anything similar to Apex coming out this year?

[starrynight]

Are there any other harness to 65lbs and then use as a booster in the 80-100lbs range coming out this year that are not cosco?

I hate cosco in general and avoid them but I'm sorta stuck and the Apex seems like the best option.

My just turned 4 year old dd is in her brother's old century breverra manf. Jan 2001 so it has to be replaced this year. She is harnessed and 33lbs, I forget her height but off the top of my head 39 inches is sticking. I want this to be her very last seat whatever I buy so this seems perfect. But it's cosco and then the headrest thing.

So anything similar coming out, I have a few months of time that I can wait if anything else comes out before Dec. this year. If not I will just grab the apex.

I do not want a regent for various reasons and anything else britax is out because they stop at 65lbs. The radian is more and it also stops at 65lbs and it could be just me but from pics it doesn't look comfy?

We have a 99 chevy venture minivan if that helps any. There are headrests on 4 of the backseats so I would put it anywhere except the middle seat 3rd row. They are short but adjust up, is that ok? Does that make sense? The seats themselves are somewhat short but the headrests come up. I still don't think I explained that right!

[o_mom]

Well, I think that pretty much limits it to the Apex.

I understand not wanting to buy more seats, but if you got a 65lb Britax seat, then she could go to a backless booster after that for around $20. Given her weight and age, I would expect even a 40lb seat would last at a year or two harnessed. Something like the Recaro would be a great fit. Or, the new FP Britax (55lb) followed by a booster.

[Aunt to sweet baby boy]

What is her torso height? Sit her against a wall with her back straight and measure from the floor to the top of her shoulders- where the harness would come out of the seat. The apex does not have very tall slots and might not be the best seat for you. What about a recaro combo seat- harness to 40 lbs and then a great bpb. You might also get a few years from one of the Britax seats- MA/DC/BV. What is your budget for this seat?

The problem with the Radian is that people have been having alot of trouble installing the seat so i would try it in your car before buying if possible.

HTH

Ilana

http://lilypie.com/pic/060218/pBEG.jpg[/img]http://b2.lilypie.com/wepom8/.png[/url]

[starrynight]

We can't afford another britax, especially to only get 2 years out of it. Her younger sister already has a MA and we are not having any more kids ever so it's not like I could pass it down. Her sister got the MA because she needed it the most, she is a stringbean and outgrew by height most other seats rfing but is so tiny in weight that she was safer in it. And she is the youngest and would get the most out of it. I also bought it before the price freeze so I was able to get it cheap enough to fit the budget. My 4 year old is short in the torso and she doesn't grow very fast.

Regent is out because we don't have tether anchors in our van, I also personally think it's too big and then the money issue as well. If we could afford the Regent plus the additional cost of $200 to have the anchors put in I might have considered it but we can't.

I don't mind the Apex, it should be ok she has a short torso. I just hate cosco and was asking if any of the techs know of anyone else coming out with a similar seat later this year so I would wait. I still have a year on this seat and she isn't near the 40lb harness limit so it would buy me time. If not I will buy the Apex now while I have the extra money.

ETA: I do not want the Recaro or anything else that stops at 40lbs. There is no point in buying her a new seat if I do that because the seat she has does go to 40lbs, it just expires in a year. I want her harnessed longer than 40lbs, she is not mature enough to sit still in a seatbelt, hence why I want the Apex or something similar.

[o_mom]

Hmmm... The only things I have heard of are much more expense than the Apex, but Julie or someone might know more. I hate Cosco too, but sucked it up and got a Scenera and have loved it. I hope there are alternatives to the Apex by the time we need another seat in DH's car. Either way, I would wait, so you get a "fresh" seat - even if you don't need the full 6 years, you can always sell it later if it isn't expired.

How old/weight/height is the younger one? Just wondering if you could swap her out of the MA into a Graco Cargo in a year if she will be FF, putting the older one in the MA to 65 lbs, then the older one to a LBB and younger one back to the MA as they grow? (could you follow that?) That would be less than $100 total for the Cargo and a LBB, spread out over 3-4 years.

ET fix typo

[Scatterbunny]

How old is the younger dd in the MA? Height and weight?

I would personally just keep using the Breverra until December and then switch her to the MA, moving the younger one to something else. When the older one maxes out the MA, switch back again.

There aren't any higher weight limit seats that meet your needs/wants, unfortunately.

[starrynight]

Younger is 2. 23lbs and 34 inches tall, she is tiny! Seated height is 16 inches. She will be 3 in Sept. If we are extra lucky she *might* be 25lbs, but judging how she gains it's probably not going to happen :(.

