Booster Seat Recommendations

[raychie33]

My DD is turning 4 in a couple of weeks and I would like to switch her over to a booster. She is 30 lb and on the taller side for her age. She is switching over from the Britax MA and is constantly complaining she is uncomfortable in that which is why I would like to switch her over.
TIA!

 

[lovinwaves]

Just wanting to clarify...are you wanting a seat that uses a seatbelt to restrain the child (which is called a booster), or a seat that uses a harness, and may or may not turn into a 'booster.'

 

[raychie33]

I am assuming that the one with the harness is safer for a child her age- Is that correct? If so, that is what I want.

 

[tweetykl]

Yes, a harness is much safer for a child her age. There are many harnessed boosters out on the market now. Britax has the Frontier and Graco has the Nautilus. There are many people who like either one.

Some techs on the site can point you in the right direction.

 

[swtgi1982]

Yes you are correct the harness is safer until she is 40lbs or more. I would look into the new frontier 85 if she is on the taller side this would be a good choice to keep her harnessed for quite a while longer.

 

[raychie33]

Will it be more comfortable for her than her carseat?
Also, Wow, I just checked the price on the Frontier 85 and it is really high! Is there anything good for under $100?

 

[littleangelfire]

Evenflo Maestro would be the cheapest solution - at $80. Good harnessed seat, but once she outgrows the harness, it won't last as a booster for very long. So you'd be buying another booster at some point.

Graco Nautilus would be perfect - $150 or less. GREAT harnessed seat, easy to install and use. Then becomes a terrific booster that should last a long time. And becomes a backless booster as well.

Britax Frontier is on the pricier side, and they just updated it to be the new Frontier85. Will harness longer than any other seat, and then is the tallest booster currently available. Big heavy bulky seat, but has some great features, like the no rethread harness. The original Frontier can be a pain to install, but that has supposedly been made better with the Frontier85.


Since car seats don't actually receive ratings - just pass/fail, any of those would be equally safe as long as they fit your child, your car, and will be used correctly 100% of the time. If its hard for you to use, you won't use it right and then it can't do its job.

 

[Pixels]

Do you know why the Marathon is uncomfortable? Where are her shoulders in relation to the top slots?

 

[littleangelfire]

Will it be more comfortable for her than her carseat?
Also, Wow, I just checked the price on the Frontier 85 and it is really high! Is there anything good for under $100?

The price on the Frontier IS pretty high - there are some advantages, though: it has a 9 year expiration - others have 6 year expiration dates. And it harnesses longer and boosters longer. But that is likely unneeded for your petite kiddo. In my case with my son who was almost 40lbs at 3 years old, and very tall - it was the only seat I knew would keep him in a booster long enough after he turned 5.

The Evenflo Maestro is pretty much it in the under $100 range, but take into account that you'll need to buy another booster at some point, which will be another $30-$50 at that point.

The Graco Nautilus would work great - and yes, it should be more comfy than the Marathon (MA). It is wider and sits lower on the seat.

Also, it is important that she stay harnessed until she is mature enough to be in a booster. Some kids can do that at around 5 years, almost all kids can do it around 6 years.

 

[raychie33]

She just cant seem to get herself comfortable. She has to constantly wiggle to get herself comfortable which is hard to do when she is strapped. I will have to double check tomorrow but her shoulders reach the highest slots or maybe a bit above.

 

[lovinwaves]

She just cant seem to get herself comfortable. She has to constantly wiggle to get herself comfortable which is hard to do when she is strapped. I will have to double check tomorrow but her shoulders reach the highest slots or maybe a bit above.

Do you think she can vocalize to you exactly where she is uncomfortable?

If her shoulders are over the top slots, she is no longer safe in that seat. Do you have local Babies R Us to try out some seats tomorrow if that is the case?

 

[Pixels]

If her shoulders are above the top slots, the seat is outgrown and really shouldn't be used again.

The Maestro will get you another couple inches of growth, but she may need the higher slots of the Nautilus. I think it can be found for not too much more than $100.

 

[MandiRN]

We just moved my 4 year old (40.25" tall, 38 lbs) into a Nautilus and she LOVES it. It is well worth the money!!

