another 5-pt harness seat for 4yo question

micapu · Oct 2, 2008

*updated w/ more ?* another 5-pt harness seat for 4yo question

Hi! So I read this thread, which gave me some good ideas but I was wondering if maybe I'd get different suggestions. DS2 needs out of his current seat very soon as he's at the weight limit and barely within the height limit for the 5-pt harness. I definitely want him in a 5-pt harness for as long as possible (I think he'd play with a seatbelt), and I need him in a seat with a tall back and some cush on the sides since he often falls asleep in his seat. Being able to recline the seat would be a plus. Cost (within reason) won't be a problem, tho I'd feel better if we could re-use this with the next child we're currently TTC. We live in the hottest part of AZ, so the materials should be breathable because little boy is a furnace all on his own!

Here are our other stats:

car = '91 Camry Wagon, but will be replacing soon; need a newer car, and more legroom in the rear seat

child height/weight = 43" (torso is 13" high) 40lbs at 4yo. His daddy is 6'5", so we expect DS2 to always be long and lanky

Can't think of anything I may have left out, so please LMK :thanx!:

featherhead · Oct 2, 2008

what about budget?

micapu · Oct 2, 2008

featherhead said:
what about budget?

for the first time in a loooong time, money will not be a problem, tho I don't want to spend $300

unless I can truly use it for the next child and then after that donate it, KWIM? And even then I'll probably shop around for coupons, Ebates, and such...

Oh, I thought of some other stuff: we're not frequent plane travelers but we hope to take a couple of family trips in the next year (one to Sesame Place, yaaay!), so it'd be nice if we could bring this seat instead of having to get a "travel seat". And since we're TTC and we have a 17yo who may or may not be at home when the next baby arrives, we'd rather this harness booster not take up half the backseat.

TIA!

carseatcoach · Oct 2, 2008

I am not familiar with your vehicle so installation may be an issue, but the Radian80 usually fits tall slender children well, has cool mesh covers, is very narrow, and has an 8-year lifespan.

ken2400 · Oct 3, 2008

It is also about placement. I think, please correct me if I am wrong, middle of the back seat is best because there is more distance from the door hence more protection from side impact.

Now if we can get some more race car tech in the cars we could be safer.
Someday I want to sit in the middle of the car with a second frame around me.

mommyto2angelgirls · Oct 3, 2008

what about a graco nautilus. my dd1 fits in hers and is just slightly shorter then your son. its a resonably priced seat with a long life span and can be used on an airplane

micapu · Oct 4, 2008

well, we stopped by Target today and tried the Graco Nautilus, and he'd basically start using it at the next to last harness slot, so he'd have maybe three more inches' worth of torso height growth before he'd move up to the uppermost/last harness slot :question: Can anyone tell me a ballpark timeframe of how long that gives me before he'd outgrow it? I did like how cushy & padded the seat is, tho I was a bit surprised at the fact that there didn't seem to be any room for his shoulders to grow (horizontally).

Should I just look at the Radian & Britax Regent? The Regent's available through Kidssurplus.com & Albee. Bleh, I hate having to do all this shopping around, I'd been so excited about getting him a "big boy" Evenflo Big Kid DLX (with the lights, so he can read or whatever at night) but now that he's needing to ditch his current seat, I'm don't think he's ready to ride without a 5-pt harness. DH is frustrated, and trotted out the ol' chestnut of "how did WE survive our childhood without all these safety measures?" (I was also telling him that whatever car we buy next will have to be retrofitted w/ a top anchor/tether for whatever carseat we get DS2, since it'll be tall and we want the least amount of movement)

To the person who said something about the middle rear seat position being the safest, yes I agree but unfortunately that isn't possible in our car because if we put the carseat in the middle of the rear seat then there'd be no room for DS1 to sit -- he's 17yo, 5'11" 175lbs (pure muscle, he's a varsity runner). And we hope to have an infant in a carseat in the middle of the rear seat of our next car within a year, so it's pretty much a given that DS2 will be riding next to one of the rear passenger doors for the next few years.