4 year old is actually 38 inches and 17 inch seated. She is solid, 2 year old is more petite. Next to each other younger looks "fragile" does that make sense? I never thought to switch them around, I guess I could. I was just thinking the most safe kid in the good enough but not "best" seat and the least safe kid in the best possible option. Meaning 2 year old stays in MA and 4 year old being more solid, heavier and older in the next best thing the APEX or Radian or other seat coming out soon...I can hope for something?

Funny if it wasn't a cosco seat I think I would buy it without a second thought. I've got time to think I suppose. Thanks everyone.

Any techs want to chime in about putting a 3 year old in the 22-25lb range into a harnessed booster combo? I don't feel right doing it but not sure where that is coming from.

etcorrect typo

[Kat_Mom2D_J_andRuthie]

if your 4yr old has time left in the Marathon (I'd check the harness position), then I'd put her in the Marathon and get a Scenera for the younger child and put him/her rearfacing.

the harenssed booster wouldn't be bad, but I'd like it to wait till the child HAS to forward face, assuming that the 4yr old doesn't outgrow the Marathon first and move into a booster.

Kat

[o_mom]

Here's the thing, though, the older one could use the Cargo to the harness limits. That could be quite a while since she is petite. It has high slots, and since you said her torso is short, it could be at least a year from now, at which point the younger one would be almost 3 1/2.

I would wait until Dec. Then you will have an idea of how big DD1 is - if she has some time to grow in a Cargo or other combo, the get it and when she maxes out, do the swap. That will put DD2 at 3.5-4 yrs, when you will probably be more comfortable having her FF.

OTOH, if DD1 has a big growth spurt, and DD2 is still tiny, you could consider a Scenera for DD2 to keep her RF and put DD1 in the MA, or go ahead at that point and get the Apex.

Either way, you will have much more info to make a better choice in 9 mos, and get the bonus of a fresher seat.

[Scatterbunny]

I didn't realize the younger dd would be just 22-25 pounds at age 3...I agree, I wouldn't want to forward-face her at that weight. :(

Still, a rear-facing child is always safer than a forward-facing child, so I think I might get a $40 Cosco Scenera (rear-faces to 35 pounds and has a fairly tall back--I know Kat has comparison pics of her dd in both the Scenera and Marathon) for the rear-facing dd and use the MA for the older dd.

[Kat_Mom2D_J_andRuthie]

Thanks, Jenny... hadn't thought of posting them, but good idea... here is the pic of Ruthie in the Marathon at 19mo, 28lbs, and about 34"

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/kat_k1/carseat%20photos/RuthieRearfacingat19mo.jpg

and this one was taken at the same age... maybe a week after (who remembers right now) when I switched her brother into the Marathon so he could be harnessed again

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/kat_k1/carseat%20photos/RuthieRFScenera2.jpg

Okay, I checked the Exif data on them and they were taken 5 days apart (hadn't thought of that a couple seconds ago)

and here are Ruthie's most recent pics rf in the Scenera at 23mo, 31? lbs, 37"

this one was right after she woke up
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/kat_k1/carseat%20photos/RuthieRFScenera23mo.jpg

and I thought to take this to show she doesn't mind her feet bunched up after we were leaving BRU from a picture-taking venture

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/kat_k1/carseat%20photos/RuthieRFSceneraFeet.jpg

HTH

Kat

[starrynight]

Thanks everyone for the ideas for other seats and how to work this between the 2 of them.

o mom, you are probably right. The best thing to do right now all around is wait it out. I have a year to see how they both grow, it gives me another year on any other seat I end up buying so that I have more time if I have to switch things around at all. And I may in the long run not need to harness dd1 (4) to 65lbs after all, if she hits 5-5.5 and is at least 40lbs then I will feel ok letting her in just a seatbelt with a booster, I know she will be mature enough then to sit still. I can figure out her age/weight/maturity level much better in the next 10-12 months and look at new seats then.

My youngest will always be tiny I'm sure, her I will keep in the MA as long as possible and then figure out what she needs. I may still need the Apex, I might not at all. I appreciate everyone's input while I think out loud. :)

[starrynight]

Kat thanks for posting those :). That helps, I've never seen the Scenera and didn't realize the back was that high. Another thing to think about in the upcoming months.

[Kat_Mom2D_J_andRuthie]

it's even more obvious if you look at this... comparing the roundabout and the scenera:

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/Kaitlyn.aspx

when we first got the Scenera, Ruthie was the exact same size as Kaitlyn was in this pic.

Kat

[christiab]

Just a quick point about tether anchors. I know each manufacturer is different, but Chrysler installs tether anchors for free in old cars. I just had an anchor installed in a 1997 Jeep at no cost. It may be worth a try to call a few dealers until you get the answer you want!!

[starrynight]

>Just a quick point about tether anchors. I know each
>manufacturer is different, but Chrysler installs tether
>anchors for free in old cars. I just had an anchor installed
>in a 1997 Jeep at no cost. It may be worth a try to call a
>few dealers until you get the answer you want!!

