Back in the market for a few seats

Jeff · Sep 11, 2010

Well it's been a while since I've been on here or into the car seat scene, but now we have a 1 year old (the oldest is now 4) that needs to graduate from her safe seat carrier into her big sister's Roundabout (in my vehicle) and Marathon (in my wife's vehicle). We plan to keep her (1yr old) rear facing until 2 1/2 - 3 like we did our first, so what I'm looking for now is two really good seats to last the 4 year old for the foreseeable future. She is petite so I don't think she will hit 65lbs. for a long long time, so I'm already ruling out the Regent due to bulk.

At first I was just going to buy two more Marathons for her but I'm wondering what age most kids are growing out of them by height? Kinda also thinking about the Radian 80, but in the last couple of years what else has come out that is as good and easy to use as these two seats that will keep a 4-8 year old harnessed? I'm trying to avoid belt positioning boosters at all cost.

Also I will have to buy two more (hopefully much cheaper) seats for each set of grand parents that will only see occasional use. I saw an Evenflo Chase in pink at Wal Mart for $59 the other day and got excited until I saw the harnesses were only good up to 40lb. Am I crazy to think I can get a couple of cheap (less than $100) seats that will harness to 65lb. for the grandparents?

monstah · Sep 11, 2010

How much does she weigh and where are her shoulders in relation to the Marathon harness slots?

Kids almost always outgrow their harnessed seats by height (shoulders going over the top harness slot) than by weight. It is very rare for a child to make it to 65 pounds in a Marathon or even a Radian, they simply get too tall before getting that heavy.

Some favorite forward facing car seats here are the Graco Nautilus, Britax Frontier 85 and Recaro Prosport. They all have nice and high top slots and will keep most kids in a harness until safe boostering age. Then they all become boosters.

I'd consider a Maestro for the grandparents car. When she outgrows that, a booster would be an appropriate choice to start using on occasion for booster training. The booster mode on the Maestro is outgrown at almost the same time as the harness, so you will need to buy a high back booster at that time.

wendytthomas · Sep 11, 2010

Why are you against boosters? Most convertibles are outgrown by six, and most kids don't fit in an adult belt properly until 10-12 years old. That gap is filled, quite properly and safely, by boosters. Or are you just against them now?

Instead of looking at convertible for a forward facing child, I'd look at a combination seat. The Graco Nautilus, Britax Frontier, and Recaro ProSport are my top three, with the Maestro being great for a secondary seat. For a four year old the Nautilus may be the last seat you buy, as it turns into a high back and a backless booster. The Frontier and ProSport do not turn into backless boosters, but you can buy $14 backless boosters in a few years.

Wendy

Jeff · Sep 11, 2010

I went around today and looked at everything I could find in stores and Nautilus going once, going twice....

Actually I got one from babies r us to bring home to try and I think it's going to work out just fine for the two more expensive seats

They have a 25% off trade in program going on right now that they said I could use retroactively if I come back with something to trade in and bring the receipt so I think tomorrow I'm going to go back with an old expired Britax a friend gave me and our Graco safe seat (bought in 05) and get $45 refunded for the one I bought today and get another for $134. I guess $90 off two seats for giving away an expired and an about to expire seats is pretty good.

So are there any disadvantages to the Nautilus that anyone can think of before I cut the tags off this one and go buy another?

joolsplus3 · Sep 11, 2010

Only disadvantages is that it can be a little tight in the crotch and shoulders and harness for larger kids (which you don't have, lol, my goodness your girls are cute!), and it can be fairly unsupportive in some cars for deep sleepers (ie, heads can flop down to the chest, not too comfy when you're trying to nap). Frontier 85 is a little better for most kids for sleeping, and it makes a taller highback booster later, but otherwise, the Nautilus is fine.

