Pre-School and Daycare
katie6/26/04
member
Options
booster seat recommendations
katie6/26/04
member
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!
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Re: booster seat recommendations
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.
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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