Sorry if this has been asked before...

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marim123

New member

• Mar 10, 2009

• #1

Hi All,

I apologize in advance. I know there are a bunch of threads covering this...but hoping you can give a quick yes or no...

My son is 4 years old, about 41 inches tall, about 36 pounds. He's almost always in a Britax Boulevard, FF. We have an extra car seat that we use rarely and that's a Cosco Scenera. I didn't realize until after going through some posts here that he's outgrown the scenera because his shoulders now are above the top harness slot. So, I'd like to get him a new extra seat. Since it'll only be used rarely, I'd rather not spend too much money. I see some pretty good deals online for the Safety 1st Apex and the Safety 1st Signature/Biltmore. Do you think these are good choices for an extra car seat? It would likely be used about once a week, driving to and from preschool.

Thanks so much.

Best regards,
marim

 

Pixels

New member

• Mar 10, 2009

• #2

I've never seen either of those two seats recommended on here.

The Graco Nautilus would make a good seat. It harnesses FFing, then converts to a good high back booster, then a backless booster.

 

crunchierthanthou

New member

• Mar 10, 2009

• #3

pixels99 said:

I've never seen either of those two seats recommended on here.

The Graco Nautilus would make a good seat. It harnesses FFing, then converts to a good high back booster, then a backless booster.

Click to expand...

We used to recommend them all the time before the GN came out last year.

All the 65 lb Dorel combination seats are essentially the same. They just gave them several different names. The top slots aren't as high as the GN. They are really wide (on par with the Regent) and don't make the best boosters- nor do they convert to a backless. Also, they must have support from the vehicle seatback or headrest- at least to the child's eye level.

All in all, the Nautilus wins on pretty much all counts considering the most affordable GN covers aren't that much more than the Apex/clones.

 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member

• Mar 10, 2009

• #4

if you are seeing it for $79.99 , then yes, it is quite a bit cheaper...since the cheapest nauti is now $150? , so like half price.
Yes, it has lots of limitations, and yes, the nauti is far and away a much better seat on almost all counts...but...for half the price, it might be "good enough" for what the OP needs. If you can, get to a store and try your child in it, to see how much harness height you have left. BRU carries it usually, and some big lots have them. Essentially, it is a good seat as long as it is harnessed..as a booster,it is not the worst by far, but also not "great" on most kids. It IS also very wide, and thin kids get dwarfed in it, and of course, it takes up a serious portion of space in the vehicle. It does require that there be vehicle seat behind the childs head up to about the eyes..so in a position with headrests, high seat backs, captains charis, etc, they are good..on like a short bench or sedan seat, you might not get much use out of it at all, since the top of the seat itself is not reinforced and you MUST have that support behind the head.

Honestly,I'd have no qualms using one in a seating position with high seat back, with an appropriately sized child, in harnessed mode. Even in booster mode, a child big enough to have outgrown he harness is probably going to fit *okayish*. Also, by the time the harness is outgrown, iut is very possible the child wil be in a booster full-time,and you can just move his booster from car to car, etc. It just depends.

 

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romanoma

New member

• Mar 10, 2009

• #5

I consider once a week fairly frequent for an extra seat, but that's just MHO. I don't trust GM to reinstall seats unless absolutely necessary, so we have an extra set for her car that is used far less than that. If you have the money right now, I definitely recommend the Nautilus. If you plan on having more children ever, then the convertible can be used for younger ones and the nautilus will get used perhaps as a primary seat one day... :twocents:

Not sure of the top harness height, but I've seen the uptown/avenue recommended several times here for longer RF. Not sure if this would give more height than the scenera? But it is a similar price point...

You also might check the swap section here for a slightly used Nauti

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• Mar 10, 2009

• #6

The Uptown or Avenue gives a LOT more height than a Scenera. No extra weight, but like 3 inches more height, which gets most kids all the way to 40 lbs. or very close in it.

 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member

• Mar 10, 2009

• #7

ketchupqueen said:

The Uptown or Avenue gives a LOT more height than a Scenera. No extra weight, but like 3 inches more height, which gets most kids all the way to 40 lbs. or very close in it.

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you mean 1.5 inches? it's like 14.5 and 16. Granted, a substantial amount, a crucial amount one might even say. But not 3 inches?

 

christineka

New member

• Mar 10, 2009

• #8

The avenue/uptown also has very limited shoulder room. I think only a very thin kid would be comfy at the top harness position. Also, it is only 16 inches. I'd go with the apex for the secondary vehicle if there is a headrest/vehicle support. At half the cost of the nautilus it is a decent seat. Sure, the nautilus would be better, but sometimes funds are tight.

