At what point do you personally stop "upgrading"?

ZephyrBlue

New member
Upgrading seats to increase safety, I mean.

My oldest DD will be 8 in May; she's 45lbs fully clothed with shoes. I thought she had several months at least in the Nautilus (harnessed), so I bought that to replace her Regent (which she didn't like anymore). When I was looking at her sitting in the Nauti this morning on the way to school, I saw that her shoulders are just about at the top slots :eek:

I'm seriously considering buying a Frontier (if the top slots are indeed higher than the Nauti's) to keep her harnessed until she gets a bit heavier. The other option would be to buy the Monterey when it's available and have that be her primary seat. We use the Recaro Vivo Lite as a back-up. She does sit well in the booster probably 99% of the time now.

Am I crazy for thinking about buying another HWH seat to keep her harnessed longer? I know she's almost 8, but she's SO skinny. And I would pass the Frontier down to her 5yo, 31lb sister when the oldest outgrew it, harness-wise.

I'm curious- when do YOU stop upgrading seats for increased safety and take that step down to a booster?
 
ADS

mamaofthree

New member
I've been wondering the same thing! My 6.5 yo is 40 lbs clothed, and also a skinny little stick. She'd actually been in a TB for a while, and I just got a Nautilus to reharness her. She knows how to sit in a booster, but the main concern I started having was her slipping out the side or under the seatbelt in an accident. Not sure whether that would actually happen, but I don't want to find out. My dd is barely using the top slots in the Nautilus though, so she has a good two inches torso growth before I have to make another decision.

Kimberly

ETA: I really can't wait to see the Monterey IRL. There's speculation that it's built for kids on the thinner side right? If the base is narrow, and the shoulder wings can be pushed in to really "wrap" around the child, I think that would make me feel safe about boostering a skinny 8 yo, as long as they sit properly.
 

melniemi

New member
It almost looks like the frontier will have the same harness height as the nautilus - according to the info we have available now anyway. I'm having a similar dilemma - which I posted about in smc. Well, a dilemma anyway! Maybe a monterey or monarch would be a better option.
 

firemomof3

New member
I don't think your crazy, thats what I'd do! But, I wonder if the Frontier's shoulder straps are going to be higher than the Nautilus? They'd better be!!
 

Mama2J

Member
Well, I don't think I'll be upgrading anymore, since we have a seat in each car that should last quite a while. Even if something with a higher harness slot comes out, I think this is it for us. The next step will be a Monterey for a spare, and eventually it will go in my car for everyday use.
 

Minniemouse

Senior Community Member
Due to a car crash in December and another seat expiring last month, I had to purchase THREE seats in two months! We still have dd's (6yo, ~52lbs and ~47" tall) Turbobooster in dh's car, but we purchased a Nautilus for her replacing the Husky in my car.

Ds (28mo, 35" and 34lbs) needed two new seats and I went w/ a Nautilus for him in dh's car and his new Regent should be sitting on my front porch as I type...for my car.

I would have loved to wait it out for the Frontier, but we needed all three seats NOW. I told dh about how cool the Frontier sounds and he responded w/ a resounding NO!

So, I'll have to lust after it from afar!
 

ZephyrBlue

New member
Thanks for the responses.

One of my biggest issues is mommy-guilt; if she was in a booster and was injured in an accident, and still fit in a harnessed seat, how would I feel? I know for sure that I'd feel that I failed her- if a seat is available that she fits in, I feel that it's my responsibility as her parent to buy said seat and keep her in it. That's a tad bit irrational, I know. We won't buy another Regent, because she wasn't comfortable in it. (At first she loved it, but after awhile she said the straps were too close to her neck) So if a Regent has the highest slots, she'll most likely be in a booster sooner rather than later.

Then again, I might panic and buy another Regent and tell her she has to deal with it if she outgrows the Nauti soon and the Frontier isn't any taller. :eek:
 

Auntie2Avi

New member
Well unless a seat comes out with higher harness slots than the Regent there will be no more upgrades over here, unless the Frontier is higher than or equal to the Regent. I will be really sad when Avi will need to sit in a booster.
 

Synchro246

New member
Honestly, I'd probably stop upgrading at that point :twocents:
I think it sounds like your daughter would be very safe in a well fit BPB ;) If it makes you feel better go for something with really deep side wings for SIP.

:)
 

Morganthe

New member
I think it's somewhere when size:maturity ratio are equal to one another.

Such as your 45lb 8 year old daughter -- how tall is she? Is she proportioned enough and has a narrow enough booster for you to not be concerned about submarining? She has the maturity to sit properly in her seat and not unfasten the buckle, but does she fit it where you feel comfortable she's safe?

Avi's Auntie has the opposite situation. He's tall & weight proportioned enough to safely fit any booster on the market, but he's only 3 years old, IIRC. He might be mature, but he's still 3 years old and likely kind of unpredictable like 3 year olds are. (not meaning to insult at all). Depending on him to always sit properly, not fiddle with a seatbelt and the wonderful buckle is possibly too much to expect.
At 8 years old, there will be likely no question that he'll be ready and safe in a booster. It will be interesting to see if he still can fit the Regent.

