Are these our only options?

Hi! I've been reading this board for about an hour looking for carseat information pertinent to my situation. Haven't found it exactly, but I like the tone and general information around here.

Stats: DD will be 5 in late March; 43 inches tall; 33 pounds
Vehicles: 2004 Toyota Camry; 1995 Toyota Corolla soon to be replaced by 2006 Toyota Prius...DD used to ride in my Corolla more but now it is about even and will continue to be about even between both cars. We have never swapped carseats and we harness. My dad moved closeby and has requested a carseat, too, for his older Ford Explorer (late 1990s maybe...no LATCH).

As far as I can tell, there are our only options for carseats:

1. Graco CarGo...We have the Ultra in the 04 Camry from late 2003/early 2004. We just purchased the Platinum yesterday, but I've been reading and wondering how long she'll fit in it. She likes both of them.

2. Britax Marathon, but DD hates this seat no matter what it looks like (tried out girly one yesterday) and always has. She cannot verbalize a reason why, which is baffling since she LOVED her RA.

3. Britax Husky/Regent...seems like overkill for her low weight and it is a large seat for our small cars. We need comfortable seating for 3 adults and her in a harnessed seat very often and for 4 adults and her in a harnessed seat sometimes. We also travel by plane once a year or so.

4. Cosco Apex...I've read mixed reviews, but am not sure how the seat applies to our DD and our vehicles.

5. Recaro Young Sport, but I know nothing about it and cannot locate one in person to try out.

We live in San Diego, so finding a retailer should not be this difficult. I went to BRU yesterday and they only had the MA and CarGo. We actually purchased the CarGo at Target, though. It seemed nicer, but it could be my imagination and DD's preference for the color.

Anyway, DD outgrew the RA before the new car arrived, so we had to do something quick. We got a snug fit in the center of my Corolla with the Platinum, but the backseat is useless now. For some reason, the Ultra will not fit snugly in the Corolla at all (belt path is too low for the female end of the vehicle seatbelts...it will not curve)...could be Ultra versus Platinum, but we suspect the two year difference in manufacturing time.

So, my questions:

Are the above carseats our only options for keeping our tall, lightweight DD harnessed until she weighs AT LEAST 40 pounds? This could be until she is 6-8 years old! She hasn't gained any weight in a year and YES, we feed her 5-6 meals a day and she EATS A LOT! LOL

Any experience with older Explorer's and the CarGo? Daddy and Grandpa have both been sick, so we haven't been able to try them out.

More importantly, though, which harnessed seats have the highest top slots and can be used harnessed for tall, lightweight children????

DD is already at the top slots in the CarGo. She has maybe a half-inch until her shoulders are at the strap in the top slot. Her head has much more room than that until it is out of the shell. Which is most important for this seat? Is it my imagination or does the extra padding in the Platinum (just purchased) make her sit higher (shoulders closer to strap) than in the older Ultra (late 2003/early 2004)?

Thank you for any guidance!
Karin

Karin,

Sounds like you have the same issue as I do with my ds he won't be 4 until March 1st and a month ago he was 42" tall and 36 1/4 lbs and I know he's grown in height already but not weight.......weighed him today at my doctors office and he's still 36 1/4 lbs. As of right now he's almost even with the top slots of the Graco ultra platinum cargo. In the Marathon I tried him in he could still use the second slot from the top and then would be moved to the top slot sometime in the very near future not sure how much taller he's going to grow and if it will be leg or torso. He used to be torso now it seems like it's his legs that are getting the growth.

I also tried him in the apex and he's already at the very top slot but I think someone said the very top slot should not be used with the harness.........booster only but maybe that has changed. So in my case it's not worth buying the apex and I sure didn't like how flimsy it seemed.

So it seems like my only choice if I want to save money and not invest in too many more seats I'd be better off going with another Britax Husky/Regent for dh's jeep grand cherokee and for our trips and such. Or just going ahead and buying the Recaro Start which is the dedicated booster for a child his age. But going with the Start I'm still not quite sure about it. But at least the start does have lock offs and has adjustments for the head, back, hip/bottom area and sits a bit higher off the seat so maybe a child may not be able to reach over and unbuckle the adult belt quite as easily as some boosters on the market.

Hope that helps some, Marlene

Hi Karin. So, what's your question? You seem to have a good handle on everything. You are correct that the extra padding in the Platinum CarGo does make the harness slots a bit lower, which is a big bummer. Some people have also been measuring the slots on the newer CarGos as being lower than the older ones as well, which is a bit weird since the molds for car seats are really expensive and I don't think manufacturers just go around changing their molds by 1/2" willy nilly. But that's my opinion.

If I were in your shoes, I would look at the Recaro Young Sport. It's got the highest top harness slots and becomes the best booster. You should be able to find it at a specialty baby store or a chain other than BRU, like USA Baby. It's a very nice seat, well made.

For grandpa's car, you might want to consider an Evenflo combo seat. If he has headrests in the back seat, the Generations or Bolero would be OK. If not, then look at the Chase/Traditions seat. The harness adjuster on that seat is on the harness strap, but the slots are higher than the CarGo. It shouldn't be too difficult to install a seat in an Explorer. I've always found the center lap-only belt to be one of the easiest installs.

what is the height on the harness slots on the recaro?

I don't think you would get as much use out of a marathon for her, but if you were planning on having another baby sometime soon then it wouldn't be a waste.

The husky has the heighest harness slots I could find, but I don't think I ever got a measurement on the recaro.

I don't have exact measurements for the top slots, but I do know they are a bit taller than the Marathon.

