Help! Expired carseats need new ones!

Okay...apparently we were a bit naive and let our carseats expire. They were given to me by my brother. Both Boulevards. We are not using them in my car but have them in my husbands car in case of an emergency. They are just a few months expired but now I am on the search (before our third baby arrives in a few weeks) to get this done and taken care of...so any help is appreciated. I am looking to replace so that he can drive them around when the new baby comes.

We currently have a Graco Nautilis (which I am not super keen on it seems thin on padding and so upright) and another Boulevard (manufactured in 2010--I called and they said it would expire 6 years form manufacture date...I was surprised so Jan 2016) in my car which I will be putting in my husbands car and putting the new seats in mine as I drive the kids more.


We drive an 2011 Honda Odyssey. We will be putting my short 5 year old in the back third row seat, my short three year old in one of the captains chairs, and the baby in one of the captains chairs. I cannot remember which side is better for an infant to be installed...

We were given an ATON 2 (new) for the new baby.

But now I need to figure out a solution for the older girls.

Both girls are short - 20% for height. 5 year old is 40 lbs and 3 year old 30 lbs.

I was thinking for the 5 year old a Britax Frontier. I want her harnessed for as long as possible. And from what i am reading this is the seat that allows for that. Are there others to consider...Recaro or Diono?

For the three year old I am wondering if I should get her a Frontier ( or other recommended seat) as well. I do not think we will be able to pass down the Boulevard to the baby because he will be about a year old at the end of 2015 and the seat expires Jan 2016 (bummer). So....that leaves me with two options...

1) buy the 3 year old a convertible and then pass it down to baby in a year and change and buy her a harness/booster when the time comes

OR


2) Buy her a harnessed/booster now and then buy the baby a convertible when the time comes.

I ask this because I was wondering if there are any safety advantages to putting her in a convertible. I like the idea that we can rear face her when we want. We seem to FF sometimes and RF other times. We are mostly FF now @ 3.25 years old. I turned her because we were having a hard time getting her in her seat due to tantrums and her being able to arch and kick at the back of the seat when trying to get her in...and being pregnant this was just too hard.

Also what is the best seating position the captains chairs...three year old behind passenger and infant behind driver or vice versa?

Lastly...would any of you ever use expired seats for travel?



Thanks for all your help

Berglinds said:

We drive an 2011 Honda Odyssey. We will be putting my short 5 year old in the back third row seat, my short three year old in one of the captains chairs, and the baby in one of the captains chairs. I cannot remember which side is better for an infant to be installed...

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Hi and welcome! The best side for the baby is whichever side is most convenient for you! The center safe is slightly safer, but really whichever side you get the best install and what works best.

Berglinds said:

Both girls are short - 20% for height. 5 year old is 40 lbs and 3 year old 30 lbs.

I was thinking for the 5 year old a Britax Frontier. I want her harnessed for as long as possible. And from what i am reading this is the seat that allows for that. Are there others to consider...Recaro or Diono?

For the three year old I am wondering if I should get her a Frontier ( or other recommended seat) as well.

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As a short 5 year old in the Frontier, you will literally be able to harness her just about forever - but just so you know as long as the child is mature enough to sit in place, you are able to get a good seat belt fit, and the child is over 4 and 40 pounds there is no PROVEN safety difference. Not I emphasized proven, that's because different people have different theories and feelings on FF facing. For example in Sweeden they rear-face to a minimum of 4 and then they booster- there is no FF harnessed seat.

If you still want to harness her forever thats your choice, and the Frontier is an excellent seat for it. Really because she is short you should be able to harness her for a long time in a lot of seats. If budget is a concern you can also look into the Evenflo SureRide or Titan 65, it has top strap height almost as tall as the Frontier, but has a 65 pound weight limit vs the 90 for the Frontier. Note this seat is a convertible so it won't convert into a booster if you ever want to booster her.

Berglinds said:

I do not think we will be able to pass down the Boulevard to the baby because he will be about a year old at the end of 2015 and the seat expires Jan 2016 (bummer). So....that leaves me with two options...

1) buy the 3 year old a convertible and then pass it down to baby in a year and change and buy her a harness/booster when the time comes

OR


2) Buy her a harnessed/booster now and then buy the baby a convertible when the time comes.

I ask this because I was wondering if there are any safety advantages to putting her in a convertible. I like the idea that we can rear face her when we want. We seem to FF sometimes and RF other times. We are mostly FF now @ 3.25 years old. I turned her because we were having a hard time getting her in her seat due to tantrums and her being able to arch and kick at the back of the seat when trying to get her in...and being pregnant this was just too hard.

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I would give the 3 year old a convertible now so you can Rf when wanted, then when the new baby outgrows the infant seat pass it down and buy her a new FF harness to booster seat. The only safety advantage to a convertible is when it is rear-facing, so if you don't think you will rear-face her I would just buy her a FF seat.

Berglinds said:

Lastly...would any of you ever use expired seats for travel?

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Personally no, an expired seat is a seat that could be unsafe, and I wouldn't want to take that risk. Not to mention the Britax's and the Nautilus are heavy wide seats and not great for travel. The Sureride does make a good travel seat as its relatively narrow and light at under 10 pounds.

Just a quick note on the Frontier. It's a nice seat, but you would want to plan to hand it down as a harnessed seat. That would work for you since you have 2 younger kids It generally doesn't fit small kids well as a booster.

