Please tell me what to buy for 4 year old

abigaylebelle

Active member
I have a 4.5 year old who is going to need at least one new seat. She currently has a boulevard 70 which expires in a few months (this summer maybe?), and a combi coccoro that is almost outgrown by standing height and her shoulders are about 1/2" below the top.

Stats: 33lbs, almost 40", 14" torso.
Vehicles: Honda Pilot, Subaru Forester, occasionally in vw golf, older pilot, bmw 3 series sedan.

What seats should I consider? Harness or booster? Although dd is exceptionally well behaved and mature, I'm not sure about her size. On the other hand, I like the idea that dd could unbuckle a booster and get out of the car in case of an emergency (we live in a very hot place). She cannot unbuckle the crotch strap on any harnesses we've tried.

So please tell me what you would do. Thanks in advance!
 
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MelodyoftheForest

Active member
If you decide to harness, which I would at her weight, you could have her sit in some seats and see if she can work the buckles. Babies R Us, Buy Buy Baby, WalMart, Target, Sears, and Burlington are all places you may be able to sit her I seats.
 

cookie123

New member
Personally I'd harness her for another year at least. I've used the Evenflo Secure Kid and the Graco Nautilus as well as the Frontier. Of the 3 the Frontier will last the longest and is the most expensive. Between the Secure Kid and the Nautilus, I liked the Nautilus better. The Secure Kid has a continuous harness of which I am not a fan. The harness slots are close together and it's prone to harness tangling issues. I used the Sure Latch and it was easy to install. We used the Nautilus until outgrown and then used it as a high back booster. It worked well and at the time people were saying it worked best as a booster when the harness was outgrown. Then it also had a crotch strap that was very close in. I believe that it now has 2 so that's an improvement. The 80 lb version has a lock off. I liked the Nautilus and the kids could buckle themselves.
 

abigaylebelle

Active member
I could try dd in the Argos that my niece uses. It's purple and cute so dd will probably like it.

Has anyone tried the newer graco combination seats? Tranzitions/wayz?
 

happymom

New member
I had narrowed my combination seats to the Wayz/Tranzitions and the Harmony Defender. I ultimately went with the defender, I liked the install better and that the expiration was 10 years. Both are good options, and narrow =) The Nautilus is wider in comparison.
 

abigaylebelle

Active member
How is the padding on the harmony defender? Do your kids find it comfortable on long drives?

Also did we ever find out about latch in booster mode? I would like to have that as an option if possible.
 

happymom

New member
How is the padding on the harmony defender? Do your kids find it comfortable on long drives?

Also did we ever find out about latch in booster mode? I would like to have that as an option if possible.

I think they allow latch in booster mode, but I don't think they've added it to their manuals yet. The padding is good, my son has never complained - he loves the cup holder, the strap adjuster moves like butter! Overall, its a very nice seat for the price. I've only tried it out in booster mode, but it fits him really well (he's really tiny for his age).
 

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