I did forget to mention one seat, the SafeGuard Child Seat. It's harnessed to 65 lbs. with harness slots comparable to the Husky, but the seat is less bulky. It has a 7 year warranty, but the downside is that it's $$$$. www.safeguardseat.com

I also tried him in the apex and he's already at the very top slot but I think someone said the very top slot should not be used with the harness.........booster only but maybe that has changed. So in my case it's not worth buying the apex and I sure didn't like how flimsy it seemed.>>

No, it's ok, you CAN use the top slots in the APEX, it's the Alpha Omega that you can't use the top headrest position/slots in. There does have to be a seatback or headrest behind the child's head at all times in the Apex (and Evenflo Generations/Bolero, as Heather noted). Yeah, the flimsiness is certainly not A Good Thing

Hope that helps!

AND the headrest has to be up to see the top slot on the Apex (there are 4 total) the first time I saw the seat in person, I could only find 3 slot positions. Also, it's basically (don't have exact measurements) the same size as the Husky/Regent.

my3girls said:

AND the headrest has to be up to see the top slot on the Apex (there are 4 total) the first time I saw the seat in person, I could only find 3 slot positions. Also, it's basically (don't have exact measurements) the same size as the Husky/Regent.

Click to expand...

I saw all 4 slots at least I'm pretty sure I did because I had it all the way up. And the Apex seemed much lighter to me as well as smaller in size width wise anyways. It was pretty easy to manuever off the shelf at BRU and to put in their seat bench they had there as well as strapping it in and all.

Marlene

The Apex is only one inch narrower than the Husky. It IS lighter, though.

For the original poster, I think a Recaro Young Sport would be your best bet, as well. It has the tallest top slots of the 40 pound weight limit combination seats and makes the best long-term booster later. I know Target online sells the Young Sport now, maybe call around and see if any brick-and-mortar stores have it?

I would also go with an Evenflo Bolero/Generations for grandpa's vehicle, as long as he has headrests. If not, go with a cheaper Evenflo combo seat like the Vision, Chase or Traditions. You'll only use the cheaper ones as harnessed seats, not in booster mode, most likely--they don't have open shoulderbelt guides and they don't adjust taller in booster mode.

Thanks!

Thank you all for your comments and advice. I searched online last night for the Recaro Young Sport (for B&M stores). Baby Depot (Burlington Coat Factory) seems to carry it, so I can take DD over there to try it out. I am unlikely to purchase there, though, because they do not allow returns (only exchanges). I found a USA Baby, also, but they have very strange hours. Once I fit DD for the seat to make sure that part works, then I can buy it wherever I can find it (online or in person). What I really want to do is test it out in our upcoming 2006 Prius, but that may prove to be impossible between our car not arriving yet and dealers not having them on the lots long enough...

I have a few more questions, if you don't mind:

~ How long can LATCH be used (weight-wise)?

~ Does anyone know if there are any carseat fit issues in 2004-2006 Prius (hatchback design)?

~ Can I return the Platinum CarGo to Target with the receipt within the 90 days if I have already installed it in my car? I still have the box and all the paperwork and parts.

Thanks again!
Karin

Lower LATCH anchors can be used to 40 or 48 pounds, depending on the vehicle (it will say in the manual). A tech can probably be a bit more specific to your vehicles if they look it up in their handy-dandy LATCH manual.

The top tether should continue being used beyond 40/48 pounds if the seat is a higher weight limit harnessed seat. Belt positioning boosters are not top-tethered (except the Recaro Start).

I only know two people who've owned/had carseats in a Prius, but they had nothing but good things to say--it's supposed to have a very large, flat backseat, very conducive to carseat installation.

I would return the Platinum CarGo to Target and tell them it was a bad fit (not exactly untrue--it fit your car, but not your child--she's too close to outgrowing it ). You've only had it for a day, right?

I think the Recaro Young Sport would also be your best choice ... the harness height is tall (17" or 19", can't remember now but can check tomorrow) & after the harness is outgrown it makes one heckuva booster The Husky/Regent is awesome -- would, of course, keep kiddo in the harness the longest, but not as friendly when uninstalling & reinstalling in various vehicles (it's not difficult, actually I have no trouble, but it's HEAVY) ... I would consider the CarGo only as a spare seat -- the harness height is nice, but it pales in comparison to the Sport used as a booster! I've successfully installed the Husky/Regent & Recaro Young Sport & CarGo in an Escape, Explorer, Prius, Caravan, Cherokee & more

Thanks again!

I appreciate all the information. THANK YOU!

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Radian. It goes to 65lbs and folds for travel.

If you want to go to Burlington Coat Factory I'd recommend calling beforehand to see if they have the Recaro in stock. A lot of times I'd go there to get a specific seat and it was nowhere to be found (popped up a few months later though).

Also, I live in San Diego too so if you ever need a tech to help you with your seats let me know and I'll point you in the right direction.

Michelle

I didn't recommend the Radian because she's almost 5 and only 33 pounds, and because the top slot height of the Radian is kind of up-in-the-air. I've had some people measure it and tell me it's only 16-16.25 inches to the top slots, and that's what Elite Car Seats says. But then I've seen photos of the same child in both the MA and Radian and the Radian's top slots seem taller.

This girl has not gained any weight in a year and is very tall, so I think something like the Young Sport is perfect for her. It will take her to 40 pounds (which likely won't happen until she's 7ish), and then it makes a fabulous booster.

If mom wants to keep her harnessed longer than 40 pounds/7 years old, I'd look at what's on the market then. JMO, of course.