Please help me decide on a new car seat for my almost 3 y/o

Mtdew@ngel

New member
DS is going on 3 y/o in 2 1/2 months. He's currently 27# 3feet tall. He's in the Cosco High Back Booster. He's in the second slots right now. There is nothing wrong with the seat except I don't like it anymore. And it's kinda dingy looking now and smelling like smoke to me from going into my sisters car, so I'm looking into a new one for him. We currently have a 94 Pontiac Grand Am SE. The headrests in the backseat aren't really that high up, but the outter seats do come up a bit higher then the middle part. Money is a bit tight right now since we're also buying for the new baby due in Oct. Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Oh, he's also ff in his current seat and I plan to keep him ff. Thanks. :)
 
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Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
The seats that are currently out that will last you the longest are the Britax Regent and the Sunshine Kids Radian. They have the highest top slots.

If you can wait *just a little bit longer*, Recaro will be releasing two new convertibles in the next few months. They will also have high top slots (reported to be 19").

If you are planning on passing this seat down to a younger sibling, I would lean toward a convertible seat such as the Britax Marathon (or Boulevard or Decathlon) or the Recaro Como or Signio (when they are released). Otherwise, I think I would lean toward the Britax Regent or Sunshine Kids Radian (which is actually also a convertible).

Of course all these recommendations depend upon the fit of these seats in your vehicle. :0
 

trailrunnermom

New member
If your budget is smaller, some other options are:

Evenflo Triumph Advance, available at Wal-mart (online and starting to show up in stores) for $129:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5933974

or Babies R Us ($149). This is an update to the Triumph, and is now rated for up to a 50-lb. child.

Fisher-Price Safe Voyage Deluxe ($130, FF up to 55 lbs), available online from albeebaby:
http://albeebaby.com/fiprsavodeco2.html

Your son will outgrow these two seats sooner than a Regent, Radian, or Recaro, which have the highest top harness slots. (At that point, he will probably be big enough/old enough/mature enough to sit properly in a belt-positioning booster like the Graco TurboBooster, etc.)

So, if budget is important, these are the two most affordable higher-weight harness seats, plus they could be passed down to the baby in a few years when he outgrows them. (The Cosco/Safety 1st Apex is about the same price, but it may not be suitable for a car with low seatbacks/headrests, as it needs support behind the top of it.)
 

Mtdew@ngel

New member
I still can't decide which car seat to move DS into. Money is an issue so today while at Target I checked to see if they had the new Triumph in. Which they did. I'm not too sure about that seat though. We sat ds in it just to see how high up he was in it, and the top of his head seemed to be right up to the top of the seat itself. I'm curious as to how much over the actual seat can a child be to be safe in a seat??
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I still can't decide which car seat to move DS into. Money is an issue so today while at Target I checked to see if they had the new Triumph in. Which they did. I'm not too sure about that seat though. We sat ds in it just to see how high up he was in it, and the top of his head seemed to be right up to the top of the seat itself. I'm curious as to how much over the actual seat can a child be to be safe in a seat??

Forward facing they have until the tips of their ears are at the top of the seat.

Wendy
 

Mtdew@ngel

New member
I will have to check next time we're there to see where his ears are exactly. How high are the top slots in the Triumph? How do I measure ds to see how much more time he'd have in it? He's about 34" right now. I'm so new to all the details in finding the right car seat and how a child should fit into it properly and all that. I just want to make sure ds is harnessed for as long as possible with as little car seat changes as possible since money is a issue for us these days. :(
 

cheerbop

New member
You need to measure his torso. Have him sit on the floor and measure him from floor to the top of his shoulders. That would be his torso height.
Here is a link that gives you an *idea of what some of the seats' torso height/slot measurements are. http://www.carseatdata.org/measurements.php?tun=home#convertibles
There are some threads with pics on here of measurements of the new Evenflo they spoke of earlier. The new Recaro's are rumored to have 19" top slots. The torso doesn't grow as fast as the legs at this point, normally, so you sould get good use out of a Marathon or Radian or esp the new Recaro or the Regent.

I have my 3yo in a Marathon right now but am looking into a Regent for our main vehicle since it looks more like a "big kid" seat and also because it has very high top slots, so I will get more mileage out of the seat. But, I must say, on a budget, if right now you need osmething and can not or do not want to wiat, I love our Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe that we use in my hubby's vehicle. It installs very easily and is a great seat that is made by Britax.
Good luck in your search!:)
 

Mtdew@ngel

New member
You need to measure his torso. Have him sit on the floor and measure him from floor to the top of his shoulders. That would be his torso height.
Here is a link that gives you an *idea of what some of the seats' torso height/slot measurements are. http://www.carseatdata.org/measurements.php?tun=home#convertibles
There are some threads with pics on here of measurements of the new Evenflo they spoke of earlier. The new Recaro's are rumored to have 19" top slots. The torso doesn't grow as fast as the legs at this point, normally, so you sould get good use out of a Marathon or Radian or esp the new Recaro or the Regent.

