I need one more seat for dd & would like something she can buckle by herself. She is four, so I see no reason to buy a convertible since there are no more after her & it doesn't look like there will be. I would prefer something inexpensive since this is going in dh's truck which is rarely used. Any suggestions?
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Easiest to Buckle Combo?
- Thread starter kathysr98
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aept
New member
Can you go to BRU or buy buy baby with her and try some? Not that she'd be independent yet but then you could get a feel for them.
I personally didn't think the Maestro was easy. I just had a preschooler ride in one in y car for a field trip and I found it a little tricky. It might have just been my own unfamiliarity though.
My oldest can undo britax and radian buckles since about age 4-4.5. He has occasional trouble with the frontier 85 chest clip but undoes other (older) britax and old ssk radian chest clips fine.
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I personally didn't think the Maestro was easy. I just had a preschooler ride in one in y car for a field trip and I found it a little tricky. It might have just been my own unfamiliarity though.
My oldest can undo britax and radian buckles since about age 4-4.5. He has occasional trouble with the frontier 85 chest clip but undoes other (older) britax and old ssk radian chest clips fine.
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christineka
New member
From my experience, I'd say frontier. It's got a long crotch strap, which helps make buckling and unbuckling easier.
I think the nautilus with the older buckles (I know others will disagree). My 2.5 year old can sit in it, buckle entirely, and tighten the harness. And it's not even her seat 
I even took a video of it and posted it on facebook with a comment about if my 2.5 yo can do it, you can too! The video was 44 seconds, so reasonable, I think.
She just loves to jump into it.
I even took a video of it and posted it on facebook with a comment about if my 2.5 yo can do it, you can too! The video was 44 seconds, so reasonable, I think.She just loves to jump into it.
I think the nautilus with the older buckles (I know others will disagree). My 2.5 year old can sit in it, buckle entirely, and tighten the harness. And it's not even her seat
She just loves to jump into it.
My 3 1/2 yo could do the older buckle. I ordered a replacement harness and it came with the new buckle. It is hard to do! My 6 1/2 yo can do it with no problems though. Maybe she can give me some pointers?
PikkuMyy
New member
My son has a Maestro, Nautilus and Frontier 85. The Frontier 85 is definitely the easiest in all aspects. The Nautilus (old style buckle) is very easy for my 5 year old to buckle but I have to watch for twisting of the straps. The Maestro buckle takes a little extra muscle. Earlier today, my son did one side but the other side didn't click in all the way. I obviously check after he buckles himself so I pushed it in, but he didn't even notice.
I think the new Graco buckles are similar to the Evenflo buckles. That being said, I'm not sure that there's a low-cost easy-to-buckle combo seat. :\ If you can find a Nautilus with older style buckles, I'd go with that. I think the Evenflo buckle is doable for little hands but I'd have your child sit in the seat at a store and see if your child can do it.
I think the new Graco buckles are similar to the Evenflo buckles. That being said, I'm not sure that there's a low-cost easy-to-buckle combo seat. :\ If you can find a Nautilus with older style buckles, I'd go with that. I think the Evenflo buckle is doable for little hands but I'd have your child sit in the seat at a store and see if your child can do it.
happiness-and-balance
New member
My vote would be for the ProSport or Frontier. I found the new Nautilus buckles difficult myself, so a 4 yo may run into problems/frustration. I also found that they can almost appear buckled (crotch strap buckle) when they're not full 'clicked' and therefore can be pulled right back out of the main buckle housing. I always listen for the audible 'click' but a child buckling themselves may not. This may have just been my seat, but it made me uneasy regardless. You would get many years out of the Frontier and ProSport so either would be a great option. Yes they are pricey, but with the Frontier being such a tall booster, it would also make a great, easy to buckle option.
Kayden - 2.5 RF BLVD 65 & RF Truefit Layla- 6 FF BLVD 65 CS & HBTB
Kayden - 2.5 RF BLVD 65 & RF Truefit Layla- 6 FF BLVD 65 CS & HBTB
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