Question Car seat vs. Booster

Hello!

We have a BRITAX Marathon but my son is 4 and too tall for it! So, I'm wondering what to do now. He weighs 39lbs and I would love to keep him in a 5pt harness but don't know. He has a very long torso and his head is 1 inch above the top of the Marathon he is in now- should I move him to a booster seat?

*My brother is a car seat technician and gave us a brand new Safety 1st Convertible seat that says "Cosco Vantage Highback" on the label, but it feels cheap and chinsey to me.

My husband is concerned about my son's crotch in a 5pt harness. Especially now that he's bigger but I would put him in a taller 5pt harness still if I could find one that would be gentle on his crotch!

So, Questions:

1) Move to a booster seat or is there another car seat he could use that is taller than a Marathon? Any opinions on one vs another?
2) If you suggest a car seat/5pt harness, is there one that is great?
3) If you suggest moving to a convertible/booster etc, is there one that is great?

Thanks so much for your time!!!

ETA: My son would prefer to never leave a car seat. He loves being really high up to see all of the trucks/cars/buses/construction vehicles that we pass

Aaron'smommy said:

Hello!

We have a BRITAX Marathon but my son is 4 and too tall for it! So, I'm wondering what to do now. He weighs 39lbs and I would love to keep him in a 5pt harness but don't know. He has a very long torso and his head is 1 inch above the top of the Marathon he is in now- should I move him to a booster seat?

Click to expand...

The Marathon is outgrown by height when the tips of his ears go above the top of the shell or his shoulders go over the top slot. Which happened here?

*My brother is a car seat technician and gave us a brand new Safety 1st Convertible seat that says "Cosco Vantage Highback" on the label, but it feels cheap and chinsey to me.

Click to expand...

That's not a convertible, that's a combination seat. Harness to booster. The booster is terrible, and the top slots are very low. Your son likely has outgrown it by height, will outgrow it in a pound by harness weight, and no one should use it as a booster.

My husband is concerned about my son's crotch in a 5pt harness. Especially now that he's bigger but I would put him in a taller 5pt harness still if I could find one that would be gentle on his crotch!

Click to expand...

Does he complain? As far as I know, there have been no reports of testicular damage due to being in a five point harness (if there were, I bet all race drivers would be female).

So, Questions:

1) Move to a booster seat or is there another car seat he could use that is taller than a Marathon? Any opinions on one vs another?

Click to expand...

The Marathon is the middle of the road when it comes to torso height. Taller than that in a five point harness you have a slew of convertibles, which I won't mention because my guess is you're not going to rear face him. Then in the combination seats the Britax Frontier, Graco Nautilus, Recaro ProSport, and Evenflo Maestro all have higher top slots than the Marathon. I'd look at those four. They're all decent harnesses and decent boosters, though the Maestro will require a dedicated booster be bought after it.

2) If you suggest a car seat/5pt harness, is there one that is great?
3) If you suggest moving to a convertible/booster etc, is there one that is great?

Click to expand...

I don't see how these two questions are different. I guess you mean a convertible seat versus a combination? See above. If you want to rear face him the only options you have are the Radian 80SL and XTSL as they have a 45 pound rear facing weight limit, and I doubt he'd be too tall. But at four and 40 pounds I'd be fine with him forward facing in a harness.

Wendy

Oh shoot- I kept saying convertible and I meant combination! Sorry... I'm not up on the terms like I should be. Thanks for your answers. I will re-check his shoulder height and head height on the Marathon (my brother said his head shouldn't be more than an inch above the top of the seat?)

Ok, but the main question is...do I put him in a booster now if he is too tall for the marathon? (booster meaning seat belt- no 5pt harness?) or do I buy a new car seat like the 4 you mentioned and keep him in the 5pt harness? I realize some of these are the combination seats, but even with a combo seat, do I use the seat belt or the harness?

I think you said you'd put him in a harness which means no booster yet. When do you use a booster?

He is forward facing- sorry I didn't clarify.

Thank you!!!

Ok- I think I'm getting this better now:

That Britax model is amazing!

What you're saying is for now, check his Marathon. If he is too tall in shoulder strap or the tip of his ears go to the top of the shell.(bottom or top of ears?) If/When he is too long, get another combination like the Britax Frontier and have him still in the 5pt harness because he is still within the height/weight requirements of being harnessed.