I have my 3yo in a Marathon right now but am looking into a Regent for our main vehicle since it looks more like a "big kid" seat and also because it has very high top slots, so I will get more mileage out of the seat. But, I must say, on a budget, if right now you need osmething and can not or do not want to wiat, I love our Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe that we use in my hubby's vehicle. It installs very easily and is a great seat that is made by Britax.
Good luck in your search!:)

Thanks for your help! I will def be measuring his torso tomorrow (he's asleep already). From that chart you gave, it looks like the Triumphs top slots aren't that much higher then what he's in right now (cosco high back booster).
 

monzogary

Senior Community Member
I'm sure the Triumph measurements are for the original Triumph and not the brand new Advanced model. I just tried my dd's in it today at BRU and my 44# 43" 6 yo dd has about the same amount of growing room in it as she does in her Marathon (less than an inch), which has 17-18" top slots, and my 41# 39" 4 yo dd had a good couple inches left to grow in it. I think a lot of kids would be able to get to the 50# weight limit.
HTH!
 
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lovinwaves

New member
I still can't decide which car seat to move DS into. Money is an issue so today while at Target I checked to see if they had the new Triumph in. Which they did. I'm not too sure about that seat though. We sat ds in it just to see how high up he was in it, and the top of his head seemed to be right up to the top of the seat itself. I'm curious as to how much over the actual seat can a child be to be safe in a seat??

Did you take out the infant padding on the bottom before putting him in? That will definitely make him seem taller in that seat then necessary.
 

cheerbop

New member
Thanks for your help! I will def be measuring his torso tomorrow (he's asleep already). From that chart you gave, it looks like the Triumphs top slots aren't that much higher then what he's in right now (cosco high back booster).

The new Triumph does have higher slots, but that guide I gave you a link to is to give you an idea of most seats out there, but not all. The new Triumph is just that, new and those slot measurements I do not think are correct to the new one. I know there are threads on here with the new one's measurements.
 

Mtdew@ngel

New member
Did you take out the infant padding on the bottom before putting him in? That will definitely make him seem taller in that seat then necessary.

No actually I didn't get the chance to do that. DH was in a hurry so I was just able to get ds to sit in it to get an idea. I will have to play with it next time we're there to get a better idea on the fit.

We measured his torso this morning and it's right about 12". Am I right to assume that I'm to go by his torso measurement and the top slot measurments to know when he's too outgrow a seat? If not by weight first?
 

monzogary

Senior Community Member
With a torso height of only 12", he should fit with lots of growing room in the Triumph Advanced. My 4yo has about a 14" torso and she fits with a good couple inches or more. My 6yo has a 16"+ torso and she fit with about an inch of growing room as well. I did take out the infant insert from the seat when I sat them in it yesterday, as it definitely takes up more space.
HTH!
 

lovinwaves

New member
No actually I didn't get the chance to do that. DH was in a hurry so I was just able to get ds to sit in it to get an idea. I will have to play with it next time we're there to get a better idea on the fit.

We measured his torso this morning and it's right about 12". Am I right to assume that I'm to go by his torso measurement and the top slot measurments to know when he's too outgrow a seat? If not by weight first?


The infant padding I don't believe is attached. I pulled mine right out.

With that torso height he will have many many years in that seat. :)
 

Mtdew@ngel

New member
Would the radian65 be a better seat for him? I still can't decide. I was reading other threads on here where people had issues with the harness moving a bit so that kinda worried me. I like the way the radian looks better then the Triumph as well. Decisions, decisions! :p
 

cheerbop

New member
Would the radian65 be a better seat for him? I still can't decide. I was reading other threads on here where people had issues with the harness moving a bit so that kinda worried me. I like the way the radian looks better then the Triumph as well. Decisions, decisions! :p

