Intro/Seat Switching my kiddos...

Hi! I'm not a Tech, but I'm fairly carseat knowledgable and I suppose I'm looking for some 'what would you do' as I switch my kids seats up a bit.

I have:
5 Kids: 16yob, big old guy ready for the drivers seat ... 9yog, 47in & 55lbs... 7yob, 48in & 69lbs... 5yob, 36in & 30lbs... and 2yob, 33in & 24lbs.

And 5 seats: 2 Graco Nautilus that have plenty of time left on them... 2 Sceneras that are now expiring... 1 Scenera with about a 1 1/2 left on it.
(Please forgive me if I'm remembering the Scenera seat's name wrong... I don't wanna go check spelling just now. )

I'm considering these moves with the new weights (7yr shot up on me!):

9yo stays in Nautilus... *may* remove her harness since 'little brother' has to and it will be rough on her pride for him to be first

7yo gets a new dedicated HBB... since he is out of the harness anyway and HBBs can be reasonably cheap

5yo gets 7yo's Nautilus... with harness for a good long time to come (we broke down and turned him forward facing in the Scenera when he turned 5yrs. He's actually almost six but as you can see he is *very* small for his age. We decided to turn at 5yrs for his pride and ease of entry/exit for other kids)

2yo gets the Scenera with time left on it... Rearfacing till it expires or is outgrown for weight (35lbs) or till we can't stand to make him anymore if he slows down to a crawl in growth like the 5yo did!

The two old Sceneras get the Sharpy marker 'DO NOT USE' and cut up straps treatment all over so no one else grabs them from the trash thinking they are safe to use.

Are there any of these moves you would definately not do youself with the ages and sizes in play?

Kristy / ketchupklf

Sounds like a good plan to me. Just keep in mind the Scenera also has a rear facing height limit (36 inches or, if I'm not mistaken, head even with the top of the seat; check the manual to be sure). It sounds like your 2 y.o. will likely outgrow it by height before weight. You might want to think about a higher-capacity rear facing seat, though there's no rush. There are several new seats on the market in the last year or so, both "luxury" and "economy" models to consider.

ETA: If the covers on your old Sceneras are still in good shape, you might consider keeping them for back-up on the Scenera you've still got.

Preface, I am not a tech!

But is there a reason you need/ want to keep your nine and 7 year olds harnessed? From everything I have learned and researched here, at their ages and weights they would be perfectly safe in HBB's. otherwise, sounds like you have a good plan!

Actually I have to remove the 7yo's harness (Natilus goes to 65 pounds) and will probably remove the 9yo's harness as well.

I do think they are safer staying harnessed as long as possible as it keeps them from leaning or twisting out of position as much as they ride... I'm a big believer that every step 'up' in seats can be a step *down* in safety. However, this is the point when I'm thinking we are moving past the harnesses working for them (7yo because of size, 9yo because her size is *reasonably* good and her maturity will keep her in position now).

Kristy / ketchupklf

I hadn't thought about the height on the Sceneras... but I think that is because all the others outgrew by weight first. I think my kiddos must be short waisted so that they don't have the head hit the top of the shell before they get some weight on them.

Kristy

The only thing I see is that I would see who has better belt fit in the nautilus as a booster between your 9 and 7 yr old. I've heard that it fits better as a booster with kids who have outgrown the harness so it might be a better fit for your 7yr old while the dedicated booster may fit your 9yr old better.