Replacing 2 Marathons. Nautilus, Maestro, Radian, Frontier?

We have 2 Marathons that we are replacing. Our vehicle is an 01 Volvo V70 and in the 2nd row I need to fit my 3 kids:

• 7yo, 50" tall, 69lbs. Currently using just a graco seat booster.

• 4.5yo, approx 40" tall, 36lbs. Currently forward facing in a Marathon, driver outboard position.

• 3yo, approx 35" tall, 30lbs. Currently forward facing in a Marathon, passenger outboard position.

I want to keep my 4.5yo in a harness, and won't be using the belt and booster for him for a couple years at least. The vehicle has latches in all three seat positions I believe, with anchors. We tend to prefer the outboard positions for the harness seats so it's easier to access them buckling up.

My main issue is space and comfort- if my 7yo is squashed and tight in the middle he's not a happy camper and I can't blame him. The Marathons area a bit wide, so that's why we're upgrading.

All these seats are great seats I know. I like that the Radian can be latched up to 80lbs, and has 2 reclining positions for longer rides. I dislike that it can't be used as a booster.

I am comfortable with the Britax brand, and I like that the Frontier can be used as a booster. More bang for the buck. But I don't know what the latch limit is on the Frontier.

The Nautilus and Maestro seem like good, less expensive, alternatives (which is always a plus since we have 6 kids, although just 3 of them are young enough to be in safety seats). But I don't know what the latch specs are on those. I know I hate regular latch clips as I've been spoiled by the easy latch release on our Marathons. Not sure if the Maestro has clip latches or the push button type. Also, I think they are both almost as wide at the base as our Marathon, but they are at for sure wider than the Frontier or Radian.

So what can you all fill in for me here? What haven't I covered that can lead us to a decision?

It seems like you have a pretty good grasp of knowledge. Just a couple of things I want to touch on:

The Radian, although it is a narrow seat, can NOT be LATCHed to 80lbs in your vehicles. There is a date (I believe sometime in 9 of '05) after which vehicles must have been manufactured in order to be eligible for superlatch (SL) usage. That said, both of your littles could be LATCHed for a while to come.

Great job wanting to keep your 4.5yo harnessed. That's exactly the right instinct for that age group. Do you have any interest in rearfacing your 3yo, or are you comfortable with her FFing from here on out? (She's light enough that she could get another year RF, easily, which would be safER than FF -- but at her age having her FF isn't an irresponsible decision, either.)

For both of your kids, I would look at either Evenflo Maestros, Graco Nautiluses, Britax Frontiers or Recaro Prosports. The Maestro harnesses to 50lbs, but while it does convert to a booster, it does not adjust any higher and will need to be followed up by a booster at a later date. It is a very good 'budget' option at around $80, though. The Nautilus harnesses to 65lbs, and the Frontier to 85lbs, but it seems like it would be overkill for your children. (I would only choose it over the Nautilus for your kids if you plain old like it better, enough to justify the extra cost.)

I'm not as familiar with the ProSport, but if you do a search on the board here you'll get some reports on it. It's fairly new. It would be plenty of seat for your kids, though.

Width may be a concern with some of these seats; does the Marathon lip over the booster at all, or do they have a bit of space between them?

Does your 7yo still use the back on the Graco Turbo? If not, and you have one, we would strongly recommend using it until it is outgrown by height. Are the screws in the armrests?

Lastly, what are the ages of your other kids? We generally recommend kids use boosters until 10-12 years old, when they properly fit adult belts. If you have any kids in that age range, we can link you to the five-step test to make sure that they're ready to safely ride without seats.

ETA: Once the LATCH limits are reached, you can simply install the seat with the seatbelt. One is no safer than the other; the one that is safest is the one with which you can get a good install.

Carrie_R said:

It seems like you have a pretty good grasp of knowledge. Just a couple of things I want to touch on:


Great job wanting to keep your 4.5yo harnessed. That's exactly the right instinct for that age group. Do you have any interest in rearfacing your 3yo, or are you comfortable with her FFing from here on out? (She's light enough that she could get another year RF, easily, which would be safER than FF -- but at her age having her FF isn't an irresponsible decision, either.)

