Outgrown Marathon, confused

[1964pandora]

My son is 5 years, 3 months and I'm sorry to say that I just noticed that his straps are beneath his shoulders. We should have replaced his carseat by now. I thought this next step would be a no-brainer and that we would get the Britax Frontier and he could sit in it until he was ready to sit on the carseat. Now I'm reading about people who were only able to use the Frontier for a short time. Would some kind soul tell me my options? Price isn't really an issue if this will last me a while. I have no problem with keeping him harnessed for as long as possible.

The other thing I don't understand is why some people want a booster instead of a five point harness. I'm not being facetious. I really just don't get it. Is it because the Frontier takes up so much more room? Thanks in advance.

P.S. Now I'm reading that I should be looking at the Monterey or Parkway, not the Frontier?!

[KrisM]

I think it depends on a lot of things. At that age, if I didn't have 3 in a row, I'd likely move straight to a good booster, like the Monterey or Parkway. We harness DS1 still, but I have 3 across and a booster just doesn't make me happy :).

And, if you don't think your child will sit in a booster well, I'd continue to harness. Or, if you travel a lot and there is a lot of sleeping in the car, I'd continue to harness just for the comfort of it.

[mom2binsd]

I don't understand people only using the Frontier for a short time, once the harness is outgrown it makes an excellent booster, I know many kids have fit in the HBB until age 8-10...I think Jules' oldest DD still fits, maybe she'll post.

I think the Frontier would be a good choice, you can continue to harness (which I"m doing with my 41lb 6 1/2 year old) or you can start booster training and use.

If you're comfortable with a booster fulltime there are a number of recent threads about them.

[Joolsplus2]

I think the Frontier's great, it should harness till age 7 or 8, then it's THE tallest booster on the market, by several inches. Yes, my 5'2" 12 year old still sits in it when he gets the chance :thumbsup:
If you're ready to be done with harnessing, then yes, the Frontier or Parkway are fantastic.

[bubbaray]

Unless there were other issues at play (behavioral, not able/willing to sit properly in a booster) *I* wouldn't buy a Frontier for a 5yo. I wouldn't criticize someone who did, but *I* wouldn't make that choice.

I think the Monterey and the Parkway make excellent boosters. Assuming your DS is over 40lbs and you are satisfied that he is ready for booster training, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend either of those seats. My DD#1 is in a Monterey and sleeps in it all.the.time, with no head or body slump. She seems much better positioned in the Monterey than she does in her Nautilus (in DH's vehicle).

I do have a Frontier, but got it for my DD#2, not-quite 3yo. If I had been purchasing a new seat for DD#1, I wouldn't have gotten the Frontier.

HTH

[1964pandora]

I'm being dense here. Is this a bit of a debate about whether 5 year olds should still be harnessed or not? Sorry, I will read a lot more old threads to try to piece this together. I wasn't looking forward to researching carseats/boosters because it always takes me a long time. I thought I had an easy answer for this one!

P.S. I just weighed DS and he's only 38 pounds, so I guess that settles that about a booster, right? I read a little more and it looks like I can just keep him in the Marathon because his shoulders are just a little over the top slots. Maybe I will play around with the Marathon to lean it forward a bit?

[Joolsplus2]

Yeah, harnessing past age 5 is sort of a personal preference issue, there's not a lot of clear cut evidence for harnessing or boostering being safer for kids that age and older. Plus, the Frontier does have some interesting installation quirks and funky fabric, so it's not as easy to install or durable as the Marathon. But, I still love mine, I probably will use it harnessed as long as Leah fits in it in my van (the other kids use it as a booster now, sometimes, though).