best choice for a 3.5yo?

Good morning everyone,
A friend called me the other day with a question that I thought I would put to the group. Her husband was in an accident (rear-ended) and so she needs to replace her car seats that were in that car. She wanted to know what the best ones to get were. Money is not really a big deal (doesn't have to be the cheapest). She has pretty much used consumer reports before as her be-all-end-all resource, so I am hoping to get her some good advice from more knowledgeable people . Her situation:

Child one: 3.5yo, tall and very thin, 42" and about 36# I think (more sure about the height than the weight)

Child two: 17mo, very tiny girl, ~17# and not sure on height, but small

I told her that I am very happy with our Britax seats (a marathon and a boulevard), but was wondering if people had other ideas (especially for her older girl). I am not sure if she will go for the Regent. But she did mention that she just can't imagine putting her in a booster at this point. (I definitly supported her on that).

Anyway, just wondering if anyone has any advice?

Thanks so much and Happy December!
Kati

The Britax seats (Marathon/Boulevard/Decathlon) would work well for either child. The Radian is another possibility, especially for the older girl as it sits lower and works well for older kids. What kind of car does she have?

If they could get by without carseats in his car for a while, the new True Fit will be out in about 6 weeks. It will last longer than the Britax convertibles.
http://www.amazon.com/Compass-True-...ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1196528010&sr=8-4

However, often, with new seats, the release date is pushed back, so keep that in mind. If the seats in his car are for very occasional use, switching back and forth for a few months probably wouldn't be a big deal, but if the seats are used daily or very often, the seats need to be replaced right away, and in that case, if she is interested in the True Fit, she could get a Britax convertible for the 3.5 year old, and a Scenera for the baby, and when the True Fit is released, pass the Britax to the baby, get the True Fit for the 3YO and use the Scenera as a spare or donate it.

My only concern with getting a Britax convertible for the 3YO is that it might not last her much longer, depending on her torso height. My dd outgrew the Marathon a month or so after her 4th birthday, my ds will likely have until closer to his 5th birthday. The True fit will last about a year or longer than a Britax convertible.

The Radian is another choice, but many kids find it confining and uncomfortable, and it has some installation problems.

What about an Apex for the older one? It costs less then the Regent. Will 5-point to 65 pounds and then turns into a booster. Has good tall top slots. He has to have headrest/headsupport to use this seat though.

I would look at the Britax 65 pound seats, Radian, Evenflo Triumph Advance or Fisher Price Safe Voyager for the younger one. What do they ride in in the other car?

Stefanie

Their two cars are a Ford Explorer and a Honda Accord (the car that was in an accident). I think in the Explorer she has them in a Triumph 5 and a Summit High back booster (is that sort of like a seat that can then be converted into a booster? that is what she described to me when she bought it).

They don't ride in the Accord all the time, but she might also want to get nice new seats and use them as the primary and then move the older ones to the Accord. I am not sure about that one.

I will check out the Apex though, that might be a good option for her. . .

Thanks!

If money were no object and my child was forwardfacing, I would get the Safeguard Child Seat.

natysr said:

If money were no object and my child was forwardfacing, I would get the Safeguard Child Seat.

Click to expand...

I 2nd this.

you think this is a better choice than a regent?