What Seat for Four Year Old?

Hi,
We just purchased a second vehicle and we need to get a second carseat for my daughter. The vehicle is a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado Z71 GFX pick up truck.

My daughter turned four in Feb. and is a little over 44 pounds, 42 1/2 inches tall and her torso I think is 15 1/2 inches (the torso is measured from the bum to her shoulders?) She is in the third from the bottom slot in her Nautilus. We purchased a scenerica (SP?) for her 15 month old sister which will be used rear facing in this vehicle also. I'm hoping it fits, we bought it on sale in Dec. when they were clearing out the pre2012 stock.

My husband thinks we should go with a booster since she will ride in this truck only occasionally and not long distances. We live on a farm so it will be a farm truck. Definitely no trips. She is mature and trustworthy to be conscientious about being safe. Do you think it could be used as booster training or is she just too young? We don't want to spend a lot on a seat since it will be back up. The Maestro she is probably too close to out growing by weight? and any other options are either another Nautilus or Frontier which are both quite a bit more. If you think a booster is okay what would you suggest?

Thanks!

Hi there,

I don't like to see little ones in boosters until at least 5. As responsible as they may seem, they still often lack the impulse control to remain properly seated at all times.

Since you have someone to pass it down to, I would do the quick and dirty choice of the Maestro. They are $129 at WalMart. This is a FF only seat that does booster, but the booster is outgrown at the same time as the harness. Its only a 50lb seat, but I bought one in December for my DD who's 5, 43lbs and 42" and she still has lots of time left in it. I didn't want to fork over a fortune for a dayhome seat when I knew she'd be ready to full time booster in a year or two. I dunno the growth curve of your DD, but I'd guess she still has 2 years in that seat which puts her to safe booster age and at that time, DD2 will be 3.5yrs and able to use it. So, I vote Maestro!

Thanks for your reply. As far as the Maestro, isn't the harness weight limit 47lbs ? Maybe I'm wrong but I thought I saw this on the BRU web sight today. This seems so close to her 44 lbs. But if it really is 50 I'd definitely consider it.

I'm not sure how much time she would have, but you could also try the Harmony V7 at Walmart. It harnesses to 50 lbs I believe, but the top harness position isn't terribly high. Definitely try before you buy

I've never heard of this seat before. It's obviously new I caught on after googling it. I read some threads on here about being somewhat difficult to install? How are people finding it by now? And does it make an okay booster with the belt path being in the right spot? And one last question, is the booster outgrown as the same time as the harness or will it last longer? Thanks, I'm looking forward to checking it out at Walmart. I didn't see it on their websight but hopefully they carry it in their stores.

If I go with a harness, I'm really hoping for a light seat that's easy to move around and also one which will convert to a good booster for when she's ready.

As a general rule, will a child outgrow half an inch by harness height first, or 2 to 3 pounds by weight first?

There is also the new Evenflo 400 but you have to order it online from Toys R Us and there doesn't seem to be alot of feedback on it at this point, but from what I've seen looks like it'll work good as a booster as well. Its $199. I am not a tech but I personally would be fine boostering her at this point especially for short trips and is it mostly around the farm? Or into town to get farm supplies etc...

Oops forgot to say that one harness to 65lbs

It would be local 10 -15 min. stuff, into town etc. Maybe the odd trip to my parents which is half an hour, but that would be rare since we'd normally use our van.

And "if" I go with a booster what would you recommend for a kid her age and size. I do want to check out Walmart for the Harmony V7 as well. The Evan 400 looks interesting but I don't think it is on the Canadian BRU web sight only the US BRU. I'm a little worried about ordering it online with out knowing more about how it will fit into the truck etc.

I'm just excited to buy a car seat whatever I decide to get. I would like to go with a girl colour but it doesn't look like any of those options are pink or purple!

If you decide to go with a booster I would go with the Graco Turbobooster.

I have only sat my daughter in the V7, so I'm not sure how well it installs. I doubt it makes a good booster, based on what the belt guides look like. But you could always use it till your daughter outgrows the harness, and then use it for your younger child and get your daughter a booster (like the Turbo) at that point.