Carseat rec for 5 year old out growing Marathon 70

ltpritch

New member

• Jun 9, 2014

• #1

It's been a very long time since I have researched car seats, so I don't know what is currently available.

My son will be 5 in July. His straps have been all the way out on his Marathon 70 for awhile now. Lately it is getting super tight and he occasionally has red marks on his neck.

I told my husband we need to get a new car seat and he said move him to a booster. I don't want to, but I may not win this one.

Is there an affordable seat out now that is bigger than the Marathon 70 as far as strap height? We're still good on weight.

What's a good booster to consider? I want high back, but simple if we go that route.

Thank you.

 

DawgDad

New member

• Jun 9, 2014

• #2

If you want to remain harnessed, the Britax Frontier 90 might be the best bet if he is a tall 5 year old (which it sounds like he is). BRU sells them, so you could go there and try him in it to see how he fits and if he has room. If he doesn't with the straps, then you should start looking at HBBs. There are a lot of good ones out there like the Britax Parkway and the Recaro Performance Booster. There are narrow options like the Graco Turbobooster. I would try to keep him harnessed until 7-8, depending on height/weight and with some of these nicer combo harness/boosters like the Frontier 90 or Performance Sport by Recaro, you could keep him harnessed until he outgrows and then take out the harness straps and let him buckle like a HBB...that would be best.

 

ltpritch

New member

• Jun 9, 2014

• #3

I just measured him sitting against the wall and it looks like he is about 15.5/16 inches.

I would like to keep him harnessed, but my husband and I are not on the same page here. I was hoping there was a cheaper option than the Frontier. My daughter had a Britax Regent he inherited, but it expired last June. It fit him well.

Size of seat isn't an issue. Price is my only obstacle at the moment.

 

wavegal

New member

• Jun 9, 2014

• #4

You could use the Harmony defender or the Evenflo Securekid which both become good highback boosters for when you feel comfortable.

 

Kel

Well-known member

• Jun 9, 2014

• #5

Is he your youngest? That might make a difference in what I would do.

 

ltpritch

New member

• Jun 9, 2014

• #6

Yes. Youngest child and we are done. Kids are 6 years apart so we have pretty much bought every car seat known to man multiple times hence my hubby not wanting to buy yet another. They have zero resale value in our area as well. Most kids are riding in the regular seat in our area before the legal age.

 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants

• Jun 9, 2014

• #7

The Graco Nautilus is a harnessed seat, a high-backed booster, and a backless booster. You can tell your husband it will be the last seat you need to buy for this child.

 

L

lgenne

New member

• Jun 9, 2014

• #8

Or if he's objecting to the price on harnessed seats, there's the Evenflo Sureride. It's actually a convertible, but it has the second tallest harness height on the market after the Frontier 90.

 

ltpritch

New member

• Jun 9, 2014

• #9

Doesn't the Nautilus have the same strap height as the Marathon 70?

What's the strap height on the Sureride?

I'm trying to find this stuff on my own, but I'm out of town for 6 weeks with only my phone for internet. I'm running low on data. Help a mama out please.

 

J

jjordan

Moderator

• Jun 9, 2014

• #10

ltpritch said:

Doesn't the Nautilus have the same strap height as the Marathon 70?

What's the strap height on the Sureride?

I'm trying to find this stuff on my own, but I'm out of town for 6 weeks with only my phone for internet. I'm running low on data. Help a mama out please.

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The nautilus is a little higher, about an inch or so. The marathon measures 17", nautilus about 18" IIRC, and Sureride around 19". But you also might be able to get more time out of the marathon by installing it more upright. (However it sounds like maybe the issue with the marathon is overall strap length...? In which case adjusting the installation might not help.)

Given that the straps on the marathon are at their max, I would be a touch concerned that the nautilus might be a little tight for him in the crotch area. Have him try it (installed in a car, harness on and tightened) before buying, if possible.

Being the youngest, if he is sufficiently motivated to act like a big kid and ride in a booster, he might be ready to do so safely at this point. Something like a [ame="http://www.amazon.com/RECARO-Performance-BOOSTER-Booster-Sapphire/dp/B00E6URANU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402369991&sr=8-1"]Recaro Performance Booster[/ame] has a lot of support and might be a good one to try.

 

Kel

Well-known member

• Jun 10, 2014

• #11

I would move him to booster if you think he's ready. Most my kids were ready at 5, not all kids are though.

 

ltpritch

New member

• Jun 10, 2014

• #12

When our Regent expired in my husband's car, we put a booster in since we rarely drive that car. He does very well in the booster. At first he unbuckled it, but he was only a new four year old. We talked about it and he quit. We have never gone a long distance in the booster though. We travel by interstate a good bit and a considerable distance. Maybe I should give him a trial run when we go home. If he doesn't do well, I'll still have the Marathon in my car to switch him back to. Thanks for all the seat suggestions. We don't have any stores that carry any of them, so I'll have to order.

What about the Britax Pioneer? I saw that one while looking on Amazon yesterday and saw it has a 19" strap height, but then I saw a bad review, but it was old. Just weighing all my options.

 

A

Athena

Well-known member

• Jun 10, 2014

• #13

ltpritch said:

What about the Britax Pioneer? I saw that one while looking on Amazon yesterday and saw it has a 19" strap height, but then I saw a bad review, but it was old. Just weighing all my options.

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The Pioneer is a stripped down version of the Frontier, but I do remember reading they were raising the harness height on it. Anyone know the details. If you like the Frontier, remember you can get some great deals online. We got ours from Amazon for about $210 last year for a just turned 5yo. A year later, our very tall kid is still on the second to top harness slot and she loves her seat! When I mentioned the option of a booster the other day, she had no interest.

 

ltpritch

New member

• Jun 10, 2014

• #14

Athena said:

The Pioneer is a stripped down version of the Frontier, but I do remember reading they were raising the harness height on it. Anyone know the details. If you like the Frontier, remember you can get some great deals online. We got ours from Amazon for about $210 last year for a just turned 5yo. A year later, our very tall kid is still on the second to top harness slot and she loves her seat! When I mentioned the option of a booster the other day, she had no interest.

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Good to know. It's currently $184 on Amazon. That makes it not a lot more than some of the boosters mentioned above.