recommend a HWH/booster, please

[My Sweet Blessings]

I am getting ready to get my DS a new seat in the next few weeks, but I haven't been inthe market for a while so I am not usre what all is available. He is turning 4 in about 6 weeks, average height, and weights about 35ish lbs. He is FF (as of about 3-4 months ago) in a MA, but I am about to pass the MA on to my almost 4 month old. So, what are my options other than a Frontier and a Nautilus? Frontier is out. We have one for my oldest and it does NOT install in my 3rd row, been there, done that, fought with it, gave up. So, suggestions?

 

[mama2girls]

I think your other option would be a Recaro Prosport. There's the Maestro too, but it doesn't adjust in height in booster mode.

Where is everyone sitting in the car? Is it an option to pass the Frontier down to your second son and buy your oldest a dedicated booster?

 

[My Sweet Blessings]

we have a grand caravan. middle row is oldest son in the frontier, harness mode. he is close to 7, but weighs only 38-39 lbs. I am not ready for him to be in a booster. Next to him is my youngest, almost 4 months old. third row outboard is my middle son that I am getting a new seat for.

 

[mama2girls]

I think your only two options would be a Nautilus and the Prosport. I might suggest a Nautilus, only because it's cheaper and I believe less finicky to install. Most Target stores have them on clearance right now, so you should be able to pick one up for a good price. Eventually you might be passing on the Frontier and buying a booster for your oldest, so a Nauti seems like a good option for using meanwhile, know what I mean?

 

[Dorothy]

There is a new combo seat at some Targets, isn't there? Euro-something...? Don't know anything about it, but it might be another option.

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[mylittlet]

What year is your caravan? We have a 2003 caravan and a frontier and it installs great in all locations.

I also ask because of tethers. Do you know where all your tethers are?

 

[Pixels]

There is a new combo seat at some Targets, isn't there? Euro-something...? Don't know anything about it, but it might be another option.

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The Trendz Eurosport has shown up in a few Targets, but it's not supposed to be out until August. We don't really know much about it yet.

 

[My Sweet Blessings]

It's a 2005. the middle row has 2 tether spots directly behind each seat. The third row has 1 tether point in the middle of the seat. DS1 in the frontier has the seat tethered to that seats designated spot. DS3 isn't tether because he's in a Graco safeseat right now. WHen he moves to the MA, he will be tethered to a bar under the front passenger's seat. DS2 in the 3rd row is currently untethered. I need to find a good spot to tether him. Having his seat in the middle of the 3rd row isn't something I want to do.

 

[My Sweet Blessings]

What year is your caravan? We have a 2003 caravan and a frontier and it installs great in all locations.

I also ask because of tethers. Do you know where all your tethers are?

I have the original frontier and the only way I can get it installed is with latch (middle row only). My seatbelts are way too short for either path option. I tried and tried. It's not getting installed with a seatbelt in that van

 

[Kat_Momof3]

that surprises me, since I have a Caravan and never had a problem doing long or short beltpath with the Regent, which was larger than the Frontier.

But what I'd probably do is get the Maestro, because he won't need it for too long... just another year or two and then you can put him in his brother's frontier and get the oldest a dedicated booster.

 

[mylittlet]

He has to be in the 3rd row middle to get a tether. The tether is on the lower back of the seat. Do you have stow-and-go or not? If you do you have LATCH in the 3rd row. If not you don't. Tethering is very important when ff.

I agree, look at the maestro. It will work until you are ready to hand down the frontier in a year or 2.

 

[Dorothy]

The Trendz Eurosport has shown up in a few Targets, but it's not supposed to be out until August. We don't really know much about it yet.

Yes. Thank you. I knew I had read about a sighting but no one here had reviewed it yet.

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[My Sweet Blessings]

He has to be in the 3rd row middle to get a tether. The tether is on the lower back of the seat. Do you have stow-and-go or not? If you do you have LATCH in the 3rd row. If not you don't. Tethering is very important when ff.

I agree, look at the maestro. It will work until you are ready to hand down the frontier in a year or 2.

