Help! which one to buy for older harnessed child?

[reneaumommy]

My five year old has nearly outgrown his carseat (Evenflo Chase Forward Facing to 40lbs).

I am going tomorrow to get him a new one. He is 42 inches tall and 39lbs.

I want him in a 5 point harness. I was planning to get the Graco Nautilus but now the Diono Radian is on my mind.

What would you buy for this size child and why? I plan to keep him harnessed for at least a few years. He has Aspergers and can be a challenge at times.

[mrosehughes]

Unless you are planning to rear face, need the thinness of a radian, or have someone else to pass it down to, it makes a lot more sense to get a combination seat than a convertible for a FFing 5yo. I'd get a nauti or britax frontier (or possibly look at the harmony defender). If he's just now outgrowing the chase (which I think has short slots), the nauti will probably buy you plenty of time (although the frontier has the tallest slots and this will last the longest).

[luvsviola]

I'd get a Frontier. They are nice and wide, and fit older kids well. They also make the tallest booster on the market. Frontier has more crotch room than Nauti, which may impact your decision. Some boys don't like the strap of the Nauti because the buckle hits at their boy bits.

[jjordan]

Just FYI, he has likely outgrown the chase already. Besides the 40# weight limit, the child's shoulders need to be under the top harness setting. I think that the vast majority of 42" children will have outgrown it several inches ago.

If you want to keep him harnessed as long as possible, then the Britax Frontier is really the best choice. It is usually on sale somewhere for around $200.

Do keep in mind, with whatever you choose, that seats are typically outgrown by height long before weight. The kids shoulders cannot go above the harness (when forward facing), so comparing the amount of space between your son's shoulders and the top harness setting will give you an idea of how long various seats will work, and which ones will last longest. (The frontier has the tallest harness of any seat on the market.)

[ltlmrs]

Actually the Harmony Defender goes up to 57" harness just like Frontier does. But, the weight limit is lower and it's 57" in booster mode too vs the 65" on the Frontier. If space and money were not issues, I'd go with a Frontier though, my sister just bought two of these for her K-ers and they are very nice car seats.

[jjordan]

Originally Posted by ltlmrs Actually the Harmony Defender goes up to 57" harness just like Frontier does. But, the weight limit is lower and it's 57" in booster mode too vs the 65" on the Frontier. If space and money were not issues, I'd go with a Frontier though, my sister just bought two of these for her K-ers and they are very nice car seats.

... and that's why the stated overall height limit is not the end of the story. Blame it on the government. Manufacturers are required by law to state an upper height and weight limit for their seats. However, to get the whole story, you need to read about the limits in the manual. All seats that I know of (except the Radian) say that the seat is outgrown (forward facing) when the kid's shoulders are above the top harness slots. So even though the Defender and Frontier may have the same stated overall height limit, the Frontier will last much longer (by height) because it has higher top slots.

[reneaumommy]

He has not outgrown the Chase but was very close. He is a small kid but he has long legs.

I ended up getting the Nautilus today. After checking out the seat in store I really really liked it. I haven't tried it with him yet so we will see tomorrow. I think I am going to really like it.

[reneaumommy]

If I like the Nautilus I plan to buy another for my 3 1/2 year old son. He is currently in a Chase also. He is only 33 lbs and 39 inches tall but also nearly to the max height as well.

[yellowitchgrl]

Britax Frontier, my almost 9 yr old could still harness in it

[Nerissa]

We love the Nautlais seats here. My 6 year old just out grew the harsus by height and he is really tall for his age (size 7 clothes)