How do I know the seat im using is right for my child?

krissyleigh92

New member
I looked up my state laws and I bought the seat that had the right weight for my daughter but how do I know if she's old enough for that type of seat. When I bought it Her other seat had broken and I needed a seat right away and just when on a whim, Im worrie about it now though. It seems to fit her okay when she rides in it Other than the chest part of the belt is up in her neck. But the lap part fits great and she seems to be comfy in it, But im afraid i should be using something that has a back to it?
 
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Chely7425

New member
How old is your daughter? How tall is she and how much does she weigh? It sounds from your post that she is in a backless booster... is that correct? If she is under 8 I think most would say that a high back booster is preferable.
 

krissyleigh92

New member
CARSEAT.jpg

Thats the seat
She's 3, 32-36 lbs, 3'2"
 

Chely7425

New member
At 3 she should not be in a booster at all. She needs a harnessed seat until she at LEAST 4 years old and 40 pounds, but most children are not ready for a booster until between 5 and 7 years old. The Evenflo Maestro is a good harnessed seat that is around 80 dollars, the Graco Nautilus is a bit more expensive (around 130?) but becomes a high back booster and eventually a low back booster once the child outgrows the harness.
 

krissyleigh92

New member
It fits what my states laws are but When I went to Cali the laws were different and a older child((my cousin 5yrs)) was using the same type of seat.((I also had her old seat then too.)) Im worried about her safety in the heat and how comfortabley she sits in a seat, Before with her other seat she always fidgeted with the belt, Now other than the neck she doesnt mess with it.
 

xursusmaritimusx

New member
at that size and age its recommended to keep your child in a seat with a harness like the graco nautilus or evenflo maestro.
there are also other seats that can keep her in a harness for longer.
 

DaniChildcare

New member
At 3 she still needs a harness. Most states says boostering should wait until age 4 and 40lbs, and the booster maturity level often doesn't come until 5 and 6.

She is still too little to booster, both physically and emotionally.

If we know a little more about your car (what it is, and if you have any other children in it?), and budget, we can recommend a seat for her.

Also, can you measure her torso height? (sit her on her bottom against the wall cross legged and measure from the floor to her shoulder)
 

krissyleigh92

New member
She wont sit in a Harness seat at all, The Graco seat I had, Turned into a booster and once she weighed enough for the booster I got rid of the harness because she fights me to get in it.((violently I must add))
 

eyeslkethesky5391

Senior Community Member
She too young for a booster...I would recommended getting a high weight harness or another Convertible to rearface her again. She would probably fit in a cosco scerena

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-Scenera-5-Point-Convertible-Car-Seat-Pink-In-Bloom/13004564

It is 5 times safer to rearface than to Foward Face and since shes so small you could get a carseat that rearfaces to 40lbs. The is a scerena from target that RF to 40lbs.

http://www.target.com/Cosco-Scenera...olor-bin,price&searchRank=pmrank&frombrowse=1

If you decide to keep her forward facing a evenflo mastero might be a good option for you. It is a forward facing only seat that goes up to 50lbs harnessed

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4319493&CAWELAID=607716232
 

eyeslkethesky5391

Senior Community Member
She wont sit in a Harness seat at all, The Graco seat I had, Turned into a booster and once she weighed enough for the booster I got rid of the harness because she fights me to get in it.((violently I must add))

It is still safer for her to be in a harness seat. Why won't she sit in the seat?
 

Chely7425

New member
This is one of those situations where a child probably shouldn't have a say. Yes, she will fight you about her seat. My almost 3 year old does sometimes (he is still rear facing) but he doesn't get a say in this situation because he is neither old enough nor mature enough to make this decision. I would highly recommend getting a seat to re-harness her.
 

DaniChildcare

New member
She wont sit in a Harness seat at all, The Graco seat I had, Turned into a booster and once she weighed enough for the booster I got rid of the harness because she fights me to get in it.((violently I must add))

Which graco seat did you have? (There are 2 that went/go into booster mode)

We can make seat recommendations, but she is not safe without a harness at this time.

Is there a particular reason she doesn't like the harness?
 

krissyleigh92

New member
At 3 she still needs a harness. Most states says boostering should wait until age 4 and 40lbs, and the booster maturity level often doesn't come until 5 and 6.

She is still too little to booster, both physically and emotionally.

If we know a little more about your car (what it is, and if you have any other children in it?), and budget, we can recommend a seat for her.