I certainly know how hard it is to decide on seats. There are so many choices!
I would think your son would fit well in any of the seats discussed here.
With that chart I gave you, you can see how much growing room he has in many different seats. I think he owuld fit great in the Tirumph Advanced, but if you don't like how it looks, then there are more choices for you. The Britax Marathon is a great seat and right now you could get a denim one on babyuniverse.com for I think it is $249 and then they also have a form you can fill out after signing up with babytv.com to get a $50 rebate http://www.babytv.com/. Here is the link to that Britax seat in denim http://www.babyuniverse.com/pro/baby/95443/MarathonLATCHCarSeat-NewDenim.html
They also have the fisher price safe voyage deluxe on sale for $139 and you can get a $25 rebate on that seat. Here is that link http://www.babyuniverse.com/pro/baby/97339/FisherPriceSafeVoyageConvertibleCarSeat-RedBlack.html
All of those seats also have free shipping. These are just some options for you that could bring down the price.
As you can see in my siggie, I have a 3yo boy in the Marathon (red!) and the FPSVD mentioned above. That seat is not quite as bright of a red as it looks. It is more of a scarlet/cranberry red.
The Radian, many people like it here. I haven't really tried it out myself, though.

There is also the Regent option, but is more pricey.

Is there something in particular you are looking for in a seat?
 

Mtdew@ngel

New member
I certainly know how hard it is to decide on seats. There are so many choices!
I would think your son would fit well in any of the seats discussed here.
With that chart I gave you, you can see how much growing room he has in many different seats. I think he owuld fit great in the Tirumph Advanced, but if you don't like how it looks, then there are more choices for you. The Britax Marathon is a great seat and right now you could get a denim one on babyuniverse.com for I think it is $249 and then they also have a form you can fill out after signing up with babytv.com to get a $50 rebate http://www.babytv.com/. Here is the link to that Britax seat in denim http://www.babyuniverse.com/pro/baby/95443/MarathonLATCHCarSeat-NewDenim.html
They also have the fisher price safe voyage deluxe on sale for $139 and you can get a $25 rebate on that seat. Here is that link http://www.babyuniverse.com/pro/baby/97339/FisherPriceSafeVoyageConvertibleCarSeat-RedBlack.html
All of those seats also have free shipping. These are just some options for you that could bring down the price.
As you can see in my siggie, I have a 3yo boy in the Marathon (red!) and the FPSVD mentioned above. That seat is not quite as bright of a red as it looks. It is more of a scarlet/cranberry red.
The Radian, many people like it here. I haven't really tried it out myself, though.

There is also the Regent option, but is more pricey.

Is there something in particular you are looking for in a seat?

I knew someone knew where I was coming from. haha The MA just isn't in my budget right now. I kind of have it down to the FPSVD or Radian. I'm basically looking for something he can FF in for awhile still. We don't have anything for LATCH or tether that I know of in our 94 Pontiac Grand Am, so if that's required for a secure fit, it won't work for us. The car seat would be used outbound with a shoulder/lap belt. Um, I like how the radian seems to sit "flatter" to the seat itself. Not sure how I feel about it having the base on the bottoms of some where it makes the seat sit up higher, iykwim? I'm fairly new to the whole extended harness use and I don't know anyone here who actually would keep their child harnessed past 40lbs. I'm the oddball. :D I just want my child to be safe ya know. Harnessed for as long as possible, atleast in a car seat that I can afford for him right now.
 

cheerbop

New member
I knew someone knew where I was coming from. haha The MA just isn't in my budget right now. I kind of have it down to the FPSVD or Radian. I'm basically looking for something he can FF in for awhile still. We don't have anything for LATCH or tether that I know of in our 94 Pontiac Grand Am, so if that's required for a secure fit, it won't work for us. The car seat would be used outbound with a shoulder/lap belt. Um, I like how the radian seems to sit "flatter" to the seat itself. Not sure how I feel about it having the base on the bottoms of some where it makes the seat sit up higher, iykwim? I'm fairly new to the whole extended harness use and I don't know anyone here who actually would keep their child harnessed past 40lbs. I'm the oddball. :D I just want my child to be safe ya know. Harnessed for as long as possible, atleast in a car seat that I can afford for him right now.

Totally get ya!:thumbsup:
We have considered the Radian but ended up with the FPSVD since we got it for $115 after the rebate. (140-25). We love it and knowing it is made by a great company in Britax makes us like it all the more. It is all personal preference.
You are right about the radian sitting lower, not on a base. We just prefer some of the Marathon's features over the Radian right now--like the chest clip for instance--as a child gets bigger, I know some have found that the chest clip brings the straps a little too close together and some kids find it uncomfortable.
That is just one thing we like better about the FPSVD. Another was the price with the rebate;)
And, you are not the only one that is in an area where not many people harness past 40 lbs. Heck I live next to 3 different families who have their 2 and 3 yr olds in seatbelts :eek: They think WE are the odd ones.:(:rolleyes:
 

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