Question not rich, need seats

pj2rc

New member

• Mar 3, 2010

• #1

Help. The biggest problem is I need 3 sets of each seat because my kids are in my Toyota Sienna, my husbands Chevy Silverado and my moms Chevy Equinox numerous times a week -- too often to switch them out. I have 2 daughters. oldest will be 4 in April - 41" and 38 lbs. Youngest is 20 months, 25 lbs, not sure of height at the moment. Youngest is RF in Evenflo Titan - it "expires" end of this year. DD #1 is currently FF in harness in Dorel Commuter/Ventura. She is technically over the height limit posted but she is level with the top straps. I need to switch her to something. My original plan was to keep #1 in the Dorel and change to booster until end of this year, then put straps back on and put #2 in the Dorel until she was ready for a booster and buy a booster only for #1. That meant I could use the seats I had and buy 3 booster onlys to get them through the rest of their car seat lives---about $150 for 3. Now I want to keep #1 harnessed for safety and I just read some reviews on my Dorel that basically said it is a piece of crap!!! So now I am worried about the safety on that too. I've seen the Graco Nautilus and the Safety First Hybrid Go which seem like good seats, but would be about $500 to buy 3 ... not to mention the cost if I have to replace my Dorel's too. I saw reviews on the Evenflo Maestro which has higher harness limits & is about $80 each. It has good review on the harness, but bad reviews for booster. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated

 

firemomof3

New member

• Mar 4, 2010

• #2

I would get a Maestro for your 4y/o and seriously its so lightweight and easy to use, I think you could get away with getting 2 of them and keeping one permantly installed in your dh's truck (since its a little more complicated with the rear tether). For your younger dd I would at the Scenera & Avenue

 

mommycat

Well-known member

• Mar 4, 2010

• #3

I second the Sceneras/Avenues for the 20mo, I wouldn't turn her FF so young. The Sceneras RF to 35lbs and have a decently tall shell.

The Maestro is also a good choice, it will harness for quite a while yet and the booster function actually seems to fit kids quite well, it just doesn't go very high because the headrest doesn't adjust, so kids can't get much taller in the booster than in the harness. But that should be at least a couple of years off if DD1 still fits in the Cosco harness, and then you can pass these down to DD2 and get a dedicated booster for your then 5-6 (maybe 7) yo, something like a TurboBooster, as she should be old enough and mature enough to sit properly in one.

I would sell the Ventures if they aren't yet expiring to help offset the cost of the new seats. I don't think these are horrible seats when harnessed, but I just wouldn't want to see a 20mo FF unless there was no other choice.

 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants

• Mar 4, 2010

• #4

Three Evenflo Maestros for your oldest @ $75 each plus three Sceneras for your youngest @ $45 each is probably the cheapest way to go, and they are perfectly adequate seats. I agree your oldest is too young for full-time boostering, but if she still fits in the Dorel seat, she'll have at least a year and probably significantly more in the Maestro, which gives you time to get ready for buying boosters.

 

M

mytwobugs

New member

• Mar 4, 2010

• #5

I second the Maestros for your older daughter. If you are anywhere near a sears you can get them cheaper than $80 right now. They are on sale online for $71.99 and if you use the coupon code "SEARS5OFF50" and buy online but select pick up at store it will bring the total for each to $66.99+tax. You could get 3 for a little over $200 or 2 for less and switch the seats (or cont using the dorel until her shoulders go over the top slot). The Maestro won't be a good booster, but when she outgrows the harness you can pass them down to your younger daughter and get the older dedicated boosters. I recently got a maestro for my 3.5 yr old and am very happy with it.
For you younger daughter I would keep using the Titan for now and worry about getting her a replacement closer to when it expires. Not sure if you just have one seat for her right now and want 2 more or not, but I also second the scenera or uptown as good budget friendly choices.

 

M

mayamac

New member

• Mar 4, 2010

• #6

We have a similar situation- switching out the seats all the time is crazy! Now if my mom is taking the girls I just trade cars with her. My husband has 1 seat in his car for the events where the girls go seperate directions. I think this works great for us because I think our main car is the safest of the 3 and we only have carseats hogging up the backseat of only one car.

 

A

armywife12

New member

• Mar 4, 2010

• #7

We love the Maestro. We only used it for a week because we were rear ended this weekend and had just gotten the seat but we loved it while we got to use it. I measured top slots to be 18.25, so it is VERY comparable to the Graco Nautilus, and it is very lightweight and easy to install so I agree that you could probably get away with only getting 2 and switching out one of them a few times a week. It makes a decent fitting booster but for children who still fit in the harness. The headrest does not move up so the booster is basically outgrown once the harness is outgrown in height, defeating the whole purpose of it. It will keep your 4 yr old harnessed for quite some time though so it will give you an opportunity to save for boosters down the road.

I would not pass down the dorel seat to your tot simply because the child should remain RF, especially at that size. I would go with a Scenera or Avenue for that child and continue RF.

