Good 5pt. harness for a tall almost 4 year old?

[anneke]

I will preface this by saying that we already own a Britax Frontier 85 and my daughter doesn't like it.

We are looking for another new seat, as my daughter is about to outgrow her Britax Roundabout at almost 40" and 34 lbs. She is tall and slender and VERY sensitive to uncomfortable carseats.

I am trying to figure out what is a reasonable seat for us to replace the roundabout with. I would like to keep her in a 5 pt. harness for as long as possible.

I drive a 1987 Volvo 240 wagon w/o latch or modern frivolities (or safety upgrades).

 

[todzwife]

What is it about the frontier that she finds uncomfortable? That would help
Us
Figure out a seat she might like.

 

[Jan06twinmom]

My other top 2 picks for a forward-facing seat would be the Graco Nautilus or the Evenflo Maestro. The Maestro only has a 50lb limit, but I think that will be fine for your DD since she is so slender. It should last until she is 6 or so, but you would need to buy a dedicated booster for her down the road. The Nautilus has a 65lb limit, but I don't think you'll need it. The Nautilus will last longer as a booster seat since it has the adjustable headrest, but I'm not sure how well it will fit your DD in booster mode.

If you don't like those seats and you want to consider a convertible car seat, I would look at the Radian and True Fit. In general, I think you are better off with a combination seat (Maestro, Nautilus, Frontier) if you don't need to use the seat in the rear-facing position.

Melanie

 

[armywife12]

She is outgrowing the 40lb Roundabout? Her torso is on the shorter side then. She'll have loads of room in either the Maestro or the Nautilus. I prefer the Maestro over the Nautilus but both are great seats that will last a long time

 

[mom2pjs]

My daughter didnt like the head excursion in the frontier or the nautilus. She got used to it after a few weeks but she hated the transition from boulevard to Nauti. I also have a maestro and I like it.

 

[anneke]

I believe her seated height from her bottom to shoulder is 14" and overall height is 39 1/4".

I think she doesn't like the Frontier because it is so upright/rigid compared to the Roundabout (which is more reclined). I can't get a good install reliably in my 1987 Volvo wagon, which is sad. On paper and on the web, it looks like it is the best bet for us.

I have been looking at the Graco Nautilus and was thinking that might be the one. I need something that is also pretty easy to install correctly, as grandparents will be having to do it some of the time.
I was also looking at the the Recaro ProSport, but it's pricey and the only vendor where I could look at one is 100 miles away.

I am concerned that she will outgrow another seat in height. Or that I will order another and have her not be comfortable (she has some sensory issues). We live in the country and are far away from a good variety of carseats.

 

[Keeanh]

With such a short torso, and her wanting a cushy reclined seat, would you be willing to use a convertible? Maybe a True Fit, or Complete Air? Or a Marathon / Roundabout 55?

I would test out the Maestro & Nautilus first, though, and see how she likes them.

 

[Brigala]

I think she doesn't like the Frontier because it is so upright/rigid compared to the Roundabout (which is more reclined).

Don't take this the wrong way, I just want to double-check to make sure you're not overlooking something obvious (which we all do from time to time). Do you have the "foot" on the Frontier rotated toward the front/reclined position? The Frontier is not usually a terribly upright seat when installed in harnessed mode, although it is in booster mode. If you have the foot in the booster position, it will sit more upright than it should. If you have it on the wrong setting, you might try her in it on the right setting instead.

If you want a really reclined seat, try a Graco My Ride. It isn't as tall as some of the other options and it won't convert to a booster, but she'll probably fit in it until she's old enough for a dedicated booster seat.

 

[Shancouchon]

You could order the Pro Sport from Diapers.com. Any time I have had to order a seat I get it on the next day (now I havent ordered one so close to Christmas before) AND the best part is if it doesnt work, you call them and they ship it back on their dime. I tried 4 seats before I found the right one.

 

[Baylor]

I own both a fr85 and a GN and the fr85 is reclined as much as the GN and yet while my child had some head slump in the GN he does not at all in the FR.

With the boot in the right position it is good and reclined.

ETA. I have a humongous almost 4 yr old.

auto-correct on the loose..

 

[T4K]

What about a classic Marathon from Target? It has higher top slots than the next gen Britax seats and definitely higher than the original RA. They also have the RA50 (same shell as classic MA). They are good prices and a Brick and mortar store. The Marathon has LATCH bars, lockoffs, and harness covers.

