Need Recommendations

ljh515

New member
Hi!

I have five kids - all on the petite side - ages 12, 10, 8, 6 and 18 mos.

I drive a 2001 Town and Country Minivan. Currently, I have my 18 mos old rear facing in his infant seat in a captain chair. He is 31 inches and about 19 lbs. My 8 (45 lbs) year old sits in the other captain chair in a bpb. My 12 year old and 10 year old both sit on the outside seats with a shoulder belt. Both of their feet can touch the floor. My 6 year old (40 lbs) is in a Britax Marathon with LATCH in the center seat, but has about outgrown it height wise. I think we have less than a month for it to still be ok for her to use.

So, my dilemma is that, while I would be comfortable moving my 6 year old into a booster seat (she can sit in it properly), I can't because I do not have an open shoulder belt for the booster. I am not comfortable moving one of my older children into the middle without a shoulder belt.

I am thinking about purchasing a Sunshine Radian for my 6 year old, so that I can keep her harnessed and use the LATCH in the back and purchase a smaller convertible to put my 18 mos in for when he outgrows his infant seat (which is also soon). So, any recommendations? It has been a while since I have been in the thick of buying carseats and there has been lots of new additions to the market. Price is an issue, but I also like a good seat that is easy to install and can adjust easily, so I can make sure that my baby is secure.

I look forward to hearing your input. Thanks!

Laura
 
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Kac

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Welcome to car-seat.org. :)


No child should ride in the lap only belt.

How about moving your 18 month old RFing in the Marathon in the back middle and your six year old in a booster in the captain's chair?
 

ljh515

New member
Welcome to car-seat.org. :)


No child should ride in the lap only belt.

How about moving your 18 month old RFing in the Marathon in the back middle and your six year old in a booster in the captain's chair?

Yep, I know. That was never an option to allow anyone to ride in the lap belt only.

To be honest, I can't imagine the hassle of him being in the way back. The Marathon expires in 2/2012, so I will need another seat soon anyways.

So, what is the smallest (height wise) convertible on the market that can rear face to 30 lbs?
 

Notaclue

New member
Yep, I would put the 6 year old in a booster (as long as you are sure she's ready) in the captain's chair, and put the baby in the third row, middle spot where there's a lap belt only. If the Marathon isn't about the expire, then you could just use that seat, but if it's expired, or soon will be, you will have to get a new convertible seat. You probably won't be able to use LATCH in that spot though, but someone else that is more familiar with your van can chime in on that.
 

beetlemama

New member
Ditto everyone else about putting the 18 month old RF in that spot and the 6 year old in a booster in the captain's chair. If the marathon isn't nearing expiration then use that seat. If it is nearing expiration maybe try a radian since it's narrow and will likely leave the other kids next to the baby comfy!
 

Kac

Ambassador - CPS Technician
I recommend getting a seat with more than a 30lb RF limit. RFing is the safest for your little one.

How about one of the new Britax seats? They have a short shell and RF to 40lbs. A Graco MyRide might install nicely there as well.

You would load the baby in from the way back. It's not too bad. Your older ones would have to climb around a bit, but I think it would be do-able.
 

ljh515

New member
I recommend getting a seat with more than a 30lb RF limit. RFing is the safest for your little one.

How about one of the new Britax seats? They have a short shell and RF to 40lbs. A Graco MyRide might install nicely there as well.

You would load the baby in from the way back. It's not too bad. Your older ones would have to climb around a bit, but I think it would be do-able.

I am going to try putting the baby (18 mos old) in the rear center seat. I truthfully do not see it working though.

My 6 year old is old enough and mature enough to not be harnessed, but I worry about her falling asleep. She still does it often in the car and I know the bpb would not keep her in proper position.

My Marathon expires in 2/2012.

