Needing new carseat..have ???????

First of all, is there a listing of seats and their "torso" measurements..by that I mean from the seat to the HIGHEST shoulder adjustment? My dd just turned 3 and is 39 3/4 inches tall, 33 lbs and her torso measures 13". Right now the seat she is in does NOT convert to a booster and she is at the last shoulder adjustment for the harness. I want to get a seat that gives her the MOST growing room and would like to get one that goes about 40lbs. I CANNOT afford the BRITAX right now. There are 2 I saw online that harness above 40lbs BUT I don't know what the highest strap on the seat measures. Cosco High Back Booster is one and the Safety 1st Deluxe High Back is another. Know anything about either of these?

Thanks
Debbie

Neither of those go above 40 pounds, and both have max top heights of 15''

Over 40 lbs non britax are Cosco Apex, Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe, Safeguard GO, Safeguard Child Seat (out of your reach though), and Sunshine Kids Radian.

At 33 pounds and 3 years, you could probably get by with a 40 pound combination seat. The best moderately priced one is the Evenflo Bolero/Generations. Not only is it great as a harnessed seat, but makes a good booster as well (most combination seats make poor boosters).

Here is a link (Broken link removed: website no longer exists) I am not sure if those seats are on here, but what about the Radian by Sunshine kids? It has a top harness of 18" and weight limit of 65lbs and I think it runs at about $180. There is also the evenflo chase, bolero and generations that convert to a booster but the harness height isn't as tall. What kind of car will you be using it in?

Yes, There is a site that does give you all the measurements. Not all the seats for sale are on there but a good majority are there.

(Broken link removed: website no longer exists)

For your situation I would personally look at the Safety 1st Apex 65. It harnesses to 65lbs in a 5pt harness. Has 17.5" top harness slots. It then converts to a booster. The only thing it must be installed in a seating position with tall seat backs or a headrest. It runs $130 at TRU or Wal-Mart. I know some have found it for $100.

ETA:
I like the Sunshine Kids Radian that the previous posts talked about but many have installation issues with it in some vehicles. The Safe Guard Go is a nice seat but it must to top tethered at all times and it's not the best seat to use as a primary seat.

We have a 1997 dodge grand caravan.....bench seats

About the Radian by Sunshine...does BRU carry this seat? I figure my daughter won't make it to 40lbs at least in the next year probably longer...her height though might be an issue...not really sure how much she is gonna grow heigh wise in the next year or two.

Thanks

Your dd probably won't reach 40 pounds before age 4, and as long as she is mature enough for a booster at 4 it's okay. Still, I don't discourage folks from extended harnessing, it's what we are choosing for our own child. However, as you've found, higher weight limit harnessed seats are few and far between, and somewhat pricey.

The only seats that harness above 40 pounds are:

Britax Marathon, Decathlon, Boulevard (rear-faces to 33 pounds, forward-faces to 65 pounds OR until the shoulders go over the 17 inch top slots, generally around age 5-6 and 45-55 pounds, has built-in lockoffs eliminating the need for metal locking clips with older vehicles/seatbelts, has a rear-facing top tether)

Britax Regent (forward-facing only, harnessed to 80 pounds, 21-22 inch top slots, usually outgrown around age 8-10)

Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe (rear-faces to 33 pounds, forward-faces to 55 pounds, 17 inch top slots, built by Britax and is almost the same as the Marathon, without the rear-facing tether and built-in lockoffs, will last to about age 5-6)

Sunshine Kids Radian (rear-faces to 33 pounds, forward-faces to 65 pounds, 18 inch top slots, rear-facing top tether, narrowest higher weight limit seat on the market but has installation issues with some vehicles)

Safety 1st/Cosco Apex (forward-facing only 22-65 pounds, 17.25 inch top slots, converts to a highback booster once the harness is outgrown, it's a very wide seat, only about an inch narrower than a Britax Regent, must be used with vehicle seatback or headrest at all times at least up to the tips of the child's ears)

SafeGuard child seat (harnesses to 65 pounds with 19 inch top slots, don't know much about it because it's $400 and I don't know many who can justify that cost for a forward-facing only seat that doesn't even convert to a booster and only harnesses to 65 pounds)

SafeGuard Go (more of a travel seat, IMO, must use a top tether at all times, top slot height of about 17 inches, harnesses to 60 pounds and then becomes a backless booster that can utilize LATCH)

You could also look at any of the 40 pound harnessed weight limit combination seats by Graco or Evenflo. Only Graco and Evenflo make combination seats with top slots of a decent height. The ones made by Cosco/Eddie Bauer/Safety 1st all have top slots measuring about 14.5 inches. Nowhere near high enough to get kids to 40 pounds before they get too tall for the harness.

Good 40 pound weight limit combo seats are the Graco Ultra and Platinum CarGo and the Evenflo Chase, Bolero and Generations. These will get your dd to 40 pounds harnessed and then convert to a booster. Only the Evenflo Bolero and Generations will work well as a long-term booster because only they adjust taller in booster mode, and they have open shoulderbelt guides so the shoulderbelt can slide freely.

