Car Seat Help Please for Tall & Husky Boys

Hi V.,
I'm so glad to see that you want to keep them harnessed as long as possible! Many people just dont realize the dangers of their small children being in a regular seatbelt. Cpsafety.com has some great info if your not familar with it... We have the Britax Boulavard and love it. My 4 year old still loves it, it goes harnessd upto 65lbs but if I were buying a new seat right now, I would go with the Britax Frontier, it can be harnessed up to 80lbs and just as importanly it has TSIP (true side impact protection) which is critical in a side impact crash. The price is steep at $280 at BabyUniverse.com but that does include free shiipping. I dont like the price either but with carseats, you are going to get what you pay for. I would rather spend it here and cut out somewhere else. Good luck to you guys:)

3 moms found this helpful

I put my big boy in a high back booster at 3.5 and he did/does fine. Mine out grew his by height and when we moved to the booster it was a HUGE help with carseat disputes. He was uncomfortable and it make him grumpy and we had huge trouble with him being nasty in the car. We have this booster for both my almost 7 yr old and my almost 4 yr old. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2963245
Its padded really well and the top comes around the sides of their heads.

1 mom found this helpful

We have an Eddie Bauer car seat that actually grows with your child. It goes up to 100 lbs so we will not have to purchase a booster seat. Let me know if you'd like the model #.
Hope this helps!
S.

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Can not go wrong with the Britax models! Go to their website. You can enter the children's height and weight and it shows you the seats for them.

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Go to walmart and puchase the high back carseat/boosterseat. It is approximately $34.00 snd has the 5 point harness but also converts to a highback booster. I bought 2 of them for my son when he was 2 1/2. He is now able to use it as a booster so in my van that is how he uses it and in my husbands truck it is set up as a car seat and we love them. Good luck!!!!!

1 mom found this helpful

Well, my boy is a bit tall but not husky. However, we are using Britax Decathalon (sp?) seat. It is pretty expensive, but goes up to 80 lbs. It has, I think, 4 strap slots to choose from as they grow and can be used like a booster - I have seen several at my son's preschool being used on 4 year old's.

Britax consistently gets good safety ratings and, I can say from personal experience, has good customer service. We had one small problem - nothing major - with one of our seats and I dreaded calling about it but they were great. Very easy to work with.

To cut the cost a bit, you can buy new, in-box, Britax seats on eBay from dealers. They are perfectly fine, not rejects, just usually discontinued fabric patterns. Just read the feedback to see how others have felt about the dealer. We got both of ours there and have zero regrets.

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

I've always just bought Graco. I know their Booster (full back with harness, but option of just using a regular seat belt.. the kind my two year old could sit in) will go up to 70 or 80 pounds. My six year old is a very tall kid and he can still comfortably fit in one.

My friend just got her son a new Graco seat, can't remember the name but you can keep them harnessed for a long time (maybe 65lbs?) I checked it out in her car and actually wanted one for myself!! It was rock solid (no movement at all) and felt comfy. The fabric is mesh so I assume it would be cool. I also think its lots cheaper than the Britax seats.

My best friend has a 44 inch tall nearly 50 lb 4 yo and a 40+ nearly 40 lb 3 yo and they have been big for along time! She ended up going with Britax Reagents with the older child because it was the only carseat 3 years ago on the market that had shoulder straps that went high enough for her little girl so when their boy started growing the same way they got the second one! I completely agree with you about keeping them harnessed for as long as possible I know my 4.5+ year old is not responsible enough to only be in a seat belted booster nor is it as safe for him which is an even bigger concern!

V.,
We have the Britax Regent, which is expensive, but goes up to 100 lbs. Many people call it the husky carseat! We bought it because it will last us for a long time!

hi! i have a three year old girl who will make you feel better about the size of your boys - she is 43 inches tall and weighs 40 pounds. lol! we just bought her a new car seat, and though it was expensive it got fantastic reviews and lasts until 80 lbs. it's the Britax Regent - runs around $280. i recommend it to everyone because we have been very, very happy with it.

Britax has a car seat that is a booster with a back, but it also has great sides for the head. There around a $100 a piece. The other one is the Britax Regent, it's 5 point harness system, and holds up to 80lbs but they are $279. I have both of these seats. Booster for my 5 year old and Regent for my 3 year old. I LOVE THEM. The Regent has tons of room to grow, infact my 5 year old who is 67lbs and tall can still fit in it.

I hate to say it, but I think you are going to have to shell out the $600!! Britax is the only brand I know that has the high weight limits with harness straps. We have a Marathon and it goes up to 65lbs. My 2yr old sits in it nicly with plenty of side room. He isn't as big as your boys are but I think it's funny that my 8yr old daughter can sit in it cause she is only 50 some lbs!!

Good luck!!
S.

Good luck
S.

i have used the Alpha Omega with bot my kids. I don't recall off hand who makes it but there is an Eddie Bauer version. My kids are small but I ws able to use the harness until my son started Kindergarten Then it converts to a booster. It is also less expensive than the Britax that everyone else is recommending. Obviously you want your kids safe but not everyone can afford to spend that much, esp if you need 2.

Check out the safe guard go. I love it. It has a 5 point harness for up to 80-100lbs. It is very compact, so having to have 2 car seats they will not take up the whole backseat. They do require a back strap tether so if you have an older car they will not work. They run about $200. It was worth every penny to me. Good luck

the britax regent is the mac daddy of carseats. it is VERY roomy. i have 2 of them and love both and so do my kids.

If they're that big and almost three, what's wrong with a booster seat? We put our son in a booster when he hit the weight limit, even though he was about 3 months shy of 3 years old. We got one with a high back and harnesses so he's still buckled in, and the back can be removed later when he's older. It was fairly inexpensive-- under $30, I believe. I don't know where you live, but in NC there's no law regarding the transition from car seat to booster-- only that they have to be in some kind of seat until 8 years or 80 lbs. Good luck!

I have the apex 65
http://www.babyage.com/products/22-534bdw_safety_1st_safe...

and it's good for the 5pt harness up to 65lbs (although at 57lbs you're supposed to switch from using the LATCH system to the buckle through the back). Then it converts to a booster. I love it and got a second one. The cover comes off for easy washing. Some people say it's hard to install but I find it quite easy. Plus the dorel group is really helpful. If the center buckle is too short, they replaced ours for free. It's one of the only ones that goes up to 65lbs for the 5 pt harness.

I honestly didn't know they made this one anymore. When I bought my second, they renamed it to the Safety First. I found the cheapest price online with free or no delivery. And babyage.com (the site above) is where I've bought a couple of them.

The Apex 65 (it's listed as a booster seat but is the replacement for the one above and the one I bought for my second son) has the same specs as the one above. LATCH up to 57lbs, 5 pt harness up to 65lbs and turns in to a booster. They have it at Babyage.com too
http://www.babyage.com/products/22-534bdw_safety_1st_safe...

Hope you like it. I do, my friend who recommended it (she has husky boys too) does and my friend I told about has 2 for her kids.