Combination Car Seat for Toddler

Combination Car Seat for Toddler

Our son is just over 2 1/2. He is 37 inches tall and weighs 29lbs. He has been (happily!) in his Britax Roundabout since he was 5mos. old. He is just barely short enough to still be in it, so we know we will be needing a new seat quickly! I know that Britax is coming out with the Wizard/Marathon, that are about 3. 5inches taller from where his bottom sits to the top in the roundabout, but they can't be used with a regular seatbelt for when he's older, and we'd like to avoid buying 2 more seats and just get a combo. one. I wish Britax would make one of those(besides the mammoth Super Elite, what other Britax one could we use???) We are looking at the Fisher Price Grow With Me(only seen online, never in a store, would have to buy it online, which I am hesitent to buy a non-Britax brand without seeing it first), I have heard that the Cosco ones aren't great, we looked at the Summit one by Cosco and weren't too thrilled. So we are just at a standstill and totally confused!! What car/booster seat is as comfy as a Roundabout, easy to use, and safe as well?? And can be used when he is older and not in the harness? Thank you. If we never wanted to put more people in the backseat of our car, maybe we would consider the Super Elite again? But that can't be used with the shouler/lap belt for when he's older if I'm correct. It's such a wide seat, and Tyler is tall, but thin.
Heather
SAHM to Tyler Austin 12-17-99
~l~ 6/14/02
~l~ 2/20/02

Some partial answers-

I can't recommend a perfect seat for you, but I can give you some ideas.

First, just to make sure- your child hasn't outgrown your Roundabout by height until the top of their shoulders are above the top harness slots, or until the tops of their ears are above the top of the shell.

The Marathon may well be a good choice to last a couple years. After that, your son should be ready to use a belt positioning booster. I can't technically recommend it, mostly because I haven't had much personal experience with it. After that, you could opt for an inexpensive $25 backless booster, which would be perfectly safe as long as the tops of your child's ears don't come above the top of your vehicle seats (or headrests if you have them). The Evenflo RightFit, Safety Baby Uno/Polo and Britax Starriser are examples of these.

The Super Elite (soon to be called the Husky) is also a good choice. It may well last as long as your son needs to be in a carseat, and a 5-point harness is going to provide better protection than a seatbelt with a booster. Since it is very tall and goes to 80 pounds, your child may not even need a booster when he outgrows it.

Combination boosters are also fine. The Grow With Me is a nice one if you can still find it. I own a Century NextStep DX and it is also a decent seat. Many parents like the Evenflo Apollo, too. There are many good options in this category. You might check our new "Carseat Basics" link under the top banner for some more ideas, and for some links to sites that give other specific recommendations.

Good luck, and please post again if you have more questions!

Darren

We bought the Graco Treasured Cargo for now but...

just to get him out of the Roundabout for now until we can decide on a booster for sure. I was under the impression that there had to be one inch of plastic above the top of his head for him to still fit in the Roundabout. That's what a few CPS techs told me on another board. He just looks huge in the roundabout. I am just torn on what to get. I am not thrilled with the so-called "padding" that the Graco one provides either. Why can't a company come up with "design the perfect car seat for yourself". I would pay good money for that service!!

Re: Combination Car Seat for Toddler

The 1 inch of plastic above the top of the head is a conservative rule of thumb for rear facing only. The official best practice from the American Academy of Pediatrics for the rear-facing height limit says, "...as long as the top of the head is below the top of the seat back."


I assumed your child was front-facing, though I apologize if I was wrong. In any case, your child can continue front facing in the Roundabout to the limits I posted. The American Academy of Pediatrics best practice guidelines state, "When your child reaches the top weight allowed for his car safety seat or his ears have reached the top of his car safety seat, your child needs a booster seat."


It sounds like you might still have some time left in your Roundabout after all. Front-facing, just make sure his ears are below the top of the seat and that his shoulders are at or below the level of the harness straps when they are in the top set of slots. The front facing weight limit is 40 pounds.

Please feel free to ask again if you have more questions!

Darren

Nope, you were right..

he is forward facing. The height limit on the roundabout is 40 inches, and he's 37 inches, so I guess it's good we're looking now anyways!! Took back the Graco one this morning,lol, we were not thrilled with it at all. I did look at the Summit High Back booster again(and the Cargo Ultra, which does have the front harness adjuster), and it worked for us, not sure if we'll get it or not, I know Cosco doesn't have the greatest reputation!! I figure we only have 2-3 months left in the Roundabout, if that. Do you know which seats work well for longer-torsoed children?

One thing about the Summit-

It's one of the nicer combination boosters overall. I like the adjusters and the open loop shoulder belt guide. The biggest flaw is that the highest harness slots which can be used are relatively short, and so the harness may not last up to 40 pounds for taller kids, especially in the torso. It really is best to keep children in a 5-point harness at least to 40 pounds before switching to a belt positioning booster, if possible.

I really can't recommend for or against it, but you should read the instructions and verify that the top slots are adequate for your needs before you buy it.

Good luck!

It sounds to me like your son may have *years* left in the

Roundabout!

As Caviller said, the Front Facing limit of the Roundabout is 1) When the child weighs 40 lb or 2) When his ears are even with the top of the seat. When either of these criteria is met, you will need to find a new seat for your son. However, I believe you have at least 1 year of use, and probably more.

My daughter is 36" tall and weighs 29.5 lb. I just turned her front facing in the Roundabout (she is 28 months old). My son is 4 years old, 35 lb and ~42" tall, and he still has at least a little growing room left in the Roundabout (he actually rides in a Britax Freeway, which uses the same shell as the Roundabout, but does not have locking clips for rear facing use). Both my children are long legged, so another child who is long torsoed would outgrow the Roundabout sooner than my two, but from how you described your son's fit, I'd say he's got very similar proportions to my daughter, and she definitely has LOTS of time left in this seat!

I'd take a wait and see approach to finding the next seat he'll need. Remember that older toddlers grow slower than infants and younger toddlers. By the time he really *needs* it, there should be many newer (probably "better") products on the market--maybe even that elusive Britax combo/booster seat you've been waiting for.

HTH