If you choose to buy a Frontier for 5yo, I wouldn't get a 2nd one for 3yo. Depending on how long you rear-face your baby and when your oldest is ready for a booster, you might end up with only a year or two total of 2 FF harnessed kids. Not really worth buying two Frontiers for that. I would get a Sureride for 3yo due to the flexibility (it works for anyone birth - 7+) and the money savings ($100 or less). If you get a Frontier for 5yo now, I can almost guarantee you'll find yourself buying a dedicated booster or two for her within the next 2 years so you'll want to be able to pass all the seats down.

So I think you are both saying a frontier for the oldest and a convertible for 3 year old. Pass down convertible to baby when he needs it and move three ...by then four year old to frontier. And our five year by then 6 year old to booster? I thought the 6 year old would need a seat that is a positioner or something more than just a booster. Can you be more clear?

Also any thoughts on what convertible for the three year old for a honda odyssey?

Thanks

Side note: Is your 2010 Boulevard one with a white plastic shell or a black plastic shell? Britax switched to a new model in 2010 and they have a 7-year lifespan (black shell).

If the 3yo is currently FFg, I would buy two FRs and wait for the baby's convertible.

@happiness-and-balance. Sadly a white shell... So six years right?

I would probably buy both kids Frontiers and then buy the baby a convertible later (maybe some really cool new seat will be out then. ).






The only way I'd feel comfortable using an expired seat for a real-life baby would be to use it as a "restaurant" seat for a baby who rides in a convertible in the car, but needs a safe place to sit in a restaurant. OR, I'd feel comfortable using an expired low-back booster as a "movie theatre" booster. I wouldn't use them as an actual car seat, though.

Because you'll have an Aton for the baby, and don't have any boosters, neither of the above apply to your situation. I was just stating the only situations in which I'd feel comfortable using expired seats (again, not as actual carseats, though).

Patriot201 said:

I would probably buy both kids Frontiers and then buy the baby a convertible later (maybe some really cool new seat will be out then. ).













The only way I'd feel comfortable using an expired seat for a real-life baby would be to use it as a "restaurant" seat for a baby who rides in a convertible in the car, but needs a safe place to sit in a restaurant. OR, I'd feel comfortable using an expired low-back booster as a "movie theatre" booster. I wouldn't use them as an actual car seat, though.



Because you'll have an Aton for the baby, and don't have any boosters, neither of the above apply to your situation. I was just stating the only situations in which I'd feel comfortable using expired seats (again, not as actual carseats, though).

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Patriot201


Any other seats I should consider instead on frontiers?


Thanks again for your help.

Berglinds said:

Patriot201


Any other seats I should consider instead on frontiers?

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The Frontier will give you the most time in a harness, but because your kids are small, you might not need the harness height the Frontier offers.

You could also try the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Graco-Nautilus-Elite-Seat-Tangerine/dp/B00BR0OMGA/ref=sr_1_2?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1411822930&sr=1-2&keywords=graco+nautilus+3-in-1+car+seat"]Nautilus[/ame], [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-SecureKid-Booster-Seat-Crawford/dp/B00ISS2JR8/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1411822964&sr=1-1&keywords=evenflo+securekid+dlx"]SecureKid[/ame],[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Britax-Pioneer-Harness-2-Booster-Seat-Onyx/dp/B00D04R3LW/ref=pd_cp_ba_3"]Pioneer[/ame], or [ame="http://www.amazon.com/RECARO-Performance-Combination-Harness-Booster/dp/B00B507FA2/ref=sr_1_7?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1411823048&sr=1-7&keywords=combination+booster+car+seat"]Performance Sport[/ame]. I know you said you didn't like the lack of padding on the Nautilus, but I never had any complaints in mine (which is now gone).

Patriot201 said:

The Frontier will give you the most time in a harness, but because your kids are small, you might not need the harness height the Frontier offers.

You could also try the Nautilus, SecureKid,Pioneer, or Performance Sport. I know you said you didn't like the lack of padding on the Nautilus, but I never had any complaints in mine (which is now gone).

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:yeahthatlove:

I have TALL kids and my youngest just outgrew the nautilus and moved into a Frontier. He still wants his Nautilus back. Obviously, the padding didn't bother him, lol.

But really, a pioneer would probably be just as good for you. If my kids were short, Id probably buy two pioneers and call it a good day.

arly1983 said:

:yeahthatlove:



I have TALL kids and my youngest just outgrew the nautilus and moved into a Frontier. He still wants his Nautilus back. Obviously, the padding didn't bother him, lol.



But really, a pioneer would probably be just as good for you. If my kids were short, Id probably buy two pioneers and call it a good day.

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I'm going to look into the pioneer. Thanks

Patriot201 said:

The Frontier will give you the most time in a harness, but because your kids are small, you might not need the harness height the Frontier offers.

You could also try the Nautilus, SecureKid,Pioneer, or Performance Sport. I know you said you didn't like the lack of padding on the Nautilus, but I never had any complaints in mine (which is now gone).

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A follow on question. We drive a 2011 odyssey. Any ideas on seat configuration. Three across 2nd seat or put the five year old in the back? I don't think the 5 year old will like that much. So in the event we do three across any experience in what works best for getting three kids in and out without making yourself crazy and crawling in and out? Also would this affect which FF seat you bought?

Thanks again