My 3 1/2 yr old is getting too big for her car seat and she weighs 40 pounds. Her head is already above the back of the seat. My pedi. suggested a booster with a five point harness, but I haven't been able to find anything like that. What do you have? What do you like/dislike about it? Any advice for me? Thanks ladies!
We went with the Graco Nautilus simply because it was easy to find at the store we have locally. Thanks everyone, for your input. It was very nice to know what was out there before we had to search for it ourselves. She already loves her new chair. :)
I second the britax frontier 75. I love it. The other car has the graco natilus which is ok considering it's much cheaper. Over the years we bought so many seats that never really lasted. If I was to do it's over again, I would had bought a britax marathon as baby and then frontier.
Regardless what you pick, I am happy you intend to keep her in a five point harness.
Britax makes a good one. I think it's called the Frontier. My friend has one and has been very pleased.
Check out the Britax Frontier 85- a great seat with a long lifespan.
Britax Frontier 85 is the last seat you'd have to buy. Will keep her in a 5 point harness up to 85lbs and then becomes a high back booster up to 120lbs. We have 3 Britax seats in our family and I love them all.
If they'd had the Frontier when I bought my son's seat 3.5 years ago that's the seat I would have jumped on. His will take him harnessed to 80lbs but doesn't convert. He has a high back Britax booster for his dad's car but even at age 6 I have to remind him how to sit properly in it. I don't have that worry when he is in his 5 point harness seat in my car.
Britax Frontier 85 (if you can afford it)
I know alot of people love the Graco Nautilus.
We actually have one but moved it to Grandmas car because it was huge and really heavy.
We are about to buy the Britax Frontier 85 for our 2 year old. You can find it online for as low as $190. You might be able to find it even cheaper if you do some searching. :) I looked at the Graco Nautilus, but for a little bit more I can get a Britax so I think I will be doing that. Good luck! :)
The type of seat your pedi is referring to is known as a "Combination Seat" - a forward facing child safety seat with a 5 point harness that can be removed when the child outgrows the harness by height (shoulders above the top harness slot) or weight so that the seat can be used as a belt positioning booster seat. The ones most frequently rec'd by certified child passenger safety technicians are the Graco Nautilus, Britax Frontier, or if those are out of your price range, the Evenflo Maestro. Scroll down to the "Forward Facing Only Seats" section of this article for more details:
http://carseatblog.com/carseatblogcoms-recommended-car-se...
Definitely the Britax Frontier 85! We have 3! Check them out on diapers.com. We looked into the Natilus but after seeing it in the store, my husband said no way. It just seemed to much cheaper made than the Britax..... Especially since it was only about a $50 price difference.....
Britax is a 5-point booster.
I ran into this same problem with my son. He had just turned 3 and was physically ready for a booster seat, but I did not feel he was emotionally ready to use a standard auto belt. I got the Evenflo Maestro Booster Car Seat. I was having a lot of trouble finding a carseat that went above 40 lbs for the 5 pt harness, and the ones I did find were $250+. I don't know if money is an issue for you but the one I got was only $90 and it goes up to 50 lbs for the 5 pt harness. It is also convertible to a backed booster seat when they are ready for it. I have not had any complaints about the carseat and we have had it for 6 months. My favorite thing about it is my son can sleep in it easier without his head flopping around like he did in his prior carseat. I also love the cup holders that are built into the arm rest. I purchased mined at Target
Britax frontier 85! Super safety ratings and we love ours! Harnesses them to 85 lbs then with the seatbelt to 120. You'll basically never need another seat. Good deals at albeebaby.com and new in box on eBay!
Britax makes a couple of models that will work well beyond 40 pounds and also accommodates taller children. Here is why we choose to use a 5-point harness system: http://www.kdmf.blogspot.com/
You can also check out the videos at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgCcqkEufFc
After watching these, you probably won't care about the expense factor.
We have the Evenflo Generations 65. We couldn't spend what the Britax cost, and we've been happy.
Absolutely Britax! Love their car seats...yes, may be expensive, but we are talking about safety and to me, I'll pay it! They are sturdier, solid seats, that look very well protected (neck, side impact, etc)
I have seen a lot of people recommend the Britax Frontier which is a nice seat. We use the Graco Nautilus and it is also awesome (and cheaper than the Frontier), it makes a great harnessed seat, then when your child is mature enough it converts to a high back booster, and then later on to a low back booster. Another great one that is even less expensive is the Evenflo Maestro.
i have a high back booster by costco (i use more for travel) the one my daughter uses everyday is the alpha omega elite car seat and still uses the 5 point harness. we have a booster seat that uses just a seat belt also it is used as a back up car seat for other family. my daughter is 4 1/2
If Britax is too pricey then the Graco Nautilus does a good job too. My almost 50 Lb 5 year old is still in his with the harness (up to 65 lbs) and it converts to a booster too. There are a few others as well.
