difference between harnessed booster and convertable?

Unregistered · Jan 11, 2009

Hi All.

I need to buy my 2.5 year old a new seat for our second car. I was looking at the convertable seats... the EFTA or the Cosco Scenera.....but now I am thinking it makes more sense to buy a harnessed booster....ie the EF Chase. The convertable only go to 47lbs if you are lucky, but the harnessed boosters go to 100lbs...

Is there a reason why my 25lb 2.5 year old should not go to a 5point harnessed booster??

thanks
Kim

wendytthomas · Jan 11, 2009

You're in Canada? No seats here go to 47 pounds like they do there. However, the Chase goes to 40 or 48 pounds in Canada (not sure) and then to 100 as a booster. Not 100 in the harness.

At 25 pounds and 2.5 years old your child could still rear face in Canada. So for me that'd be a decider. If you're going to keep him forward facing, then I'd go with a higher weight combination seat (I believe the Nautilus has gone north?) with higher top slots so it'll last longer.

Wendy

ketchupqueen · Jan 11, 2009

Yep. There are now a few combination AND convertible seats in Canada that FF to 65 lbs.

In fact I think the True Fit is there and RF to 35, FF to 65 lbs., just like it does here. :thumbsup:

But if you're going to forward face, definitely look for one with a harness weight limit of 65 lbs. I think the Nautilus and Frontier are both there and both go to 65 lbs. now.

unityco · Jan 11, 2009

The previous posters have given good advice, I just wanted to confirm for you that the Frontier and Nautilus are now both available in Canada. :thumbsup:

Rear-facing your child is 4-5x safer, so if that's something you'd consider, definitely choose a convertible. The EFTA, True Fit, Radian and Marathon all have higher weight limits for their harness (47-65lbs) and have top slots as high or higher than the Chase. They will last you just as long or longer in the harness as the Chase will, and most (but not all) kids will outgrow the harness in height before they reach the weight limit (even 47lbs.) A convertible can also make a good choice if there are/will be younger siblings to pass on to. At that time you could buy a combination seat or booster-only seat for your older child (assuming s/he was old enough for a booster then, of course.)

If you won't consider RF, a combination seat is a fine choice. The Nautilus and Frontier will both make a better booster down the road than the Chase will, though. They will adjust taller as a high-back booster and generally provide a better seatbelt fit to the child.

And finally, the Chase's harness limit is 47lbs in Canada. :thumbsup:

Hope that helps!

Unregistered · Jan 11, 2009

Thanks...I didn't realize the harness did not got all the way up to 65lbs on Chase.

The issue we are having is that this is for our second car, and we dont have the budget for the more expensive seats. My DS and his younger sister are both in MA in our primary car. We have decided on a Scenera for the 12month old..RFing of course..as our 2nd car is a 2 door and it was the only model that we could slide her into. HOWEVER for the 2.5 year old..I am having a really tough time figuring this out.

We bought him a Scenera too..but he is already about 1.5 inches from the THS..so the life would be limited. ( how long for a kids torso to grow 1.5 inches//) or we could go for a convertable like the EFTA which give us 1 inch more on the THS and 7lbs more in weight.....but I started to consider the combinations thinking this would prevent us from having then to by a booster. Does anyone know what the expiry limits are on a combination?

Unregistered · Jan 11, 2009

I guess my 2 remaining questions are....

Which seats allow a 5 point harness the longest? Do any Booster only seats have a 5pt harness...

And how long is the expiry on combination seats and boosters?

thanks

unityco · Jan 11, 2009

This is Jewels' list of higher-weight seats in Canada. Generally, the higher the top slot, the longer the seat will last. It's hard to say how long any seat will last your child because of course, all kids are different. Many parents have been able to keep their kids harnessed in these seats 'til 5 or 6 years old, though.