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• Mar 10, 2009

• #9

bobandjess99 said:

you mean 1.5 inches? it's like 14.5 and 16. Granted, a substantial amount, a crucial amount one might even say. But not 3 inches?

Click to expand...

Um, I got 14 inches on my Scenera and almost 17 (at least 16.75) on my Uptown. That's almost 3 inches.

 

christineka

New member

• Mar 10, 2009

• #10

ketchupqueen said:

Um, I got 14 inches on my Scenera and almost 17 (at least 16.75) on my Uptown. That's almost 3 inches.

Click to expand...

Be sure that you are checking the slots under the cover. My scenera cover's slots are slightly below the actual slots. The avenue's slits are above the actual slots. Also, compare top of the slots with top of the slots.

I get 15 inches at the top of the scenera's top slots and 16-16.25 at the top of the avenue's top slots. (This is the actual seat shell- not the covers.)

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• Mar 10, 2009

• #11

Hmmm. I did do it with the cover on but I checked for it. Perhaps the Uptown and Avenue are slightly different after all? Or it could be my measuring was just off that day (though I know my daughter is over 16 inch torso and still has a bit to grow in the Uptown, because I put her in it the other day.)

 

christineka

New member

• Mar 10, 2009

• #12

It is possible the uptown is different in the slot heights too. (I know it is different in other ways.) I've never seen one.

 

Thanksgiving_Twins_Mom

New member

• Mar 11, 2009

• #13

Is the seat going to be installed in one vehicle or will it have to be moved between a few different vehicles? Since the Apex has a few install issues (e.g. needing to be completely supported by the back of the vehicle seat) I'd be a bit reluctant for it to be my 'extra' seat if it was going to be moved around between a lot of different vehicles.

One other option - not as safe as a 5-pt but providing more protection than a belt-positioning booster - is the RideSafer Travel Vest www.ridesafer.net . It's a bit more complicated than a booster but easier to install than a 5 - pt (IMHO anyway), very portable and easy to move between different vehicles, and has no expiration date as long as it isn't involved in an accident.

 

Kat_Momof3

New member

• Mar 11, 2009

• #14

hands down, what I'd do is get the Nautilus and put the Britax in secondary status, since the Nautilus has more grow room.

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• Mar 11, 2009

• #15

The cheapest model of the Alpha Omega with the 17 inch top slot and the 50 lb weight limit is on clearance at BRU now for $109. It doesn't make a great booster, but the harness is comparable to the Apex and it's narrower (though the Apex does actually make a decent booster, unlike the AO, so for longer use out of a spare seat, it's an ok choice). If you can afford and like the Nautilus, though, it's a higher quality seat than the Coscos/Safety 1sts with a taller top harness slot.

 

canadiangie

New member

• Mar 11, 2009

• #16

Hi,

Going back to the original post, I'm just wondering where this child's shoulders are sitting in relation to the upper most harness position on his Boulevard? OP, can you slide the harness all the way up, and measure how much time your son has left?

If his shoulders are above the 15" top harness slots of his Scenera, there's a good chance that his shoulders are level with or even above the 16" top harness measurement on his Boulevard. You may in fact be in need of two new seats.

If that's the case, we can work around budget restraints. You'll just need to tell us your upper limit for each seat purcha$e.

 

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marim123

New member

• Mar 11, 2009

• #17

Hi Everyone,

Wow..great and quick replies. Thanks.

romanoma--you're right...if we were to have more kids, i'd want to invest in a better seat. but we're done. my 2 year old will be using the scenera as his "extra" seat if needed.

christineka--interesting point. my scenera's cover also has slots slightly lower than the actual slots on the car seat shell. my 4 year old is over the slots on the cover but just at the slots on the shell.

Thanksgiving_Twins_Mom--we have no plans to move the "extra" seat from car to car. It will be installed full-time in our 2004 Honda Odyssey. And considering the headrest issue and/or install concerns, we would rather move the Britax Boulevard from car to car if ever needed (like grandma's car).

canadiangie--my son is in school right now but my best guess (will check for sure when he comes home) is that he still has at least 2 inches in his boulevard. I just marked where his harness slot is now, knowing that it's above his shoulders when seated, and then measured a little over 2 inches when moving the harness all the way up. he'll most likely outgrow his boulevard by height before weight because even though he's small in height for his age, he's super skinny. my guess is that he'll likely need something new when he's around age 6.

Thanks again...

regards,
marim