Almost 4 and outgrowing Wizard

[mstarr]

My son's shoulders are even with his harness adjusted all the way up in the Wizard so I'm going to need to adjust my seat combinations! He is 46 months and about 45 lbs.--the crotch strap is really tight too--do any kids really make it to 65 lbs in these seats?

He'll move to a Husky in my car for the majority of his time. So, now I need to put seats in my husband's and the grandparent's car too. We might just buck up and spend the money for a second Husky/Regent for my husband but there is NO way the Grandparents will properly install a Husky and it is too big to just leave in their car for the 99% of the time my son isn't in it. I have a hard time even getting them to buckle correctly (usually too loose) with the Wizard he is usually in, so here's the big question.

I'm wondering if he's safer in a good SI booster like the Bodyguard (since there are lockoffs), Parkway or Recaro (is it the Style that also has lockoffs?) where they may actually use it correctly--or at least they can't install it incorrectly. Or, should I take my chances that they can use the new Apex correctly for extended harnessing--it sounds like there is another inch or so on the Apex top slots. My only concern there is he is in the captains chair of an older minivan. It doesn't have any side curtains, etc. and the Apex reviews seem like it's pretty flimsy for a seat we'll use for 4 more years.

I've practically got a Britax store at my house (2 RAs, 1 MA, 1 Wizard and 1 Husky) as I've had to keep buying up as he's grown and I need to see if I can find something to make it the rest of the way without spending a ton in the EXTRA vehicles. I'm committed to keeping him harnessed as much and as long as possible so I can't believe I'm even posting this but I'm wondering if a SI booster may be safer based on real world/grandparent use. At least my younger daughter is more of an average size so she can use his hand me downs and move up to the larger Wizard to RF in, so she wins in this whole mess!

Any advice is appreciated as I know everyone here is committed to the highest safety standards.

 

[Unregistered]

We are getting a husky for my barely 3yo. He too is outgrowing his marathon(probably completely out by 4). So my answer is I can't see any child above the 50% average making it to 65lbs in these seats, and you are lucky if you have a below 50% kid who can last in it until they are 8(I envy them). My niece could easily last because she is shorter and thinner than her cousin. He has a long torso to begin with, which is probably our biggest problem, and he gets that from me.

It's ok though, my cousin needs a seat for her 3mo when she outgrows the snugride we gave her, so I'll be offering her the marathon as it has about 4 more years of use on it.

 

[scatterbunny]

Most kids outgrow most seats (not just the Marathon/Wizard) by height before weight. It's how carseats are currently designed, I'm afraid. The technical side of that is that raising top slots increases head excursion in testing.

My 4.5yo is 45.5 inches and 46 pounds and would probably last in a Marathon (never tried her in a Wizard) for another 9-12 months. She'll probably be 48-50 inches and 48-52 pounds at that time, based on her average growth (she's been in the 90th+ percentiles since 9 months old).

She rode in a Husky from about 2 years 8 months to about 4 years 3 months (we got a new vehicle without tether anchors and sold the Husky) and we loved it. She now rides in a Fisher Price Futura (top slots about the same as a Marathon), but we'll probably get a Regent (new Husky) eventually.

As long as the grandparents' minivan has a shoulderbelt in the captain's chair, I'd probably go with good booster, since you're worried about them installing/using a harnessed seat correctly. My first choice (if price is not object) would be the Recaro Start, for a variety of reasons. It's long life, it's solid construction, the fact that it has a shoulderbelt lockoff (very nice with older belts that you can't manually lock and wiggly kids not used to riding in a booster), and it is highly adjustable--widthwise and depthwise. I've seen them on sale lately for $199.

 

[Victorious4]

As a primary seat the Britax Husky/Regent is awesome (if you don't have top tether anchor, your dealer or a local child passenger safety technician might be able to instlal 1 for you) - my SD & DD both like their Husky a lot, but when they ride with my parents who have arthritis & nerve damage they have to use boosters (since my parents can't buckle the chest clip or tighten the harness properly) ... my parents like the Britax Parkway because they have Automatic Locking Retractor belts (read the vehicle manual) which allows the belt to stay locked in place, but without ALR belts the Recaro Start would be my only choice for a booster

 

[mstarr]

Recaro Start vs. Britax Bodyguard

Is there a reason why a Recaro Start would be better than a Britax Bodyguard? I know the Bodyguard is technically discontinued but there are quite a few out there and they can be had for less than $100 (and since this is my 6th seat, I am trying to be good). If there is a reason to spend the extra $100 on a Start instead of a Bodyguard, then I would do it but I've never actually seen a Start to know why it would be better. From downloading the manual, the lockoff seems a little more complicated than the Bodyguard but it may be easier in person than it seems--I've never seen one in a store here. Again, since usability is right up there with safety, I just want to make sure I don't get a hard to use booster either!

 

[Victorious4]

The Bodyguard only has lap belt lock-offs, but the Recaro has shoulder belt lock-offs (Of course all boosters must be used with lap/shoulder belts, NOT lap-only belts; just wanted to clarify in case my wording seemed confusing)

If the vehicle has Automatic Locking Retractor belts (check the manual) then the Bodyguard can be difficult to use.... If the belt can be locked at the retractor then the Bodyguard may also not be necessary - it's practically impossible for kids to buckle themselves into it!

The Recaro isn't really any more necessary than a Turbo or Parkway for example either if the vehicle has ALR belts, but if the vehicle has the kind of belts that can be locked at the latch plate or the vehicle is older than 1996 & the belts only lock in emergency (no manual locking mechanism) then the Recaro is a great idea for helping kiddos sit still properly

 

[j4m4d8]

If they buckle him in too loose in the Wizard, I would definitely go with the Parkway. It doesn't sound like he spends a lot of time in their vehicle anyway, and IMO he's better off properly restrained in the Parkway than improperly in one of the other seats. The Parkway is pretty grandparent friendly. If you were going to leave him for a weekend or go on a trip in their vehicle you could always move the Husky and install it for them.

 

[Victorious4]

Just had a thought - question, really.... Having never actually owned this Recaro booster mentioned, I'm not sure if the shoulder belt lock MUST be used at all times - if not & you can afford the cost it'd be a great investment, but if so then I'd go with the Parkway because I might worry that grandparents would forget to lock it

I also think cooperation is a huge thing, so since the Turbo & Parkway are pretty similar in design & pricing, I'd be inclined to have the garndparents & child involved in the final decision (armests or not, fabric choice, etc.)....