Question Booster or Convertible for Petite Kids and Travel

FF Combination Seat or Convertible for Petite Kids and Travel

Kids:
4 yo, 36 inches tall , 30 pounds
21 month old, 31 inches tall, 20 pounds
Baby due 4/2/12

Current Car Seats:
Graco Myride 65
Sunshine Radian 65SL
Graco Snugride 32

Cars:
2005 RAV4
2009 Toyota Sienna

We are thinking about buying a Chicco Keyfit 30 with two bases for the newborn. Our previous two kids were about 6.5 pounds at birth, and I'm concerned the newborn won't fit well in the snugride initially.

We plan on putting a base in each car for the infant. We'll probably keep the Sunshine Radian rearfacing in the RAV4 so either older child can ride in it. I was initially planning on getting a RadianR100 or 65SL. Now I'm wondering if I should just get something like a Graco Nautilus for the oldest for the van and leave the Graco myride in the van for the 21 month old. We were already thinking we would keep the 21 month old and infant in the middle van row rearfacing and then put the 4yo in the 3rd row forward facing.

Whatever seat or booster we get, we would also like it to be relatively travel friendly. Right now we take the Radian over the Graco Myride.

Please give me any other suggestions or thoughts.

I am also confused after reading the forums regarding our oldest being in a combination seat or forward facing convertible. I've read people say they don't think their 8yo will be in a child restraint and interpret that to mean they will be in a regular seatbelt. If I follow my 4yo's growth curve out to 8 years, she will be about 47 inches and 44 pounds. It sounds to me like she will still be in some child seat and the Radian or Graco Nautilus would work. ???

So, it sounds like you want a Ffing seat for your 4 yr old that works for traveling, correct?

Since your kids are small that makes it easier!

First, you are correct that many 8 year olds do not fit well in a seat belt only. It can vary greatly based on different kids and even different seating positions and vehicles. A very small 8 year old is unlikely to fit well in any seatbelt without a booster. My 8 yr old is only slightly on the short side and still likes to ride in a high back booster, but fits fine in a no back booster and uses that on shorter rides or when with grandma, etc. She only fits without a booster in one vehilce that I've tried- out of many!

The minimum recommended age/size for a booster seat (no harness, just positions the seatlbelt) is 4 yrs and 40#s, so you'll need to stick with a harnessed seat for a while yet. Most of us find that very few 4 year olds have the maturity to sit correctly in a booster seat all the time. 5-6 seems to be a more reasonable age, and reaching 40#s would be ideal- especially for a child under 6.

The Graco Nautilus is a great seat- I have two- but it's quite large and heavy, not the best for travel. Also, you probably don't need a seat with the high limits it has since your kids are small. If you weren't asking about travel I'd say it's great, but, honestly, I woulnd't want to take it on a plane unless I had to. I'd suggest looking at the Maestro. It's lighter and smaller (also cheaper!) than the Nautilus, but would last a long time harnessed for your kids. It usually makes a fine booster, but you might want to just pass it down as your kids grow up anyway. Even though your oldest is 4 I wouldn't suggest a dedicated booster seat yet.

The Radian would also last you for a long time- and again, you can pass it down. So really, it's a personal preference thing. I think the Maestro would be easier to travel with unless the folding is a big deal for you since it's a lot lighter and you don't need the seat to rf.

Thanks so much for your input.

I am planning on getting a combo seat rather than a dedicated booster. I don't know how much we'll be traveling by plane as our family gets bigger due to expense. Although it'd be nice for it to be lighter, it's not a deal breaker.

I wish the maestro came in more patterns. Our oldest prefers girly car seats, and the graco has a better seat in that regard.

I love the Maestro! If it were me, I'd have the 4 yo RF. My 3 yr 9 month old is that size and he's RF in a Roundabout. Way too tiny for a booster! IMO.

My 4 yo is rearfacing. We're looking ahead to try and decide what to do next. From reviewing the information here and at the AAP, I don't think we know yet when the difference in safety becomes minimal in a smaller, older child with rearfacing vs. forwardfacing. If I leave her in the radian as long as she meets the seat requirements of being under 40 pounds and less than 53 inches, she will be 7 years old. I don't plan on leaving her rearfacing until 7 years of age. From reading other posts, it appears that some people believe a small 4 year old has the skeletal maturity to be forward facing even with a smaller size. My understanding is that it isn't just about size. I'm in no hurry to turn her forward facing, but I think it is the best arrangement that will work for our family in the future. If any of this is incorrect or there is other data to the contrary, please let me know. I understand that it is safest even for adults to be rearfacing, so I'm not saying there won't be some benefit to keep her rearfacing. I'm saying I don't think anyone knows when it becomes minimal. I'd consider keeping her rearfacing longer with better evidence, but again I don't envision keeping her rearfacing until 7 years.

