We need to move Kate out of her carseat and into a booster seat. Does anyone have any recommendations or advice? I have heard of booster seats that still have a 5 point restraint system, but I wonder if that's overkill and I should just go for a basic model that is secured by a seatbelt alone?
*Update: We got a Radian Premier. The Radian has more room for Kate to grow height-wise, and is also a bit cheaper than the Britax Marathon. I ordered it from this website, as they had free shipping. It's working out well! I believe it's called the Radian 65 in the US.
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I'll start with my standard disclaimer: I am not a parent.
Why do you need to move Kate into a booster? How old is she again? I would not be comfortable with a child of her age in a belt positioning booster at all, and I would be really reluctant to let her out of a carseat altogether unless it is a fit issue! What is her height/weight? I'm happy to make some recommendations for you.
hi! you "know" me from GCM and MDC, and a fellow SK mom, just as a reference.
Each step "up" in car seats is a step down in safety. How old is K? how big is she? Does she have the maturity to sit up without wiggling out of position yet? why do you need to move her?
A 5 point harness will give her the most protection, and you can get one that has a higher weight limit that isn't too costly.
Well, she's 3 1/2 and over 40 pounds. So I'm just following the recommendation that a child of her age and weight move up to a booster. She simply doesn't fit in her carseat anymore.
I'm wondering if there are really very many parents who keep a child of her age and size in a 5 point restraint.
Everyone I know here in the Seattle area with kids of that age still have them in harnesses. It's too easy for a young child to get themselves out of the belt in a belt-positioning booster and then they wiggle and squirm until it is unsafe.
You might try asking for recommendations in the Family Safety forum at MDC, be sure to say you're in Canada.
Here's a good review of combo seats, which is what you would be looking for. I didn't realize she was over 40 lbs - she looks more petite in the photos! ;)
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/ComboShop.aspx
Some good high-weight five-point harness seats are the Britax Regent, or the Sunshine Kids Radian 65 (or Radian 80) - I think these are available in Canada.
Good luck!
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/Over40.aspx
Here's a more complete list of seats that harness over 40 lbs, not sure what is available in Canada though.
Thanks Abigail! I will check it out. One reservation I have about the 5 point systems for over 40 pounds is: how long would I keep her in it? It just seems kind of weird to see a 4-5 year old in a 5 point restraint (although I could be convinced otherwise!) so would I be buying yet another seat in a year?
Oh and Kristin, great to see you here on my blog!
Oh, and we have an older car that does not have the tether or latch hooks. I have no idea if it would be difficult to get them installed.
It is my understanding that some of the harnessed seats will go to 80 lbs, and others can be used as belt positioning boosters once she outgrows the harness by weight. But you would want to confirm all of that of course. You can tether a seat to a variety of anchor points not just a specific tether anchor, the Safety forum on MDC would be a great place to ask for tips on that I see people asking there all the time.
My friend still has her 5 and 8 yo's in harnessed seats. They don't mind, they have never known any other way! My colleague has her 6yo in a harness still but she just let him ride in a plain booster (not a high-back one) in a relative's car at Christmas and she said he would not stay put in his seat so she is glad to have the harness since it keeps him in place better.
It is of course up to you, your budget, car and family needs, etc. but there are options out there to keep her harnessed longer :)
Erin, We have a booster that has the 5 point harness and then it can be removed to be used as a belt positioning booster. We took the 5 point harness off around the time she turned 4 (although she is a little shy of 40 lbs). She is mature enough to sit correctly in the seat so I don't worry about her not being secure. Our seat doesn't have this feature, but I believe that there are some seats where the back eventually can be removed from the booster as well when your child is older. Just fyi, good luck in your search!
Amy, that seat sounds great--can you tell me the name of it? And do you know the weight limit?
All three of my kids are in 5 point harnesses - including my 5.5 year old. I have 2 britax seats and one just like this:
http://www.sears.ca/gp/product/B000QGHFR4/sr=1-11/qid=1199468506/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&searsBrand=core&mqnodeid=16342021
I bought that last one when I realized that my grand scheme of car seat plans wouldn't pan out - one child grew too fast, the other too slow. (really, they should have paid attention to my plans!) That seat goes harnessed to 47 pounds, and as a booster to 80 pounds.
I have no issue with keeping my kids in 5 point harnesses as long as possible, as I believe that they are safer that way. As a car seat tech, and a mom who was in a serious accident a few years back, I have no issue with being more safety minded that other parents.
Technically, once kids hit 40 pounds in this province, they aren't mandated to even be in a booster (yikes!) and I see that a lot. Also, the top tethers are mandatory in Canada - you can get them retrofitted at a car dealership. Latch, however, can't be retrofitted, but seatbelts can get you just as good and tight a fit.
Thanks Kristin! I called the Toyota dealership today and they will be putting in tether anchors next week for me.
I called a shop in Regina today and they said they carry the Britax Marathon but not the Radian Premier--both harness up to 65 pounds. But they have height limits too--47 and 49 inches. Kate is already 40 inches so I wonder when she would hit those limits? Do you have the Marathon? It's an expensive seat if she'd going to outgrow it relatively soon.
I have a marathon, two actually.
As for growth, my son is currently 45 inches, and he has plenty of room in the Marathon - he's more leggy and thin. He's also 42 pounds, but he took almost 2 years to grow the last 3 inches and 5 pounds. Most kids I know tend to slow down growth-wise around age 3 or so.
The height measurements can vary because of torso height vs. full body height. If she's more leggy, she may be able to use the seat longer, because she would still have head protection as her ears would be under the top of the shell of the seat. Wow, could that sentence be any more muddy?
Thanks Kristin! Did you ever consider the Radian Premier? I'm wondering how you would compare it to the Britax Marathon.
I have installed one Radian, for a friend. I really liked it. It's narrow, which is nice in a sedan - wish they were out when we needed a third seat (and a van...). It's a nice seat, with nice padding, is easy to install forward facing from what I can tell, and has a nice height/weight range. Sometimes Canadian Tire has them too, but check the weight limits, some are the older 48 pound seats. www.tjskids.com is a good online order spot, out of Vancouver, for Canadian seats.
Thanks Kristin! This has been a big help!
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