Seat for nearly 5 year old (harness vs. booster?)

[aguafresca]

I just realized that my DD has outgrown the seat she is in when she rides in my husband's car. She is going to be 5 years old in a few weeks and is big for her age - she's 53 lbs. and wears a size 6 pants and 7/8 shirt. In my car she is FF in a Radian and has plenty of room still to go in that. She'll remain harnessed in the Radian for quite a while still in my car b/c we have 3-across and I know being harnessed makes it easier.

But, in my husband's car, a 2001 Toyota Corolla, she's FF in a TrueFit Premiere and her shoulders are just even with the top slot and her head is just over the top of the shell. (The picture on the side of the seat shows a line for "max height" right at the top of the shell for FF). Generally, she's only in that car maybe once/month for a short trip, but starting next week she'll be in Kindergarten and he'll be taking her to school a couple times/week. The majority of time she'll be in my car still.

So, my question is - Do we buy a new seat to keep her harnessed longer in the Corolla, or is it okay to switch her to a HBB? I'm not doing 3-across in there so the width of the seat doesn't matter. We do have two younger kids, so getting her another harnessed seat that could be eventually passed down would be fine. She is generally very compliant and listens well, so for short trips (especially if she's the only kid in the back like she would usually be in my husband's car), I think she would sit well in a booster, but we haven't ever tried to know.

Also, which seats should I consider for her? Right now I'm thinking a Frontier 90 or SecureKid for being harnessed. I just barely started reading about HBB, so if we go with just a booster, I see the Parkway SGL being recommended a lot. I'm not worried about price. I like the idea of a booster being latched so it doesn't fly around when unoccupied.

One thought: I could get another Radian for her to keep her harnessed longer in the Toyota until she's 5.5 or closer to 6, and then use that Radian for the baby in the Subaru RF if I can manage to get it to work in there when she outgrows her Keyfit. At that point, I would get my kindergartener a HBB for the Toyota. I feel like she is in a gray area between harness and booster land right now. Help!

 

[brightredmtn]

I would get a combination seat that will be a forward facing harness and then can turn into a booster. The Frontier 90 is a great choice and I really like the Graco Nautilus too. This way you'll have the peace of mind to harness for a bit longer but you'll have a good seat to grow with.

 

[cookie123]

I got a Nautilus for Brett when he was 5 as he was deemed too immature for a booster seat. He remained harnessed until 7 in it at which point the harness was outgrown. He then used it as a high back booster for a long time. He's 9 now and just went to a backless booster this spring. (Not the Nautilus). I really liked it as a high back booster because it seemed more protective than some high back boosters and kept him in place.

Another thought - it was difficult for him to buckle himself up in a booster, but the harness was not an issue.

The Nautilus worked fine for us. There's a new model with Safe Surround. The Frontier 90 is nice or the Frontier 85. There's also the less expensive Britax - can't think of the name right now. I'll find it! Ah, the Pioneer 70! Other options would be the Recaro Pro Sport, the Harmony Defender, the Evenflo Secure Kid 300 or 400 to name some!

 

[aguafresca]

Okay, I think we'll keep her harnessed, then. Thanks!

 

[Guest]

Did they increase the size of the Nautilus recently? Cuz OP has a child on the large size. The Nauti seems a good bit smaller than the Frontier from what I remember. Since you have a larger child, I'd go for the Frontier over a Nautilus unless they've supersized that sucker recently. DS is small for his age (almost 6) and he's only 39 lbs. The last time he was in a Nauti, I think he was in the 35 lb range and was filling that seat up pretty good. He has PLENTY of room in the Frontier. I know OP's daughter is in a Radian now and that thing is narrow, but still, if you're looking towards the future and them growing more...

 

[vangelder03]

For a once a month car ride I would get a booster and just start booster training her. At her size and age she will not fit in a harnessed seat forever.

 

[morgaine108]

My son is 5.5 and 49 lbs and large for his age and the harness on the Nautilus no longer fits him (buckle under his crotch). We upgraded to a Frontier 85. I was able to see some other seats in a specialty store after I had already bought it and if I were to do it again, I think I would have gone with the Recaro ProSport as I tried it out (not in the car) and my son found it much more comfy. A booster wouldn't be bad though either. My 9 yo boy is in a Monterey and it's a really nice seat and the LATCH is really great.

 

[jess71903]

Are you sure you're using the very top slots in the True Fit? If she has "plenty" of room in the Radian, she should have almost as much in the TF. The TF shell is taller, and they have top slots within 1/2" of each other. It definitely could be one of those instances where the installed seat gives less room because of the angle, etc, but just wanted to make sure.