Just to clarify again, we are planning on putting her in a harnessed seat with a 5 point restraint forward facing next year and probably will buy one that can convert to a high backed booster.

We went to BRU and tried the Britax frontier, Graco Nautilus, and Evenflo Maestro.

No one was a big fan of the Maestro. It is a fine seat, but we liked the other two better with the cupholders and tighter fitting seat cover.

We liked the look and features of the GN. The only concerns we have are our daughter having head tilt forward. In reviews, I've seen people mention it when sleeping. It seemed like just sitting in it at the store that her neck was extended forward. She didn't complain about it, but it didn't look comfortable.

Our daughter said the Britax frontier was the most comfortable. Her neck seemed more naturally positioned. Both my husband and I also felt that the seat had more cushioning.

The radian is very comfortable for both our older and younger child.

I'm starting to think we may just move the radian to the van and just have an infant base in our secondary car. We will want another seat soon, but I'm just not sure which one to get.

Does anyone else find it strange that car seat manufactures put a relatively thin cover on car seats with just plastic beneath? We were comparing the chicco keyfit and the graco snugride. The chicco cover has more padding it seems, but neither has any padding just plastic underneath the cover as far as we could tell. There also isn't padding under the maestor cover or the GN as best we could tell. Is there a safety reason, is it just to keep the seats inexpensive, or is it because babies/toddlers don't know any better to complain about it?

Mama said:

We liked the look and features of the GN. The only concerns we have are our daughter having head tilt forward. In reviews, I've seen people mention it when sleeping. It seemed like just sitting in it at the store that her neck was extended forward. She didn't complain about it, but it didn't look comfortable.

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Have you tried the Graco Argos 70? I thought I read somewhere on here that kids could sleep better in that one --or maybe it was a wish by someone that it would correct the head tilt. (Please correct me if I'm wrong somebody).

Mama said:

Does anyone else find it strange that car seat manufactures put a relatively thin cover on car seats with just plastic beneath? We were comparing the chicco keyfit and the graco snugride. The chicco cover has more padding it seems, but neither has any padding just plastic underneath the cover as far as we could tell. There also isn't padding under the maestor cover or the GN as best we could tell. Is there a safety reason, is it just to keep the seats inexpensive, or is it because babies/toddlers don't know any better to complain about it?

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I don't know if there is a safety reason - someone else might be able to answer that question. I think babies do complain when they are uncomfortable, even if they don't have the words to express their displeasure. I've read of some babies who cried in certain car seats and not other ones - so that's how the parents figured out which car seat was the most comfortable for their baby.

I also don't think babies need as much cushion as we do. They are smaller and lighter so they don't put as much pressure on the seat as a 150lb or 200lb puts when they sit down.

Melanie

Jan06twinmom said:

I don't know if there is a safety reason - someone else might be able to answer that question. I think babies do complain when they are uncomfortable, even if they don't have the words to express their displeasure. I've read of some babies who cried in certain car seats and not other ones - so that's how the parents figured out which car seat was the most comfortable for their baby.

I also don't think babies need as much cushion as we do. They are smaller and lighter so they don't put as much pressure on the seat as a 150lb or 200lb puts when they sit down.

Melanie

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Thanks for your ideas. You're right about babies complaining. We never tried any other car seats than what we pre-bought for our kids as an infant. They didn't complain, or if they did we associated it more with them just disliking being in a car seat. I just would feel bad if they were uncomfortable. I've also heard of other infants being unhappy in one seat and then better in another.

Our youngest, once got red marks on her bottom and was uncomfortable on a 10 hour car ride with stops. It's the only time that we know of that one of our kids was uncomfortable due to the car seat.

The update of the evening is that I'm now also considering the Radian RXT. The price tag is high and way more than I was planning on spending. On the other hand, we'd be able to use it however we needed it in the future either RF or FF or as a high backed booster. We have some time, so I'll see how the official reviews come out and how parents feel when enough start using it. It may be the best seat for it's flexibility, if it works well. Yikes! $300

Melanie, I haven't looked at the Graco Argos. I'll peek at it now.

Thanks so much for everyone's input and ideas.