Woe is me (in-between-seat dilemma)

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dsharp

Guest
Woe is me (in-between-seat dilemma)

Hi...
My son is a peanut -- skinny, weighs 33 pounds and will turn 4 in a month. And he's about to outgrow his Britax Roundabout. I'd like to stick with a Britax product -- nice tight fit, unlike the others (in my experience). Having said that, I'm not crazy about the Starriser Comfy (didn't like the look of the big adult seat belt on his little waist) and I'd like to be able to keep him a five-point harness for a while longer. Having said that, I'm worried that the Husky is too big. Maybe the Marathon -- good for 65 pounds (but what about the five-point?). I might have to make a move before Britax ever gets around to releasing the two aforementioned products. Any thoughts?

Tnx
David
 
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C

Caviller

Guest
From your requirements, those sound like your best options-

The Husky will certainly last longer due to the higher weight limits and higher top harness slots. It IS very big, almost too big for some vehicles.

The Marathon will certainly go for some time longer than the Roundabout. Supposedly it should begin appearing in stores by September based on the latest round of rumours. Don't hold your breath, though, as I haven't heard anything "official".

I have seen the Marathon at a conference. It is a nice model. I can't really recommend it until I've had some experience with a production model in a couple vehicles.

The Fisher Price Futura is also an excellent model, but very hard to find in a 5-point except perhaps on ebay...

Finally, many combination boosters are also reasonable choices. The harnesses only go to 40 pounds, but they do accomodate taller kids than the Roundabout because many have higher top harness slots and a taller back. The Century NextStep series and Evenflo Apollo are a couple to see. Perhaps by the time your son hits 40 pounds, he will be ready to use one of these as a booster...

Darren
 
U

UlrikeDG

Guest
My 4 year old has plenty of room left in the Roundabout...

Different kids fit the same seat differently, but I think it's definitely worth checking out. My son is 35 lb & 42" tall.

The Roundabout is outgrown when the child weighs 40 lb, the child's shoulders are above the top slots, or the tips of the ears are above the top of the seat back. The thing about the Roundabout is, the cover is soooo cushy that it often slides down, masking where the slots really are. Yesterday, when we were getting in the car, it looked like the tops slots were below my son's shoulders. I pulled the cover up to the correct place, and found that there's actually 2" between his shoulders & the slots. BIG DIFFERENCE! Some people recommend sticking a pencil or a ruler in the slot to tell exactly where it is in relation to your child.

Anyway, you may have more time than you thought to pick out your next seat. Darren is sceptical, but I really do think that the Marathon will be out in a timely fashion, and I do think it will be worth at least trying when it does come out. At any rate, I don't think there's any rush to get a new seat, unless the current seat really is outgrown. There are new products becoming available almost weekly right now, and your options may be much more varied in one month than they are today!
 
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dsharp

Guest
Re: My 4 year old has plenty of room left

Unfortunately, the top of his head has cleared the top, and pretty soon he'll be at the limit (level with ears).

Does the Marathon allow the use of the five-point harness until 65 pounds? If so, I'd be interested in that.

Also are there crash test results on any of these? I've check Euro-NCap and FIA, but didn't see anything. Yet I've heard that crash test results are available in Europe.

Lot of questions...

Tnx for the replies.
David
 
U

UlrikeDG

Guest
Yes, the Marathon will use the harness to 65 lb...

You can view it on the Britax website ( www.britaxusa.com/ ). From the Britax FAQ:

What are the heights of each of the harness slot positions for the Roundabout and the New Marathon?

The following measurements have been taken from the Roundabout and the Marathon without the cover or foam padding. Due to the fact that different covers have different consistencies, these measurements will change when a cover is placed on the seat.

These figures are measurments from the seat base to each harness slot.

Roundabout
Lower Slot 11 1/4"
Middle Slot 14 1/4"
Top Slot 16 1/2"

Marathon
Lower Slot 11 1/4"
First Middle Slot 13 1/2"
Second Middle Slot 15 3/4"
Top Slot 18"

Due to changes in models and materials, measurements are subject to change without notice.


Keep in mind that a 4 year old grows much more slowly than a 4 month old. If, for example, he has a full 1" until his ears are even with the top of the seat, his full height would have to grow by ~2" (assuming the growth were evenly distributed between his legs and his torso, which isn't necessarily a safe assumption to make). I've had myself in a panic several times over the past year, thinking that my son would outgrow this seat "soon". Well, he's still got room left, and I'm very glad that I left my options open, rather than buying something last summer.

Unless you really just do not have access to other car seats where you live, I still think you are better off with a wait and see approach. In fact, I *do* live where mail order is my only option for most new seats (we live on a military base overseas, and the selection at the base store is pitiful), and while I have scouted out my options in case my son hits a sudden, immense growth spurt, I have yet to purchase anything, as he really does still fit well in his current seat.