If your vehicle has high seatbacks or headrests I'd go with an Apex because you are on a budget and want to be able to harness your dd past 40 pounds. Ideally though, I'd get a Sunshine Kids Radian (if you can try before you buy or order online through Target.com and return in-store if it doesn't fit) because it has the highest top slots of all the 65 pound weight limit seats and is a very high-quality seat (just has some installation issues in some vehicles). The Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe would also work well for your dd for quite some time, and is in the middle, price-wise, of the Apex and Radian. It sits up high on a base like most convertibles, so that may or may not be something you like. The Apex and Radian sit flat on the vehicle seat, more like a booster.

If you can afford it and really want to harness as long as possible, go for a Regent. It is big, but in my experience installation is a breeze in almost every vehicle, even small two-door cars.

Don't look too hard at "torso height." IME, that measurement doesn't correlate too well to actual fit, which is the important thing. If at all possible, try out the seats that have been recommended in person before you buy. If you can't try before you buy, then be sure to check the store's return policy, so you can take them back if they don't fit the child &/or the vehicle.

The Safety 1st Intera would also be a good option for you. It harnesses to 40 lbs and then turns into a booster. It has the highest harness slots I've ever seen on a 40 lb harnessed seat and the back can be adjusted to the right height for your child. The top slots are 16" high. You can find the Intera on sale online most of the time for $100. You can't use it if your car doesn't have headrests, though, so thats something to keep in mind.

The Intera wouldn't be the best choice here; it has the highest harness slots of any 40lb convertible on the market, but the slots on the Graco and Evenflo combination seats are higher. If you have headrests/high seatbacks (maybe not in a '97, my Intrepid doesn't), the Apex 65 available at Albee Baby for $99.99 is by far the most practical/cost effective option available. If you don't have high seatbacks/headrests, the Evenflo Generations/Bolero is a good option if you feel your child will really be ready for a booster at 4.

I don't have any experience with combination seats like the Generations/Bolero or Graco CarGo, so I didn't realize the harness slots were that much higher. Thanks for the info abacus2 (I'm always learning). I agree that the Apex 65 would be the best option. I'm just wondering: does the Generations make a better booster than the Graco CarGo? According to carseatdata.org, the Generations' top slots are 16.5" and the CarGo's are 17", but it looks to me like the belt guides on the CarGo would be a pain to use in booster mode. What are the belt guides like on the Generations (I can't seem to find a big enough picture of it to really see what they look like). I'm not in the market, just curious and wanting to learn. Thanks for the info!

The CarGo's shoulder belt positioners can cause slack, but if the seatbelt fits without them, then you don't have to use them.... Neither seat provides great side impact protection as a booster, but the Generations is generally considered a "better" booster because of the misuse issue with the CarGo's shoulder belt guids.

The Generations is a much better booster than the CarGo, not only because it has open belt guides but because it adjusts taller in booster mode (tall enough to get most kids to 4'9"; the CarGo has a fixed back like the cheaper Evenflo combos and like the Cosco highback booster).

Ah, thanks, Jenny -- I totally didn't know that!

blessedx5 said:

First of all, is there a listing of seats and their "torso" measurements..by that I mean from the seat to the HIGHEST shoulder adjustment? My dd just turned 3 and is 39 3/4 inches tall, 33 lbs and her torso measures 13". Right now the seat she is in does NOT convert to a booster and she is at the last shoulder adjustment for the harness. I want to get a seat that gives her the MOST growing room and would like to get one that goes about 40lbs.

Click to expand...

If you don't mind my asking, what car seat is she in right now?
When she's sitting in her seat, how much space is there between her shoulders and the strap slot?


Reason I ask is that she has a good 6-7lbs (depending on clothes weight) before she outgrows a 40lb car seat which I'm assuming you have already. And if she's below the slots more than a 1/4 an inch, it could take possibly a year for her to actually outgrow the seat by her torso. She can be below or even with the strap slots, just not higher.

If this is the case, you can relax and shop around at your leisure, there's no rush. In fact, there could be new carseats coming out in the early spring that would be more variety of choice for taller kids than currently what's available. After Christmas prices might also drop a little.

I thought my dd was going to outgrow her carseat last spring because she was less than an inch under her straps and growing FAST! I ended up purchasing something that I didn't need until perhaps next summer. Currently at 39months, she's a hair under 40" tall, 34lbs, & 15" or so inches in her torso. She's still happily fits her carseat. And since she's getting the hang of potty training, going from diapers to underwear will keep her even longer in it.

As for weight gain, kids don't seem to put on the pounds as fast as we think they do once they hit older toddlerhood. Avg seems to be 1-2lbs a year. My dd weighed about 33lbs at 24months and 34lbs at 36 months. And half of that one pound gain was put on in August.
hth

My dd was 33 pounds and 38 inches tall at 2.5 years old.

She was 38 pounds and about 41 inches tall at 3.5 years old.

She was 45-46 pounds and about 45 inches tall at 4.5 years old.

Now at 5.5 years old she's 52 pounds and 48 inches tall.

So her growth has stayed pretty steady, both height and weight. She grows 3-4 inches a year and gains 5-7 pounds a year so far.

Luckily her TORSO growth has slowed down, and she's growing more height in the legs. In 10 total inches of height growth only 2.5 of that has been in the torso.