Car seats for 3 kids

[nd93]

Hi. Like most of you, I am overwhelmed. Here is my background.

I have 3 kids: 2 1/2 ( 28 lbs), 4 1/2 (38 lbs), 6 1/2 (48 lbs). The 2 1/2 yr old and 4 1/2 yr old are in Britax Roundabouts, the 6 1/2 yr old is in a Graco turbo booster with back. I saw the you tube video, and it got me thinking about getting a Regent for my 6 1/2 year old. Should I? I know, eventually it is my decision. She often complains that her back hurts while sitting in the Graco, would the Regent offer a more comfortable ride?

In addition, the Roundabout that the 2 1/2 yr old is sitting in is nearing or may be 6 years from the date of manufacture (it was purchased when the now-6 1/2 yr old outgrew the infant car seat. I need to check the date stamp on it). I'm thinking of moving the 2 1/2 yr old to the 4 1/2 yr old's roundabout, and also getting a Regent for the 4 1/2 yr old. Yikes - >$600 in new car seats!

If I do get Regents, I understand that you do not use LATCH over 48 pounds right? So my 6 1/2 yr old would need the seat belt and tether?

We drive a 2004 Honda Odyssey. Right now the 2 roundabouts are in the 2nd row captains chairs, and the booster is in the 3rd row. With 2 regents, I think I'd have them both in the back, and keep the roundabout in the 2nd row.

Please, someone share their experiences or give me some guidance. Would you get 1 or 2 new Regents? Would you keep the oldest in the Graco? Does the oldest Roundabout need to be retired?

Thank you very very much.

[ajweeks]

Hi, well you do have some various options depending on your budget.

First of all, your 6.5 year old is at a good booster age and weight. If she sits in it properly for the whole ride, then she is fine in her current seat. In the you tube video, the little boy was only 3 years old and that is big difference versus a 6.5 year old. With that said, you could harness her again in a Regent if you decide to and you could always pass the Regent down when she outgrew it--at around 8-10 years. Another option is to get a more well padded booster like the Britax Parkway, Monarch, Compass B510 or Recaro Young Style if she is uncomfortable in the turbo booster.

Your roundabout is most likely expired or very close to being expired--they last 6 years from the DOM on the seat, so check the date. I would move the 2.5 year old into the newer roundabout and get a new seat for your 4.5 year old. If your 2.5 year old still fits, he/she could still be rear facing for a few more lbs. (head not over the top of the shell), which is safer than forward facing. Another option is to get a marathon for your 2.5 year old to rear face again for a few more pounds and leave the 4.5 year old in the roundabout as long as he/she still fits and then have them switch seats when the 4.5 year old outgrows the roundabout either by height or weight. Where are your 4.5 year old's shoulders compared to the top slots of the roundabout?

If you want to leave your 2.5 year old forward facing, then I would just get the 4.5 year old a new seat. Some good options that all harness to at least 65 lbs. and have high harness slot heights are:
Britax Marathon
Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe
Sunshine Kids Radian
Safety First/Cosco Apex (combo seat that turns into a booster when the harness is outgrown)
Britax Regent

Depending on your funds, you really only have to purchase one new seat for now, for your 4.5 year old to replace the expired roundabout. Then after you get that seat, you can think about a Regent or another booster for your oldest. Obviously whatever seat you get for the 4.5 year old can be passed down to the 2.5 year old when the time comes so you'll get good use out of any new seat(s) that you buy.

[nd93]

**Thank you** so much for your reply. The youtube video is so emotional; I'm glad to be looking at my situation and evaluating the options, but I didn't want to be too hasty or make a rash decision. It never occurred to me to look at other boosters for my 6.5 yr old. I do have a question about boosters vs 5 pt harness - if 5 pt is so much better, why even have boosters? Why aren't adult seat belts more like a 5 pt? Why is there this age/height/weight where boosters are no longer needed? Are some boosters better than others?

Thank you for the suggestions on seats for my 4.5 yr old. Things have changed a lot since we last bought seats. The one my 2.5 yr old is in doesn't have LATCH, so that will be nice to move him out of that. I know the harness is set too low for my 4.5 yr old (noticed that today) and wondered if even the top slot would be too low. It's good to know that there are other seats out there with higher slots.

We have gotten our money's worth out of our seats, so I do feel that even if I spend what seems like a lot on a seat right now, we will get full use out of it amongst all the kids. I am willing to spend money to get a seat we love, but again, I didn't just want to hastily spend >$600 on seats.

To those of you who do have older children in 5 pt harnesses, do you think your child will ever be in a booster, or do you think they will just go straight to a seat belt?

What a confusing decision! You don't want to put a price on safety, but yet when there are $40 options and $300 options to have to wonder what is what.



ETA - I've been searching thru older posts and I am now confused about something new: for my 6.5 yr old, would it be better to have a 5 pt harness like the Regent, or a booster with better side impact protection like the Monarch? She sits near the window, and we do not have side air bags. Ideally, I will find a store or two near us that has some of these seats on display so I can have her and the 4.5 yr old go sit in them. I need to make some phone calls in the morning! Thanks again.

[ajweeks]

Well there is debate over 5 pt. harnesses for everyone versus boosters. There is talk that Volvo is prototyping a 4 pt. harness in their cars. At this point though, there is no real data confirming that a 5 pt. harness is safer than a booster with a 3 pt. belt for an older child. But yes, more points of restraint would be safer for everyone, especially in side-impacts/roll overs. The reason why older kids, at least 4-5 and 40 lbs. are ok in boosters versus a 5 pt. harness is because their bones are more fused than a smaller child so they are better able to withstand crash forces.

Yes, I believe that some boosters are better than others. All boosters position the adult belt correctly on a child, but all high back boosters provide some level of side-impact protection versus a no back. The turbo booster does have EPS foam in the head wings, which provides some protection. Other boosters like the Recaro and Britax boosters are tested for side-impact protection and have deeper torso and head wings.

Boosters are no longer needed when the child passes the 5pt. test, which is basically when they can sit in the vehicle's seat with their legs comfortably bent over the seat cushion and the seat belt does not cut into their neck.

I have a Britax Regent for my almost 5 year old son and I love it. He sits in a Parkway in our other car and does ok in a booster as well. I bought the Regent for him after he outgrew the marathon because I drive a smaller car without side curtain airbags and he also has some impulsive behavior issues. If he was a more mature 5 year old and we had a safe minivan like you do, I might have just bought another booster for him.

When it comes down to it, whether or not to harness your 6.5 year old again is a personal choice. If you have a USA Baby or another specialty baby store in town, you should be able to find a lot of these seat options in the store so you could have your 6.5 year old try them out and see what she thinks.

Some other good websites with information are http://www.car-safety.org/ and http://www.cpsafety.com/. The CPS safety website also has pictures of older kids harnessed in seats like the Regent so you can see how an older child fits.

It is a confusing decision, but one thing to keep in mind is that all seats are safe, even the $40 ones. There are fewer options for harnessing older, heavier children, so the price goes up, but the inexpensive seats are fine too. Pick whatever seat fits well in your car, your kids feel comfortable in and you can use easily and correctly every trip.

[nd93]

Thanks again ajweeks! What I am doing for now is I have ordered a Regent for 4.5 yr old. I cannot find any stores that have it in stock for me to check out with the 6.5 yr old (a store told me they even sold their display model. I didn't think they'd do that!). I'm going to go check out the britax/compass/recaro. So at least the 2.5 yr old will get a valid seat, and the 4.5 yr old will be taken care of. I can have my 6.5 yr old try out the regent, and go from there.


Thank you so much for your help. This process is overwhelming at times!