what carseat do you have your 3 yr old in?

SarahTx5701

I'm trying to decide between moving ds to a high back booster occasionally or get another car seat.

Right now he is in the evenflo symphony 65. I'm living with my parents for 6 months while dh is deployed and so I need another car seat or something for my moms car so we dont have to switch seats all the time.

I'm not sure about the pros and cons of the booster things. Obviously they are cheaper. But ds needs to be in something for a long time, so...what to do.

suggestions?

luvmagoldn

At three my guys were in their Radian 65's.  We recently moved them to Recaro boosters but had to wait until they hit 40 lbs. and a certain height (I forget what the minimum was).

I prefer the Radians but they are hard for us to move between my car and DH's.  The boosters are a breeze in that regard.

franciscaz

The Evenflo Chase is really good!  Pretty reasonably priced and much safer than booster.

kellnbri

DS and DD both have Britax Marathons and DS also has a Graco Nautilus for the other car, we will be getting another Nautilus for DD by the end of the summer since DH will have to do preschool pickup/drop off too.

penguingrrl

3 is really young to move to a booster and their pelvic bones aren't really properly developed to hold them adequately in a crash without the crotch strap at that age. My daughter is in a radian 65 and will be for a while yet.

I would suggest an evelflo maestro for now. It's $80 and you can get a coupon for it on evenflo's website. It will harness to 18 torso inches then becomes a high back booster. You'll eventually need a dedicated booster as it's outgrown as a booster fairly quickly after the harness is outgrown, but it will get him to a safe booster age first.

The other great options (at higher price points) are graco nautilus (also 18 inch top harness slots, becomes high back booster and backless booster), recaro prosport (not sure all the info on it, but everyone I know with one loves it) and britax frontier (20 inch harness straps, becomes the tallest high back booster on the market and will safely get him to a size that he can just use the adult seatbelt, bypassing the backless booster altogether).

bubbs147

DD is in a Britax Marathon in our cars, and has the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 in my mom's car.  I am planning to keep her in a five point as long as possible.  They both have really high height/weight limits.

Mama Jan

Both boys are in the Evenflo Triumph Advance but DS1 is reaching the max weight on it so we are buying the Britax Frontier.  It has a 5-pt harness up to 80lbs and converts to a booster up to 120lbs.  I'm definitely not comfortable with him in a booster yet, way too young.

JillBrady

We have DD in the Graco Nautilus with the 5 point harness.  I have been very happy with it.  She's been in it for almost a year now and no issues.

kelbrian

Cosco Scenera. She has nine pounds to go before she outgrows it weight-wise. I think we'll go with a Radian next because it folds and we travel a lot by train, so that would be helpful.

The Graco Nautilus and the Britax Frontier are great five point harness booster seats.

ToBeMrsT

Graco Nautilus and Britax Decathlon. Once he outgrows the Decathlon we'll get a Frontier.

PhilsWife07

I would not put a three year old in a booster. My almost three year old is still rear-facing. Once he turns forward-facing, we'll move him to a Graco Nautlius or Britax Frontier 85. He'll stay harnessed as long as possible.

lami22005

My kids are in Britax Marathons.  They will be in these for as long as they fit, and then I will need to find an option for a 5 point harness that converts to a booster.  I want them in a 5pt. harness as long as possible.  I'm going to look at the Maestro and couple of other less expensive options for my nanny's car, as my dd is outgrowing the seats in her car.

mabma80

Both my boys are in a Graco Nautilus 3-in-1.  I love them and so do they!  It's a high back booster for DS1, and still a harness for DS2.

MSUMamaof2

Sunshine Kids Radian XTSL.  Rear-facing to 45 pounds (my 3.5 year old still rear-faces as he's only 36 pounds), forward-facing to 80 pounds.  We have two of these seats and love them.  I wanted the seat my kids could stay rear-facing in the longest, and to my knowledge, this is the highest rear-facing limit on the market today. 

Shell24

My DD is in a Britax Frontier.  She has a Graco Nautilus in my mom's car.  

I bought the Frontier last winter when my DS moved from his infant seat into the convertible.  Instead of buying a 2nd convertible I decided to go this route.  I still wanted her in a 5 pt. harness, but eventually (a long while from now) it turns into a high back booster, and finally just a booster.  It will hopefully be the last seat she ever needs, since the expiration is in 6 years. 

Paigeo

My DD is in a Britax Frontier now.

llamakins

DS just turned 3. He is about 36 lbs and tall. We moved him from a Britax Blvd to a Britax Frontier. I like the Frontier because he can be harnessed for the longest amount of time. It has a high shell back and very adjustable crotch strap so he has lots of room to grow. He is very comfortable in this seat. If you get a Frontier, avoid the mesh material since it snags easily. We have it in Onyx which uses sturdier material.

FYI, I heard that Graco is coming out with an updated Nautilus called Argos (or something like that) in the fall. That may effect prices, so wanted to let you know. I have lots of friends who use the Nautilus.

Mrs Manners

We have ds in a Britax Frontier 85. In our state, boosters aren't allowed until age 4, 40 inches tall and 40 lbs. Even though he will likely meet all those criteria on his birthday, we have no plans to move him from a 5 point harness.

shopgirl78

DS1 is almost 4.  He was in a Marathon however someone T-bone me and we are getting all new carseat.  I *think* I am getting him the frontier.  

lite-bright

DD1 is in a Britax Marathon in my car, where she rides 98% of the time. 

She's in a Roundabout 50 in DH's car, which is rarely. She's still got one notch in the shoulder straps before she outgrows the height limit, and at least 15 pounds before she outgrows the weight.