little help/advice

[mamamonkmee]

my DS#1 will be 5 on april 19th. he's between 35-40lbs he was 35 on our scale at home in just his boxers. he's tall and skinny. last time i measured him he was 42ish in tall.

he's in a evenflo big kid deluxe he was 45lbs when i bought it for him after his 4th birthday. he sits in it just fine. but has trouble buckling himself.

i dont mind keeping him in it. it's just we are borrowing SIL's van a 99 ford windstar and i'm having a c-section tomorrow. and i cant keep climbing in the back to help him bucke. he was in the middle row but we installed the infant seat last night in it and i had to move him.

So the way it's set up now is
middle row.
DS#2 30 months old and 30lbs rf in his radian xtsl behind driver
DS#3 nb will be in a evenflo embrace behind passanger

back row
ds#1 in his High back Booster. he's on the passanger side right now but can go on either as he's the only one back there.


DS#2 needs to stay in the middle as he cant climb into his seat yet. DH will be home for 2 weeks to help out then i'm on my own. We are hoping to get our own van soon the one we are looking at is a 06 dodge caravan with cloth seats. the ford we have has leather and no latch system.

should i leave DS#1 in his seat and just suck it up and buckle him or find a harnessed seat that will fit him height wise. $$ is a issue. no way can i shell out $200 for another Radian as much as i'd love to have all 3 in them. it just wont happen.
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[Shaunam]

How about an evenflo maestro? It's only about $75 and it goes to 50 lbs and has 18" top slots. It should fit him for a while. A little practice buckling and he'll be able to do it himself I'm sure. You'd just need to check to make sure the straps are tight (of course, you can generally just leave them tight).

I just saw you put 53" for his height though. That's extremely tall for a 5 year old. Did you mean 43". That's more average and consistent with his weight.

 

[carseatcoach]

Also double-checking measurements -- 53" and 35# is rather off the curve.

 

[mamamonkmee]

It might be 43 i'll measure him again when i pick him up at 12 from school. i think as much as he likes his big boy seat he would like the ease of a harness as he knows how to buckle those.

ETA- my post from DS I put that he was 47 in and that was in sept 09 but i'll measure him again. he was 45lbs but i know he's lost more of his baby fat he's all legs.

 

[carseatcoach]

There's a pretty big difference between 43" and 53", and I know I would be making completely different recommendations for each of those scenarios.

ETA: my just-turned-8yo is 51" and 60#. A 53" and 35# 4yo would be very noticeably tall and slender. Is that the case?

 

[TerisBoys]

If you were to take the middle row out for the time being, and move the rear bench forward, would they fit 3 across? Baby in the middle (snap seat into base), other two outboard so it's easier for you to buckle, at least while you're recovering from surgery.

Another option is to remove a captain's chair (if the van has them) and put 2 kids in back, and the baby in the middle row. You'd still have to climb in, but it's quite a bit easier than jockeying through a narrow opening to get to the third row.

 

[TerisBoys]

There's a pretty big difference between 43" and 53", and I know I would be making completely different recommendations for each of those scenarios.

ETA: my just-turned-8yo is 51" and 60#. A 53# and 35# 4yo would be very noticeably tall and slender. Is that the case?

Judging by the pic in her siggy, I'd say he's closer to 43" - that Big Kid is at close to the lowest setting.

 

[mamamonkmee]

it is on the lowest setting. sorry maybe the 53" was coming from trying to find a harnessed seat for him that being the tallest it fits. pregnancy brains here. i'll will check him as soon as we get home he gets outta school in an hour.

 

[carseatcoach]

If he fits in the Big Kid at the lowest setting and he is under 50#, you could look at the Evenflo Maestro.

 

[mamamonkmee]

That him in it in our car.

 

[carseatcoach]

That headrest is on the first setting? You need to raise it up: the belt guide needs to be above the child's shoulders.

He looks as if he would fit in a Maestro by height and weight.

 

[Maedze]

Do move the head rest up one click. I agree that he's not 53"....my 5.5 year old is 48" and he is off the charts tall for his age.

His build looks average for his height. If he really were 35 pounds at 53", he would be unhealthily, frighteningly underweight.

 

[mamamonkmee]

ok just measured him he's 42 in tall and 17in from shoulders to his butt.

my husband took the drivers side middle captins chair out and we are putting DS#1 and #2 in the back. i'm gonna keep him in the High back for now but i'd like to next month get him a harnessed seat just for added safety. i'd much rather him in a harnessed seat.

what would be a good seat for him $100 or so.

ill move his head rest up and take pictures

 

[firemomof3]

Evenflo Maestro or Graco Nautilus :thumbsup: