Transitioning to Booster Seat

I highly recommend the Graco Nautilus car seat. You can use the 5 point harness up to 65lbs and then as a booster with or without the back up to 100lbs. These weren't out when my daughter was an infant (she's 4 now) so I had her in a normal convertible car seat until she outgrew it, but I just I didn't feel comfortable with her being in a booster yet. I guess I've seen too many of those scary car seat videos about seat belts not working in crashes etc. Previously I have only ever seen the Britax car seats with 5 point harnesses over 40lbs and they cost about $300! The Nautilus costs about $150, much more manageable, so I decided to go ahead and get it. I figure this will be the last car seat she needs and then I'll be able to use it for my son (7 months) too.
Hope this helps.

1 mom found this helpful

He can safely be put in a high back booster seat ( I like the Graco Turbo booster); although, if you want to keep in a 5 point harness, I recommend the Graco Nautilus. I have done a LOT of research on this. Many will tell you it is safest to keep him in a 5 point harness. That is your decision to make. I will tell you what the law says. I recently moved my almost 4 year old to a high back booster.
The law says that a child under 4 or under 40 pounds muust be in an appropriate " child passanger restraint system"
as you can see here:
http://www.modot.mo.gov/Safety/newlaws.htm
There is a link at the bottom of the page that takes you to the actual legal wording. The federal standard that is used to define "child passanger restraint system can be found here:
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration...
What it amounts to is that you must follow the manufacturer's recommendation regarding age/weight/height of your child in order to be compliant with the law. According to the information you have posted, your child meets the requirements for Graco's high back booster. It is about $45 at WalMart. If you don't think he will be "a big boy" and sit correctly in the seat (stay with the belt the way it supposed to be, not leaning all over the place and squirming) I would go with the Nautilis which was on sale at WalMart. My son behaves well and knows the first time he doesn't sit like a big boy he will go back to a 5 point harness. He does great in it. You will get a lot of opinions; do what you think will work best for you and your child! Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

Hello B., We ran into the same thing. My son is 3 1/2 also but he weighs just as much as a 4 year old and is really tall. He too has out grow the 5 point harness but our carseat turns into a high back booster and goes up to a 100 lbs. but we needed another car seat for our second car, so we went to Walmart to look and found one that 32lbs. is the least they can weigh to be in it and 39 inches is the height it starts at. I think it's an evenflo brand. Kids are suspose to be 4 years old and 40 pounds before they move to a high back booster but they also say that if they out grow the 5 point harness car seats then it's ok to but them in a booster. Good luck with everything. I hope this helps you. God Bless you and your family!

These ladies are definately on to something! You want to get a seat that still appears to be a carseat. Don't put them in just a booster seat until you can't find anything else that will fit them. They are so much more safe in a full seat. Find one that the weight goes up high and that it converts to a high backed belt positioning booster when he can't fit in the harness any longer. My daughter is 6 and weighs 64lbs and is tall. We have the Alpha Omega Elite and an Eddie Bauer version - both are actually manufactured by Cosco. They are fantastic. They were comfortable to her when she was 1 and 2 and still are now that they are her 'booster'. So, it sounds like the Nautilus is similar. I would highly reccommend looking in to that kind of option and if you consider price - remember if you don't pay that much now, you will end up paying it anyway because he's going to need at least 2 seats any other way.

Good luck and remember these seats are protecting precious cargo!
Thanks, K.

I second the Graco Nautilus. SO much safer to use a 5 point harness

I also have a little one that just turned 4 so the whole car seat issue has been fresh. You will see differing opinions about moving into a booster. After googling 5 pt harness vs booster we found a you tube video showing both in a crash test side by side in the same car and that was all I needed to see. One option I have not seen mentioned is the Safeguard Go. It is a 5 pt harness but more like a booster. I am still researching but I think it is what we will go with when we are ready. Luckily, we have a Marathon and it goes to 60 or so pounds and my 4 yo is barely over 32,lol. Anyway just thought I would share another option!!

Hello B.,
My Husband is actually a carseat tech.We use the Graco turbo booster.It is adjustable and will grow with your child.The only other one I would reccomend is the one by Britax.The only thing you need to worry about is that it is at the right height for his shoulder,not rubbing his neck etc.And if he does not sit still in at you can lock the seat belt.Let me know if you have any more questions.You may also have him show you how to use it if you are more comfortable.I don't know what area you live in but he works in Raymore.

This is just what I decided was best for us. My son was around the same age and was too tall for his 65+lb 5point harness, even though he only weight 38lbs. We decided he was too young for a true booster, many pediatricins will recommend staying in the 5point as long as possible, ours did. So we bought the Britax frontier. It lets them stay in the 5point until the tallest height, he still using it at 43". Then it convert to a high back standard booster after that. It is one of the only convertable boosters that puts the seat belt at the correct position over their shoulder. Good luck!!

I was going to say the same thing about keeping him in a 5 pt harness. I love my britax marathon (which goes up to 65 lb), but the natulis (which I have one too, we just got new, but I made it go in my husband's car after a few weeks, because I like my britax so much better) goes up at least that high for 5 pt, then turns into a backed booster, then a backless booster. It might be the way to go, so you can transition as he gets older. I believe that kansas law is that you must wait until at least 4 for a booster... http://www.kansasboosterseat.org/

Parenting is full of confusing decisions, it's so hard to get it all (at least that's what I keep finding)

K.

Do not put him in a booster seat! He is still too young.

I had the same problem with my 2 1/2 y/o (at the time). We bought the Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 car seat. You can find them at Target & Walmart for about $150. The price is well worth your son's safety. It will hold him in a 5 point harness until he is 65 lbs., it has more levels for the harness then the average car seat (my 8 y/o is 50", is torso tall & can fit in it on highest harness slot), it converts to a booster seat & goes up to 100 lbs. Please look into it for your son's safety!

God bless!

I also like the Graco Nautilus and the fact that it can be a 5 point but change into a high back booster or a backless booster. My kids are 5 and almost 7 and they are in the 5 points of the Nautilus.

When I was last buying car seats in the spring, I also looked at reviews for the Britax Frontier and Regent. I had Britax prior to my Graco. I really like them. According to the reviews, it seemed like people liked the Frontier equally to the Nautilus. Britax often have a lot of nice features. However, the Britax Frontiers are significantly higher than the Nautilus - $100 -$125 difference. My Britax Wizard (I think it fits like a Marathon but has extra features) fits great in my car. The Frontier and Regent have a higher poundage than the Marathon and Wizard. Web reviews had a lot of people complaining about the fit of the Frontier in their cars.

The other aspect I like about either of these types of seats that convert is that the expiration lasts longer. My Britax had a 5 year expiration so it is due to expire before my son could use it to its full poundage and height. The others since they convert to backless boosters have longer expiration times for these components. The backless booster has a 10 year expiration.

I bought my Britax Wizard when my son was 2 and used it until he was 6 1/2. It is also a convertible. Unless your son is still rearfacing at 3 1/2, I wouldn't spend the money on a seat that is higher poundage like the Britax Marathon / Wizard but is still a convertible. If you are considering this brand I would go with a different model.

Britax have nicer fabric and nice features on some of their models. The kids do like the places to stash things and the cupholders on the Nautilus.

Of course the best car seat is the one that fits your car. There are some good websites that give tips on how to fit your particular seat in your particular car.

Two words: Graco Nautilus. It's safe (steel frame, and a 5-point harness, which a 3.5 year old still needs), and won't break the bank, and will work for years. My tall 4 year old loves hers!