Then, when he hits the max weight for the 5pt harness part of the seat, switch the Frontier to a booster, yes?

The minimum recommendation for being in a booster is 4 years/40lbs. However, most children are not mature enough to handle full-time boostering at that age. In my experience, especially not boys.

I chose not to booster my 4 year old, just about 40lb son last year. He just turned 5 (yesterday!) and is happily harnessed in a Graco Nautilus. He is OBSESSED with his 'male anatomy' but has never once complained about his car seat harness being an issue. Can't say that will be true for all kids, but for my son it's just not an issue. Harnessing him is EASIER than boostering also. At 5 he can easily buckle and unbuckle himself. We just snug him up and make sure everything is set before pulling out. With a booster, it's much harder in some vehicles to find the buckle and get the seat belt secured and in the correct path.

This was him at around age 4.



"What you're saying is for now, check his Marathon. If he is too tall in shoulder strap or the tip of his ears go to the top of the shell.(bottom or top of ears?) If/When he is too long, get another combination like the Britax Frontier and have him still in the 5pt harness because he is still within the height/weight requirements of being harnessed."

Then, when he hits the max weight for the 5pt harness part of the seat, switch the Frontier (or whatever combination you choose) to a booster, yes?" YES! :`)

He will have more room harnessed in the Evenflo Maestro ($75), Graco Nautilus ($150), Britax Frontier ($280), and Recaro Prosport ($280). They are all good seats. If he has outgrown the seat and $75 is too much money right now you can go with a Highback Graco Turbobooster ($40) however at his age most here would prefer he be harnessed.

Most people prefer their kids harnessed until around 5 or 6 years old, when most kids are mature enough to sit properly.

(edited because I misread the first post as him being 1 inch over the top harness slots)

I missed that...where did she confirm it was outgrown?

ETA: Hey! You're secretly editing to make me think I'm losing my mind! LOL ;`)

CTPDMom said:

I missed that...where did she confirm it was outgrown?

ETA: Hey! You're secretly editing to make me think I'm losing my mind! LOL ;`)

Click to expand...

lol, I need to avoid giving advice before noon .

I'd probably go with the Frontier, as there's more crotch room if you're concerned about that. Definitely keep him in a 5 point harness for now. You could get a dedicated booster for your second car and start training him to sit properly on short trips. The Turbobooster would be a good choice and likely fit him.

Also, even if he hasn't outgrown the MA, you can still get him a new seat! Because maybe you just want a new seat - and we're here to help with that!

My son is just about to turn 4, in like 5 weeks. I have no plans to put him in a booster untill he is at least 5, but probably 6. I have him in a Graco Nautilus Elite & absolutly LOVE it. It has been a great seat for us. It is super easy to install, use & it has a cupholder & cubby holes to. Here is a picture of my son in his last week. He is 3 years 11 months, 35lbs fully dressed, has a 14.5 inch torso & is about 40 inches tall. He is on the 3rd slots with about 1 inch to go before hitting even with them.


My son is also completely obsessed with his boy parts as well. He has never complained that the crotch strap (sorry, could not think of any other way to say it. ) bothers him. He is perfectly comfortable in this seat.

My friend owns the Evenflo Meastro & has been super happy with it. Her son is the same age as mine & about the same size. He fits great in that seat as well.

Hey, you guys are great!

I confirmed that he was too tall from my brother who is a Car seat tech. I couldn't remember WHY he was too tall, so I threw him back in his Marathon and remembered. His shoulders are above the top slot for the straps.

I'm ordering a Britax Frontier! That's what credit cards are for, right?! They are like $239 right now on Amazon. Thanks for your recommendations and I think my husband will be glad to hear that the "goods" will be safe in this.

I didn't really want to change him from a 5pt harness and I'm glad you all feel that way, too. My son LOVES his Marathon and hated the 2 weeks we had him in that awful Safety 1st combination one. It was too low for him to see trucks!

Thanks y'all

Just so you know, the Frontier sits lower. Not as low as the Cosco combo, but nowhere near as high as the Marathon. However, I'd hope the dual cupholders can help make up for it.

Wendy