booster seat height/weight combination

U

Unregistered

Guest
My 4 year old daughter weighs 33 lbs and is 41" tall. She has outgrown her Britax Roundabout and we are trying to decide what to get next and are confused by the various weight recommendations for Boosters.

We were leaning towards the Recaro Young Sport so that she could be in the 5 point harness for a while and then convert it to the shoulder belt, but when I looked at the owners manual (as opposed to stuff on their website) it recommends not using the 5 point harness for kids over 40" tall.

Her shoulder height is 14" which according to the info on the Britax Monarch makes her tall enough for that seat, but on the Britax website they say its for 30+ lbs, but the owners manual recommends against it for kids under 40 lbs.

It seems like, despite her vigorous and healthy appitite she falls in between various recomendations.

Any suggestions/advice?

Thanks
 
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wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I wouldn't put a four year old in a booster full time, nor would I put a 33 pounder in a booster full time. My five year old is 33 pounds (or was, she was sick today so we may be knocking that back down to 31 or so) and she rides in a Wizard.

With a 14" torso how is your daughter outgrowing the Roundabout? Are her ears starting to go over the top of the shell? I don't expect many four year olds to fit in the Roundabout, but most of them have a torso long enough to be outgrowing the harness.

The Recaro is a great choice if you want it. I'd do it over the Monarch. But you have a whole slew of choices if you would prefer something else. You could get one of the bigger Britaxes (Marathon/Decathlon/Boulevard/Regent), a Radian, a Recaro convertible (Como/Signo), an Evenflo Triumph Advance, a Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe, an Apex 65, a Safeguard Child Seat. Those all have at least 17" top slots (versus the 15.5 of the Roundabout) and go to at least 50 pounds with the harness (except the Recaro Young Sport, that only goes to 40). They go in cost from $80 to $450.

Wendy
 

Dizzymomma

New member
I wouldn't put her in a booster full time either.

My daughter will be 5 in January. She is 34lbs with her jammies on and 40 3/4" tall.

My daughter fits well in her FPSVD.
I tried her in a EFTA and it looks like she would have a while to grow in there.

I would think your daughter would have a long time in the Britax Regent as well.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Feel free to ignore the 40 inch height limit on the Young Sport, it's really only a guideline (the government makes them make up numbers...other seats with slots that tall have height limits as high as 51 inches...they are just trying to guess a good average height of child). The slots are a couple inches taller than the Roundabout, so it should harness her at least another year or two before she's 40 pounds, then it makes an excellent booster with great side impact protection (and it can be top tethered in booster mode, which may really add to the side impact protection further)
 
A

astr

Guest
Thanks for a advice. Two quick questions.

First, I noticed both of you used the term "full time" What do you mean by this? Are there conditions/lengths of trips that you would think a booster is ok? (e.g., not "full time")

Second, if I go with the Recaro Young Sport, how seriously should I take their advice about 40" as the maximum for using it with the harness (since my daughter is below 40 lbs but 41" tall)? Could I get away with using the harness for a while longer as her weight fills in and then convert it to the booster mode, or would I be in a situation where if I get it I have to go right away to the booster mode?

Thanks
 

scatterbunny

New member
You'd definitely be able to use the Young Sport in harnessed mode all the way to 40 pounds. :) Height limits are not set in stone the way weight limits are. Height limits, by federal law, must be placed on carseats, but really, since all kids are built differently, overall height matters very little in how a child fits seat. What it all comes down to is sitting height, or torso height. If a child's torso is small enough to still fit (i.e. shoulders are not over the top slots and tips of the ears are not over the top of the seat shell), and the child is still below the harnessed weight limit, the child can continue using the seat even if the overall height limit is exceeded. :)

The Young Sport has very tall top slots and with a 14 inch torso, she should fit for quite some time. She may even still fit the Roundabout with that torso measurement. If her shoulders are not over the top slots then she does technically still fit.

The Young Sport is a fabulous seat for lightweight kids, though. It makes a good harnessed seat and a good booster, and it's really hard to find good combination seats like that.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
What Jenny said. :)

As for "full time," my daughter rides occasionally in her booster. I think the longest ride has been 45 minutes. I wouldn't put her in it full time, she's only 33 pounds. But for short, occasional trips when it's easier (for instance that 45 minutes was when I was recovering from knee surgery and couldn't drive and a friend took her to her house to spend the night) I'll allow the booster. It's more of a novelty and she's more likely to be able to stay in position for the entire ride if the rides are infrequent and short. We also lock the belt on her, but she's safer in a five point harness, so that's where she stays most of the time. She's a very safety conscious kid, but I don't want to put her in charge of her safety yet. All that's between a buckled kid and an unbuckled kid in a booster is one easy click. That's it. So until a kid realizes the consequences of playing with that one red button just once, no booster. They're less likely to realize it on short rides when they're not used to it.

Wendy
 

scatterbunny

New member
I forgot to address the part-time/full-time booster use thing. :p

My daughter was/is large for her age and was 40 pounds at 3.5 years old. She started using a booster part-time (and by part-time, I mean 15 minutes or less in her dad's truck to the store and back) mainly because his vehicle was incompatible with the higher weight limit harnessed seat we had, and a few years ago there weren't many options for harnessing beyond 40 pounds. Most 3yos are definitely not mature enough to use a booster, even part-time, and I strongly discourage it unless absolutely necessary. Even many 4yos are not mature enough to sit still at all times, which is essential for the booster to do its job. That's why we recommend age 5-6 as a minimum for full-time booster use, and using a booster part-time before that is "iffy", depending on the child's maturity.

Many kids can stay in position using a lap/shoulderbelt and booster for shorter trips, but longer trips pose issues because they forget to sit still, want to look out the back window, want to lean for items in the car. Sometimes they still sleep in the car, and end up slumping out of position. All of those issues are non-issues with a harnessed seat. Harnessed seats also protect better by holding the body in place better during side impacts and rollovers. These types of crashes are not as common as frontal crashes, but they tend to be more deadly.

So, in my rambling fashion :p , I'm saying that at age 4 your child is "borderline" to use a booster part-time, but at her weight and borderline age I'd strongly recommend keeping her harnessed.

Does she ride in other vehicles often?
 
A

astr

Guest
We live in the city and walk and take the bus a lot so my daughter tends not to do many longer trips. Mostly 5 to 10 minute ones, occasionally a 20 or 30 minute trip, once every few months a 45 minute trip. In general she is quite mature for her age.

That's why I asked about "full time." Given the short trips there is something tempting about the ease of a booster such as the Britax Monarch.

That being said, I'm just about sold on going with a Recaro Young Sport.
 

scatterbunny

New member
It sounds like you won't need to worry about harnessing beyond 40 pounds, or about spare seats for secondary vehicles, but I would encourage you to go for that Young Sport instead of a booster at this point. :) She'll fit in the Young Sport, harnessed, for quite awhile and then it does make a fabulous booster. Many of us have contemplated buying a Young Sport just for the booster mode. :p
 

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