Niece outgrew Nauti and Radian...what next?

My niece is 6yrs 3mo old and 42lbs and about 46in. Very slim and all legs. She is here with me this weekend with my sis and my sis is concerned about her dd's carseat. In the Nauti she doesn't have enough harness length left to buckle her in, no coats either. I thought maybe I would swap my Radian XTSL with her Nauti for the winter but she is even with the top slots in the Radian.

Should we go ahead and get a FR90? We are in WI and really want her harnessed through the winter at least. A lot of money to spend though with my sis being laid off for a few months. She has been having my niece ride in a Parkway since she can't fit her in the Nauti anymore.
 
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featherhead

Well-known member
I wonder if the harness is threaded properly, and in the right slots. A skinny 42 lb child should have enough harness length. Is she using a big coat in the seat?
 

nannykates

New member
Im surprised she can't buckle the nautilus at only 42#. Are the straps in the top harness slot? The evenflo sureride would buy her more harnessed time and is more affordable than a fr90 (especially since it sounds like she has booster options already when the time comes).

I probably wouldn't purchase a fr90 for a 6 yo over 40# who is doing well in a booster.
 
Yeah, I can't believe it either. I know 60# kids that still fit! Everything is as it should be and she is seriously out of harness. Calista does still have torso growing room left too. This Nauti is about 3yrs old now. Should last her awhile yet. It would if there was more length to the harness.
 

featherhead

Well-known member
Is she on the top slots? If not, I would try putting the harness in the top slots to see if that gives her enough harness length.
 

christineka

New member
If you just want to get through winter, swap with the radian. It's allowed to be used with the shoulders over the top slots as long as the ears are below the shell. I'd check the nauti, though to make sure it was really on the top slots (sometimes the top set are hidden by the headrest) and also make sure it's not reclined, because that will lose you harness height.
 
I know that about the Radian, I am not comfortable with it though. She is liking the FR90, I may help her swing that. The Parkway is expiring this year.
 

YinzerMama

New member
If she is all leggy then it could be a long time, if ever, that the fr90 fits her as a booster. That's a really expensive seat for a 6yo esp. if the family is struggling. I'd think the money is better invested in a tall, comfy, supportive booster. (Does the nauti go any taller in booster mode?)

Are there younger siblings to hand it down to? If not would you consider paying and getting it back when she is done with it for your own child? It's not always easy to re-sell a carseat so I wouldn't bank on that to get some money back from this.

I'd really hesitate to suggest this given her mother's lay-off, when there are cheaper, safe options.
 
I brought the seat in from the ice, the Nauti and Radian, and she has 2in of harness left. She is on the 3 slots for the harness height and should have a long while left in it if there was enough harness to last. I think this will do fine for several months though and if not we'll get her a Britax Combo seat. She doesn't do too well in a booster yet but maybe will mature enough by the time she runs out of room in the Nauti.
 
I could use it for my own son after she is done with it. Hope she can make it through until the booster is a better fit for her maturity.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
I would put her in the Radian for this week and call Graco. Something is wrong if you can't fasten the harness around a 42 lb child with room to grow height-wise. Perhaps a defective seat?
 

Athena

Well-known member
Which slot do you have it threaded on? You're sure it's threaded correctly in back? It can be a little tricky on that seat. If at 42 pounds, 46 inches, and a short torso that is still under the top harness height, she doesn't have enough length in the harness to fit in it, it has to either be defective or threaded wrong. There is way more harness length than that in that seat. We had plenty of extra strap length until the day our nauti was outgrown, enough to be able to loosen the straps to get in and out easily. For a kid who still has growing room and a parent who is out of work, I'd try again to make it work. Good luck! Maybe you can call Graco tomorrow if it's still not working.
 
It is definitely threaded correctly. I brought it inside to give it a good look over today and make sure my sis or Mom didn't do anything funky with it. Calista is on the 3rd harness slots, about 1/2in over the 2nd slots. Plenty of growing room left in it, but barely enough harness to make it last. She should be okay until she can be boostered full time.
 

Athena

Well-known member
Sounds like a very frustrating situation. Just to make sure I understand (please bear with me :eek:), she is currently about 1.5" below the third harness slot (third from bottom), so about 3.5" below the top harness slots.

I'd still call Graco because the harness straps are normally a lot longer than that. You deserve to have the right length, IMO. HTH.

P.S. I'm so jealous of that short torso. My kids were outgrowing the top slot at about this height.
 
Yes, she has a LOT of room left to grow. So odd since I know 8yo's that still fit! I know my dd still rode in a friends occasionally until she was 62lbs and 9yrs old.
 

jess71903

Ambassador
Because of the rollers, and the "up and over" configuration of the harness on the back, when you move the harness up, you gain harness length. If you can make it work for now, do, and move the harness up to the next slot as soon as there's any inkling that she's approaching the next slot. In fact, if it gets to where she is really out of length, I'd go ahead and move up anyway.
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
I sense a picture thread coming on...

Seriously, pictures might be helpful in determining whether you have a defective seat or not. Particularly of the back and bottom of the seat.
 

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