Cosco Apex or Graco Platinum?

[jennifer13]

Ok I have it narrowed down... I think. I realize the main difference is the Cosco can harness up to 65 lbs. DD#1 is petite, 2.5 yrs old, 27 lbs and I"m not sure how tall, but under 50 percentile. I can't imagine she will reach 65lbs before she's in high school. :)
Which one is better as a booster down the road? And, could someone please explain the headrest issue? I don't quite get it. I have a 1998 Honda Accord. DD #2 is going in the RA, and she is a much bigger/taller child. I don't want to buy another Britax, so the Graco and the Cosco are my two options right now. Thanks for the help!

Jennifer
Mom to Norah 5/23/03
and Leah 3/24/05

[o_mom]

I haven't seen an Apex IRL, but I do know the Graco Cargo sucks as a booster. Basically it has a clip-style shoulder belt guide, which prevents the seatbelt from naturally retracting. The result is that the child pulls the shoulder belt through the clip so they have enough slack to buckle, but then the belt doesn't retract leaving it loose and very unsafe. I got tired of it quick with my nieces. (Compare it to the TurboBooster which has a "hole-style" guide where the belt can freely retract to see what I mean) I wouldn't consider the Cargo as a seat past 40 lbs, so I have a feeling you would be buying another booster in a couple of years with the Cargo, which may be fine if DD#2 needs the Cargo.

The headrest issue comes from the Cosco restriction that the top of the _seatback_ be above the midpoint of the childs head. That is the seatback of the car, not the Apex. If you don't have headrests, this can be very low (headrests count as part of the seat). Search this forum for pics of the Apex and you will find some of the illustration in the Apex manual.

How soon do you need to move them? Fisher Price will have a new seat based on the Britax coming in January (hopefully) which will be more affordable, although still more expensive than the Apex.

[Joolsplus2]

I'd go Cargo (or Evenflo Generations, if you happen to prefer it)... you'll get 2.5-3 years harnessed out of it then hand it down, and can get a really nice booster then (like the PP said, something with nice open belt guides, side impact protection, whatever nifty features are in boosters a couple years down the road ;).

Do you have top tether anchors for your Honda yet? Get the "plate assembly" for about $12 from the dealer, they might install it for you, but ask for instructions if they want to charge you for install, because it's really easy (Did I already preach about this? sorry! It's important, lol).

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[jennifer13]

Darn it, I had my car serviced at the dealer today! Is the top tether for rear-facing or forward facing?

Ok so Evenflo generations is ok? I saw that one too. One thing that bothers me about the Cargo is the thingys that would guide the belt through as a booster- those things on each side of the upper part of the seat- it seems like they would mash into her cheek if she fell asleep. Is that totally ridiculous or is that a common complaint?

Jennifer
Mom to Norah 5/23/03
and Leah 3/24/05

[Joolsplus2]

The top tether anchors are for Forward facing... do you see little round plastic caps in your package shelf? Those pop out and the anchors screw right in.. Check out this page on why they are so important http://www.carseat.org/Technical/tech_update.htm#toptether (if you have big speakers back there, there aren't any little caps to pop out, and the install is a little tougher...)

Yeah, my DD's head rested on those Cargo belt guides when she tried the seat when she was five. She didn't complain, but it looked a little funny!

You could go all out and get a Recaro Young Sport, which is a really nice combo booster that is great as a harnessed seat and as a booster, too http://uccomama-ivil.tripod.com/id14.html (ok, it's spendy, but it's niiiiiiice, lol)

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[n2ou]

My daughter and yours are weight/age twins and I just went through the same thing you did.

Unfortunately, I could not find an Apex anywhere so I went with the cargo. The seat will be used in my husband's car and is the designated seat for travel (we have a Marathon as her primary seat).

I am pretty impressed with its performance as a harnessed seat. It installs well (in at least the 4 cars I have tried it in) and is easy to tighten the straps. It will probably not be used as a booster.

I had a Scenera before (returned because highest slot was too close to be outgrown) and the Cargo has at least 3 inches before the tallest slot will be outgrown.

HTH,,
Simone