I have a fever and I'm overthinking things.

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
IF, if, if my daughter has outgrown the crotch strap on the Nautlluses (see Kat's thread), then what?

I'm already planning on getting her a booster. I wasn't quite ready to give up having at least one harnessed seat on hand -- but I don't think I can justify a $250 Frontier for a 7yo. (Unless they make it in CowMoo. Then it's perfectly justifiable.)
 
ADS
Monarch, Montery(think I mispelled that)?

I am at a total loss what to get Logan if this doesn't work. He has a FPSVD and a chase, but he doesnt' like either seat. I like the FPSVD the most. I will not get a frontier as I had one and hated it.
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
As I wrote, I'm already planning on getting a booster (Monterey).

I just don't know if I'm ready to have no harnessed seats on hand. I rarely transport littles, but it's been nice knowing that I could put a littler one in daughter's harness and give her a booster if I have to. We also have some long roadtrips planned and I wanted to be able to harness her for those. But I don't know if all that's worth $250 to me.
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
If I buy another harnessed seat, it will be a Frontier. I just don't know if I can justify another harnessed seat. Mamas of older kids, do you keep harnessed seats "just in case"?
 

Gypsy

Senior Community Member
If I buy another harnessed seat, it will be a Frontier. I just don't know if I can justify another harnessed seat. Mamas of older kids, do you keep harnessed seats "just in case"?

No.

Once dd went into a booster full time, it really was full time. She did fantastic in boosters from the very first ride and we never looked back to harnessed seats.

You could always buy an 86Y for the longer trips if you wished - it would be a LOT less than a Frontier.

I do admit that when dd outgrows her high backed boosters, I'll likely put her in ds's Frontier for long trips :)
 

Andie

New member
If I buy another harnessed seat, it will be a Frontier. I just don't know if I can justify another harnessed seat. Mamas of older kids, do you keep harnessed seats "just in case"?

Nope. I just sold my Nautilus to get him a Vivo in fact.

I don't regularly transport other children. If I do transport, it's almost always Scatterbunny's little girl, who comes with her own collection of boosters.
 

horsesitaly

Senior Community Member
If I ever take other people's kids, generally I take their car seat too, even if it is a piece of a junk (at least it will be a properly installed piece of junk....). Granted, with dd's Frontier I could put another smaller child in the harness and have her ride in one of our spare boosters (B510, or backless Turbo depending on how much breakfast she ate--she it teetering around 40 pounds). But I don't plan on keeping an unused harnessed seat around just in case. I guess it would be different I regularly watched someone else's harnessed child, but I expect the vast majority of her friends are already riding in boosters or seatbelts (and would be boosted in my car), and don't really know who I would transport that would be younger than her.
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
I am thinking more clearly this morning and I apologize for the panicked and feverish post. There is one small(ish) child whom I may have to transport regularly this summer, but I could get a booster for my daughter and a Chase for him and still come in way under the cost of a Frontier.

(He is 3, maybe 33#, and in a backless booster in his parents' van. I'm sure they'd let me use the backless, but that's not an option as far as I'm concerned.)
 

jillianrose

New member
How do you know if your child has outgrown the crotch strap??

As for boosters, I just bought a Monterey for my 7 year old and we both love it!
 

Pixels

New member
How do you know if your child has outgrown the crotch strap??

As for boosters, I just bought a Monterey for my 7 year old and we both love it!

The Nautilus has a rule that the strap must not be under the child. A lot of kids, even young ones, are over the strap in the farthest out position.

You should check your manual to see if your seat has a rule. Different seats have different rules about where the crotch strap should be. Some don't say anything at all.
 

BookMama

Senior Community Member
Again, I think it's worth noting that Graco has not yet clarified exactly what "on/over the crotch strap" means. Hopefully we'll get that clarification soon. :)
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
I agree, and I posted as much in the other thread (and apologized for a not clearly written or clearly thought out OP).

But it looks like my daughter has a bit of room left, which should allow me to comfortably transition her to full-time booster use -- and then I'll cross any other bridge when I come to it, like picking up a cheap Chase if I do need to transport a younger child this summer.
 

itzmeigh

New member
I guess I am a tiny touch lost...

You have a Nautilus. But your 7 year old seems to be just about to outgrow the harness. You want to get her a Monterey but you want a harnessed seat on hand for if/when you have other kids along. Is that right?

Wouldn't the outgrown harness on the Nautilus be a harnessed seat? And you already own it so no need to buy another one. Couldn't the little boy ride in that? I don't really care about color.

So if you already plan to buy a Monterey then you'd have the Monterey and the Nautilus...

I guess I'm not seeing where you need to buy another harnessed seat. Even if the Monterey was in one car and the Nautilus was in booster mode in another car couldn't you just "borrow it" on the days that you'd have both kids?

Or wouldn't it be TONS cheeper to just buy a Turbo booster for an extra? Then you'd have Montrery for your 7 year old. The Nautilis with a harness for the other child and an extra booster in the other car if your daughter needed 2 seats in 2 car at the same time.

Or have I missed something along the way?
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
Wouldn't the outgrown harness on the Nautilus be a harnessed seat? And you already own it so no need to buy another one. Couldn't the little boy ride in that? I don't really care about color.

The OP was predicated on returning the outgrown Nauti for a refund; however, as it turns out she hasn't outgrown it and I probably couldn't return it even if she had. I got caught up in the other thread and I apologize.
 

itzmeigh

New member
Oh ok. That clears it up a little. But even then couln't the Nautilus still work just fine for the 3 year old? Even if he was close to the crotch strap? (I'm sorry, but I'm not on that boat. I really can't see how there could really be an issue there.) Even if the 3 year old was a hair over the crotch strap, wouldn't it be safer then a no back booster in his parent's car? And if you (general you) felt it wasn't couldn't you require that they provide you with a proper seat or refuse to watch the child? Again, general you.
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
In general: I don't know if I could require that the parents provide anything more than the law requires -- I don't know if I could make them provide me with a "best practice" seat. Yes, I could refuse to watch the child (actually, it would be a carpool, not a babysitting job), but for me, in this instance, if I have to transport the child regularly, I would prefer to buy a Scenera or Chase or similar inexpensive seat.

Me specifically: since I won't be returning the Nauti, of course I'd use that.
 

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