My son is BIG. He just turned 3 last month, but when he stepped on the scale at my OB office, he was over 40 lbs! I measured him today, and he's 39 inches tall.
He's in a convertible booster seat, that has a 5-pt harness. But it's pulled out as far as it can go, and there's not any room to grow. And the manual says to take the harness out at 40 lbs. It's not safe for him to be using the harness. It won't hold his weight. And it's too small for him anyway. It's pulled out as far as it can go, and it's hard to get him into it.
This was his big brother's seat, who hit 40 lbs at 4 years. But 3 yrs is too young to be in belt-positioning booster, according to Idaho law.
I've resigned myself to having to buy yet another car seat.
Walmart has one car seat listed online that has a harness that goes up to 65 lbs. I followed my son's growth chart, and he won't hit 65 lbs until he's 7, so that's plenty. But it's Safety 1st brand, and almost everything I've owned by that brand has fallen apart within days or weeks. I don't trust them.
My SIL recommends Sunshine Kids, but their seats are $220-$280!!! I don't know how they had that much money to spend on a car seat, but I don't.
Does anyone have any recommendations, particularly seats that cost less than $150? $150 is a stretch when we already have to buy a minivan and we really need a new couch, and the list goes on and on....
Well, I checked the Idaho State Law, and it's rather vague. It says that infants under 1 year must be rear-facing, that 4-8 yr-olds must be in booster seats, and that in between "it is recommended that they be in a car seat."
Whatever that means!
Since my son doesn't fit in a "car seat" it sounds like a booster seat is legal for him.
We're having a little trouble with his not wanting to put the shoulder belt on, but he knows it's not negotiable, so he complies.
One thing I will look into is finding a convertible seat that will hold him, that he can pass down to the new baby when he/she outgrows the infant seat. It may be hard to find one that will handle his height, though, because his weight percentile is above his height percentile, which generally means a growth spurt is coming!
He wears size 5T clothes and size 10-11 shoes. He's as big as some of his big brother's friends. So I'm not terribly worried about his not being big enough to be restrained by a seat belt. But just to be safe, we are going to call the car seat hotline (with the health department) and his pediatrician.
Thank you so much for all the car seat suggestions!
Hi S.-- I know car seats are expensive-especially the good ones! You might try e-bay. I bought my son's Britax car seat for about $75 off retail. It was brand new, still in the box, but the box was damaged. Products like this are often sold to warehouses, then sold on e-bay. You might also find a great car seat with an unpopular cover pattern. Good luck!
My son has the same problem. He's 39 inches tall and 48 lbs. After he threw up on me because the 5 pt harness was too tight I took it out and just use it as a booster seat with the seatbelt. I may get bashed for this, but my son is the size of a six year old and when we lived in Maryland 6 year olds were all in booster seats.
Also, we borrowed a friends careseat who's went up to 65 lbs but he was still too tall for it. I figure he's safter in the booster style carseat than a 5 pt that's so tight it cuts into his shoulders and squeezes his belly.
Check out Consumer Reports car seat reports. Then depending on that report, decide what is more important. A couch, a mini van or your son's IMMEDIATE safety in the car. If you are ever in a car accident and your son is permanently injured or worse, you will forever regret it.
Good Luck with your decision.
Hi S., something that has saved my life during these economically challenging times is Craigslist. I couldn't live without it. ANYTHING you need can be found on it, including a new sofa- well, new to you, anyway. I would suggest a Britax Marathon for your son. It should run you about $75-100 on Craigslist for a gently used carseat. Britax is top of the line. Good luck!
We have a Graco Nautilus. The five point goes up to 65 lbs, and very tall, then it converts to be a booster either with or without the back piece. It goes for $144 at Walmart, although we found it a little cheeper by shopping online so we wouldn't have to pay tax. It works well and my DD seems very comfortable in it.
Good luck with your hunt.
The law says "1-4 years (typically 20-40 lbs)". I would go to one of those car seat checks they have at either the hospital or fire department. Dial 211 to find out where the next one is. They often will provide the correct seat at a low cost. I paid $20 for one when we participated and it's been a great seat lasting through 2 kids. What they really care about is point of most restraint based on weight and maturity. If your three year old can sit and not unbuckle himself you may be able to just use the booster now but ask the professionals. It's free.
