Choosing booster for 98 Forester

ezbmama

New member
I'm really grumpy that I even have to ask this question right now--but my son's 2-year-old Britax Marathon, which we loved, was stolen out of our driveway overnight--we were moving it between cars, got distracted, totally forgot to deal with it and someone got lucky with a very nice carseat. I'm kicking myself for being so absent-minded but also really furious that someone would take something that clearly wasn't theirs! Fortunately a neighbor has a seat we're borrowing for now, but I'm going to be in the market for a new one. Son is 3 years, 29 pounds, 38 inches tall. He was FF in the Marathon in the rear driver's side seat for safest install--the Forester is not the greatest for a secure install, a safety tech at an install clinic recommended the way we had it installed. Car doesn't have LATCH but I bought the rear tether anchors and had those installed, so we had a very tight install with the Marathon. I know he could probably be FF still, but we would like to go with a FF toddler/booster seat. I'm wondering which will be the best for him to use for awhile in my non-LATCH backseat, leather seats, retractable shoulder belt plus rear tether. He's in a Graco Cargo (borrowed) right now and it's in the middle seat (manually adjustable lap belt only) because the neighbors don't have the clip for holding the lap/shoulder belt in place, also no rear tether. Not a big fan. Any guidance is appreciated as my car is not the most carseat friendly!
 
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firemomof3

New member
At his age & weight I would recommend (depending on your budget); Graco Nautilus, Recaro Young Sport or Evenflo Maestro :thumbsup:
 

ezbmama

New member
First, a 1998 Forester has locking belts, so you don't need a locking clip.

Would you consider rear-facing him?

When you say locking belts, do you mean there's a way to manually lock them? Or is it the responsive lock that happens when I have to hit the brakes or if we were to be hit by another vehicle/stop suddenly? The Marathon has that upper slot with the locking switch on each side to grab the shoulder portion of the car's belt (depending on which side of car it's installed in) and I really liked knowing how firmly that was holding the seat. Can I safely install the Graco Cargo in one of the side seats without any additional equipment like the metal belt lock that it apparently comes with but which our neighbors don't have? And without the rear tether?

As for rear-facing--he has been forward facing for comfort temperature-wise because my car doesn't have any rear vents. When he's rear-facing in the hotter months (it can get up near 100 where we live) he was so uncomfortable and sweaty because no cool AC air could reach him. I was concerned about the effects of heat on him, especially when the car was baking in the sun all day (no covered parking) and we went somewhere in the afternoon. We also found once we tried FF that the more secure carseat fit we got balanced out our concerns about going FF knowing that RF as long as possible is best.

Since we're now in a position where we pretty much have to buy a new seat, we are hoping to move to the next step, which is the harness booster, rather than having to replace a convertible.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
If you pull your seatbelts out all the way at the shoulder they'll lock when they retract. That's all you need to do, no locking clip needed. Though if you get a good install in the center then I'd leave him there since that is statistically safest.

I agree with the Nautilus and Maestro first for a small forward facing three year old. The Frontier fits bigger kids better, so I'd probably put it third on the list. The Maestro will require a dedicated booster after it, though, as the booster doesn't adjust very high.

Wendy
 

Misty-Bug

New member
I wouldn't worry about rearfacing personally at his age and weight. With those given and if it were me in that situation I would get a nautilus. He is too young for a booster so don't think about that right now. The nautilus will harness to 65lbs then a high back booster or a low back booster until 100lbs :thumbsup:
 

ezbmama

New member
I agree with the Nautilus and Maestro first for a small forward facing three year old. The Frontier fits bigger kids better, so I'd probably put it third on the list. The Maestro will require a dedicated booster after it, though, as the booster doesn't adjust very high.

Wendy

I've been reading reviews of the Nautilus and Frontier on Amazon.com and a common complaint with the Nautilus is that the two crotch strap slots are the first thing kids outgrow--there isn't an option far enough forward to make it realistic to expect the seat will last to 65 pounds. I've called our Babies R Us and they have one at the store, so I think I'll go out there with my son and "test drive" it to see how it fits his body before I buy anything.

On the Frontier fitting bigger kids better--is that huskier kids (our son is skinny) or just kids who are a little older and have grown more in height or weight? It gets such good reviews...but I know we need to pick the right seat for our kid so we can also write a good review that says it works for us!
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Better for huskier kids. My daughter is 7.5 and 45 pounds and finds it too roomy and uncomfortable.

The crotch strap isn't normally a problem. No more than any other seat, anyway. He can sit on the strap, just not the buckle.

Wendy
 

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