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At this point I'm going to keep her FF, since hubby is 6'3" and slides the front seat pretty much all the way back, and then reclines the back some even. So that means she would need the middle position and then her brother does just incessantly pesters her because she's within reach. We kept her RF until she was about 18mos, and finally got tired of the arguments (squealing screams) between the two.

Width may be a concern with some of these seats; does the Marathon lip over the booster at all, or do they have a bit of space between them?

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There is a bit of room. I can lift the booster in and out without having to tip it to avoid the sides of the Marathons.

Does your 7yo still use the back on the Graco Turbo? If not, and you have one, we would strongly recommend using it until it is outgrown by height. Are the screws in the armrests?

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No he does not- although I'm pretty sure we do still have it in the garage somewhere. The only reason it's not used is because the back does not stay clipped into the base. The least little movement and it would "lift off".

Lastly, what are the ages of your other kids? We generally recommend kids use boosters until 10-12 years old, when they properly fit adult belts. If you have any kids in that age range, we can link you to the five-step test to make sure that they're ready to safely ride without seats.

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Nearly 18, 16.5, and 12. I'm pretty sure the 12yo is ok without a booster, since she's about my size but 30lbs lighter.

It sounds like the Frontier is a comfortable option for us- we are familiar with the brand and quality. But the Maestro and Nautilus are definitely less expensive, if I can learn to live with the "old fashioned" clip latches. Hmmm...decisions, decisions.

The Nautilus and Maestro are both wider than the Frontier from what I remember. Just something else to consider...

At this point I'm going to keep her FF...

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Okay, no problem. As I said before, at her age that's definitely not an irresponsible decision. Good job keeping her RF past the minimums.

There is a bit of room. I can lift the booster in and out without having to tip it to avoid the sides of the Marathons.

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Great, sounds like you have a pretty wide seat then.

No he does not- although I'm pretty sure we do still have it in the garage somewhere. The only reason it's not used is because the back does not stay clipped into the base. The least little movement and it would "lift off".

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Does it come off when it's in use, or when you try to take it out of your car? It definitely gets floppy when moved from vehicle to vehicle, but once the back is clicked on, and it's set on the vehicle seat, it shouldn't come unbuckled. Turbos can be tricky to hook on -- the back needs to be put face-down and the base needs to be rotated into it. I would give it another shot, since a back on a booster serves both as protection in a side impact crash, and helps to keep a child in position better. The back should be used until the child is too tall for it.

Also, did I ask you before to check and verify the screws are in the Turbo's armrests?

Also, I would encourage you to have your son get in the habit of buckling his booster up each time he gets out of the car. This keeps it from being a projectile. We often warn of this, but I had a firsthand experience in a crash in February with an unbuckled booster, which thankfully was in the third row (luckily without any other kids.) The base ended up upside down on the floor, and the top ended up laying crosswise across the neighboring seat... if there had been a child in it, he would have gotten smacked.

Nearly 18, 16.5, and 12. I'm pretty sure the 12yo is ok without a booster, since she's about my size but 30lbs lighter.

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An average-sized 12yo is likely fine without a booster, in most cars. You should check The 5-Step Test, just to be sure, but it sounds like she should be good to go. (You'll also want to consult this before moving your seven year old out of his booster.)

It sounds like the Frontier is a comfortable option for us- we are familiar with the brand and quality. But the Maestro and Nautilus are definitely less expensive, if I can learn to live with the "old fashioned" clip latches. Hmmm...decisions, decisions.

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You might consider splitting the difference, and getting a Maestro for your 3yo, and a Frontier (or Nautilus) for your 4yo. By the time the 3yo outgrows the 50lb harness limit on the Maestro, the 4yo should be ready for a booster, and you can move the 3yo to the higher weight seat. It's also possible (I would say probable, even) that the 3yo will be ready for a booster before hitting 50lbs. We generally advise that kids are ready for boosters once they are at least four years, at least forty pounds, and can stay in position 100% of the time. Typically, they are 5-6 before they are mature enough to remain in position at all times, not leaning out to pick up dropped toys, look around headwings, or poke at siblings. This varies by child; I have a little boy who was 100% booster ready on his fifth birthday (and probably before,) and one who is almost nine that I would still harness if I could.

You should be able to go to Babies R Us and try out both the Frontier and Nautilus to make sure they fit, width-wise. The Maestro is carried by Baby Depot (Burlington Coat Factory,) some Target, and some Sears.