Question Booster or 5 point? And a few booster questions...

Unregistered · May 14, 2011

I know it may seem silly to be wondering this, but I have a 7 year old who is 47 lbs. and 48 inches and currently rides in a Britax Frontier. She's pretty small and doesn't mind the 5 point, so I've never bothered moving her. But now her little sister, who is almost 6 is ready to move out of her Marathon because she's almost too tall. So my debate is, do I buy another Frontier (or similar if anyone knows any good ones that will last?) or do I move the 7 year old to a regular booster seat? How much safer would she be in a 5 point vs. seatbelt at her age/weight/height? I don't mind spending the money on a seat if it's going to be safer- I'm just wondering if it really will be at this point? Or if I'm just being overly ridiculous at this point and need to let her move on?

Also, once we do go for a booster, is the Frontier or similar really a safer booster seat than any other brand? It's big, and I like that it seems more durable, but is one booster really better than another?

Thank you for all your opinions!
Ashlee

joolsplus3 · May 14, 2011

I bet the Sunshine Kids Monterey would be right up your alley... it's big and sturdy and LATCHable like the Frontier in booster mode, but you don't have to pay for the harness function, so it's a lot cheaper than the Frontier. Most 7 yo's are very safe in a booster, though it can take a bit of practice to learn to buckle and probably a few reminders on your part to 'sit still!'

Unregistered · May 14, 2011

Thanks! That does look like a good booster seat- sooo now that brings up a whole other thing- is latching a booster really safer? I know only a few allow it, so what are the pros and cons? Sorry for all the quizzing. I thought I was really good at all this car seat stuff, but moving on to a big seat is really challenging me. I like the safety/control of the 5 point.

Also, I can't find my Frontier manual- can someone tell me what weight limit they have for latch/tether with the 5 point? And once I use it as a booster, do I still latch it?
Thanks again!
Ashlee

gsdguenter · May 14, 2011

In terms of LATCHing a booster being safer, I know it does help in the fact that wen the seat is not in use you don't have to worry about buckling it in because it is LATCHed, kwim? You don't want it being a projectile when not in use.

Jeanum · May 14, 2011

Unregistered said:
Thanks! That does look like a good booster seat- sooo now that brings up a whole other thing- is latching a booster really safer? I know only a few allow it, so what are the pros and cons? Sorry for all the quizzing. I thought I was really good at all this car seat stuff, but moving on to a big seat is really challenging me. I like the safety/control of the 5 point.

Also, I can't find my Frontier manual- can someone tell me what weight limit they have for latch/tether with the 5 point? And once I use it as a booster, do I still latch it?
Thanks again!
Ashlee

You can access Britax manuals online at http://www.britaxusa.com/support/user-guides if you can't locate your hard copy of the Frontier's manual. The Frontier's weight limit for using LATCH in 5-point harnessed mode depends on the limit specified by your vehicle's manufacturer. We can check on your vehicle's LATCH installation limit if you post back with your car's manufacturer, model name and model year. If your vehicle's manufacturer doesn't state a specific limit, then Britax states to assume a child weight limit of 40 lbs. for installing with LATCH in harnessed mode. When using the Frontier in booster mode, using LATCH is optional, not required, and it serves to keep the Frontier from becoming an loose projectile in the car when it's unoccupied in booster mode.

Unregistered · May 14, 2011

Joan, Thanks for the reply and the link. I'll check it out for sure. We have a 2005 Toyota Sienna CE.

I think I'll head to Babies R Us tonight and look at the difference between the Frontier and the Parkway booster and maybe that will help in the decision making. So hard to know, obviously we all want to keep our kids safe- so I don't want to put her at risk by moving up to the booster. But then again, I know that at some point I need to and she's 7 so it's not as if I'm rushing it.

Thanks for all the insight!
Ashlee

Jeanum · May 15, 2011

Hi again, thanks for posting back about your vehicle details. Toyota doesn't specify a LATCH install weight limit and states to follow the carseat manufacturer's instructions, which is to assume 40 lbs. in the case of the Frontier in 5-point harnessed mode.

Unregistered · May 15, 2011

Jean (sorry for saying Joan before!) Thank you for that. I had assumed 45 lbs. and still have them latched, so I'll have to change that. Actually, that may throw the whole thing a little because our belts don't seem long enough to thread through the way it's shown on the manual in order to get the seat in tight enough. So it seems we may be going toward booster mode anyway, in which case I will just buy her a booster seat.

It's hard to think she's old enough or big enough for a regular seatbelt, but I know most people have 7 year olds in boosters (actually I'm shocked how many people I've asked about this don't have their 7 year olds in any seat anymore!) so I suppose I should not be quite so paranoid.

Thanks again for all the info! I'll go take a deep breath and look for boosters.

Ashlee

Question Booster or 5 point? And a few booster questions...

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