If you want a list of alternatives that I would consider either for the interim (if your son were to outgrow his seat tomorrow) or as long term replacements, I do have a list. ;) Keep in mind that most of these seats will not live up to the ease of use that you are used to with your Roundabout. However, if you try them out, and they do fit your son with room to grow, any of them would be an acceptable next step.

Features to look for in a combo seat are:
1) Front adjuster (some seats make you uninstall to adjust the harness)
2) Higher harness slots so the seat isn't outgrown by height significantly before 40 lb (Cosco/Safety First/Eddie Bauer seats have notoriously low harness slots -- lower than the slots on your Roundabout!)

The combo/booster seats that I would consider (in no particular order!) are:

1) Graco Grand CarGo. ( www.gracobaby.com/Section...TypeID=325 ) The harness adjuster is on the harness itself, which I think is easier to use, but other people disagree. Try it out first or be prepared to return it if you don't like it.

2) Graco Ultra CarGo ( www.gracobaby.com/Section...TypeID=354 ). Almost identical to the Grand CarGo, but the adjuster is on the bottom, front of the seat. Some people prefer this adjuster over the one on the Grand version.

3) Next Step DX/MX ( www.centuryproducts.com/S...egoryID=19 ). The DX & MX versions are very similar to each other. I'm not sure what the differences are, but as long as you get one with a front adjuster, it's a fine option.

4) Evenflo Express ( www.evenflo.com/ep/on_go/...t.phtml?nf ). This seat comes in a Comfort Touch (more padded & a little more expensive) and a regular ("bare bones" & less expensive) version. It has an adjuster on the harness like the Graco Grand CarGo, but the new ones have a push button release, which makes it easier to loosen the straps.

5) Evenflo Apollo ( www.evenflo.com/ep/on_go/apollo.phtml?nf ). Of all the seats listed, this is the one with significantly more features. If I needed a combo seat, this would be at the top of my list (assuming it fits my car -- I have a difficult to fit vehicle). First, this seat is lined with "energy absorbing foam" (like you find in a bike helmet or your Roundabout); it is the only combo booster in the US to have it. This means instead of striking hard plastic in a crash, your child's head will impact on the foam. It has a knob harness adjuster that you turn to adjust the harness tightness. I've heard that it takes a little getting used to, but that it is very nice (easier to use than traditional adjusters) once you figure it out. It has a "memory harness", which means you don't have to re-adjust the harness every time you use it. The Comfort Touch version is very well padded. I don't know if it comes in a non-CT version or not.

I encourage you to try them out and get the one that you personally like best. Look at how they fit your child, how they fit your vehicle (especially if it needs to fit next to one/two other seat(s)), and how much growing room is left (remember, your child should stay harnessed until at 40 lb if possible). Try the harness adjusters to see which ones are easiest for *you* to use. Budget-wise, these seats generally run $60 to $100 (watch for sales!).

Another option is the Britax Laptop. It runs $65 (more or less). Darren posted a little about it on the Reviews board ( pub59.ezboard.com/fcarsaf...ID=3.topic ). This is definitely one to try before you buy. My son didn't like it when we tried it out. It does make an easy to use & compact spare seat, even if you decide to get a true booster, combo seat, or Marathon later.
 
D

dsharp

Guest
euro-ncap or other crash test ratings?

I'm full o' =questions.

A friend told me about "crash test" ratings for carseats that are posted somewhere on the Web. I've check Euro-NCap and FIA, but didn't see anything. Anyone know about such ratings and where I might find them?

Tnx again. This forum is a great resource.

David
 
C

Caviller

Guest
The NHTSA does have some crash test information, but....

Unfortunately, the information you can find on their website is preliminary data, and not representative of the final versions of products on the market. It often causes unnecessary concern from parents who find it, because some models are shown to have failed the test.

Consumer Reports also has crash test results for carseats. Unfortunately, they don't give us any information about what their test results mean. They don't give injury measures, head excursions or deceleration figures, only round circles. As such, we have no idea just how much "safer" a top rated model is compared to one that did worse on the test. Most likely, they exaggerate small differences like they do with auto reliability. Perhaps more importantly, we all know that seats fit differently in every car, and they don't tell us their standards of a good fit and most likely we won't have the same vehicle or test bench they used.

So, there really isn't a lot of comparative crash test information on the web. NHTSA is working on a rating system to be released in the future, however.

All seats on retail shelves do pass the US federal standards for frontal crash tests. Some may also meet Canadian standards, as an identical version may be sold in Canada in some cases. A few models and/or companies claim their seats may also meet standards from Europe or Australia.

Darren
 

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