3 kids, 1 Mazda 5, 3 questions!

We have a (new to us) 2009 Mazda 5.

Children are:
O, age 6, 34 pounds and ~43" tall
E, age 4, 32 pounds and ~40" tall
T, age 5 months, 15 pounds

The seats we currently have:
Big boys are in FF Britax Marathons, the oldest of which is a 2006, the other a 2008. Baby brother is in a craigslist (I know, I know) "baby trend" bucket seat that I am now in a financial position to replace. We also have begun to drive baby around more now that the school year has begun, so I want to do this asap.

So... the questions.

1. Baby T needs a new seat. I intend on him being RF as long as possible. I am interested in the Diono seats, but am worried they will be too clunky and big to be RF in the middle row. Advice? As you can see, my kids stay little for a long time.

2. Biggest brother O needs a new seat, I'm pretty sure. The Britax was bought new in 2006, and so this year is 5 years old. He is also getting very uncomfortable in it (both boys are)-- it seems to me that the problem is that their knees are too high relative to their bottoms and their longer dangling legs are making the smalls of their backs uncomfortable. Around town it's not a big deal, but we do make a 3 hour drive to a cabin with some frequency and we hear a lot about how uncomfortable they are.

3. Just to make sure: both my big boys are ok FF, right?

That's it! Thanks for any advice you all may have.

Typo: the oldest Britax Marathon seat is now *6* years old.

The big boys are fine ff. Are you looking for a new high weight harness seat for your oldest?

Personally, if my kids stayed small like your kids, I would not buy a radian. It does take up a lot of room front to back.

OK, a couple suggestions, and a couple questions for you. First question, do you think your oldest is ready to booster train? I know a lot of people prefer to wait until 40 pounds, but for me a 30something pound 6 rear old in a booster is not all that bad, my middle son was 36 lbs at that age and RF in one car, boostered in the other lol. If he or you are not ready to booster, I would get him a combo seat. I would pass the newer Marathon down to the baby for now, likely get a Maestro for the middle child, and either a booster or larger combo seat for the oldest, then look at replacing the baby's seat when its outgrown or expires. Luckily your car is very car seat friendly, and your kids are small, so your options are pretty wide open.

Since you bought your first Marathon in 2006, it may already be expired. On the sticker on the seat, it will give the date of manufacture. The classic MA's expire 6 years from dom.

If it's expired, I would replace it ASAP. I would buy your oldest a combo seat (ff'ing harness to booster), b/c you have tiny kids, you can pass it down when you want to booster your oldest or when the baby outgrows the infant seat (and buy ds1 a dedicated high back booster), and b/c buckling all the kids in harnessed seats is easier for the time. You need easy when you've got a new baby.

You don't need the biggest combo seat, since your kiddos are petite. I'd look at the Graco Nautilus, Evenflo Secure Kid 300/400, or even the Evenflo Maestro (since you're going to hand it down anyways, you won't need the booster part anyways-it doesn't make a long lasting booster).

When the 2008 MA is expiring, you could replace it w/another convertible seat that will last that child till he's 3 or 4. Your kiddos are tiny. At that point, he'll be 2 yrs, and you can tell if he'd have years left in a Radian and not really need it, or if a Graco My Ride or another seat would be just as good for less than half the price.

hths

Original poster here: Thanks for the replies! It is so reassuring to get some feedback! I feel awful for multiplying my questions. I hope I don't make anyone crazy. Here goes.

I wil definitely move DS3 into the 2008 Marathon.
QUESTION 1: Anything I need to know about putting it in RF in a Mazda 5? Will there be enough room for a passenger to ride comfortably?

About boosters. I need a bit of an education. I thought a booster was what appears to be called a backless booster, and am trying to understand the difference between a combo booster and a dedicated highback booster.
QUESTION 2: True/false. The difference between a combo carseat/booster and the dedicated highback booster is the five-point harness.

QUESTION 3: What is the reason for the back versus backless difference? (When is a child ready for the backless booster?)

