Question What's the best choice for a Harness to Booster seat for a tight budget?

Harness seat with a good Booster mode

  • Evenflo SecureKid

    Votes: 3 60.0%
  • Evenflo Chase Deluxe / LX

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Evenflo Maestro

    Votes: 2 40.0%
  • Other (please specify)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    5

abttrflykss

New member
I know my ex will not buy a mid-priced seat to replace his Evenflo Titan that will soon be expiring. So I wanted to find out what seat choice is better in booster mode, but is also a harness as DD is tiny (and is under about $80, possibly $100 if it's at BRU/TRU for the Trade-In event).
(I'm going to attempt to make a poll, but if it doesn't work, these were the seats I was looking at).

*** Evenflo SecureKid
*** Evenflo Chase Deluxe or LX
*** Evenflo Maestro
*** Other (please specify)


FYI my daughter is a month shy of 6, 42" and 35-37 lbs, depending on the scale.

Thanks
 
ADS

Brianna

New member
Chances are the Chase is already outgrown by height.

The SecureKid (300 or 400 model) will last the longest because the headrests adjusts so it will last longer as a booster.

The Maestro doesn't have an adjustable headrest so it will be outgrown in booster mode shortly after it is outgrown by height in harness mode.

The Chase Select and SecureKid 100 are the same seat- they are the Maestro with a 40 pound harness limit. It will have the same short booster life as the Maestro.

Do you feel that your daughter is not ready to sit properly in a booster, or are you waiting until she reaches 40 pounds?
 

monica-m

CPST Instructor
I voted Securekid 300/400 because it will last the longest as a booster because of the adjustable headrest. Walmart.com has a Securekid 400 for $119 with free shipping.
 

abttrflykss

New member
Do you feel that your daughter is not ready to sit properly in a booster, or are you waiting until she reaches 40 pounds?

Thanks for that info.

Yes, I would like to wait until she is at least 40 lbs. She has been 35 lbs for over a year, as it is very hard to "fatten" her up. She is also on ADHD meds on school days, which limits her appetite.
 

Brianna

New member
I just double checked the Titan measurements- the top harness slot is under 15". Does she still fit in the seat by height, with the harness straps coming from at or above her shoulders? If she does, she'll have plenty of room in the SecureKid. If the Titan is already outgrown, she shouldn't ride in it again due to risk of spinal compression in a crash.

The SecureKid 300/400 has top slots almost the same height as the Nautilus to give you an idea of how much growing room she will have.
 

abttrflykss

New member
I just double checked the Titan measurements- the top harness slot is under 15". Does she still fit in the seat by height, with the harness straps coming from at or above her shoulders? If she does, she'll have plenty of room in the SecureKid. If the Titan is already outgrown, she shouldn't ride in it again due to risk of spinal compression in a crash.

The SecureKid 300/400 has top slots almost the same height as the Nautilus to give you an idea of how much growing room she will have.

When my Ex picked the girls up last night, I noticed that her straps come up and over her shoulder by about 1/2" maybe? (She's in the back row of his Suburban, so I couldn't get a real good look).
I'm always correcting something in his truck.....telling my oldest not to sit in the middle with just a lap belt, telling my youngest to tighten her strap or move the chest clip up, etc.
 

gigi

New member
If she was my kid and dad was prone to misuse, I'd buy a safety surround Turbo and teach her to use it properly.
 

Brianna

New member
If it's possible, install your Nautilus in his vehicle until you can get her another seat. Your oldest is 11, right? How do you think she would react to crash videos/ simulations of wearing just a lap belt?
 

abttrflykss

New member
If she was my kid and dad was prone to misuse, I'd buy a safety surround Turbo and teach her to use it properly.

She is great in my car and her grandparents cars (Nauti and EFTA DLX that I will also have to replace this year due to expiring soon). I just don't get why my Ex won't listen. I don't want to trust putting her in a booster yet, since her weight still fluctuates. I was trying to find PA's law on car/booster seats, as I thought it was 1/20, 4/40 and 8/80, but I couldn't find anything specifying weight.

Brianna said:
If it's possible, install your Nautilus in his vehicle until you can get her another seat. Your oldest is 11, right? How do you think she would react to crash videos/ simulations of wearing just a lap belt?

Fortunately (in this instance), he only has my girls 4 days a month (every other wknd), but with his accident/driving record I don't want to take any chances. When he has my girls, there are 4 kids total (his new wife has 2 girls too), so there is no reason for anyone to need to be in the middle seat(s).
I think my oldest would be ok with watching crash tests....with the dummies, not IRL/Simulated accidents.

Maybe I should consider buying him a seat out of the CS money and giving it to him?
 

Brianna

New member
If you feel that it's important for her to stay in a harnessed seat until she reaches 40 pounds then yes I would buy another harnessed seat for her. Some here feel very strongly about 40 pounds to be in a booster, others are okay with children in the 35-39 pound range in a booster around age 5 or 6. PA car seat law doesn't mention weight at all. Here's a summary of the law http://www.justdrivepa.org/Resources/CPS Law Summary.pdf

For your oldest,
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTvadCM6IKk"]lap belt crash test w/ child dummy - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvsuAlENefs"]Seatbelt Comparison Using MADYMO - YouTube[/ame]
 

Shannon

New member
I have three of the Evenflo Maestros and I wouldn't suggest it at her height. It won't last very long. It is a good seat, but at her age, you won't get a long life out of it. We have three of them and my five year old that is only an inch taller than your daughter is almost out of the harness position and he doesn't have much room left height wise even if we switch to the booster mode. I am currently looking for a new seat for him. He uses the Evenflo Generations 65 as main seat but I am looking to switch to a higher weight harnessing system.

Have you looked into the Britax Parkway? It is a booster and has a crotch attachment that hooks to seat belt to keep them in better. A friend told me about it last night. They are $89.98 at Amazon. If you want her to harness still though, maybe a Maestro until she outgrows it (since they are cheap) and then graduate to something like the Parkway.
 

abttrflykss

New member
If you feel that it's important for her to stay in a harnessed seat until she reaches 40 pounds then yes I would buy another harnessed seat for her. Some here feel very strongly about 40 pounds to be in a booster, others are okay with children in the 35-39 pound range in a booster around age 5 or 6. PA car seat law doesn't mention weight at all. Here's a summary of the law http://www.justdrivepa.org/Resources/CPS Law Summary.pdf

For your oldest,
lap belt crash test w/ child dummy - YouTube
Seatbelt Comparison Using MADYMO - YouTube

Thanks for the YouTube videos, they might come in handy if I have to argue my point with my ex.



From all of the helpful information here, I think I will go with the SecureKid suggestion for my ex.
 

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