very big kids need boosters....

[mkizz]

My beautiful kids are both very big for their age and need new car seats...My son is 19 months old (about 38lbs, and about 35") my daughter is 5 and a half (about 74lbs, and about 4'-4"). My son is just about out of his Britax RA and he has to have a harness in his next seat...it seems from reading the postings here that my only choices for him are the Marathon, the Husky, or the Airway...is that right? I'm worried that he's going to outgrow everything!:) My daughter is in a Century NextStep that has a weght limit of 80lbs...Does she a new seat or do I cross my fingers and hope we hit 4'-9" before we hit 80 lbs...Finally, to make matters worse my husband insists that once our son hits 40lbs a belt positioning booster will be fine...does anyone have information/data that I can show him that a harness would be adviseable due to his age, rather than going by the weight number alone?? sigh...thanks

[momathome]

At 19 months-old, there is no way that your baby will be ready for a booster seat anytime soon. It's not just a matter of size, it's also maturity. A child needs to be able to sit properly in their seat seat without wiggling out from under the seatbelt and also not falling asleep in the car on a regular basis. We tried putting my daughter in a belt positioning booster when she was 3 1/2 but moved her into a harnessed seat after seeing her slump over into the next seat when she would fall asleep. She really wasn't ready for a belt-positioning booster for another 9 months. 5-point harnesses are much more secure and better restrain a young child in an accident by keeping them properly positioned in the seat. I'm thinking a Marathon or if you have room for it, a Britax Husky would be the best choice for the baby. As for your older daughter, I'm thinking you should just wait and see when she hits 80 lbs and if it happens before she is 4'9", look at the Graco TurboBooster which goes up to 100 lbs. I'm pretty sure you can buy just the base of the seat pretty inexpensively. Good luck!
-Lauren

[Amy]

Actually, I agree with what the other replier said. I was going to recommend the same seat for your younger child. The good thing is that the Husky will keep the child in a harness up to 80 lbs if needed! And though the Airway is a cheaper model, "Toddler Bargains" is a bit weary of the company that makes them. The company used to have a different name, and it was plagued by safety recalls in 1993. And at the point of publishing the book, the company hadn't had the safety tests done on the Airway is a timely manner (not to say it was unsafe or anything, but in my opinion, I would be weary due to company history.. was it not safe? Hmmm)

Regarding the older child, I again agree that you should just see what happens with the seat she has. If you really just want to buy something new, the book recommends Jupiter Komfort Kruiser or Rider GTX (about $100)that will go to 100 lbs.

Hope it helps!
Amy