Also, can you measure her torso height? (sit her on her bottom against the wall cross legged and measure from the floor to her shoulder)


My state Law is 30 lbs and age 3? I checked it out before I bought the seat!
Im currently using my dad's car Im only 18, and im about to buy my first car((have yet to choose)) So thats not really set in stone beause we get alot of rides from family & friends right now. But it's A dodge Caravan '98. Being as Im a single mom and she's my only child((for a while!!)) she's usually the only child unless with family
I have a VERY low budget due to Not being able to work and being a single mom living with family Its hard to scrape up money at all but I could find a way if need be to get a new seat probably about $100 at most from my dad*crosses fingers*

Cant measure her right now, she's too antsy from being in a car all day and she's running around like a maniac lol burning up all that unused energy lol
 

christineka

New member
Many children fight what is good for them, but as the parent, it is your duty to make sure your child does what is good for them. If your kid refused to eat anything but french fries, I'm sure that despite the discomfort, you would figure out how to get nutritious food into her. Car seats are life saving devices. Your dd needs to ride in the right one, in a proper manner. She needs a seat with a harness. She may fight, but you are bigger than she is and need to figure out some way to get her into the harness. It's for her safety.

If you have financial difficulties, spend $70 less on the new car and buy a car seat for your dd.
 

krissyleigh92

New member
Which graco seat did you have? (There are 2 that went/go into booster mode)

We can make seat recommendations, but she is not safe without a harness at this time.

Is there a particular reason she doesn't like the harness?


Its the fact it goes across her chest and hooks there, she hates it and Before would undo the seat by herself and kick anyone who would try to fix it.
 

Chely7425

New member
I would definitely get her an Evenflo Maestro. It can be found for around 80 dollars. Keep in mind that state laws are a bare minimum, not best practice. Good for you for coming here and doing research to keep your baby safe!!
 

Angela

New member
I agree with all the previous posts that she needs to be harnessed. Would it help if she could pick the seat out herself? One thing I've heard other parents say is that they decorate their seat with stickers to help the kids make them feel like their own. Just some suggestions.
 

gsdguenter

Well-known member
I would certainly recommend returning this nbb (no back booster) and getting a harnessed seat for your daughter as this is NOT a safe option for her at 3 yrs. old.

Some people here have their 3 yr. old rear facing, but a properly installed and used front facing harnessed seat is perfectly safe too :)

If you posted her torso height that might help to recommend seats too. You sit her on the floor cross legged and measure from her bum to shoulders.

What is your price range?

Some seats you might like are the Graco Nautilus apx. $140-$180 I think and it goes from harness to hbb (high back booster) to nbb. It's a great seat. A more expensive seat would be the Britax Frontier 85. It has some more extra features than the Nautilus, but doesn't turn into a nbb. It is significantly more $ (I think $280ish).

Also, you could look at the Evenflo Maestro as a more economical choice ($80 I think).

Hopefully that gives you a start and then some of the techs can chime in with some advice too :thumbsup:

Really, the concern about a booster at her age is multifaceted:
1. Her bones are not ossified to be able to support her in a booster
2. She won't fit properly (as you said the seat belt is up in her neck)
3. I think she would benefit from the side impact protection of a harnessed seat
4. She is most likely not mature enough to be boostered until age 5-6ish because she won't be able to sit still in perfect position for car rides
5. I am sure there are more reasons too :)

Does this help you? Welcome, and I think it's great you came here to find the best seat for your daughter :thumbsup:


Ooops, cross posted a lot of people - and here I thought I was being good trying to help . . .
 
Last edited:

xursusmaritimusx

New member
My state Law is 30 lbs and age 3? I checked it out before I bought the seat!
Im currently using my dad's car Im only 18, and im about to buy my first car((have yet to choose)) So thats not really set in stone beause we get alot of rides from family & friends right now. But it's A dodge Caravan '98. Being as Im a single mom and she's my only child((for a while!!)) she's usually the only child unless with family
I have a VERY low budget due to Not being able to work and being a single mom living with family Its hard to scrape up money at all but I could find a way if need be to get a new seat probably about $100 at most from my dad*crosses fingers*

Cant measure her right now, she's too antsy from being in a car all day and she's running around like a maniac lol burning up all that unused energy lol

regardless of what the state law says, it doesnt always mean its the safest choice.
most states have a 4 and 40 law and most of the people on this board still keep their kids in a car seat harness after that age.

you said the fit wasnt good with her in a seat belt and thats the reason many of us are suggesting putting your child back into a car seat with a harness. shes not big enough to use just a backless booster.

kids who are too small and dont fit properly can come out of the seat belt in a car accident and get hurt or worse.

how long have you had the booster? maybe you can take it back and exchange it towards a more appropriate seat.
 

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