 

pj2rc

New member

• Mar 4, 2010

• #8

Thank you everyone. I was about to have a heart attack looking at $1200 for 6 new seats. Of course I want my kids to be safe and would do what I had to, but thanks for the more reasonable options. I think I will keep #2 in the Titan until the end of this year (maybe she'll get new seats for Christmas - lol) and get the Maestro's for #1 now. Thanks for the tip on Sears .. they are very close actually, I will definietly look into that. Not sure about selling the Dorel's .. I know people aren't supposed to buy used car seats, even though I know they haven't been in an accident. And if I don't want my kids in them, doesn't seem righ tto pawn them off on someone else. But I guess if the people aren't going to put their kids in anything at all, it is still a better option...

 

pj2rc

New member

• Mar 4, 2010

• #9

I just want to clarify .. #2 is still RF in Titan and she can use that until the end of this year when it expires ...... she'll be 2 1/2 then and I would feel comfortable putting her FF at that point. What are your thoughts on the Dorel as a FF harness. ..... still junk? Should I replace it and get her something else, or do you think she is ok in the Dorel until she moves to the Maestro? I will replace the Dorel's too if they are junk which is what the review forum seemed to indicate. If they are ok as harness, then of course that would be my cheaper alternative. thanks for the help

 

mommycat

Well-known member

• Mar 4, 2010

• #10

armywife12 said:

We love the Maestro. ... It makes a decent fitting booster but for children who still fit in the harness. The headrest does not move up so the booster is basically outgrown once the harness is outgrown in height, defeating the whole purpose of it.

Click to expand...

I want to add for the sake of completeness, that while the booster mode is not really that useful in most cases, it will be useful for shorter+heavier kids who outgrow the harness by weight, make it a nice option here in Canada if one finds themselves with a lack of tether anchor in a carpool or something (and the child is old enough to sit properly for the trip) or as a nice seat option for a daycare provider who wants to fit a range of diff kids over the next few years but isn't sure of sizes and doesn't want to buy (or can't fit width-wise) a Nauti or Frontier...

 

pj2rc

New member

• Mar 4, 2010

• #11

Ok -- thanks everyone for all of the input ... still looking for response on the Dorel .. ok or not ok, at least as a harness once #2 outgrows he RF? I did order 3 Maestro's today from Sears ... thanks mytwobugs. 1 more question .... I was looking through the forums today and found the one on "personal minimums for booster" most people said if the kid is mature and at least 40 lbs, they would use them at least minimally. My mom takes the kids on a regular basis, but usually to a park or her house, not very far. I did ride my daughter in seat belt for about 2 days in her Dorel when I thought she was too big and she did very well. .... wondering if I could put a booster only in my moms car .. high back and well fitting of course and trade cars or seats if she is driving any distance... or are you still thinking that would be a no no. I will do whatever is right. thanks again for all of your help

 

M

mytwobugs

New member

• Mar 4, 2010

• #12

Hopefully someone will be along to provide a more educated answer about the dorel seats, but in general I think the main reason those seats (Dorel/Safety 1st/Eddie Bauer/Cosco makes a ton of similar seats under a thousand different names) are not recommended here is because they have low top slots (so kids tend to outgrow the harness before they are ready for a booster - as you have found out !) and then tend to make poor boosters. If the seat has not expired, been recalled, or been in an accident and the child fits in the harness by height and weight I would think it is fine to use. In the case of your younger daughter, I think at her weight and age most people here would try and find a way to continue to RF until she is older because even though she will grow before the titan is expired she will still probably fit in many seats RF. It might be better to just wait on that decision until closer to the end of the year and then post back with her torso length and we can help find the best option then.
For booster use the bare minimum is 4yr, 40# and mature enough to sit without leaning to the sides or front 100% of the time. In general people here like to aim more for 5 or 6 yrs old so the Maestro is probably the best option even for your mother's car.
I wasn't sure from your posts: do you currently have 3 of the dorels and 3 of the titans?

 

Last edited: Mar 4, 2010

pj2rc

New member

• Mar 4, 2010

• #13

Thanks .. yes, I currently have 3 Evenflo Titans and 3 Dorel Commuter/Ventura's. As an update, I did buy 3 Maestro's today, 1 in stock that I picked up and 2 on order. But when I brought it home my daughter wants " the pretty pink one with the top that goes up and down"... the Nautilus. So I hink I may buy her 1 of them for my car, since it goes to a good booster later and I willl end up buying boosters even w/ the Maestro's that will cost the same n he end, and keep the other 2 Maestro's for my mom and husbands cars.

 

L

lorismurph

Senior Community Member

• Mar 4, 2010

• #14

I think the 1 Nautilus and 2 Maestro's sounds great. You can possibly move your 20mo to the Maestro's when your Titan's expire and she'll be 29mo. If she's grown enough, that might work without having to replace everything again and your 4yo will likely be much more capable of sitting properly in a booster at that time. I would personally keep her harnessed in my main car (my 5yo is) and do boosters in the others for short, infrequent trips.

 

mommycat

Well-known member

• Mar 4, 2010

• #15

I think that's a good plan on the Nauti and 2 Maestros. And I agree with mytwobugs, wait until DD2 is close to outgrowing the Titans or they are closer to expiring, then reassess your options.