Kat_Momof3 · Oct 4, 2008

did you raise the headrest up all the way? the top slots are a good 18" high (there are 4 sets of slots) and he should have a good 5+ inches (more out of the vehicle, about that once it's installed)

my 4yr old is 43" tall, 45lbs, and she's using the 2nd to the top slots with her 17.5" torso. (only because I put it in bolt upright... if I put it in at the max recline, she has to use the top slots now)

Kat_Momof3 · Oct 4, 2008

oh, and the least protected should get the middle spot... so I'd put the ff seat in the middle and the infant seat outboard (assuming that fits)

what seat is he in now??

Kat_Momof3 · Oct 4, 2008

whatever seat you buy... don't plan on using it with the next child... definitely not donating it.

carseats expire.

most seats have a 6yr life.

Radians have an 8yr life, though

The Nautilus is good for 6yrs as a harnessed seat/highback booster and a total of 9yrs as a backless booster (the base alone gets 3 additional years, basically)

so even if it lasted until your baby was out of a booster (one very very tall kid), you would not be able to donate it by any means.

micapu · Oct 15, 2008

ok, one last question... I'm almost 100% on the Nautilus for comfort, usefulness, price, etc. And I even tested it as a belt-positioning booster for DS2 and it held the belt in all the right places, so I know it'll work that way when he outgrows the harness.:thumbsup:

Can someone compare for me the space for the shoulders in the Nautilus vs the Britax Frontier, SK Radian 80, and Britax Regent? DS2 isn't chubby but he looks like his shoulders *just* fit in the Nautilus and I can't find any of the other seats locally to have him sit in them and check it out for myself.

TIA!

micapu · Oct 15, 2008

Kat_Momof3 said:
oh, and the least protected should get the middle spot... so I'd put the ff seat in the middle and the infant seat outboard (assuming that fits)

what seat is he in now??

something new learned! I obviously thought it was the infant seat that should go in the middle. The seat we're using now is an Eddie Bauer High Back harness & booster seat that was supposed to last him for a long time, until I read here about the plastic clips that are supposed to hold the shoulder part of the seatbelt in place failing/breaking off. Plus, even if that weren't the case, now that he's almost at the limit, I'm not ready to take him out of a 5-pt harness.

Kat_Momof3 · Oct 15, 2008

micapu said:
ok, one last question... I'm almost 100% on the Nautilus for comfort, usefulness, price, etc. And I even tested it as a belt-positioning booster for DS2 and it held the belt in all the right places, so I know it'll work that way when he outgrows the harness.:thumbsup:

Can someone compare for me the space for the shoulders in the Nautilus vs the Britax Frontier, SK Radian 80, and Britax Regent? DS2 isn't chubby but he looks like his shoulders *just* fit in the Nautilus and I can't find any of the other seats locally to have him sit in them and check it out for myself.

TIA!

Note to self - must get shot of Jeffrey and Ruthie in Frontier.

All I have for comparing is the Radian 65 (same as the 80, just lower weight limit)

micapu · Oct 15, 2008

ok, thanks for those pics, they're very helpful... so, is it just me or does Jeffrey look a little smushed in the Nautilus compared to the way he fits in the Radian? does he FEEL smushed? does he have a seat preference?

My Ian really likes the roomyness of his EB booster, so I guess I'm a little worried that between the "snug" fit of the Nautilus and the harness he might become unhappy. That maybe I should be looking at something that gives him more shoulder room? or do I want the snug fit for his safety (SIP, less movement -- whatever the technical term is that I can't remember now)?

christineka · Oct 15, 2008

The nautilus top harness slots are higher than the frontier's and the radian's. They are not quite 2 inches lower than the regent's. Three inches to the top slot will give you approximately 3 years. At age 7 your ds should be fine in a booster. The regent is really wide. The radian is super thin, but it can have install issues. The nautilus looks really cool- like a big kid's booster seat. The radian is very much a car seat. My ds complained about his radian all the time because he wanted to be a "big kid". Plus the radian was hard to install, so I didn't mind switching for the nautilus. Ds is 5.5 years old and loves his nautilus. To him it is a "big kid" seat and it also has a cup holder and stuff holders in the armrests.

micapu · Oct 16, 2008

can someone please post the measurements for the shoulder widths at the top two harness levels for the Nautilus, Radian & Regent? Pretty please? I just need to know if the shoulder width is going to make a huge difference in comfort for DS2 or not.