So what I'm clumsily trying to say -- somewhere with size vs maturity is the answer. Hope that makes sense.

I can't answer it for you. I"m still digesting the concept that my 4 1/2 year old dd has to pull the Britax Parkway up about 2 inches to fit properly in the seat. I don't think I could handle it if she was in a booster all the time. Definitely by 8 years old, but not right now. It's too sudden. :eek:
 

Mama!

New member
I tend to agree that I would worry about the "what if's" of moving my tall/skinny dd to a booster if she still fit in a harnessed seat. She is super skinny and shows no sign of fattening up anytime soon.

She is 4.7 yrs old and weighed 35 lbs fully clothed the other day. :rolleyes:

I really do worry about submarining.
 

BookMama

Senior Community Member
I think we are done upgrading but then again, DS has a Regent so I don't think there is any further upgrading to be done. :D I am curious to see the Frontier when it comes out. DS is quite small - 45 lbs and 46" at 6Y11M - and leggy rather than long-torsoed, so I bet he would fit in the Frontier for a while, but I seriously doubt that I would sell the Regent to fund a Frontier. I'm pretty sure the Regent is his last harnessed seat.

However, I doubt that he's on his last booster. He rides in a Parkway (or sometimes FPSV booster) in our secondary car, and both will expire when he's 10.5. I don't know whether he'll fit in just a seat belt then. And of course, since he's leggy, there may come a point when we need to switch to a new booster for additional leg support or something like that.
 

niccig

New member
No more seats until DS outgrows his current ones. He has 4 seats, 5 counting the extra Como, I'm still waiting on Recaro to send me a return shipping label. He'll outgrow the Uptown in 12-18 months I'd say, but it's our spare/travel seat. He's got more time in the Blvd and the Como, but I'm thinking of giving the Blvd to SIL. DH loves the Como so that's in his car. I have a Safeguard in mine, so no need to update that one for quite some time. Sigh, I kind of want to try out all these other seats, but we're done...for now. As soon as the Uptown is outgrown, I'll be looking to see what else is out there for us to try.
 
Well, I think Michael(my 5 year old) is done with seats to a point. He has a regent. That should last him awhile...then go to a high back or low back(i am just going to do a simple one). We have a graco high back and low back, but i am sure by the time he is ready for it full-time it will be expired.

Now, Logan my 3 year old, just 30 pounder will be in at least one more seat. ;-)

Now...I do home daycare so I am in the process of thinking about getting a radian and nautilus. Not sure though yet. :)
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
My daughter is in Radians and I expect that she'll stay in them until she's about eight, at which point I expect that I will be comfortable with a good high-back booster (Monterey?). So unless there are new studies or a drastically new and improved concept -- and the Frontier doesn't count -- hits the market, I think booster and done.
 

TerisBoys

Well-known member
Josh is done with seats - 11yo, 89#, 5'2"-ish tall (I think he's grown recently - his jeans are too short again).

William - 8yo, 55#, 53" - I keep toying with getting a better booster - I just got him a FPSV, but I don't totally love it, and he's on the last height setting for the back. That said, I only have him 2 weekends a month and we rarely go anywhere. He has a High Rise for a backup in gramma's van.

Ryan - 5yo, 44#, 44" - He's got a Nauti. He's got a FP Futura for a backup until Oct.

I'm done with harnessed seats unless Ry's behavior/ability to sit hasn't improved by the time he outgrows the Nauti (I'm giving him 3 years - William JUST fits the top slots and they've always followed the same growth pattern). I might want/need another HBB, but what that is remains to be seen.
 

jen_nah

CPST Instructor
I have stopped upgrading for K1 at this point. She is in a Regent (nothing currently will harness longer) and once she outgrows it I will then move her to a booster. I feel by the time she outgrows the Regent (which is a long time from now) she will be fine in a booster. She is currently 6 1/2yrs old (48lbs & somewhere around 45"- sorry haven't measured her in a while).

K2 will be getting an upgrade in seats sometime this year for dh truck. She is still in a MA which expires next Feb. I am looking at the Frontier for dh truck but also considering the Nautilus too. After these seats no more upgrades for her until booster time.
 

ginny4

New member
other than boosters we are DONE! just got a Regent for her. she'll use it til her brother needs it & then he'll use til expired (he'll be 7.5yo when expired). my kids tend to run tall. my 9yo still fit it but i'm not interested in harnessing anylonger than the 7.5yo. i'd be happy til 6yo so it's a bonus any longer
 

houseofboys

New member
We are done except for boosters, too.

DS#1 is in a new HB Graco TurboBooster which will last him till he doesn't need a booster anymore.

DS#2 is in a GN which should keep him harnessed for a couple more years. I think at that time I will convert the GN to backless for DS#1 and give the TB to DS#2 (since I'm not sure how I feel about they weight of the GN as a HB booster.) Although I still have hopes that Graco will retroactively allow the GN to be LATCHed as a booster. ;)
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,655
Messages
2,196,895
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top