Booster Seat Recommendations for Twins??

Updated on November 29, 2009
M.M. asks from Minneapolis, MN
9 answers

Hi there I have 33 month old twins Im looking at getting diff car seats I currently have the britax marathon in my truck which I love but the two we have in the 2nd vechile are expiring!! There are the graco turbo boosters which claim a child can be 30 pounds with the regular seatbelt I personally feel my kids are to little to be in just a seatbelt. So im looking at a combo seat a 5 point for now and then one that switches to a booster when they are big enough!! I did a little research and I found a graco natilus I belive it goes to 100# which is nice seems nice anyone have experince with this one??? or anyother sugg would be great thanks so much:)

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T.L.

answers from Milwaukee on

I have two of the Nautilus seats and I love them. The only downside is that they are kind of big. They would be quite a bit larger than a regular booster seat when you decide to switch them. If you don't have any issues with space I would definitely recommend that seat. I love the cupholder that is built in and the storage compartments on each side of the childs seat that is easily accessible for the child. The space is perfect for holding sunglasses or little toys.

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R.D.

answers from Des Moines on

We just moved from a Britax Roundabout to a Britax Frontier this summer. I did a lot of research on boosters as I was hoping to have this be the last seat we need for my son who is currently 3.5. The thing I liked about the Frontier is that the 5 pt harness can be used up to 80 lbs, where most others are 40 or 60. It can then be used as a booster with a regular seatbelt up to 100 lbs. I also had been pleased with the Britax we had before, so I knew what quality I was getting for the money.

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L.M.

answers from Seattle on

I have the britax regant 5 point harness goes to 85lbs.. love them.. have them for both my girls.. we bought ours from www.babyage.com.. at the time they had free shipping and great prices as well as no sale tax. I really like britax..
Lenc

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M.G.

answers from Chicago on

I tried to Nautilus at the store and could not figure it out. It was cheap plastic.
I went with the Radian XT b/c it fits in a harness to 80 lbs. (though probably the kids will outgrow it by height first).
They fit 3 in a row across a car.
The seats are expensive and sturdy (heavy), but I figured it's worth it. Very, very sturdy! Great crash test ratings. It's easy for tots to get in and out by themselves, too.

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M.W.

answers from St. Cloud on

In MN I believe the new law is that children need to be in a booster or carseat till they are (either 7 or 8) years old!

The natilus did not get good safety ratings so we ordered the Britax Regent that goes up to 80 pounds. Our daughter is 4 1/2 and small for her age. We just didn't feel comfortable having her in a booster. We still wanted the 5 point harness for safety! I ordered it last week online and will hopefully get it Friday or early next week!

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R.V.

answers from Minneapolis on

We have had the Nautilus for about a year and we love it. It goes to 100 pounds and can be used as a high back booster and the back comes off later for a regular booster. It is very easy to use and install. I found it online a Wal-mart for $122 plus they had $.97 shipping at the time, plus I went through UPROMISE so we got some college savings from it too. Our son just turned 3 and weights 33 pounds. I agree that he is too small and too light to be in a regular seatbelt.

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S.F.

answers from Madison on

Don't go by the weight suggestions of booster seats. Most states have laws on what age/weight kids need to be to use a booster seat. 4 years old and 40 lbs in Wisconsin. Look up the laws in your state.

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K.B.

answers from Minneapolis on

My 6yr old and 2yr old have the Nautlius and I love them!!!!

B.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

you are right, your kids are not big enough for a booster seat with the adult belt! Not only are they under 3yrs old, hte BARE MINIMUM for a booster seat, but A child under 40lbs (and about 5/6yrs old) is at risk for submarining under the seat belt in a crash, and at a very high risk for seatbelt syndrome. Google seatbelt syndrome for more information, and be prepared to gasp in horror at what happens to a child who is not big enough to be in the adult belt.

Anyway, it seems you are already following your instincts that your children are way too small for a booster seat. You have a few options...

Graco Nautilus, harness to 65lbs, harness fits most kids to age 7 height wise as well, and then becomes a high back booster to 100lbs, and a low back booster if necessary. The no back booster has a 9yr life span, so its a great deal for $150, and you can find it for cheaper online sometimes, and I hear there are going to be some good deals on car seats tomorrow online. If you use the top tether (which is recommended anyway), this seat performed well in crash tests.

Britax Regent- harness to 80lbs and fits most kids to age 8+ or 4'9" when they can sit in the adult belt safely. This is a HUGE car seat, we have one and we LOVE it. Our 7yr old still fits in it perfectly! You can find amazing deals on this seat right now as they are being discontinued, so yo ucan find them online at most retailers (Target, Wal Mart, Albeebaby, etc) for around $150. This is a smokin' deal as the Regent retails for $300! Top tether is required for use in this seat over 40lbs.

Britax Frontier- Harness to 80lbs, becomes a high back booster. Makes a great booster too, it fits children very well. This is a great seat that will last, has great side impact protection. Its around $270. Top tether required in this seat as well.

Evenflo Generations 65- harness to 65lbs then becomes a high back booster. this is just a revamped version of the older Generations car seat with a higher weigh limit, so if you are interesetd in this seat ,try it out at Babies RUs first to make sure your girls have room to grow in it height wise.. Its $99 at BRU.

Safety 1st Apex 65- harness to 65lbs, high back booster to 80lbs. CAn be a pain to use because it requires high seat backs or adjustable head rests to use. But its a nice seat for the price (can be found as cheap as $80 online at albeebaby.com) and it makes a decent booster.

A car seat is outgrown forward facing when the child goes over the weight limit of the seat, the shoulders go over the top harness slot, or the ears become level with the seat back. When one of these things occurs, the seat is outgrown and you must stop using it.

Good for you for knowing your car seats are expiring (6yrs from date of manufacture) and that your children are too small for the adult belt booster seats. Any one of the seats I listed above would be a great fit for your children until they are mature enough both physically and mentally for a booster seat.

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