There's been a bit of a debate about the TF height limit. That sticker does seem to indicate that the head can't go over the top of the seat, but the manual seems to indicate that the generally-accepted rule (ears contained within the shell) is what goes.

 

[aguafresca]

Are you sure you're using the very top slots in the True Fit? If she has "plenty" of room in the Radian, she should have almost as much in the TF. The TF shell is taller, and they have top slots within 1/2" of each other. It definitely could be one of those instances where the installed seat gives less room because of the angle, etc, but just wanted to make sure.

There's been a bit of a debate about the TF height limit. That sticker does seem to indicate that the head can't go over the top of the seat, but the manual seems to indicate that the generally-accepted rule (ears contained within the shell) is what goes.

Good catch! The day after I posted this, I took her out to check her in the Radian again and realized that her shoulders are right at the top harness in the Radian, too. When I said she had plenty of space in the Radian, that was when I thought I was looking for the ears to be even with the top of the shell - for that she still has 2.5 or 3 inches to go. In both the Radian and the TF, her shoulders are even with the top harness slot. (She is perhaps just a touch lower in the Radian than the TF compared to the top slot, but it's close).

It's good to know about the manual's "ears contained" rule. So just like with the Radian, it seems then that it is up to the parents' decision on whether to allow the shoulders to go above the top slot when FF? If so, maybe I could keep her in the TF for a little longer and get her closer to 5.5 when I might feel more comfortable with her going into a booster. Or do I need to switch her now?

vangelder - DD will be riding in my husband's car several times/week for Kindergarten dropoff, so it will soon be more than once/month. (Though not sure if that matters - you're right, she will likely need to start transitioning to a booster before too long).

 

[bree]

Good catch! The day after I posted this, I took her out to check her in the Radian again and realized that her shoulders are right at the top harness in the Radian, too. When I said she had plenty of space in the Radian, that was when I thought I was looking for the ears to be even with the top of the shell - for that she still has 2.5 or 3 inches to go. In both the Radian and the TF, her shoulders are even with the top harness slot. (She is perhaps just a touch lower in the Radian than the TF compared to the top slot, but it's close).

It's good to know about the manual's "ears contained" rule. So just like with the Radian, it seems then that it is up to the parents' decision on whether to allow the shoulders to go above the top slot when FF? If so, maybe I could keep her in the TF for a little longer and get her closer to 5.5 when I might feel more comfortable with her going into a booster. Or do I need to switch her now?

vangelder - DD will be riding in my husband's car several times/week for Kindergarten dropoff, so it will soon be more than once/month. (Though not sure if that matters - you're right, she will likely need to start transitioning to a booster before too long).

The Radian is the only seat that allows the parental decision to use the seat when the shoulder is above the harness slot. In your TrueFit manual (likely in the Installation and Use section), there will be a note about selecting the harness height, and for FF, it will say use the harness slot at or slightly above the shoulder. If her shoulders are even with the top slot, she can still use the seat for now, but once they go over, she will have outgrown the seat.

 

[aguafresca]

The Radian is the only seat that allows the parental decision to use the seat when the shoulder is above the harness slot. In your TrueFit manual (likely in the Installation and Use section), there will be a note about selecting the harness height, and for FF, it will say use the harness slot at or slightly above the shoulder. If her shoulders are even with the top slot, she can still use the seat for now, but once they go over, she will have outgrown the seat.

Ah, okay, thanks! I think we'll leave her in the TF until her shoulders go over the slot and see how old she is at that point. If that happens soon, I think I'll get a Frontier since it can be passed on to my son later on too.

Thanks for all your help you guys!

 

[cookie123]

Ah, okay, thanks! I think we'll leave her in the TF until her shoulders go over the slot and see how old she is at that point. If that happens soon, I think I'll get a Frontier since it can be passed on to my son later on too.

Thanks for all your help you guys!

I was going to suggest that she could use the seat for awhile until which time the shoulders are over the slots in the TF. Try using a butter knife to stick in the slot with kiddo positioned in the seat. It's then easy to tell where exactly the slot is compared to the shoulder.

 

[aguafresca]

I was going to suggest that she could use the seat for awhile until which time the shoulders are over the slots in the TF. Try using a butter knife to stick in the slot with kiddo positioned in the seat. It's then easy to tell where exactly the slot is compared to the shoulder.

Great tip! I hadn't heard that one before, thanks. I was just telling my husband that it's kind of tricky to tell exactly where the shoulder is.

 

[jess71903]

Ooh, sorry. I didn't mean to imply that the shell height was the only way a forward facing seat could be outgrown. Looks like you have it figured out .