Question First time booster purchase-so confused!

Z

Zoe'smom

Guest
There are just WAY too many options! DD is 4 1/2, weighs approx 43 lbs, not sure of her height, but at 4 yo checkup was told 90th percentile for height. Not sure the model of her current carseat (Century something)..it was her cousins...Her head is now right at the top. Def. need to get a bigger seat asap. Would like a seat that will prevent her head from flopping forward when sleeping. Not so worried about cost, but do want something easy to install. We currently have a Lexus SUV.
 
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wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
At 4.5 and 43 pounds she meets the minimum requirements for a booster, but just barely. A harness would probably be best for her. A combination seat, a harness that removes and the seat becomes a booster later. I'd probably look at the Graco Nautilus first. It's got a harness to 65 pounds or 18.5" top slots, then turns into a high back and then a no back booster to 100 pounds. It's a very easy seat to install.

The Britax Frontier would be my second choice. It's a lot harder to install in many cars, though. It has nearly the same height harness, but it goes to 80 pounds (most kids will outgrow both around 60 pounds), then goes to a very tall high back booster with no upper weight limit.

Check the date on the Century. It may very well be expired. Chances are it is. They were bought by Graco years ago, and so no Centurys have been made in five years. If it was her cousins it may be older than that, and they expire at six years. So you may need to get something before she rides in a car again, which may affect your selection since you may need to get what you can buy in the store. A BRU will have both the Nautilus and Frontier. They should be right next to one another.

Wendy
 

CTPDMom

Ambassador - CPS Technician
The safest for your dd would be a harnessed seat still. It can be a combination seat, one that can be used as a harness now and be converted to a booster later, but I would definitely recommend a harnessed seat for your dd now.

Two for you to start looking at would be the Graco Nautilus and the Britax Frontier. I'm sure others will chime in on how well either of those will install in your particular vehicle. Both are combination seats; they harness to a higher weight (65lb for the Nautilus, 80lbs for the Frontier) and both become high back boosters later, when the harness is outgrown. (The Nautilus also can become a no back booster.)

ETA: Wendy beat me to it! LOL What she said... ;`)
 

MommyBoha

New member
Also at 43lbs she is to heavy for the harness on the Century seat to, expired or not. Def dont take her anywhere until you can get a new seat.
 

Maedze

New member
Welcome to C-S.org!

I just want to touch on a few things. It's possible that your seat is expired because Century products have not been made since 2004. Seats expire, usually around 6 years after date of manufacture. As the plastic ages, it becomes brittle. This could cause the seat not to function properly. It could even let the harness rip right out of the seat in an accident.

This is a (short, less than 10 seconds) video showing what happens in a crash test to an expired Britax convertible.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvCRz7BRAM0"]YouTube - Car seat expiration[/ame]


Also, Century seats maxed out the harness weight at 40 lbs, so you don't want to drive again until you have a new seat :)


Secondly, while your daughter is definitely at the minimums for a booster (4 years and 40 pounds), it's a rare 4 year old who can ride maturely in a booster. Until she's able to sit still 100% of the time and isn't at risk of leaning over, she needs a harness (most kids can do this by around the sixth birthday).

A harnessed seat like the Graco Nautilus or the Britax Frontier would allow you to keep her harnessed for a few more years and then move to a booster.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Britax-Frontier-Booster-Seat-Rushmore/dp/B001NPD72Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1248797152&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: Britax Frontier Booster Car Seat Rushmore: Baby[/ame]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Graco-Nautilus-Car-Seat-Matrix/dp/B0011URFRE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1248797186&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat, Matrix: Baby[/ame]
 
Last edited:

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
Yes, as everyone else has written, she needs a new seat before she rides in a car again.

I agree with the recommendations of Nautilus and Frontier -- but I'd also like to emphasize that she cannot ride in the expired, outgrown Century even one more time, so if you cannot easily get the Nautilus or Frontier, or you want a few days to make up your mind, you can get a Graco Turbobooster pretty much anywhere. I would prefer to see her harnessed, or at least booster-trained before moving FT to a booster, but she'll be much safer in a Turbo than in her current seat.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
I just want to touch on a few things. Anything made by Century is expired, possibly for quite a while. Seats expire, usually around 6 years after date of manufacture. As the plastic ages, it becomes brittle. This could cause the seat not to function properly. It could even let the harness rip right out of the seat in an accident.

The last Century seats were made in 2004, and if they follow Graco's rule of December of the 6th year there are seats that may go until December 2010. Not ALL of Century seats are expired. But most of them are, and the chances are good that hers is. But "anything made by Century" is just false. http://carseat.org/Pictorial/3-Five- Point-np.pdf

Wendy
 

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