tall thin child

Unregistered · Mar 11, 2003

What do you recommend for a tall thin child? I have a 2.5 year old who is 28 lbs and 38 inches tall. She still has a bit of room in her Safe Embrace (which I love!!) because a lot of her height is in her legs. She has gained only 6 lbs in the last 20 months. She will not be 40 lbs til about 5.5y based on the growth chart. Do you think it is safe for a tall child under 40 lbs to be in a belt bositioning booster or something like the Graco Turbo Booster? Or is the Britax marathon or the soon to be released Wizard more practical? Are any other car seat manufacturers going to make a harnessed seat that goes over 40 lbs? I wish FP still made seats as I am very, very happy with my 2 Safe Embraces.

joolsplus3 · Mar 11, 2003

Since it probably WILL be a long time till she hits 40 pounds, a Harnessed booster/combo seat would probably be a great option. There are several nicer ones to choose from that have tall (~17 inch) top harness slots and front harness adjusters. They include : the Graco Ultra or Platinum Cargo, the Century/Graco NextStep DX or MX, the Evenflo Comet or Evenflo Express or Evenflo Chase. I've found that the Ultra Cargo has the thickest, least twisty straps (almost as good as the FPSE), but most of these seats are pretty good on that front. The seats by Cosco tend to have the lowest top harness slots and somewhat more twist-prone straps. Babies R Us and maybe Toys R Us will allow you to see if the seat fits well in your car before you buy it, and if that option is not available, make sure the store you purchase the seat from has a good return policy. Also, let your DD sit in them and see if she has a preference

. I would not feel comfortable putting so young a child in a belt positioning booster, simply because they are just not mature enough to understand the importance of sitting still. Hope that Helps

Unregistered · Mar 11, 2003

Thank You. We actually have a Century Next Step in (argh) the front seat of our pick-up truck. We have had it in there since she turned one. We have no other option since the back has center facing jump seats. We do have the airbag turned off though. We will be replacing the truck soon since it is impractical with a family of 4. Anyway, she loves the seat-I like it aside from the twisty straps. I need something for my car and I am not sure I want another Next Step. I am just not convinved that she will be 40 lbs when her shouldres reach the top slot in it either. It is so hard to find the right seat, and although Britax makes nice products there is no evidence that the seats are any safer than the less pricey seats and therefore it is difficult to justify the costs, unless of ocurse nothing else fits my child. Thanks again.

joolsplus3 · Mar 11, 2003

Are you afraid she'll still be too young/light for a booster when she gets too tall for the Nexstep? Other than the seats I listed, the Britax Marathon has 18 inch top slots, and the Husky has 21 inch top slots (with 65 and 80 pound weight limits, respectively)...expensive, yes, but certainly they are very high quality, and are, for now, the only seats around with such high top harness slots.....

Unregistered · Mar 11, 2003

yes! She has only gained 6 lbs in the last 18 months, and she is still 12 lbs from 40, so I am guessing she will be 40 lbs at about age 5. On the other hand she has grown 7 inches in the same time. Maybe I am stressing about this too soon. The Next Step is in our spare vehicle, so I will need something in my car in the next 4-6 months I am guessing. I am just scared/worried because she is so thin. But if the Marathon only gives me another inch, then it probably isn't worth it. I think she is mature enough for a BPB (If you met her you'd probably guess her age at about 4-at least that is what everyone guesses), it is just her weight that concerns me. I think I worry too much! Thanks again.

SafeDad · Mar 11, 2003

Marathon limits-

Just to add to Julie's great advice-

The Marathon manual does allow the shoulders to exceed the level of the top slots, so long as the top of the child's ears is still below the top of the shell of the carseat. This is a bit different than the general recommendations for other models, but it may allow your daughter to use a Marathon a bit longer than the ~18" slot height would otherwise limit her.

tall thin child

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