Help - What carseat should I buy?

amother

Wed, Oct 06 2010, 11:39 am

So here's the story. I have a 4 1/2 month old boy who is at the 22-pound weight limit for his infant seat (Snugride). I also have a 2 year old who is currently sitting in a Britax Marathon, the one with the really high weight limit.

So I'm going to put my infant into the Marathon, and I'm trying to figure out what to buy for my older one. Do I need another carseat, or is one of those booster seats okay now? (I'm going to the doctor soon and meant to ask, but my baby really needs to move NOW) And even if it is okay, does it make sense to get the Nautilus which is a 3-in-1 carseat (although much more expensive than a booster) because my HUGE infant will probably need to still be in a carseat the next time this happens. (I tend to have big babies, ka'h, but this one is VERY big.) These are my only two kids right now, and I know carseats expire, but I feel like it makes sense to prepare for the next one.

Also, any recommendations for carseats, not too expensive but very safe?

amother

Wed, Oct 06 2010, 11:55 am

Atali - I'm confused. It's called a "booster car seat" on the site you sent me to. Is it a 3-in-1 like the Nautilus too? What's the right word for each stage? In my mind, there's the infant seat, the convertible seat, the booster seat, and the backless booster seat. Can you help me figure out the stages, as well as which ones I'll still need for my ds at this point?

I'm not asking from a "I want to put my kid in a booster seat even if it's not safe" mentality. I'm asking because I really don't get how these carseat stages work. I tried googling, but couldn't find anything that explained it clearly...

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, Oct 06 2010, 12:05 pm

Your 2 year old needs to be in a car seat. Not a booster.

The different kinds are:
infant
convertible (front and back facing)
combination (carseat that changes to a high booster and sometimes backless, like the Nautilus or Generations)
high booster
backless booster.

At 2, your son needs to either be in a convertible or a combination, but he NEEDS to be harnessed.
How tall is he? I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with a 2 year old in a Nautilus, to be honest. I'd be much more comfortable with him in a convertible carseat with a good weight limit like the MyRide 65 or The First Years TrueFit (for pricing not unlike the Nautilus)....alternatively, keep the Marathon for him and get one of those for your baby...
You can use these till a high weight and a good height for the TrueFit and when the kids are older and you don't feel like they need to be harnessed (which is a big step), boosters aren't that expensive. Spend $120-$140 now on a good carseat and you can spend $20 when you're at the booster stage.

amother

Wed, Oct 06 2010, 12:17 pm

Thank you, HY! At what point does a kid usually switch from a carseat to a booster? I really have no idea about any of this. At 3? 5? Again, my kids are big, and the older one is pretty tall (although I don't know numbers), always in the higher percentiles for height, between 75 and 90.

It's so weird. The boosters I saw (or I thought they were boosters) at Target today were around 80 dollars or more. You can really get one for so cheap? Then why on earth would someone get a combination carseat, which is more expensive than a carseat and a booster put together?

Nomad

Wed, Oct 06 2010, 12:45 pm

my 2 y/o son is also tall and needed to be switched from his carseat to another 5 point harness seat that could accommodate him.

it is recommended that a child be in a 5 point harness (secured at crotch and chest with the straps that come with the car seat) until they are at least 4 years and 40 pounds. Although they recommend keeping a child in a 5 point harness as long as possible because its much safer.

a plain booster uses a seatbelt to keep a child secure which would not work for your son because he is too young. that didnt work for my son either.

the above poster listed all the carseat options.
I was deciding between a convertible car seat (like britax marathon 70) that had a higher weight limit and a combination booster car seat (like britax frontier 85 or nautilus) and decided to go with the britax frontier. I figure with the britax frontier, itll last the longest, especially with a big kid.

I think with any big kid, as long as you get a convertible car seat or combination booster that has a higher weight limit (minimum 65lbs - most are 40 or 45lbs) when the child is in a five point harness, then that would be a good choice. it should last through one kid to the next.

if you get a convertible car seat with the oldest, you can get a $25 booster when hes ready for it.

PS - in general, if your thinking of going with the nautilus, something that turned me off from it was the fact that the crotch strap doesnt leave much space which is not so good for boys. so have ds try it in the store before buying.

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, Oct 06 2010, 1:51 pm

Booster -- when the kid is mature to sit still and not cross legs AND when the belt is positioned correctly over the shoulder and across the upper thighs (not waist)....not until 5 at least, the longer the better. Maturity depends on the child.

As far as getting boosters, you can definitely get high boosters for $30, cheaper on sale. Backless for even less.

The combination seats aren't so great as boosters (especially backless, for high back they vary). I got a Nautilus because it was in the same price range (well, what I paid for it Wink

) as a convertible and was a better seat for my needs (good limits FF which convertibles had less options for a few years ago, more comfortable for my son to sit in with the armrests, etc). We had an Evenflo Chase DLX/Generations 65 that he was using and wasn't comfortable in and we needed that for his ride to school, so I figured for longer trips he'd have a more comfortable one this way.