Harness or no harness

Sara80

New member
Good morning!

I'm new to this forum and I'm fascinated with all of the information here. I'm trying to decide if I should keep my 6yo twins in their Regents and buy a new seat for my 4 yo. Or if I should put my 4 yo in the Regent and get new boosters for my twins?

My twins still fit in the Regent with no problems and I like the harness for them. I think it's easier for them to buckle into than they can on boosters. Is there a certain weight/age/height when kids need to be in a booster with the carseat instead of the harness?

When do carseats expire?? I had no idea. :(

Thanks!
 
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Keeanh

Well-known member
Welcome to the board!

If it were me, I would probably get a Maestro for the 4yo. Not because harnessing is necessarily better for 6yos, but because it's working for you and your 6yos like it and can do it themselves.

Check your manual for the expiry. There should be a date-of-manufacture sticker on your seats, and possibly the expiry date is on the seat too. I'm not familiar with the details of the Britax seats, sorry.

ETA: just checked the manual online. It's 6 years from the date of manufacture for the Regents. Other seats may be different.

What is your 4yo in now?

Also, have any of your seats been in a crash?
 

Sara80

New member
Thanks. The more I read here...the more I realize how much I don't know about this! And to think my kids are 4 and 6! Yikes!

Sadly, my 4 yo is in a Graco Convertible carseat that we've had since 2005. I don't know the model, but it's time for a new one. He is a small 4 yo so I still want him in a harness.

Fortunately, none of these seats have been an accident.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
It's a Graco Comfortsport. Are your four year old's shoulders below the top slot? That's a very short seat.

By six most kids are fine in boosters. So I'd probably get boosters and pass down the Regents. But if you like your set up, I agree with the Maestro.

Wendy
 

Sara80

New member
So I was wrong....my 4 yo is in the Evenflo Comfort Touch. It is also a shorter seat and he is just under the top slot. He calls it a baby seat and wants/needs a new one.

What booster with a latch system is recommended?

Thanks!
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
There are very few boosters with LATCH. The Monterey, Parkway SGL, and Clek Oobr are the dedicated boosters with LATCH.

Comfort Touch is the padding level of the seat. Is it a Tribute or Titan or Triumph?

Wendy
 

Keeanh

Well-known member
Do you do any long drives? Do either of your 6yos still fall asleep in the car? I thought my 6yo was ready for a booster until he fell SOUND asleep in it and curled up like a baby with his thumb in his mouth, LOL. I didn't really consider that before I bought him the Monterey (which he uses perfectly around town, while he's awake).

Looking at cost, it may actually be cheaper to get a Maestro for 4yo and keep the 6yos in the Regents until they can use low back boosters. But that would depend on when the Regents expire, and when you're comfortable with the twins in low-backs.

If your twins are okay with being different from one another, you could get ONE high-back booster and pass down one Regent. That way the twins can take turns in the booster and see how they do and how they like it. It's quite possible that one is ready & will want to move, and one isn't ready or won't like it. And if the whole experiment is a flop and you end up buying something for the 4yo, you'll still be able to get full use out of that one high-back later with the 4yo (because by age 10, the earliest the booster will expire, he will be ready to inherit a low-back from the twins).

Do your twins have "spare" seats? It might be good to have a booster or two on hand anyways for when they need to ride in another vehicle.
 

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