New convertible for baby or combination for toddler?

Posting this for a coworker who was asking and knows I come to these forums occasionally. He has a 17 or 18 month old, currently rf in an older convertible but they're likely going to turn her soon because of very bad motion sickness (even on short 10-15 minute car rides, and they've tried installing seat more upright and it didn't help). They know about the benefits of erf, I've talked to them about other options, but I believe I've said all I can and it's up to them now. She is about 25 pounds and I'm not sure how tall. They don't like the seat she is in and want something new. He told me what she's in but I can't remember now, either an Eddie Bauer or an Evenflo of some sort I believe.

Her big brother is almost 3 1/2, 40" tall and 40 pounds, ff in a Radian (a 2007 model). They're thinking of saving up and getting another Radian, but they don't have a lot of money and I mentioned maybe they could pass the older Radian down to the daughter and put the son in a seat that harnesses and then turns into a booster later on down the road. They want to keep both kids in harnesses as long as possible. But in doing some reading all I found was the Maestro which doesn't sound like it makes a good booster (but is at least cheaper than the Radian), and the Frontier/Nautilus which are both as pricey as the Radian, aren't they? I think they were leaning towards another Radian because Mom often sits in the back, though I don't know if she still would if they turn the younger one ff.

I forgot to ask what kind of car they drive, but I'm pretty sure it's a smaller 2010 model domestic SUV, maybe a Patriot or an Escape?

Unregistered said:

Posting this for a coworker who was asking and knows I come to these forums occasionally. He has a 17 or 18 month old, currently rf in an older convertible but they're likely going to turn her soon because of very bad motion sickness (even on short 10-15 minute car rides, and they've tried installing seat more upright and it didn't help). They know about the benefits of erf, I've talked to them about other options, but I believe I've said all I can and it's up to them now. She is about 25 pounds and I'm not sure how tall. They don't like the seat she is in and want something new. He told me what she's in but I can't remember now, either an Eddie Bauer or an Evenflo of some sort I believe.

Her big brother is almost 3 1/2, 40" tall and 40 pounds, ff in a Radian (a 2007 model). They're thinking of saving up and getting another Radian, but they don't have a lot of money and I mentioned maybe they could pass the older Radian down to the daughter and put the son in a seat that harnesses and then turns into a booster later on down the road. They want to keep both kids in harnesses as long as possible. But in doing some reading all I found was the Maestro which doesn't sound like it makes a good booster (but is at least cheaper than the Radian), and the Frontier/Nautilus which are both as pricey as the Radian, aren't they? I think they were leaning towards another Radian because Mom often sits in the back, though I don't know if she still would if they turn the younger one ff.

I forgot to ask what kind of car they drive, but I'm pretty sure it's a smaller 2010 model domestic SUV, maybe a Patriot or an Escape?

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I find the 2 parts i have bolded to be confusing. Thay have a brand new SUV, but not money for a new carseat? Has one of them recently lost a job?

Handing down the radian is certainly an acceptable idea. The maestro, nautilus or frontier would all be a fine combo seat for the older child. I know canadian prices are different than here, so I'll leave that to someone else to answer.

They could definitely pass down the Radian, and if DD is only 25lbs they could continue to RF in that for a little while longer if they chose to do so. If they turn the seat FF for her, make sure they know that they need to attach the SafeStop (and that it's the new black one without the orange stitching - check the recall info on TC website) until 40 lbs - hopefully they were aware and had this all straightened out already for the older child.

For the 3.5yo, it doesn't make a lot of sense to get a harnessed only seat when they could spend the same amount of money to get a seat that will booster as well, unless they really needed the seat to be narrow. As bobandjess99 said, any of those 3 seats would be a good option.

The Nautilus: harnesses then turns into a nice, tall high-back booster and then a no-back booster. The harness limit is 65lbs, top slots are about 18.25" (a bit taller than the Radian) and it has a 6yr expiry on the harness/HB and 9yrs on the NBB section. Cupholder and cubby holes are a big hit with kids; harness adjusts smoothly and buckles together easily. Can cause head slump issues for some kids when they sleep. 100% of base must be on vehicle seat. They are $239-269, I think Walmart is cheapest; watch for sales, Zellers occasionally has them on for as low as $179.
http://walmart.ca/details?assetId=41425&fromSearch=true

The Frontier(XT): harnesses then turns into a nice, even taller high-back booster (does not do a no-back booster but adjust tallll). The harness limit is 65lbs, top slots are about 18.25" on the older model (I'm not sure if there are still any of those being sold) and 20" on the 2010 "XT" model, and it has a 9yr expiry. Has 2 cupholders. Occasionally cause some install issues, but XT model has eliminated some of these; alternate way to install with seatbelt if typical one doesn't work. They are usually $299, like here:
http://snugglebugz.ca/product.php?productid=17467&cat=995&page=1

The Maestro: actually makes a decent booster from what I've read around here aside from the fact that it doesn't adjust any taller, so a child who outgrows the harness by height will not have a whole lot of time left in booster mode, and will need to follow up with a dedicated booster - but at least those are fairly inexpensive and it would spread the cost out over a longer time. The harness limit is 47lbs, top slots are about 18" (approx. same as the Radian) and I think it has a 6yr expiry. 2 cupholders. I haven't heard any day to day use info or issues. They are $129 at Zellers and TRU/BRU. BRU actually has them on sale for $99 until June 17:
http://www.toysrus.ca/product/index.jsp?productId=3822234

I just wanted to point out that for a child with severe motion sickness, flipping them ffing will not necessarily solve anything.

bobandjess, it's not that they don't have money for a car seat (though I'm sure the new car contributes to their financial problems). They are more than willing to buy a Radian if that ends up being the best seat. But they are low income and if there are other options that make more sense financially and just as safe, they would love to know about them.

mommycat, thanks so much for all of that! I'm going to print it out for next time I see him. I didn't realize the harness only goes to 47 pounds on the Maestro. Would it even make sense for them to consider that for a 40 pound 3 1/2 year old? I think I might recommend the Nautilus to them, and keep an eye out for sales. Though the Frontier is the same price as what they were thinking of spending on a Radian and has a longer expiry on the whole thing so might make more sense because they can pass it down eventually and get a dedicated booster for the older one. I'll make sure to let them know about the Safestop. Does the 2007 Radian have that? I wonder if they're using it for the older one right now.

canmom, I've mentioned that to them. Apparently the mom has motion sickness but only when rear facing on buses or trains, so they're assuming it's the same. I don't know if they've tried turning her yet to see if it helped.