NannyMom · Sep 11, 2010

The Nautilus is a very nice seat :thumbsup:

How much does she weigh? The Evenflo Maestro has a harness about as tall as the Nautilus, but only goes to 50 pounds with the harness. The booster height is outgrown about the same time as the harness height too, so you'd likely need a booster after wards. But it runs around $80.

wendytthomas · Sep 11, 2010

We love our Nautilus. Piper is a narrow kid and has never had a problem with shoulders, crotch, or head slump while sleeping. She thinks it's very comfortable, and it'll last us probably until she's 10 or so with the back, then longer backless.

I have to say, I also love your room color, and your floors.

Wendy

Jeff · Sep 12, 2010

Thanks Jools and Wendy!

I read the manual and check out the Nautilus real good this morning, tried Alexis in it and tried it in different seats in my vehicle and it seems great so I went ahead and cut the tags off and set up the straps for her height. She's in the second slots up, there's another two above that I think, so I'll be happy if she can say harnessed in it until 6-7yo.

I also lowered my Roundabout straps for Anna to RF in and swapped the LATCH belt from the FF to RF position and got that installed in the place of her carrier base.

Here's a few pics of them installed with the Nautilus using LATCH on the second row. She's about 34-35lbs now and the seat says up to 48 w/LATCH but I'll have to check the vehicle manual because it may say a limit of 40. I also have a question about third row after the pics...

My wife has a Tahoe so the install will be exactly the same in hers as in my Escalade, so I have gathered up a couple trade in seats like I mentioned and I'm going to go buy another Nautilus for her today. Only difference is she has a Marathon that will be RF for the baby instead of a Roundabout.

Now my other question, how does everyone feel about a seat like the Nautilus in the third row? Over the last few months I have been riding with the Roundabout FF in the third row passenger side and the Safe Seat carrier in the second row passenger side and it has worked out a lot better in most cases than both seats in the second row like pictured above. What are yall's opinions on that?

mommyfrog · Sep 12, 2010

It's fine to put it in the third row. The only thing I see that might happen is this.....The captians chairs are slanted giving the Nautilus a nice recline, which will mean no head slump if she falls asleep. The back seat looks pretty flat, so would make the Nautilus more upright. That may or may not be a problem for you and your dd.

Jeanum · Sep 12, 2010

Hi, I remember you from when you were choosing a convertible carseat for your first baby a few years ago. Welcome back.

GM vehicles have 48 lb. weight limits for lower LATCH anchor installations when the top tether anchor is used along with the lower LATCH anchors, so this matches up nicely for your Tahoe, Escalade, and the Nautilus' 48 lb. limit for installing with the lower LATCH anchors. :thumbsup: It's also recommended to use the top tether with a seatbelt installation for a forward facing harnessed carseat to reduce head excursion when you switch to using a seatbelt installation. Rear impacts are statistically rarer than frontal and generally less severe than frontal or side impact crashes so I wouldn't sweat it if you prefer to utilize the third row as long as you can get a proper install there and have a top tether anchor to use for the specific third row seating position. If you ever opt to use the Nautilus in the third row, one thing to double check for is that the Nautilus requires 100% of its base to rest upon the vehicle seating surface and the third row can be shallower and less accommodating of that 100% requirement in some vehicles.

wendytthomas · Sep 12, 2010

I'd have no problem with it in the third row.

Is the towel one layer, or do you have it folded over? If it's folded, unfold it so it's just one thin layer under the seat. I can see it's folded under the Roundabout, so I'm guessing you have it folded under the Nautilus as well.

Both of your cars have a 48 pound LATCH limit.

Looks good! You tethered both seats? I don't think the Roundabout is tethered. Which isn't unsafe, but you can tether it rear facing.

Wendy

Jeff · Sep 12, 2010

Thanks everyone! I have a picture I took that I didn't include in the post above that makes it look like the seat back angle of the third row is about the same as those second row seats are above, the second row will recline more, but that position worked well with the Nautilus where it is set. I'll check it out more later, I have the third row folded up right now to carry the old car seats to BrUs in a few.

I do have a hand towel folded in half under each :doh: I think I may try to find a black one and cut it in half so each one will just have one layer.

Earlier this morning I installed the Nautilus in the third row using the seat belt and the seat bottom is deep enough for the whole base to fit. It actually seems like the third row seat bottom is a little deeper than the second row.