 

[midwestmeg]

Another Nautilus lover here! My dd outgrew her MA by age 4.5 (and had some claustrophobia issues ) and we have loved the Nauti.

Since you'll already be spending more than $100, what about going for broke and getting the Nauti Elite?!! I heard it has the lock-offs like the Marathon and cushier foam. I really love the plush features of Britax seats, that was hard to give up to go to the Graco Nauti.

And someone correct me if I'm wrong about that info!

 

[raychie33]

Is the Elite worth the extra $50? It makes it almost $200!
I checked DD this morning and she comes up until about an inch below the highest harness slot so technically she still fits in the MA

 

[Pixels]

The Elite adds width-adjustable headwings and a lockoff. That's it. Only you can decide if that's worth $50 to you.

Glad to hear that she still fits the Marathon.

 

[joolsplus3]

A lot of kids seem to need more leg/foot support at this age in that seat... does she know how to (or can she, even, depending on your car?) rest her heels up on the vehicle seat?
I was looking for an accessory someone used to sell, it was basically a strap with a section of pool noodle... you put the strap through the rearfacing belt path, so it's not interfering with the harness or installation at all, and then the noodle is like a footrest. Can't find it anymore, but I know some people have made their own (the strap is like 2 bucks from the walmart camping section, a sleeping bag strap).
Of course the Nautilus or Frontier are great, lots more harnessing room in those, but if you could find a way for her to be comfy in her MA, it would probably fit her another year or so before her shoulders go above the top slots.

 

[raychie33]

Would anything from Recaro work?

 

[Mommy2Marcus]

I would skip the Recaro seats. They do not tend to be comfortable for older children b/c the shoulder area is VERY narrow from what I understand.

Can you measure her torso? The way to do this is to have her sit with her back flat against the wall with her tushy as close as you can get it, then have her cross her legs criss cross apple sauce style. Then take a pencil & make a small mark where her shoulder hits. Then measure from the floor to the top of the pencil mark. This will give her torso height.

I would look into the Meastro or the Nautilus. I personally own a Nautilus Elite for my petite 3 1/2 year old son. It fits him GREAT! I got the Elite b/c I liked the cover better on it, liked the fact that it had the adjustable head wings & the lock-offs. However I would have been fine with a regular Nautilus had I not been about to get the Elite for about the same as the regular. I have been VERY happy with our Nautilus. Here is a picture of my son in his.

I personally found it worth it to spend a little more money on the Nautilus over something else b/c it will be the last seat my son will need for my car. He is 3 1/2, so he will be 9 1/2 when the harness & high back booster portion expires on it & 12 1/2 when the backless booster portion expires on it. So no need to buy him another booster when the time comes after he has outgrown the harness.

Also if you have no need for the Marathon after you get the Nautilus, then you could sell it to help make some of the money back. Just make sure to check the date of manufactor (DOM) on it to make sure it still has life left if it is older as it expired 6 years from the DOM. This way you would not be out all the money you spent on it.

 

[Carrie_R]

Is the Elite worth the extra $50? It makes it almost $200!

Other PPs have listed the differences. I had a Nautilus and crashed it; when I went to get a replacement my options were the pink Nauti or the brown Nauti Elite and since it was for a boy, we went with the Elite. I had a coupon and reimbursement money, so the price wasn't an issue, but for me it would not have been worth the extra money.

There is not (at least in mine; Mommy2Marcus what about yours?) extra comfort foam in the bottom part. The cover is a touch plusher, and I'm not sure that the adjustable headwings actually do anything of use for me. The lockoffs could be great, if you need them; I'm totally used to installing without them so although I'm coming around to their usefulness, I honestly could care less.

Because you're moving from a Britax, if you're used to or use your lockoffs a lot, then the Elite might be worth it. Otherwise, IMO, eh.

So if you can afford it, yes, go for a Nautilus (I mine, rebought it even though in hindsight it may not have been the best choice lol,) but an Elite only if the lockoffs have value... otherwise the Maestro sounds like a good plan. You'll get a few more inches and a lot more pounds. As petite as your daughter is, that should do the trick until she's ready for a booster.