couple of nauti questions

rachelandtyke · Jun 4, 2010

How does the nauti fit as a booster on a smaller child?

DD is 34 lbs and 41 inches and nearly 5 yo, but I can't booster her for at least another year per the law here, so she'd be bigger than that, but still small for a six year old.

Also, how does it puzzle with a rf TF? Right now I can puzzle a rf and ff TF in my parents Camry and an average adult can still fit in the back. Would that still work? Is the TB a narrower booster?

wendytthomas · Jun 4, 2010

TB is narrower, for sure.

The Nautilus fits small and narrow kids well. It's what Piper rides in now at 45.5 pounds and nearly eight years old. She got the seat when she was six, so I can't comment on how it fit her at five, but it's worked very well for her.

I have a Nautilus and RF TFP in my car, and Piper can squeeze between them in an RSTV if necessary. My backseat isn't amazingly wide, though. The two seats will not go together for love or money.

Wendy

joolsplus3 · Jun 4, 2010

I don't think there are any states that require harnessing till 6? Many require a 'child restraint' and a booster actually counts as that... here's the table of laws http://www.iihs.org/laws/ChildRestraint.aspx (not that I'm trying to get you to booster earlier, sometimes the Nautilus is wretched as a booster, like on their own picture on the box where the belt rides up on the kid's belly, but it tends to fit kids who have outgrown the harness, generally :thumbsup

wendytthomas · Jun 4, 2010

Just checked her IP, and she's in NC. So, no law about when to switch from a harness to booster. Just a proper use clause. So if the manufacturer says it's ok, then NC is ok with it. It's legal to use the Cosco High Rise backless booster with a 30 pound 1 year old in NC. It's legal to booster a nearly five year old in the Nautilus since it has a 30 pound lower booster limit. It may not be best practice, or the best fit, but it's legal. A child must use a properly used restraint in NC until they are 8 years old OR 80 pounds. Nothing in there about a booster versus harness.

Wendy

rachelandtyke · Jun 4, 2010

Actually, I'm in SC. Maybe I am misunderstanding the law . . . Another mom and I were discussing things and she said her understanding was that the law here was that you couldn't booster below 40 lbs unless the child was 6 years old (in which case they have aged out of all child restraint laws). When I found it and read it, I got the same out of it. I'm not ready to full time booster anyway, but had been thinking of getting something to booster train in over the next year or so until I read that and thought I couldn't. I'll try to find the link I read . . .

She still fits just fine in her TF and EFTA (actually still fits in the Blvd, but DS is using it) and it is highly unlikely that she will outgrow at least the TF in the next year.

rachelandtyke · Jun 4, 2010

Wording in joolsplus3's link is same as what I was going by: younger than 1 year or less than 20 pounds in a rear-facing infant seat; 1 through 5 years and 20-39 pounds in a forward-facing child safety seat; 1 through 5 years and 40-80 pounds in a booster seat secured by lap-shoulder belt (lap belt alone is impermissible)

wendytthomas · Jun 4, 2010

Weird, you have a Hickory, NC IP address.

Anyway, yes, I read the law the same as you. If they didn't put in a separate booster seat mention I would think they meant restraint, which is what NC and WA have, no laws pertaining to harness versus booster, but an appropriate restraint. But SC says child seat versus booster, so I believe they do mean them differently.

In some ways I think SC's laws are fantastic. Most states don't have a 1 and 20 law rear facing (most have a proper use, which ends up being pretty much 1 and 20, but they don't outright say it). Most don't require a harness to 40 pounds. So those are good things. Unless you run into an issue like you and I have, with a child who may very well outgrow harnesses by height because they're so light so old, or because they are of a mature age and size to use a booster, even though they're not yet 40 pounds. And then SC falls completely off with the six years or 80 pounds max for any seat.

Wendy

rachelandtyke · Jun 10, 2010

OK, good, glad I am reading it correctly.

I agree, the law is both fantastic and problematic. I suppose, technically, I was going against the law when I rfed DD past 20 lbs and age 4 . . . I am sure the law was written when that wasn't possible and when harnessed seats stopped at 40 lbs.

We were at TRU and I tried DD in the nauti with the harness and she.did.not.like.it.at.all and she has never complained about her car seats! So, I'll just keep her in the TF and move her into a TB or Vivo when the time comes. She fits quite well in the TB, so we'll at least get one of those.

couple of nauti questions

rachelandtyke

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