Pre-School and Daycare

booster seat recommendations

My DS is 4 1/2 years old, 42 lbs and 42" tall.  We have 2 First Year True Fits for our vehicles, and although he is still well under 65 lbs, his head is nearing the top of the headrest.  I would like to keep him in a harnessed seat in my car since that is the vehicle we use most often.  Is a Britax Frontier the seat that will allow for the most head room or is there another seat that would be a good option to look into?  I want to keep DS harnessed because he often falls asleep in the car.  For DH's truck I'm thinking we would be better off with a high back booster since his truck is mostly only used for quick trips in town and DS rarely falls asleep.  thoughts?  TIA!

Re: booster seat recommendations

  • imagefredalina:
    They outgrow FF when their shoulders are above the highest harnessed slot, or their ears are above the top of the seat, or they are over the weight limit.

    Ditto. If he is outgrowing the seat (which isn't impossible) and you're sure he has the maturity to use a booster properly then the graco turbobooster is inexpensive and known for providing a good belt fit for most kids in most cars. As young as he is I would recommend a high back booster, not backless.

    A booster is used properly when the child doesn't unbuckle him/her self, doesn't put the shoulder belt behind their back, sits up straight and doesn't slouch, particularly at the hips, doesn't lean over to pick up a toy that fell. Basically they need to sit still as if they're in a harness even though they're able to move.

    A few kids are mature enough at 4, most by 5, some not until 6. My daughter was ready at 4 and did great, but from talking to other people she's an outlier. Once they're mature enough to use a booster there's no safety difference between a booster and harness.

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  • His shoulders are pretty close to the top slot.  I'll look at that more carefully, but I did know that was something to look into. I know he still has a little room so I'm just looking for ideas of what to do next.  I do worry a bit about him unbuckling, which is the reason I would only want him to be in a shoulder belt for short trips.  I think he could manage it as long as he wasn't in a 4 year old mood of not cooperating.  I'm worried a Nautilus isn't going to be any more accommodating than his current seat since the FYTF has a high shell/top slot for a convertible seat.

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  • imagekatie6/26/04:

    His shoulders are pretty close to the top slot.  I'll look at that more carefully, but I did know that was something to look into. I know he still has a little room so I'm just looking for ideas of what to do next.  I do worry a bit about him unbuckling, which is the reason I would only want him to be in a shoulder belt for short trips.  I think he could manage it as long as he wasn't in a 4 year old mood of not cooperating.  I'm worried a Nautilus isn't going to be any more accommodating than his current seat since the FYTF has a high shell/top slot for a convertible seat.

    I think the harness on the FYTF is about an inch shorter than the nautilus (per measurements on car-seat.org) which should translate to a year or so of torso growth at his age.

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  • imagepenguingrrl:
    imagekatie6/26/04:

    His shoulders are pretty close to the top slot.  I'll look at that more carefully, but I did know that was something to look into. I know he still has a little room so I'm just looking for ideas of what to do next.  I do worry a bit about him unbuckling, which is the reason I would only want him to be in a shoulder belt for short trips.  I think he could manage it as long as he wasn't in a 4 year old mood of not cooperating.  I'm worried a Nautilus isn't going to be any more accommodating than his current seat since the FYTF has a high shell/top slot for a convertible seat.

    I think the harness on the FYTF is about an inch shorter than the nautilus (per measurements on car-seat.org) which should translate to a year or so of torso growth at his age.

    The harness slot on the Nautilus is 18". The one on the TrueFit (according to my measurements) is only 16-17". I think the Britax Frontier is 20" (according to their website).

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