Hello mommies- I have a two part question =) My baby boy is starting kindergarten in just a few short weeks (Aug 12) and I think I am more worried and sad about it then my son is lol... Well recently he has declared that he no longer wants to sit in his car seat- we have the Britax Marathon and I purposely bought if for the reason that I could keep him in a 5 point harness for as long as possible. He still fits in it and has not reached the max requirements for the seat but he knows he's becoming a big boy in kindergarten and wants a big boy seat. Since I work all day and am a single mom, his preschool teacher now, will be picking him from kindergarten in the afternoons and he will stay with her until I get off of work- only about 3 hours a day, 3 days a week, the other two days his dad will pick him up from kindergarten and he will stay with his dad. I need to get a car seat or a booster for her to pick my son up with, as I have no where to leave my car seat at his kindergarten. I always thought I would get a Britax booster, but was just wondering if there was anything else on the market that is just as safe and maybe a little less expensive- we are on a budget. If Britax is the safest then I will pay for the booster- I don't think I can put a price on my son's safety, especially since his britax marathon has already saved his life when he got in an accident with his dad. So just wanted your thoughts and opinions on other good boosters out there.
Now for the next question: we are going to make a big production of back to school shopping- new clothes, picking out his backpack and lunch box (he is in all day kindergarten so he has to bring a lunch) but what else can we get for kindergarten, does he need any other supplies or anything like that? What did you mommies buy for your little ones going to kindergarten?
Thanks so much for the reply's and suggestions.
Take care- H.
We love the Compass High Back Booster. It folds up when not in use soit is great for grandma's car and carpools.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/The-First-Years-Compass-Folding...
His school (at enrollment) should give you a list of school supplies that he will need & they will need his name on them. I think my oldest needed: a pencil case, pencils, markers, crayons, blunt tip siccors, an eraser & glue.
As for the booster I would suggest a high back booster. As I don't know how he fits in each of the cars he will be riding in. The high back will help prevent whip lash in an accident. Some cars do not have head rests high enough to keep a child's head from whipping backwards in a crash. Plus a high back booster has a belt positioner that keeps the belt from digging into your child's neck. Some high back boosters convert & the back comes off so it looks like a regular booster.
the Graco Turbo Booster is a reasonably-priced high back booster that fits most younger booster riders well - just be sure you install the screws in the arm rests (see this note from carseatblog.com: http://carseatblog.com/?p=634). Teach your son how to properly route the seat belt (lap portion *under* both arm rests - the arm rests act as "hips" to keep the lap portion low across your son's lap instead of up on his abdomen where it could cause injury in an accident, shoulder strap crossing mid-shoulder, make sure he knows that he *must* leave the belts in place when the car is moving, no wiggling around and putting the shoulder belt behind him, etc.) so that he'll know how to be properly buckled in other peoples' cars.
And if you'd prefer he stay harnessed in your car, you might consider a good "combination" seat (forward facing harnessed seat that converts to a booster when the harness is outgrown - these tend to look more "boosterish" which can be a plus in gaining buy-in from kids your son's age). The Graco Nautilus and Britax Frontier are both good examples of combo seats with good harness height and weight limits that also convert to good boosters that will last your son until he fits the adult seat belt, and the Evenflo Maestro (about $80) is also a good choice although it doesn't adjust very tall in booster mode so your son would most likely need another booster after he outgrows it. Most other combo seats either have low harness height/weight limits or position the seat belt poorly in booster mode.
Can't help with the booster seat question as we use the backless seat. But with the school supplies - the school should give you a list of what to get. My son starts kindegarten this year also. His list includes pencils, colors, markers, paints, kleenex, hand sanitizer, pencil box, scissors, glue, glue sticks, construction paper, manilla paper, and folders. From experience with my older son, buy extras of the the paper, folders, colors - stuff like that. It is so cheap before school starts and so expensive after. What we don't use for school gets saved for next year or used at home.
The britax frontier booster is hard to install, so if someone else is picking him up maybe they can use a graco highback booster, or a radian, and you can get the britax for your car. I say all safety is worth the money! We have the britax marathon and frontier and love them!
We have the "Compass" and "Britax Parkway" brand booster seats. We love it. My kids love it too.
If you look on Amazon.... you will find it and you can also read the many reviews and ratings of it there.
*You will, need to provide another Booster seat, for that Preschool teacher who is going to be picking him up daily. That is only proper. Have one for your car, and then another one for that Teacher. AND his Dad, will need a Booster seat too, for his car.
Next, the school, should be giving you a 'list' of school supplies needed for Kindergarten. There is no way a parent can 'guess' at what the school 'requires.' Just ask them.
Aside from the school supplies list, I would get for your son the basic necessities:
1) ROLLING backpack. So a young child does not have to carry a heavy backpack on their shoulders
2) Insulated lunch box and dry ice for it to keep things cold
3) Water bottle
*Label all his things, with a Sharpie permanent ink marker. It works on anything.
*label everything, even his every crayon etc. If it gets lost or taken, then he can get it back and then you won't waste your money on supplies or having to replace it.
Every year at schools, there are TONS of "lost and found" things that kids lose on campus or in class. If it is not labeled, then you can't recoup it and your son will be losing his supplies. And if it is not labeled, then the Teacher can't find it (for you) either.
* label even his shoes & jackets etc., because these items ends up in "lost and found" too. And every year, non-labeled things in the lost and found bin, gets tossed if no one labels their belongings.
all the best,
Susan
May be you are not lookingfor this answer but I do want to say that as a prent you get to decide when your child gets out of the car seat in to a booster. He can declare all he wants but unless you want him out of the marathon he doesn't gettomove out of the marathon.
Its safer and its nothing baby about being safe.especially give someone lese other than you will be driving him
Just some food for thought!
Good luck my daughter starts kinder garden too this year and will stay in her marathon!
I agree with the pp. The school will give you a list of all of the supplies needed. They can be very specific, so wait until you get it before stocking up on anything you assume he'll need.
As far as boosters, our son has a Graco high back and it's worked really well. We normally use Britax but didn't see a need since there are great quality boosters from other makers on the market that are a lot less. You will LOVE boosters. Makes life so much easier when transferring the seat to other cars.
I was a britax fan (still am for convertible seats) but I absolutely LOVE the sunshine kids monterey booster seat. I know its kinda pricy but I don't know how much compared to the britax brand. His seat belt is perfectly positioned and he doesnt fall forward when he sleeps in it. There is really good head and side protection. Awesome booster and I will be getting another when my daughter is old enough.