TIA!

Kat_Momof3 · Oct 16, 2008

micapu said:
ok, thanks for those pics, they're very helpful... so, is it just me or does Jeffrey look a little smushed in the Nautilus compared to the way he fits in the Radian? does he FEEL smushed? does he have a seat preference?

My Ian really likes the roomyness of his EB booster, so I guess I'm a little worried that between the "snug" fit of the Nautilus and the harness he might become unhappy. That maybe I should be looking at something that gives him more shoulder room? or do I want the snug fit for his safety (SIP, less movement -- whatever the technical term is that I can't remember now)?

it may look that way, but in truth, he couldn't get his shoulders all the way back in the Radian in that pic, but he was VERY comfy in the Nautilus. It is the sloping outer sides that make them look like they are too narrow.

But I'll get measurements after I drop Ruthie at pre-k (leaving now)

SusanMae · Oct 16, 2008

I think the Nautilus would be a great seat for you. It will serve you well...and at 4 you'll likely be done buying your son seats.

A note about the Eddie Bauer Seat--If it's the one with the adjustable headrest---you canNOT use the harness with the headrest in the very top position...it's for booster mode only. But since your son has a 13 inch torso---he could still fit. Sounds like your son's length must be in his legs, rather than his torso.

And if he's leggy with a short body---the Nautilus will last a long time.

The Nautilus at Target is all a plush material---the ones at Wal-mart, BRU, and Amazon are all a mesh material that may be cooler in your climate.

Susan

joolsplus3 · Oct 16, 2008

I'm pretty sure the OP described this seat? http://www.babyage.com/products/22-...ce=goog&utm_medium=Default&utm_campaign=30274
No worries about sliding headrests or unusable harness positions if that's the case :thumbsup:

And to the OP, I think the Nautilus looks cramped in the shoulders, but no kids are really driven to the point of complaining about tightness. The Frontier is a lot roomier, but also can be harder to install (the seatbelt goes around the sides and behind the back for the best installation in most cars, and if your seatbelts aren't long enough, that's a problem....you can try before you buy at a good baby store or Babies R Us, though, to see if it works). The Frontier also has a 9 year lifespan...it will get your ds harnessed till about age 7+ (my shortish 8 yo still fit in the harness...), and makes an excellent booster, then you can hand it down to the baby and it won't expire till the baby's old enough to be sitting in a backless booster... $279 will go a long way! The Nautilus is great, though, the highback part expires after 6 years, the no back part is good for 9.

micapu · Oct 16, 2008

joolsplus3 said:
I'm pretty sure the OP described this seat? http://www.babyage.com/products/22-...ce=goog&utm_medium=Default&utm_campaign=30274
No worries about sliding headrests or unusable harness positions if that's the case :thumbsup:

yup, that's the one! But with nicer fabric... it was all we could afford after our car got stolen with our one-month old (much more expensive)carseat :mad

joolsplus3 said:
And to the OP, I think the Nautilus looks cramped in the shoulders, but no kids are really driven to the point of complaining about tightness. The Frontier is a lot roomier, but also can be harder to install (the seatbelt goes around the sides and behind the back for the best installation in most cars, and if your seatbelts aren't long enough, that's a problem....you can try before you buy at a good baby store or Babies R Us, though, to see if it works). The Frontier also has a 9 year lifespan...it will get your ds harnessed till about age 7+ (my shortish 8 yo still fit in the harness...), and makes an excellent booster, then you can hand it down to the baby and it won't expire till the baby's old enough to be sitting in a backless booster... $279 will go a long way! The Nautilus is great, though, the highback part expires after 6 years, the no back part is good for 9.

thank you for that info about the shoulders... he looks like he barely fits in it vs. how he fits in his current seat, so it was nagging at me. I need easy install because my husband's hands are huge, and in the event that I'm not around and he has to do it, I want to make sure he can do it right. I have no idea what car we'll wind up getting to replace our current one, so that's another factor. Another thing, I thought I should narrow it down basically to the Nautilus or the Regent, since those two have the highest harness slots? :scratcheshead:

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