My 5yo back to a harness from LBB???

[April]

So.... My SO has had his 3 kids' seats since before him and I were together (hence, before he was educated about CPS!). We now have two vehicles and are needing to get seats for his 3 kids in my 00 Durango. Without question his 2.5yo is going in a Radian, so that's easy. And his 6yo is likely hanging tight (ie moving seats from Daddy's truck to mine) until we can get her a Nautilus, Frontier or at least Monterey. But the condundrum comes with Griffin.

Here are his stats as of Feb1/08: 47lbs, 45.5in total height, 15 in torso. He's been in a LBB in SO's truck, and the question is do I re-harness him in my truck or put him into a HBB? There's no way he's going in a LBB in my truck. Might I add that he turned 5yo two weeks ago.

My tentative plan is to get him a Radian, keep him in that until he outgrows it (or until my DS outgrows the harness on his Apex) and then switch him and my DS so my DS can stay harnessed (DS is 18 months). Does that make any sense or is he going to outgrow the Radian in torso height so soon that it won't be worth it? (Although I would love for my DS to be back in a Radian, I don't love the fact that he can unbuckle his chest clip on the Apex.) And if I do that, how is the Apex as a bpb? I know its not the best, but is it at least decent?

TIA!

[Mara1973]

Hmm, I am surprised no one has commented on this one.

I have a couple of thought processes on this one. First of all, based on his size alone, I would prefer him to be in a harness. They is also a family/stepmom dynamic to consider here in terms of relationship building, so I would approach it in a very different way than I would with my own kids...Social Worker/Carseat tech combo here lol.

For one, at the ages of the older kids, 5 & 6, I think choice and experience at making a decision together is the way to go. First of all, it will show a level of respect and allow them to have a say. You also don't want to given the impression in any way that mom has not made good choices. Any bitterness and disharmony over this topic would potentially be a setback in your relationship with them.

Obviously if it were my own birth children it would be a "too bad, Mommy says kind of thing". I think the key is to show and guide them to the right choice, then to let them help choose a seat. They are old enough to watch the booster/harness crash videos and give their input about which one is safer. You can share the ideas that you care/love them so much that you would like to keep them as safe as possible as you would be very sad if they were even hurt in an accident.

If you want your DS in the Radian, could you put the 2 year old in the Apex. Griffin would have lots of room left in the Radian harness in terms of height. He might even be happier with the Nautilus since it looks like a booster and he can switch to booster mode later.

Mara :)

[Defrost]

I agree with Mara on the stepmom dynamics.

Does your Durango have a 3rd row of seats? I've never seen one.

My dd has about a 15" torso and still has some growing room in the Radian. However, if you get him a GN, you'll get even more growing room and possibly less fuss at the same time - it definitely looks more like a "big kid" seat.

And, since you'll be installing with the seatbelt (not LATCH), have you checked to make sure the Radian installs easily in your vehicle? Seat belt installs can be tricky with the Radian.

[TechnoGranola]

The Nautilus isn't available in Canada yet (and with the conflicting info from Graco, who knows if it's actually coming!), so I believe the OP is looking for a solution for right now, which won't include a Nautilus for the 5 year old.

Is your DS under 30 pounds, and do you have him RF in the Radian when you use it? If so, I'd put the 5 year old in the Apex since it only FF, and that way you'd be able to have your DS RF. I'm not familiar with the Durango, but I am guessing that it does have headrests in the rear seats? The Apex needs vehicle head support behind it.

[Defrost]

The Nautilus isn't available in Canada yet (and with the conflicting info from Graco, who knows if it's actually coming!), so I believe the OP is looking for a solution for right now, which won't include a Nautilus for the 5 year old.


Ah, sorry - I wasn't paying attention! I was just thinking about how much more growing room my DD has in her GN compared to the Radian. :)

[TechnoGranola]

Ah, sorry - I wasn't paying attention! I was just thinking about how much more growing room my DD has in her GN compared to the Radian. :)Ya, it's too bad it's not here yet! It would likely be the perfect seat for the 5 year old. She could even tell mom that she was using a "booster" if mom wasn't on board with the switch. ;)

[April]

My DS is 32lbs naked now so with clothes he's about 34. He's also 32 inches tall, so unfortunately he's already FF.

As for the stepmom dynamics she probably couldn't care less about their carseats in my vehicle. I'm pretty sure she's got the 5 and 6 year olds in lbbs and the 2.5 yo in a t-shield, likely expired seat. I had to already throw out one of DH's seats that his ex gave him because it was long since expired, recalled, and the straps didn't come close to tightening enough.

I do have a third row in my Durango and all of the seats in question have adjustible headrests. Griffin (the 5yo) is pretty much sold on the idea of a "racecar seat" and even more excited that he gets one and his big sister only gets a booster, so that shouldn't be a problem. The Radian installs better than the Apex in the Durango actually so that's not a problem either.

If I could buy a Nautilus (or 4) I would, but again, not an option at the moment. I'm so stuck right now.

I'm really hoping someone can come up with a solution that I'm just not seeing right now.