 

[henrietta]

I would probably try the Recaro Prosport.

But if you don't want to risk the return...check out the Learning Curve True Fit or the Diona Radian. They're gonna be soft, nice tall top slots, more leg support than a Britax, and sit lower on the seat. Both of my kids HATED the shoulder harness straps on the Complete Air (too close together). One of my kids is autistic, but highly functional. He does have sensory issues.

Another option that my kids love is the Evenflo Triumph Advance.

GL!

henrietta

 

[anneke]

Thank you ladies for all your feedback. The new Diono Radians look nice. I was thinking of the Radian RXT or r120 because of high height limit, as my kiddo is tall and skinny. Does anyone have experience with the ease of install of these versus the Recaro ProSport? I am trying to find something that even my in-laws and parents could install correctly.
And your favorite place to buy from online with a good return policy?

 

[bubbaray]

Can you please post pics of your Frontier install? Because IMO a properly installed FR is definitely not an upright seat. It is like a lazyboy chair.

The Radians are very upright when installed FFg. Much more so than a FR. The Maestro and Nautilus are also far more upright than the FR.

 

[anneke]

Here is our Roundabout installed, which she likes. It is installed in my Volvo.

Here is the FR 85 in our Honda Civic. It is installed securely, with the underpart flipped forward. I can NOT get a good install in my Volvo though, which is a big problem. I also can't get her to ride in the FR 85 in the Honda.

 

[anneke]

I tried to install the FR 85 again in my volvo wagon with no luck. I am using the short belt path with a lap shoulder belt. The spot where the buckle clicks in doesn't allow for tightening because it hits on the carseat. There is too much play in the seat. I think I might need to find a CPST in my area to help, though I am pretty sure they would have the same conclusions. Pretty frustrating. I would love for it to work.
Do you think it's unsafe for my dd to be riding in the roundabout if she is almost (1/2") from the height limit?
Thank you so much.

 

[Keeanh]

I tried to install the FR 85 again in my volvo wagon with no luck. I am using the short belt path with a lap shoulder belt. The spot where the buckle clicks in doesn't allow for tightening because it hits on the carseat. There is too much play in the seat. I think I might need to find a CPST in my area to help, though I am pretty sure they would have the same conclusions. Pretty frustrating. I would love for it to work.
Do you think it's unsafe for my dd to be riding in the roundabout if she is almost (1/2") from the height limit?
Thank you so much.

Where are her shoulders in relation to the slots where the harness straps come out? As long as her shoulders are under the harness slots, and her ears are under the top of the shell, and she's under the weight limit, she fits.

Can you twist the female buckle stalk down to get it away from the Frontier's belt path? You're allowed to do up to 3 complete turns of the buckle stalk.

ETA: Is the reason for short path to get more recline? Have you tried the long path in the Volvo? When you install the Frontier with the short path, there will very likely be a couple inches of space behind the seat at the seat bight. That's totally fine, and actually allows more of a recline than if it's flat on the seatback.

 

[mkmama]

I would second trying the TrueFit if you can't get the Frontier to work...I'd recommend the MyRide 65, but with that torso height, I'd be afraid she'd outgrow it sooner rather than later.

 

[anneke]

Where are her shoulders in relation to the slots where the harness straps come out? As long as her shoulders are under the harness slots, and her ears are under the top of the shell, and she's under the weight limit, she fits.

Can you twist the female buckle stalk down to get it away from the Frontier's belt path? You're allowed to do up to 3 complete turns of the buckle stalk.

ETA: Is the reason for short path to get more recline? Have you tried the long path in the Volvo? When you install the Frontier with the short path, there will very likely be a couple inches of space behind the seat at the seat bight. That's totally fine, and actually allows more of a recline than if it's flat on the seatback.

Her shoulders are below the where the straps come out by about a 1/2" and her ears are below the top of the shell. Is it the top of her ears or the bottom (out of curiosity)?

I tried twisting the female buckle stalk with no success- it's made of really stiff plastic material.

The short path install is because the vehicle belt is just barely too short for the long path install. I do a long path install in our honda civic with a good secure fit.

Thank you for the good questions. I feel like I am torn between getting the Recaro Prosport, which she might outgrow in height or the Diono R120, or possibly a Graco Nautilus or the new Graco Argos.

I am probably going to try to resell the FR85 because it is just taking up space in the hallway. What's a fair price to sell for? It hasn't been used very much, though it's not in perfect condition. It was bought early this year.