
Ebay for the Britax. That is where I got both of my Britaxes for the price of the Graco Nautilus. DO IT!!!
One thing I don't like about the the Britax is that if you don't have latch, the first couple times doing the long belt route is really difficult, but do able. So make sure you have plenty of time to install the seat before you use it so you aren't rushed and making it harder to do it properly.
But I wont put my child in anything other than a Britax, Sunshine or Graco. The only brands that I trust. So any of those I give a thumbs up.
If you don't love the Generations, I would give that to grandma for her car and get a different one for your car. the Nautilus is a great seat, easy to use and it has a nice height/weight maximums. The Frontier is an awesome seat too. I wouldn't bother with the Radian at his age/size..... the nautilus or Frontier are better bets for his age.
we have teh TrueFit for our 4yr old daughter, LOVE IT! Go to Babies R Us and check out the Nautilus and the Frontier and see which you like better. Either is a good bet for him.
BTW, my 5.5yr old is still in a harness too. :) My 9yr old is now in a high back booster but was in the Britax Frontier until he was almost 8, his choice.
Just make sure that when you are shopping for a car seat that you read the fine print. Lots of them say higher weight limits but then in the fine print something like " 45 lbs as a 5pt harness, then converts to belt positioning booster up to 85 lbs". Before you consider a booster, please go to YouTube and search "5 pt car seat" and watch the first video posted by the kcmillerfamily. We have the Britax Regent for my 7 year old and love it, my daughter says that it is very comfortable and she spends a lot of time in it because we travel a lot for my husband's business on weekends. Good luck! I am so impressed that you are searching for the best 5pt seat!
I only have a 3 month old so my car seat needs are different.
BUT, I have a friend with a 6 year old and they have that Graco you mentioned and they've been using that one since she was 3 and they are very happy with it. They had a car accident and had to buy a new car seat and got the same one.
Hoep that helps!
We just got the britax frontier and love it! Diapers.com had 20% off and free shipping. Even though it's pricey, it will last forever.
We have two Graco Nautilus seat. I love them and they are easy enough that my kids could get in and out by themself. However, they are really heavy to move, but since it is staying in your car I wouldn't worry about it. The seat adjusted nicely for both of my sons and now my LO will be in it in a few months.
I would highly recommend the Graco.
Have you looked at Consumer Reports? They do safety ratings on car seats periodically.
We have and LOVE the Graco Nautilus. It goes up to 65 lbs with the 5 point harness, and up to 100 lbs as a high back belt positioning booster. It is comfortable, sturdy, and very versatile. LOVE the built in cup holder, and the little side pockets for my son to keep his "stuff." LOL
We also have a Britax Marathon in my mom's car for him, and I used to be Britax all the way, but honestly, I like this Graco better. Got it at Walmart, but Target carries it also (as well as other retailers.)
Definitely worth every penny.
BTW, my son is 5, 50 lbs, and 45 inches tall, and he still fits wonderfully in it and has plenty of wiggle room.
We just bought the Evenflo Generations 65 for my 5 year old. It is 5 point harness to 65 lbs and booster to 100 lbs. We love it, and the price is right! We got ours at BabiesRUs with their 20% off coupon and it was around $75.
My son says it is much more comfortable (he is now 42 lbs and 41") than his old Evenflo Triumph - but we just put baby brother into the Triumph, rear facing.
Good luck! C.
