skinny car seats

[Fay]

Help, please!

Am looking for a skinny car seat in the 30lbs. and up range. Need to fit three car seats in the back of a Mazda Protege!

Thanks very much for any advice you might have
Fay

[Joolsplus2]

What ages/weights are the children? What seats do you have currently? Are you wanting 3 harnessed seats? (some harnessed boosters used to go from 30 pounds, but some belt positioners go from 30 pounds, so it's tough to tell what's going to be best for you based on that)...some seats seem wide, but are up on high, narrow bases, which makes them "mesh" well with other seats.
Anyway, give us some ages and weights and we'll be able to help you a little more (and budget, too...we can find a way to work with your budget!)

[Fay]

Hi Julie -

Thanks for your questions. DS is 2.5 years and about 36 (!) lbs. I am thinking about the Graco Turbo Booster for him. Do you know of anything "skinnier"? He is currently in an Eddie Bauer.

DD is 14 months, and about 29lbs. I would guess (please correct me if I am being overly cautious here) that it is less than ideal, even once she hits 30 lbs. to put a child that young in a belt-positioning booster. Right now she is in a Century Bravo.

Baby is due in 2 weeks, and we plan to use our Graco infant carrier + base (works with stroller system).

Thanks for taking the time to help with this! It is very much appreciated.

[Joolsplus2]

Honestly, the Turbo booster is kind of wide, and you might get some major knuckle scraping trying to get it buckled! I would, personally, keep both children harnessed as long as possible...it's safer, and you really will find it easier to buckle them in.
Since you have slightly heavier babies, you might want to look at the Nania/Safety Baby Airway seat...it's the only seat that can be harnessed to 50 pounds (the others are 40 with the harness), then becomes a booster to 80...it is also rather narrow, and doesn't have any armrests for you to contend with when used as a booster later on. I have one of these in the center of my sub-compact toyota Prius, and it doesn't block my other seatbelt buckles, and even I can fit next to it relatively comfortably, so it should fit fine with a Bravo and an infant seat. If you're interested in seeing one, burlington coat factory/baby depot has them in stock, and they can be ordered online (babyage.com has the lowest shipping, and a better return policy than BCF).
If your budget is higher, you should look at the Britax Marathon ($210-$240 online)...it's up on a high base, has a 65 pound weight limit, and meshes great with other seats...it's pricey, but very high quality, and you have "hand me down" potential, so you could get a LOT of use out of it, making it less expensive in the long run.
Anyway, hope that helps a little!

[momathome]

The Britax StarRiser Comfy Booster is very narrow - you can actually adjust the width of the seat to fit your car and your child. We have been using this seat for a year and a half and have been very happy with it. Good luck!
-Lauren

[Joolsplus2]

True, the SRC is narrow, but it's not an appropriate seat for a 2.5 year old...great for 3.5 and up, though...we loved ours!