I'm all for keeping them in 5pts for as long as possible. ALSO, DS2 is quickly gaining on DS1, and closing the gap in weight and height. He might be bigger than DS1 in the near future. SO...

QUESTION 4: Which of the three suggested here- nautilus, maestro, or securekid would you all recommend for both big boys-- or would you? Is there an option that would work well for both?

And lastly,
QUESTION 5: Why is the Maestro so inexpensive compared to the others?

Thank you!!!

OK- So I think I have the first three questions worked out. But I'd still appreciate some help with the last two.

Unregistered said:

I wil definitely move DS3 into the 2008 Marathon.
QUESTION 1: Anything I need to know about putting it in RF in a Mazda 5? Will there be enough room for a passenger to ride comfortably?

About boosters. I need a bit of an education. I thought a booster was what appears to be called a backless booster, and am trying to understand the difference between a combo booster and a dedicated highback booster.
QUESTION 2: True/false. The difference between a combo carseat/booster and the dedicated highback booster is the five-point harness.

QUESTION 3: What is the reason for the back versus backless difference? (When is a child ready for the backless booster?)

I'm all for keeping them in 5pts for as long as possible. ALSO, DS2 is quickly gaining on DS1, and closing the gap in weight and height. He might be bigger than DS1 in the near future. SO...

QUESTION 4: Which of the three suggested here- nautilus, maestro, or securekid would you all recommend for both big boys-- or would you? Is there an option that would work well for both?

And lastly,
QUESTION 5: Why is the Maestro so inexpensive compared to the others?

Click to expand...

Your not annoying anyone with questions here. We're all here to help each other keep kids safe riding in cars!

1. Boosters are seats that "boost" older kids up so that the seatbelt fits them properly, the way it's supposed to fit an adult. The can be "highback", "backless" or "no-back", or part of a combination seat (which can be used w/it's harness, as a harnessed seat or without, as a booster).

2. True A combination seat has a harness, but can be used without it, as a booster.

3. Then highback booster usually helps more to position the shoulder belt properly than a backless booster (even though many backless boosters come w/a shoulder belt position strap and clip), offer head support to a sleeping child, are more confining (thus keeping the booster rider in position better), and are thought to give more side impact protection. Many of us prefer to see kids stay in a high-back booster as long as they will fit in one. Age 7 or 8 is often when kids switch to a backless, b/c they've outgrown the high-back portion. But the taller high-back boosters, like the Britax Frontier in booster mode, Britax Parkway, Diono Monterey, Recaro's, etc will last many kids a bit longer than the Gracos or Evenflos. Personally, I think new booster riders are best in a highback booster, but kids who are mature enough, old enough, and big enough to ride in booster are just that...able to be in a booster. It's okay if a backless is what works best for your situation or a particular situation. For example, we have a backless Harmony booster that we keep in my car for friend's kids or for when my oldest goes w/a friend. It's just easier to tote around and it fits most kids in most cars really well.

4. The Nautilus will last the longest of those 3, b/c it also makes a really tall booster, can be used as a backless booster when outgrown as a highback, and the backless part is good for 9 yrs.. The SK also makes a decently tall booster, but its' harness straps are very narrow on the neck when in harness mode (so are the Maestro's). They don't seem to bother my 4 yr old though. My older child would complain if it were his seat. I have to add that I think the SK makes a better fitting booster for long skinny kids. I didn't like the fit of the Nautilus as a booster on my oldest until the last few months. The lap belt rode too high in most vehicles for my liking. But I think I would even be comfortable w/the SK to booster my 4 yr old right now, if I had to use it for that for some reason (like my mil taking him somewhere and not being able to do the buckles on the harness, b/c harnessed carseat buckles are tough for her).

