Car Seat Problems

My son is a completely different build, big and tall for his age. he outgrew his previous car seat almost a year ago when he hit the 40lbs/40 inches point but we still wanted him in a seat with a 5 point harness. We got the Graco Nautilus and it is great. My son loves it and is very comfortable. He can stay in the harness up to 65 lbs and then it can be a booster either with or without the back. If you shop around a bit you can usually find a sale or coupon to bring the price down to around $129 or so.

Most states it's 4yrs AND 40lbs. You need to check with your state. In CT it is 4 yrs and 40 lbs. Try a high back booster. She doesn't need a convertable seat anymore. I have an Eddie Bauer high back booster that I love. My 5 yr old is still in it.

The car seat is no longer safe for her because she has exceeded the height requirement. I would put her in a convertible booster seat - one that still uses a 5-pt harness, but will then convert into a backless booster seat that will accommodate her until she is 4'9"

Hi J.; My son out grew his car seat settings very quickly. He is also very tall but thin. He's almost 4yrs old, about 27 lbs, and stands just over 43 inches tall (110cm tall to be exact) The instructions on our car seat/booster seat says that they need to reach either the height requirement OR the weight requirement not both. I had my car seat originally fitted by a car seat program at my local police station, and was told that he should be in the booster set up because of his height. (That is the car seat, but no harness, you use the seat belt across his chest. ) I believe that most car seats are built to a basic standard (although they do deviate greatly even still) re-read your instructions or check out the brands website for instructions on the usage of your car seat.

btw... love the name sarah may... I had 2 boys, I think I would have liked the name sarah if I had a girl.

Here is a website with the laws for NY State.

http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/broch/c-1.htm

You could get a high back booster seat for her. They are a lot like a regular car seat but have more room for the taller kids.

At 26 pounds she still needs to be in a seat with a 5 point harness. You did not state which seat you currently have but there are plenty out there for taller children. Some high back boosters start at 3 years and 30lbs but most people will say the longer you keep them in a 5 point the safer they are. Using the car seatbelt to keep her in the car seat is one of the most common things all seat manufacturers say is a big no, no. Britax Regent is a huge, but heavy seat good for larger kids. Also the Sunshine Kids Radian is a great seat, I have that one. http://www.elitecarseats.com/home.jsp is a wonderful site that you can really see all the specs and info on a ton of seats plus $1 return shipping if you dont like it.

Like Trisha we have a Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 carseat ($144 on Amazon.com). This carseat is perfect for toll kids and has enough space for winter coat. Highly recommended.

I'm not sure about the requirements, but for now, couldn't you put a soft towel or small blanket between her legs, so you could still tighten it a bit and not have it pinch her? Just a thought...

NJ state law REQUIRES that all kids be in a car seat until they are eight years old or 80 pounds.

My daughter just turned four and is 44 lbs and 41 inches. I've liked her Britax Marathon, but am now looking for a car seat for the next size up for both my van and my husband's car.

My brother is a fire fighter in Hawaii and has done a lot of research into car seats for his own kids (safety being the primary criteria). Here's what he sent me:

Top choice: Graco turbo booster (with backrest if the seat in the vehicle has no headrest)
Don't forget to use the belt positioning clip if the shoulder belt doesn't lay nicely over the shoulder.

Booster Seats: Reviews
http://www.consumersearch.com/booster-seats?sms_ss=email

My comment: I like the one with the back and the side headrests so they're more comfortable if they fall asleep. I also still like the 5-point harness for safety reasons, though it is nice when they can release their own seatbelt when we get to our destination.

My son is almost five, 37.5 lbs and is still harnessed. We switched him from his convertible carseat about 9 months ago to a Graco Nautilus 3-in-1. Harness to 65ls, high back booster until 100lbs and converts to just the booster as well. I love it, he loves it (never complains about crotch problems with this seat). Take her to somewhere where they sell it and try her in it. Walmart online sells it for $135? I bought one for this price last year and decided to buy another and it had gone up to $179. I just looked online for something else and came across it again and it was back down.

Careful. You are playing a dangerous game with the seat and seatbelt. They seatbelt isn't the ideal height and is not meant to protect a child in a convertible carseat in this manner. For an infant carseat yes.

I have friends that to this day do not tighten down the straps on the carseat for their children. I have no idea why. I think the response was, "She doesn't like it too tight." But that's how the straps protect your child! I'm glad you are trying to find a solution to keep your child safe.

My son is 3 1/2 and 28 pounds, so I feel your pain. First, have you raised the height of the straps as high as you can? How tall is your daughter? My daughter was always tall for her age, so she maxed out the height of her carseat earlier this year and now has a booster, but she's 5 1/2 and well over the minimum 30 lbs for it. Last winter was tough with the coat. Manufacturers recommend the child doesn't wear a coat in the car seat. Is it possible to have her wear layers and only layer one in the car? Then put on her coat before she gets out of the car?

And a more detailed comment about the booster seats, they mostly say 30 lbs minimum, but all the safety reviews I read online say that really 40 lbs should be the minimum. Our little 3 year olds are far from ready for that. Even my daughter who runs in the 75th - 90th percentile for both height and weight only got in this year at age 5 and 48 lbs. I didn't understand why until we had to return one booster because she didn't "fit" in it. Some are really made for older, bigger kids. And we settled on the Britax (new one, can't remember name) and LOVE the extra safety features as well as the ability to take the back off when she outgrows the need for that.

Good luck and feel free to email me offline to talk more: ____@____.com.

I do not think there is a weight requirement. Once their ears are over the top of the car seat they are ready for a booster. Get a full back booster which converts eventually to just the bottom part (Graco Turbo Booster). My daughter is very tall and outgrew the carseat ealy and went into the booster.