Jewels said:
For booster combo seats in Canada that harness past 40lbs are:
*Britax Frontier (65lbs) (THS 18.25")
*Graco Cargo with upfront adjust(48lbs) makes a ok booster (17" THS)
*Graco Nautilus (65lbs) (THS 18.25 ")
*Evenflo Chase(16.8" THS)/Vision/Tradition (16" THS) (47lb limit) makes a ok booster
*Evenflo Bolero/Generations (47lb) makes a decent booster (Bolero is $120 at Walmart) (16.5" THS)
*Cosco Apex (65lb) makes a decent booster ~ (17" THS)

For Higher Weight seats:
*Britax Boulevard (65lbs) (THS 17")
*Britax Marathon (65lbs) (17" THS)
*Sunshine Kids Radian (65lbs) (18" THS)
*Evenflo EFTA (47lbs) (17" THS)
*Evenflo Titan (47lbs) (15.5" THS)
*Compass/First Years True Fit (65lbs) (18"THS)

THS=Top Harness Slots

As far as lifespan, I can't give you specifics off the top of my head, but the most common time frame is 6 years. The True Fit, Nautilus, Radian and Frontier all have longer lives than that. (I'm sure someone else will pop in with their specific lifespans.)

If you're looking for a budget seat, the Chase isn't a bad choice. There's also the Apex to consider.

Hope that helps!

mylittlet · Jan 11, 2009

Is the 2.5 year old rf or ff in the main car? If so I would use the scerna rf. Just teach him to crawl between the 2 seats. My guess is that they are both outboard. We had a 2 door sentra and escort with 2 rf. Our 1 year old could crawl into her seat. Other one was a newborn. Stefanie

Unregistered · Jan 12, 2009

Thanks for the advice...i decided on a Chase....then saw this in Jewels list

Evenflo Traditions/Chase/Vision ($125):
THS: 14.5-16" depending on the seat
forward facing only
for toddlers 20-47 lb use harness system
for children 40-80 lb., use as a booster seat with the vehicle's lap and shoulder belts
5-point harness with mid-belt adjuster
removable, washable head and body pillows
latch system included

The THS listing put me off as I assumed 14.5 referred to the chase. If I can get confirmation that the chase does have a THS of 16 or more as listed above, then that is our seat. Can someone confirm the THS for me?

featherhead · Jan 12, 2009

I'm pretty sure the Chase has a higher THS than the Scenera.

But the Apex is on sale right now at ToysRUs for $149. It has taller slots than the Chase, and makes a better booster.

mommycat · Jan 12, 2009

BUT you need to have support behind the APEX from a tall seatback or a vehicle headrest (up to at least the tops of the child's ears, I believe) so it doesn't work in all vehicles. Make sure the vehicle has headsupport provided by the vehicle seat.

Unregistered · Jan 12, 2009

Thanks I wish I could take advantage of the great US sales!

unityco · Jan 12, 2009

Unregistered said:
Thanks for the advice...i decided on a Chase....then saw this in Jewels list...

The THS listing put me off as I assumed 14.5 referred to the chase. If I can get confirmation that the chase does have a THS of 16 or more as listed above, then that is our seat. Can someone confirm the THS for me?

Hmm... that is a bit weird. I've not measured one myself, but I believe the Chase has a THS of at least 16". On Jewels' HWH list, she gave it a 16.8" THS. Obviously, there is a typo somewhere (and I think the 14.5" measurement is it - or she gave the range of slot heights on those seats from the lowest to the highest.)

featherhead · Jan 12, 2009

Unregistered said:
Thanks I wish I could take advantage of the great US sales!

The site I posted is the Canadian site with the Apex for $149. Not sure if that's what you were talking about or not. I know the US has seats quite a bit cheaper than here in Canada. But right now at TRU (Canada) they also have several other seats on sale through January. It's worth taking a look. If I only needed another seat right now, I'd be looking there too

Here's the link to the TRU Canada carseat page

difference between harnessed booster and convertable?

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