Booster Seat or 5 pt. harness for tall skinny boy

[hoodedyank1]

Hi, I've been a member for a long time but have not needed to review our car seats for a few years. So here we are again, my son is 5.5 yrs old & he is 4 ft tall & 42 pounds. My question is; he is currently in the Graco Cargo which he loves. His shoulders are just slightly below the top belt slot or just even. But the weight does say 40 pounds. Does he need to come out of the seat now?

The second part of my question is that my son is definetly a wiggle worm tpye kid but I"m looking for a booster seat or 5 pt harness that runs under $150 & preferably under $100. Any suggestions? I've seen lots of ideas out there but I don't know what would be best for him. He stays on the thin side but is tall for his age, so I'm afraid we'll always out grown height on harness chairs. We have a mercury grand marquis, I don't know if that matters.

Thanks for assistance.

Jean

[Joolsplus2]

Right, you must stop using the harness 2 pounds ago, absolutely 40 pounds is the top limit. You could try using it as a booster, especially if your shoulderbelts lock and you can clamp him in there. The belt guides also clamp the shoulderbelt on to him when used properly, so that might help him stay in place. If you want to keep him harnessed your only real choices with taller top slots and higher harness limits are the www.safeguardseat.com or the Britax Regent. If you don't like the Cargo as a booster you could consider the Britax Parkway or Monarch which are easy to use and fairly constrictive and side impact protective.

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[hoodedyank1]

Thanks for all the info...

I definetly would not use the current seat as a booster. What about the Graco booster or the fisher price boosters that are suppose to be made by britax?

THanks.

Jean

[Joolsplus2]

The Graco Turbo and the new Fisher Price are not as side impact protective as the Parkway or Monarch or the Recaros.
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[hoodedyank1]

Hi thanks for all the info...


I was just reading some review & some people said the REcaros was too small for someone 42 pounds & 4 ft, what do you think? Also Would you rate the parkway,monarch & recaros all equal or is one better than the other? How long do you think a child should be in a 5 pt harness?

THanks.

Jean

[Joolsplus2]

I think 5 is a pretty good age to go into a booster, personally. You kind of have to judge if he'll be able to sit properly in one, too (I'd use the Cargo as a booster for a few days and see how he does... is it a constant battle to get him to keep the shoulderbelt on, does he fall asleep and fall sideways really bad?).

There's a couple Recaros, I only mentioned them because they are tested for side impact...the Start is great for big kids, but very expensive, I can imagine the Young Style is maybe a tad small for a much bigger kid, and the Young Sport would be bad, it only harnesses to 40 pounds.

Oh, the Jane' Indy or Indy Plus (with rigid LATCH) is also a really nice booster I forgot. I think the Monarch is tallest and can also be used backless if you want to (when he's much older, the belts still don't quite fit him without a booster, and hopefully if you have side curtain airbags to add side protection).

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[hoodedyank1]

Good idea, I will try his curtain seat as a booster & see if he can handle that & then decide if we should buy a booster or 5 pt harness.

My major concern is the side impact b/c we're in a sedan so each child is on a window. My car does not have any side impact airbags. :( I will check out all these boosters then. I like the Parkway, but I must admit if I'm going to buy a booster I would like it to be the last car seat we buy. With that in mind is a Parkway a good choice. I have checked outthe Indy yet, I will do that.

THanks again.

Jean

[hoodedyank1]

Ok so I've done some more research....

Here are some more thoughts. I think the choice is between the britax parkway or the monarch. Which do you think is better?

Also any thoughts on the compass?

THanks.

Jean

[hoodedyank1]

Sorry one last thought DH just advised me that his office provides the cosco summitt convertible seat free of charge. Should I even consider that?

Jean

[Joolsplus2]

Nix the Summit idea...it has only a 40 pound weight limit and 2 inch shorter top slots than the Cargo, and no side impact protection when used as a booster (Your Cargo was a way better harnessed seat, so you didn't miss anything, lol).

The Monarch is super-new (not a lot of reviews from actual users..I hear it's really well padded), but I do like all the side wings for extra protection. The armrests make it a touch harder to buckle than the Parkway (no armrests, but kids find it very comfortable), but armrests aren't a major deal killer in most cases.

The Compass B510 has some quality issues with the cover, and is not near as tall as the Britaxes, so won't fit as long, but it's otherwise nice, side impact protective, wide, and has liftable armrests, which is a plus.
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[hoodedyank1]

Thanks again....will definetly do the parkway or monarch then. I've called all of our local stores of course no one carries the monarch yet to see it in person. May have to go with the parkway, I want to take my son with me & try it out. Ok going out side now to take out harness from cargo to give that a try for a few days. Then we make the purchase!!

If he does go into the booster do you have any suggestions for what to do on the plane? We travel a lot & don't like the idea of him not strapped into a carseat.

Think I'm becoming a little obsessed!!!

Jean :)

[Joolsplus2]

He's big enough to be just as safe as the rest of us in a plane's lapbelt. The parkway fits in a carseat bag, and you could check it or, better yet, bring it to the gate and gate-check it to make sure they give it right back to you. Or get a RideSafer Travel Vest and put it in your carryon bag (can't be used in the plane, but it's great for cars).

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[hoodedyank1]

THanks again Julie for all the info. I just went everywhere & the only seat I could get anyway was the Parkway they don't have the Monarch in our stores yet. So I got it, I like to be able to go in a store & try my child in the seat & put in my car & know right away if it seems like it's going to work. That's the one bummer about ordering on-line, you have to just go on faith. Anyway I"m about to pick up my son from school we'll see how it works out. Now I"ve got to move my 3 yr old out of the roundabout & into the graco cargo. I did look at the omega apex I thought it was harnessed to 65 pounds but the flyer said only 40. So guess I'll stick with the cargo for him.

Thanks again.

Jean

[Joolsplus2]

I bet they just have a misprint for the Apex.. but I think the Parkway is fine, really :)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[hoodedyank1]

Last question I promise. :)

So my other son just turned 3 but is big for his age he is 32 pounds & 40 inches. He is currently in the RA I've read that we should take him out when his ears are at the top of the seat. Well DS's ears are 1 inch below top but his head is over by about 2 inches. Is it time to switch him out?

Is the Graco Cargo safe as a window seat car seat? That is what his brother has used.

THanks.

Jean

[momtoB]

Last question I promise.

So my other son just turned 3 but is big for his age he is 32 pounds & 40 inches. He is currently in the RA I've read that we should take him out when his ears are at the top of the seat. Well DS's ears are 1 inch below top but his head is over by about 2 inches. Is it time to switch him out?

Is the Graco Cargo safe as a window seat car seat? That is what his brother has used.

THanks.

Jean


Hi, I don't know if your question was answered somewhere else or not but your 3yr old will outgrow the RA when one of the three following things happens:

He reaches the weight limit, or
The tips of his ears go just past the top of the seat shell, or
The tops of his shoulders go past the top harness slot (check under the cover to make sure).

When you say "window car seat" do you mean is it safe to put next the window? Your car doesn't have side airbags, correct? It is safe to put there but if you want additional Side Impact Protection (SIP) then you would need to get a car seat that has added SIP wings like the Britax Boulevard or Safeguard seat (www.safeguardseat.com) . I'm not familiar with other car seats that come with that additional head protection. All car seats do provide some head and neck protection though - but a few do have additional "wings" like the Blvd & Sg, with EPS or EPP (energy absorbing) foam, in them.

hth.