5. Well, there has to be a budget seat out there, and Evenflo is the first company to make a combo seat that goes to more than 40 lbs in the harness that's available most regular old stores (Kmart, Target, Walmart, Sears, Toys R Us, Babies R Us, etc). I think the main reason it costs so much less is b/c it wasn't tested to go more than 50 lbs harnessed and doesn't have the added reinforcements of the other seats that harness to higher weights. That saves money all around, and it gives parents of large 2-3 yrs olds who've outgrown the smaller and cheaper convertibles a seat that keeps them harnessed till at least age 4 or 5 and doesn't cost a lot. All of the others in the under $100 range only go to 40 lbs in the harness and most don't make good booster seats later.

Does that help?

I would buy 2 Graco Nautiluses (Nautili?) for the 2 oldest and pass the '08 Marathon down to the baby.

Walmart has a bundle deal and 2 Nautiluses can be purchased for $260, about the same amount you would spend on a Radian.

By the time the Marathon expires you can reevaluate and either pass one Nautilus to the baby or buy another convertible and use the oldest's Nautilus in booster mode.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am full of goodwill towards those of you who take the time to read all of these posts. What an incredible service!

The Nautilus is looking pretty good. I'm a bit worried about how big they are though-- that back row in the Mazda 5 is little. I'd love to be able to increase legroom for both big boys; the Britax seats point their knees upwards a little, causing their feet to kick out at an angle towards the row of seats ahead. I feel like the evenflo profiles seem to put the knees more level to the ground, and the feet would drop straight down... does that even make sense?

And just to be comprehensive-- it seems like the Britax Frontier is in this same category. Are there any others to consider?

Just a thought, you could put the big kids in the 2nd row and your little one in the third row. It's actually way easier than it seems to load and unload a rear-facer through the hatch of the 5.

The Frontier 85 is more money than a Nauti, however, there's more life and use in a FR, so if you can swing it budget wise, I would consider the FRs for at least one of the big kids (maybe the older one, that way you could pass it down to #3).

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Unregistered said:

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am full of goodwill towards those of you who take the time to read all of these posts. What an incredible service!

The Nautilus is looking pretty good. I'm a bit worried about how big they are though-- that back row in the Mazda 5 is little. I'd love to be able to increase legroom for both big boys; the Britax seats point their knees upwards a little, causing their feet to kick out at an angle towards the row of seats ahead. I feel like the evenflo profiles seem to put the knees more level to the ground, and the feet would drop straight down... does that eve n make sense?

And just to be comprehensive-- it seems like the Britax Frontier is in this same category. Are there any others to consider?

Click to expand...

Most convertible seats do what you are describing w/the Blvds, b/c they sit up on a base. Most combination carseats do not do that so much, as they sit down lower on the seat and aren't so angled. So, yes, your question makes total sense. Yes, the Frontier is in the same category. The one thing to consider is that some seats require a certain percentage of the carseat's bottom be ON the car seat. I think the Nautilus has an 80% rule...the Secure Kid doesn't say anything like that in it's instructions. That may matter to you, esp if you want to put the bigger boys in the third row.

hths

I know this thread is a bit older and maybe you've bought your new seats already, but just wanted to say that the Nautilus fits in the third row of the 5 like it was made for it. I've even had two of them in my third row at the same time.

luckyclov said:

Just a thought, you could put the big kids in the 2nd row and your little one in the third row. It's actually way easier than it seems to load and unload a rear-facer through the hatch of the 5.

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Click to expand...

So I loved this idea, and was surprised to find out how easy it is to load/unload from the back! Thanks so much!

But... I'm having trouble getting the britax marathon to fit in RF with another carseat in front of it. Right now, we hstill have DS3 in his bucket seat, and in the middle row.

Anyway... this all means that my question is ultimately how seriously folks take the guideline in the mazda five literature that you must put the middle row seat all the way back if there is a passenger in the the seat in front of it. (To load/unload from the back, I need to have only one kid back there. I'd prefer that it is the baby, but there isn't enough room to get the Britax marathon RF there and have the seat in front of it have a kid in it and thus be all the way back.)

Do you suspect I'm missing something about installing the Britax seat RF?