Hey S.,
We got the Graco Nautalis for our daughter. She has always been in the 95 percentile in height for her age, and this one works great. We really love it. Besides, I wanted to keep her in a 5pt harness for as long as possible, and the Graco's 5pt works up to 65 lbs. We got ours at Target for $149 when it was on sale. I know that with some research, you can get it online at Target/Wal-Mart/Babies R Us for cheaper too. Congratulations on your pregnancy & good luck for a girl!!
Shellie
When I was buying a car seat for my little girl (3), I found out that Britax (manufactured in England, I think) is the only brand that is side-crash tested -- I guess that is not a requirement in the US, but it is in England? My thought was that since you always put the infant in the middle, the other car seats are always going to be on the side, and I FOR SURE want them side-crash tested. So I recommend going with a Britax model. They are a little more pricey, but totally worth it in my mind. I couldn't live with myself if my child ended up getting hurt because I wanted to save $75 bucks.
I like www.carsafety.org for car seat questions. here's the answer to your question from their FAQ page: ( by the way, I used a Cosco model for my son when he was that age - much the cheapest of the choices and ranked high by Consumer Reports at the time. I bought it at Target)
Q8: My child is over 40 pounds or too tall for his carseat, but isn't mature enough to sit in a seatbelt with a booster. Are there any options?
There are a few Forward-Facing and Specialty Models for this situation. First are the Britax Wizard, Boulevard, Marathon and Decathlon convertibles with 65 pound front-facing limits. There is also the Britax Husky, with an 80 pound harness limit, though a top-tether is required for above 50 pounds. Next is the Safety Baby Airway, a combination booster with a 50 or 55 (new version) pound harness limit. New models like the Cosco Apex also have a 65 pound harness. There are also some discontinued models that can still be found online or at ebay. They include the Britax Super Elite (up to 80 pounds in a harness), the Fisher Price Futura (up to 60 pounds in a harness) and the Britax Laptop (an approved restraint to 65 pounds). You may also use a Safe Traffic Systems RideSafer Vest or E-Z-ON Kid-Y harness/booster.
Ditto the other's response for the Graco Nautilus. My oldest son loves this seat. He's on the tall side and it's one of the few that has a harness to fit taller and heavier kids.
Our little guy just turned 3 and was needing a larger seat as well. We bought the Eddie Bauer adjustable high back booster at Target which is plenty big and still offers the 5 point harness. You can then use it with a seat belt and when needed the bottom functions as a booster seat. I think we paid around $100 for it. Seems to be working well for us. Happy shopping!
We just went through this with our son. I researched everything and found the Graco Nautilus. It gets excellent safety reviews and has a 65 lb. harnass, eventually turns into a high-back and backless booster and the pricetag is much better than Sunshine or Britax. We got ours online with Walmart for $145 and 99cent shipping. You can also get it online with Amazon for $145 with free shipping. Our local Walmart had it, so I could try it out with our son and see how it fit him. BUT, in-store at Walmart it costs about $170, so it's definitely better to go online to order. My son loves the seat, it even has a cup holder and a secret compartment.
After reading the other posts, I wanted to add . . . in our second car, we got a used Britax Marathon off of Craigslist. It's working fine for now, but I can't imagine it will work for him more than a year, tops. Our son is built like a football player. The Britax Marathon cannot be used as a booster once your kid reachest the top slots for the harnass. And the weight limit doesn't matter if he's too tall, you have to get him out when his shoulders go above the top slot.
Good luck!
Try the Graco Nautlis (not sure how it's spelled). We had the same problem with a big kid and we bought this seat for about $145 and have been using it for over a year and LOVE it! You should be able to find it at Target. The harness goes up to 65lbs and it has cubbies in the arm rests which are great for toys. It then works as a booster until 100lbs.
Hi,
I live in Idaho too. They have a weight limit law too. My friend's daughter is out of a booster seat because she weighs the required weight and is only 5! I would go ahead and put your son in a bottom booster. They make ones that are designed for 3-year-olds at walmart I think we paid 23.00 for it. It has higher sides where the legs are and the arms are higher.
Just read your "so what happened"...anyway they make seat belt covers that are soft so the kids will keep the belt infront of them. I made mine with fleece and velcro.
I'd check into the Idaho State Law again. My daughter is 3, almost 4, and is very tall and solid. She weighs about 50 lbs and has been using just a booster seat with a lap/shoulder belt for over a year. We do live in Utah but according to her height and weight she no longer needs to be in a harness seat, not to mention that she wouldn't fit in one. She is big enough that a booster and lap/shoulder belt works for her. She'll be in a booster til she's 8 years old probably according to new laws. You may be able to get a simple booster for $40 for your son. Look into it.