I have no plans to hand down the Frontier. I plan to have my oldest in it for a long time and switch it to booster mode. I want to get my middle son something similar that can be harnessed for a couple of years and then go to booster mode.

No stow and go, just benches. No latch in the 3rd row. Where can I tether him to have him off to the side and not in the middle?

I might complete change everything in the van. I could put my 2 oldest FF in the middle row and the baby in the back. It would be a pain climbing all the way to the back to get my baby in, but it's doable. That way, everyone has a tether spot. Where would I tether the RF seat (Marathon) if it's in the 3rd row outboard???

 

[Carrie_R]

ETA: Somehow, I loaded an old version of this thread, so I missed the last few replies. Fixing what's already been addressed now...

The only spot to tether your 4yo is in the center of the 3rd row, so that's really where he needs to go. (The only other option would be to booster your 7yo outboard in the 3rd row and put your 4yo in the second row where there's a dedicated tether.) It's frustrating -- believe me, I know -- to know that sometimes the safe option is not the most convenient one. Moving the baby to the back would work, if you feel that that would be an easier option than putting your 4yo in the center of the third row.

(The Caravan isn't a vehicle where the tether is offset by use for either outboard or center, is it? I don't have my LATCH manual handy, but I know that's an option in some vans. I'll try to check later if no one else replies.)

I would say either a Nautilus or a Maestro, or a ProSport. The ProSport has some unusual rules/routings but as long as that doesn't bother you, I like mine a lot. The Maestro might be okay, if you plan to buy your 7yo a dedicated booster eventually and pass the Frontier to the 4yo when he needs it. The main reason I would do this is that getting a dedicated booster might provide a better fit on your 7yo than the Frontier, since he's so petite -- I often find I prefer the fit of dedicated boosters than combo seats.

 

[mylittlet]

There is no tether for outboard 3rd row. Sorry. We have the same tether situation as you. I only have 1 in a harnessed seat.

So your ff need to be in the 2nd row or middle of the 3rd so they can be tethered.

I personally would hand the frontier down and get the oldest a dedicated booster when he moves to a booster. I will probably use our frontier85 as a booster, but dd2 is our youngest and we are done. If I could though, I would buy another monterey for her. We LOVE the monterey.

Is your 3rd row a 50/50 bench or solid bench? Ours is a 50/50 and many boosters don't work because of the split.

 

[mylittlet]

Also, what's the date of manufacture on your MA? Will it expire before you are ready to turn the baby? If so my suggestions would change.

 

[My Sweet Blessings]

Not sure on the exp date of the MA. I want to say it has about 3 years life left, at least 2. I am planning to get rid of it in Feb/March, though, when tax returns come in. DS3 will be 4 months tomorrow and weighs 19 lbs. His MA only goes to 35 lbs, so I want to get something with 40 or 45 RF weight limit. That's a while nother topic LOL

the 3rd row is a solid bench, no split. the middle row is a 2-seater bench.

I can always get a dedicated booster later if the need arrises. It wouldn't hurt to toss the Frontier in DH's car since we have no carseats in there right now. Since my son is so small, I plan to keep him in the harness for a while

I'm thinking the easiest would be put my 2 FF kids in the middle row and put the baby in MA RF in the 3rd row outboard. Would I be able to RF tether him??? I just really need to have whoever is in the 3rd row be outboard if possible.

 

[mylittlet]

How much growing room does the 4y have in the MA? What about buying the convertible you want now and buying a combo for the 4y or a booster for the oldest at tax time.

Some convertibles (maybe the MA) would work ff for the 4y until tax time.

Your oldest might be ready for a booster then.

 

[ElfJewel]

If you are going to replace the MA, what about a convertible? You could get one now for your 4yo, and when the baby outgrows the MA or it expires you could pass the convertible to him, pass the Frontier to your DS and get your oldest a booster.

 

[My Sweet Blessings]

my almost 4 year old still has plenty of growing room left. It would get him way beyond tax times. I hadn't thought about leaving him in it until tax time and just getting the convertible for the baby. hmm.. no clue what convertible I want since I hadn't given it much time, thinking I wouldn't think about it until tax time. My brain was just thinking give baby the MA now and get 4 year old a HWH/booster.