I haven't tethered either one yet, but I just went and looked and on the Roundabout it may not be possible, there's so much plastic encasing the front seat tracks, there's barely any metal showing and where the rear of the seats attach to the floor it's solid for a good 7-8 inches forward. I'll have to do some more research on that.

I actually have three things to trade in at babies r us today so I may end up getting a cheap convertible for my moms Odyssey, I forgot she has a Cosco Ventura (are those bad for my 4yo to ride harnessed in for now?) and she will actually need a RF seat for my 1yo instead of another combination seat like I originally thought. I may have to get a Scenera, but we had her try one of those a couple years ago with Lexi and she didn't like it so we gave it to my wife's parents. Any quick suggestions on a cheap convertible that babies r us will carry?

wendytthomas · Sep 12, 2010

If your four year old fits in the Ventura then it's fine to use harnessed. The top slots are lower than the top slots on the Roundabout, though, so it's not a very tall seat. If she's only on the second set of Nautilus slots she may still fit. It has a 40 pound harness limit. So if she's within those two (she is by weight) then she can use the Ventura for a bit more.

You can remove the plastic under the seat so you can tether the Roundabout. The plastic is just there to look nice and keep toes from being stubbed.

Wendy

Jeff · Sep 12, 2010

Just got back in the car at babies r us, I ended trading in an old expired roundabout, our infant carrier(it was a snug ride, not a safe seat), and a Eddie Bauer space saver high chair, and I got $45 refund on the first nautilus, got another one for $45 off, and got a Titan Elite for RF in my moms van, it was $99 so I got $25 off it. So I saved $115 for trading in that stuff.

So is the Titan Elite good? The specs and build of it looked good for a convertible for my one year old and it goes 35 RF and 50 FF.

NannyMom · Sep 12, 2010

The Titan is fine, for a small convertible. It got my small daughter to 3 years rear facing, when she outgrew it by height. The top slots for forward facing are the same as, or shorter than those on your Roundabout (Titan's are 14-15 inches).

Jeff · Sep 12, 2010

Cool, the Roundabout worked with my first daughter until she was almost three rear facing, and she was still able to use it currently FF and she's actually 4 1/2. So it seems like $75 is a good deal to last my mom another few years with Anna. Plus it was some $125 cheaper than the RA, I guess the only real compromise is ease of use, but this won't be either of our primary seats.

Here's some shots of the third row seat depth and angle, I was surprised my phone took that second one that well through the dark tinted glass, haha.

the loot

Now I still have one more seat needed to go along with a Scenera for my wife's parents. Should I turn the Scenera back RF for the 1yo and get something like the Maestro for my 4yo?

wendytthomas · Sep 12, 2010

What was your 1 year old riding in with your parents? She should always be rear facing, if that answers your question.

Wendy

capeKO71 · Sep 12, 2010

So how excited was your 4 year old about a PINK seat???

as for the rf tether on the roundabout... might be worth posting another message to see if anyone has experience. I find, if you pop the trim off by the foot the car, you can usually find a metal part that is fixed for the Dring so you can attach the tether.

Jeff · Sep 12, 2010

wendytthomas said:
What was your 1 year old riding in with your parents? She should always be rear facing, if that answers your question.

Wendy

The snug ride that got traded in today. The carrier always stayed with her and the four of us all had bases installed (me, wife, my mom, her mom). No doubt on the RF, Lexi was rear facing until about 2 3/4 in my Roundabout (shell height was reached) and until 3yo in my wife's Marathon.

EDIT: oh I see why you were saying that, I meant instead of letting Lexi stay in the scenera and getting a convertible for Anna, shouldn't I just turn the scenera back RF for Anna to use and get a combination seat for Alexis? Anna would be able to use the scenera for years while Lexi will outgrow it at 40lbs or a certain height, which will be much sooner.

Jeff · Sep 12, 2010

capeKO71 said:
So how excited was your 4 year old about a PINK seat???

Very very, she's totally a pink and purple kinda girl

Back in the market for a few seats

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