Is the Britax Frontier 85 easy for kids to use in booster mode?

[artvandalay]

My 3 year old (almost 4) needs a new carseat. Yesterday we looked at both the Graco Nautilus and also the Britax Frontier. I think the Frontier will fit him better.

I read some reviews that stated that their child had a hard time using the Frontier with the lap belt as a booster. The reviews said because the seat on the frontier is so deep/big, their kids had a hard time finding the buckle to buckle themselves in/out. I have a Toyota Sienna.

Has anyone found this to be true? Also does anyone prefer to use a 5 point harness and then switch to a true high back booster (instead of these combination-type ones)? If so, why?

Thanks!

[diegosmom]

I have the Regular Frontier but I it's very similar to the 85 and my 4 year old can buckle himself in but I always pull the straps to get the slack out myself and to ensure he is in snug. Occassionally he needs help if the straps get twisted or if there isn't enough slack in the straps. We also have a van (a Honda Ody) and he's in the third row.

Update: I should have read your post closer and realized you were talking about booster mode. We still use ours in harness mode. Sorry about that

[Joolsplus2]

By the time kids are too big for the harness on the Frontier, about 7-8, then buckling is typically easy. If they are younger than that, their little arms are just too short for easy buckling, I've read, and you just have to help them out a bit. Not too much worse than any other booster they have to learn to buckle, really, I don't think (Maybe harder than the Turbo or Big Kid, those are narrower, and what the typical reviewers are comparing to, I think).

I like it as a booster because it's LATCHed and top tethered in (assuming you have it in a spot with connectors...)...in a spot without LATCH, I just personally prefer a lighter seat, like the Parkway, that doesn't seem like it'll be as heavy flying around the car in a crash when I forget to buckle it (which all booster manuals tell you to do, which I never do, lol, so a lighter booster seems a little safer at that point).

Some people find the Nautilus doesn't fit their kid well in booster mode, depending on the kid and the car, so that would be another seat where a dedicated booster might be a good choice after the harnessed seat...the Frontier just typically tends to fit most kids quite well as both type of seat.

[artvandalay]

in a spot without LATCH, I just personally prefer a lighter seat, like the Parkway, that doesn't seem like it'll be as heavy flying around the car in a crash when I forget to buckle it (which all booster manuals tell you to do, which I never do, lol, so a lighter booster seems a little safer at that point)..

Latch is only good for 40 or 48 pounds, (if I am correct..I need to find my Toyota car manual).. my little guy is 33 pounds or so. So he'd probably only use the Latch for another year or two.

Also what do you mean by forgetting to buckle it - you mean if there is no child in the booster at that time?

I was pretty sold on the Frontier after putting my son in and also the Nautilus (which is a nice seat, but the crotch buckle seemed like a weird fit), and now I'm wondering if I should just find him a good forward facing 5 point carseat, and then just get him a regular high back booster when he is older.

I'm getting ready to drop alot of money on two carseats and I just want to make the right decision! Thank you.

[Joolsplus2]

Frontier and Nautilus are left LATCHed in the car in booster mode, so they don't fly around when unoccupied. It doesn't matter what the weight limit is on the LATCH in the car, as the LATCH is only holding the 25 pounds of seat, the seatbelt will hold the 40-100 pounds of child when the seat's in booster mode :)

If there were such a thing as a really nice harnessed FF seat, we'd recommend it, for sure. Well, there used to be, the Safeguard, but it was $400 and is discontinued. So the choices are sort of harnessed booster or harnessed booster. Frontier, Nautilus, Maestro, and Safety 1st Go (which is actually a nifty narrow choice for a LATCH spot and a kid who doesn't need sleep support..it's like a harness on a backless booster with cheesy head pillows, but my DH loves his in his car, and Leah has loads of room to grow).

[artvandalay]

Ahh.. ok.. I understand now what you mean.

Thanks again for your help!