Thanks I will try another one. The one I did call is horrid about labor costs, that $200 quote was for 2 tether anchors, labor only not parts! (parts are free) This same dealership wanted to charge me $75 to program a key on top of the $50 charge for a new key (certain GM models have microchip keys so someone can't copy your key and steal your vehicle but of course they are not easy to get replacements either!)

I really want tether anchors so I will try and find another one around here. We have cargo hooks bolted to the ground that I've been tempted to use as tether points but I know I shouldn't.

[kellyotn]

Try calling the mfg's 800 number. They should be able to get the dealer to understand. ;)

[starrynight]

>Try calling the mfg's 800 number. They should be able to get
>the dealer to understand. ;)

Forgive me if I'm a dork and misunderstanding you but do you mean have the carseat mfg call the dealership or have GM/Chevy to talk to the dealership and set them straight? I'm assuming you meant the latter? :)

[kellyotn]

Sorry, GM/Chevy. :) If its something the dealer SHOULD be doing for free (which I don't know re: GM/Chevy, I do know Ford, Honda and Audi do it) then maybe Corporate GM needs to have a chat with that dealer. Dealers seem to be notoriously slow on the uptake when it comes to child safety stuff in their cars.

A tech here will probably know the GM's stance. Maybe try a search for previous posts on the topic?

[o_mom]

Julie - do you have the info handy on GM? I know you have posted it before!

[j4m4d8]

I'm not sure how similar the 99 Ventures are to the 98s, but my sil has a 98 Venture. The second row outboard seats use the seatbelt anchors in the third row as tether anchors. Check your manual to see if it is the same for you. You have to very carefully take the staple out of the plastic thing on the seat belt stalk and slide it up, then you can put the anchor through the hole in the metal part. You do need to order a kit if you want to anchor a second row center seat--it costs about $20 (which is a lot for what you need for the center seat, but it contains seat belt anchors in case you don't have third row seats) and I was able to install it myself, but it does require using a torque wrench. So far as I know there is nothing available to tether third row seats. Anyway, if the 99 Ventures are totally different then just ignore me.

[starrynight]

>Sorry, GM/Chevy. :) If its something the dealer SHOULD be
>doing for free (which I don't know re: GM/Chevy, I do know
>Ford, Honda and Audi do it) then maybe Corporate GM needs to
>have a chat with that dealer. Dealers seem to be notoriously
>slow on the uptake when it comes to child safety stuff in
>their cars.
>
>A tech here will probably know the GM's stance. Maybe try a
>search for previous posts on the topic?

It's possible they were hoping I wouldn't know better and just pay it. I called, I didn't walk in there. If I had walked in there I wonder if it would have been different. I will call around or even just go in and see what different answers I get :).

[starrynight]

This is where it gets confusing...I have looked at the manual and it shows pictures and mentions what you are talking about but then says "in some models" and I can't figure it out. I do not have a center seat in the 2nd row so it is a bit different. I have a 60/40 bench seat.

In the floor there are metal bars to hold the seats in that look like there was previously a 3 seat bench in there or that I could order one and switch out the 60/40 but there isn't a middle seat belt. Unless some models that year were 8 seat, some 7 and all were made on the same frame so those are just extra seat anchors. I have a 7 seater.

The 40 portion is the only safe spot for any harnessed seats in the 2nd row. The 60 portion is only safe for anyone in a bpp or an adult or older child not in a carseat at all. The seatbelt comes across at a bad angle and you cannot get a good fit with a seat that stays belted in.

So at any given time I can only have 1 carseat on the 2nd row, in the 3rd row is where 4 year old is now and where she will stay,2 YO's MA fits best on the 2nd row "40" seat. 3rd row is 3 seats, middle is lap belt only and narrow, 2 outboard seats have shoulder/lap belts. 4 YO is driver side outboard.

To make things more confusing, I bought it used and manual is for a '99, was told it was a '99 but the VIN # ends with 0 which is usually for the model year so perhaps a 2000? In general we need a new van but that's not going to happen for a few years :( :x

Again, thanks all for your help and putting up with my rambling!

[j4m4d8]

Hmm, I wonder if they changed the seat belts a little--in the 98 I can always get a good install on the 60 part of the seat (although it makes it difficult to get in the third row with the seat belt there all the time), but I've always had trouble with the 40 seat, LOL. The third row is a lot easier for me to get seats into but there are no tether anchors back there.

Unless anchors can be installed for the third row in the 99 (or 00) Venture there's no reason to worry about getting one installed. The one for the second row 40 seat is already there for when your daughter turns forward facing. If you do find a forward facing seat that installs in the 60 part, you will need to install a tether anchor for it.