I don't mind getting a lower weight rear facing limit. My kids are petite. He will be 4 and not weigh 30 lbs if he is anything like my other kids - which he actually seems to be smaller. Truth be told, 3 is probably as long as I will keep him rear facing - it is the age I have turned my others around as well.
 

ljh515

New member
Can someone clarify at what point a child outgrows a rear facing infant seat?
My son is 31 inches. The owner's manual says 32 inches, but he is still on the middle harness setting and has 3.5 inches until his head reaches the top of the shell. I have been told that there only needs to be 1 inch from the top of the shell and that the 32 inches is just arbitrary. Thoughts? Opinions?
 

ljh515

New member
Can someone clarify at what point a child outgrows a rear facing infant seat?
My son is 31 inches. The owner's manual says 32 inches, but he is still on the middle harness setting and has 3.5 inches until his head reaches the top of the shell. I have been told that there only needs to be 1 inch from the top of the shell and that the 32 inches is just arbitrary. Thoughts? Opinions?
 

swtgi1982

New member
Ok seriously in that third row I would go for a radian period since it is so small. I have the same van. Also do your oldest two five step to not need boosters since you said your kids are all petite? Just asking since we had this at our check yesterday. We put a 10yr ok'd who was petite back in a booster along with her almost 9th old brother
 

ljh515

New member
Ok seriously in that third row I would go for a radian period since it is so small. I have the same van. Also do your oldest two five step to not need boosters since you said your kids are all petite? Just asking since we had this at our check yesterday. We put a 10yr ok'd who was petite back in a booster along with her almost 9th old brother

My almost 12 year old definitely passes the five steps. My 10 year (next week) is iffy. I can't fit another booster seat back there though.
 

ljh515

New member
I have been told on another carseat board that if my dd is growing out of her Marathon, then she won't fit in the Radian. Do you all agree? After much thought - I really want her to continue to be harnessed. She is mature enough not to move in her booster (and sometimes now in her dad's car rides in a bpb), but she has a tendancy to fall asleep in the car (just like her mama) and when she does, there is no way to guarantee that she is properly positioned.
She is 6 years old, 39.5 lbs, 43.5 inches tall and 16.5 inches seated - from shoulder to bum. I know she would fit in the Frontier, but that is a monster of a seat, isn't it?
 

cookie123

New member
You could put the 6 yo in a Maestro in the middle back there if there's a top tether. It would harness her a little longer and it's narrow.
 

#1babysitter

New member
Well in order for no child to be using just the lap belt in the middle your going to have to put your 18 month old or 6 year old in the middle of the third row since they are both still harnessed. I would put the 6 year old back there since she's older and you can probably teach her how to properly buckle herself or get an older sibling to help when their with you. It'd be much easier than having to climb back there multiple times a day to buckle in your 18 month old. I would look at the Graco Nautilus for your 6 year old, it has a 65 pound weight capacity for the harness and your kids are tiny so that should give her plenty more harnessing time. It also turns into a HBB and LBB. It is so much narrower than the Frontier as well. As for your 18 month old you I would recommend the Safety First Complete Air (40 lb RF limit). It will last you a long time RF and FF. Most people buy it for it's high 40 pound RF weight limit but it's a great seat when used for FF as well.

If you think your 10 year old needs to be in a LBB but will be next to your 6 year old in her harnessed seat, I would look at the Harmony Literider at Walmart. It is a very low profile booster so I'm sure it'd fit next to the Nautilus just fine in the third row.

Hope this helps!
 

lg's gma

CPS Technician
While I love the Graco Nautilus, I really think it would be too wide to comfortably fit in the center back between two older kids. It is quite a bit wider than the Marathon.

Another poster suggested the Safety First Complete Air for the baby; you could actually buy that now and use it ff for your 6 year old as it's quite a bit narrower than the Nautilus. Then when the baby outgrows the infant seat (either by reaching the weight limit or when his head comes to within 1" of the top of the shell; the stated height limit is indeed arbitrary) you could reassess her maturity with regard to booster readiness.

The Complete Air should give you about the same length of harness use as the Nautilus. My super long torsoed grandson had totally outgrown the Marathon by the time he was 4, but could still fit (barely) in the Complete Air earlier this year (he is now 6 and recently outgrew his Nautilus harness by height).

You had mentioned a convertible seat with a 30 pound rearfacing limit; there is only one seat currently on the market with such a ridiculously low limit and I wouldn't recommend it because it's really not any bigger than your infant seat. The Combi Coccoro (nice seat but also small and pricey) has a 33 lb rf limit; everything else goes to 35 pounds or more, a couple even up to 45 pounds.

If you have a Babies R Us nearby, they will allow you to test fit the seats in the van, and you could also test sit your dd in the various seats to see how they fit her.
 

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