Ok...my son will be turning 2 at the end of this month. He is over 3 feet tall and weighs 34 pounds. I have an Evenflo convertible carseat right now...but I know the shoulder strap should be level with his shoulder height...right? Well I have the shoulder strap at the highest setting and it is sitting an inch or so BELOW his shoulders. I need some ideas as to a carseat that will "fit" him since he is so tall already and that will last a while. He has been in this seat since he was about 6 months because he outgrew his infant carrier. We CANNOT afford Britax or anything pricey like that. Any suggestions will be helpful though. Thanks!!
Also - when looking for a carseat for him what should I be looking for...specifically?
You moms are the best! Thank you all so much for all your helpful information! My hubby thinks I'm being a crazy over-protective mom, but I KNEW that he was grown out of it. So thank you all so much for confirming that! I will be looking into all of your suggestions online and figuring out which seat will work best for our vehicle and our growing boy!!
Again, thank you all so much! I love this sight because of real moms' input!!!
***We went with the Graco Nautilus and couldn't be happier! Again, thank you all so much for your input and advice!***
The Graco Nautilus may be a good choice for you. The 5 pt harness can be used up to 65 lbs! It then converts to a high back booster seat. It should grow with him until he does not need a carseat anymore.
That belt position in a forward facing seat is very dangerous if you would get into an accident. It must be 'AT or ABOVE' his shoulders.
My youngest son had the same problem (out growing his seat in height). The GRACO Nautilus 3 in 1 car seat is about $150 at Wal-Mart & Target. It is an awesome car seat!!! The 5 point car seat goes up to 65 lbs. My 8 year old is very tall (4' 4") & can fit in the highest belt slot in the 5 point harness. This is the cheapest & safest carseat that I could find for my youngest son. Regular convertable car seats (like the one you have) are cheap, but he won't fit in them any better than the one he is in.
Take him with you to the store with you & have him try out the seats.
Don't trust used seats because the damage can be internal & you will never be able to see it. The only way you would find out is in a wreck your son would get hurt more than if the seat had no damage.
God bless!
You know we got our 2 Britax Wizard car seats for $50 on Craigslist, of course I had to trust people that it was not in the accident before (I looked at every inch and it did not look like it).......Our boys are 3 and 5 now , both off the charts in hight and still have plenty of room to grow.
Don't bother with a Cosco 5pt booster seat, they only harness to 40lbs and he's one growth spurt away from that. Same with buying a used seat, don't bother. You have to trust a total stranger with your childs life, and you can't see damage to a car seat after some crashes, its internal and not visible to the naked eye.
There are a few options that would work for you. the Evenflo Maestro is $70 and will harness to 50lbs, and becomes a high back booster seat.
Evenflo Generations 65 is $99, will harness to 65lbs and then becomes a high back booster. My friend has two of these and they are great seats!
Graco Nautilus is $150, will harness to 65lbs and has a taller top harness slot than the two previous, becomes a high back booster and then a no back booster. this is a great seat that most kids can use in the harness to age 6/7, and then booster.
Avoid the Cosco Alpha Omega, its a waste of money, especially for a child his age.
A forward facing car seat is outgrown when his shoulders go over the top harness slot, his ears are level with the seat back, or he goes over hte weight limit. If his shoulders are over the top harness slot, you need to get him a new seat ASAP. The harness needs to be at or above his shoulders ,and being below puts him at risk for spinal compression, very dangerous.
Any of the seats listed above will work great for him for a couple more years in the harness, and then make good booster seats. You will get more time out of the Nautilus in the harness because the top harness slot is higher, but any of the seats will keep him harnessed until 5+yrs old.
What to specifically look for is a car seat with a tall top harness slot (at least 17"), and one that has a higher top harness weight (at least 50lbs).
Not sure what kinds of prices you saw for Britax... BUT -- I did purchase one off of Albeebaby.com (one of the convertible ones: a Marathon) for $179. And that included free shipping. I have tall kids (always in the 90+ percentiles, and the straps are just great).
Just thought I'd let you know about this. Good luck.
T. :)
Jeeesh! That's a big kid!
Yes, for a forward facing (FF) child, the shoulder straps MUST be at or ABOVE their shoulders.
The Graco Nautilus would be a good choice, I would think. It has adjustable height to grow with him & later on, will convert to a GOOD booster (many of the seats out there which convert make HORRIBLE boosters!--Very unsafe!)
The Graco MyRide 65 is also good & the Britax Regent is good--you may be able to find that on clearance ____@____.com & use coupon code 20Thanks for 20% off!
Diapers.com has some good deals too if you're a 1st time customer.
The things that you really want to look for are:
*high harness weight (ie: something beyond only 40 lbs!--Ideally, it'll be at least 55#)
*Very high harness height!--Put him in the seat if you can (or at the very least, measure his sitting height (butt to shoulder) & make sure that you have at least 4-6" above that left).
*Something that fits well in your car!!!!---Good fit in your car is essential to it protecting your chid well.
*The manufacture date on the seat (DOM)--car seats, for the most part, expire 6 yrs from the DOM, so if it's already 4 yrs old, that's not going to help you for very long & may be a waste of money.
Hope that helps some!
Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat - Breaker
Evenflo Generations 65 Booster Car Seat - Mega Pixel
here are two suggestions. These both can convert to a high back booster that still has the harness, which is what I wanted for my son too.
Good luck
I would go with a booster seat that has the five point seat belt in it. In the booster seats the straps usually go up higher because they are meant for bigger children. I have one that you can use the five point system until they are 4 years old, and once they turn 4 you can use the regular seat belt w/out the five point system.
Hope this helps!
I had a similar problem and I have a Britax regent that is made for "big little kids" and can last them until 80 pounds! I have just switched my littlest one to a booster seat and will be selling the Britax if you would like it. It is in very good condition and will fit him for a while to come!!! It does take up a lot of room in the car, but is very safe and comfortable for your little big boy. Let me know what you can pay for it if you are interested (I was going to ask $100). Here is a link to a picture on the web (you might want to look at the reviews too):
http://www.amazon.com/Britax-Regent-Youth-Seat-Sahar/dp/B...
Debbie ###-###-####
Please, please, please go to www.seatcheck.org and find a place for a fast, FREE seat check! As you described, your seat os a danger to your child. PLEASE go get it/him looked at by a professional. It won't cost you a DIME and they will tell you EXACTLY what to get.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-High-Back-Booster-Car-Sea...
We got this one when we bought our 2nd vehicle. I like that it still has the 5 point harness and can be used as a regular booster with the car's seat belt when he reaches that age/weight/height limit.
I would say to go to a high back booster with 5 point harness , I have an evenflo & the harness can be used until the child is tall enough/heavy enough to use with the seat belt instead. It cost $100.
I have tall children, and when they were of car seat age, I always went to the car seat checks that were offered. (Another poster gave that suggestion and a link.) I also dealt directly with a national organization whose goal was safe car seat safety. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the organization's name, but I found a number online when I just searched. I remember there is a 5-point safety check list as they get older... Anyway, I would contact one of these organizations to see what they might suggest. I noticed that the websites below each has a FAQ section, and perhaps that will cover your question.
These are the couple sites I pulled up this AM, but I think that neither is the organization with which I used to deal.
Good luck!
