Switch DD's carseat now or wait?

[lmdbww]

DD is 4 and will be starting 4 year preschool in a few weeks. She is just about 30 lbs right now, and 38" tall. We have a Britax Boulevard and a Marathon and they both have another year (maybe 2?) before they expire.

(and as a sidenote, I know this shouldn't bother me, but DD is the only kid in her class still in a convertible carseat (and other kids keep asking why she is in a baby seat. I KNOW, safety first, but she is already painfully shy and I dont want her to feel self concious about it.)

Anyway, what would you guys do? Switch now or just stick it out until she starts Kindy? I am hoping to spend $200 or less and get something that converts to a belt positioning booster. (Nautilus or a Frontier is probably what I would get).

The other reason why this thought was sparked is because BRU is having their Trade-in sale right now too, so i'd get the 25% off (if I couldn't find another good deal elsewhere).

[zarapipe]

I would keep her in it. 30lbs is still pretty tiny. I would not feel comfortable if my child was that size in a booster.

[darnkatz]

I'd just wait it out. If the seats still have a year to go, no point in wasting it. Also, it's not like being in a five point booster will really be that big of a change. The other kids will probably still say something. She only weighs 30 pounds, so I would definitely keep her in the convertible or in the five point booster.

[ijack]

What are your laws? DD is 4.5 yo, 31#s and 40.5 inches tall and a booster isn't even an option for her.

[lmdbww]

Aug 28, 2012 12:57:43 GMT -5 ijack said:

What are your laws? DD is 4.5 yo, 31#s and 40.5 inches tall and a booster isn't even an option for her.

PA law states: Children that are four (4) years old but less than eight (8) years of age must be restrained in a child booster seat that is federally approved.

[ijack]

I would keep her in the car seat

[Ashley&Scott]

I would keep her in the convertible.

[Ashley&Scott]

And FYI, Britax is not included in the BRU trade in event this year.

These are the participating brands: Baby Trend, Chicco, Evenflo, Graco, S1 by Safety First
www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=4346706&ab=Bru_homepage_aspot:1:The-Great-Trade-in-Event

[lmdbww]

Aug 28, 2012 13:43:37 GMT -5 @fivedogs said:

I would keep her in the convertible unless you really want to drop the money on a five-point/booster combo at this point. By the time she is 5 and the seats expire, she might be ready for a regular high-backed booster (no 5-point harness), which are cheaper than the combination 5-point/booster seats. If not, Target will probably clearance the Nautilus seats again next summer and you can get one cheaper (or keep stalking woot, albee baby, etc.).

If DD continues along her current grown percentile (which she is now up the 5th, the highest she's ever been), she'll be a whopping 33 lbs max when she turns 5 next summer. lol

For all posters: I do plan to keep her in the 5 pt harness

For fivedogs: I did plan on getting one of the 5 pt/booster combo deals. Good call about checking out a Target clearance, i'll have to keep an eye out.

[6fsn]

I'd keep her in the carseat. DS is about her size and age and it hasn't even crossed my mind to switch his seat.

This doesn't matter at all, I'm just curious if you drive a carpool or something that other kids see her seat. I've never had another child notice.

[liveintheville]

Kid 1 will be 5 in October. He's still in a Roundabout. We plan on keeping him there as long as we can. He's about 33 lbs.

[rootbeerfloat]

DS will be 6 at the end of the year, and he's still in a Marathon in one car. It expires next year, by which time he will hopefully be 40lbs, and we'll replace it with a high-back booster.

[vanillacourage]

I would keep her in the convertible or buy the Nautilus and use it for quite a while as a 5-pt harness.

We are sort of in the same situation as we always planned to give DS1's convertibles to DS2. But, DS2 is ready for them now and DS1 is only 30 lbs too. We are going to keep DS1 in convertible seats until he's at least 40 lbs which may realistically be a year or more.

[ijack]

I'm almost positive that E will be going to first grade in a car seat - she has to be 40lbs and at the rate she grows I'm guess that will be about the time she's 6.5. She's talked about getting a booster, but she knows the rules and it doesn't drive her enough to eat more

[anna7602]

We're not using anything at all right now, so I have no reco's. (Still need to figure out what's approved for use in Europe and am using a Trunki boostapak for quick taxi rides in the meantime.)

But, was just wondering- this is something kids actually comment on? How often do they ride in cars together?

[dutchgirl678]

We put DS in DD's convertible seats when he got too big for the infant seat. For DD we upgraded to the Graco Nautilus in my car and the Britax Frontier in DH's car (which we use for most trips). The Frontier is great. She loves that it has cupholders and she is really tall and the Frontier has one of the highest shoulder strap settings. We will keep her in the 5-point harness setting as long as she fits.

[statlerwaldorf]

I would keep her in the convertible. If you wait, the booster won't expire so quickly and you have better odds at reselling it or using it for another child.

[jena]

As long as she's in a 5pt it's just a questino of whether you want to spend the money or not, not a safety one.

We have 2 Evenflo Maestros. DD is 5, 85% for height 80% for weight and still fits fine in them in harness mode with another harness slot to spare (we were at the pedi today, she's 45.5" and 46lbs). They cost all of $80 at full price, so maybe that'd be easier to pay for a change that is mostly cosmetic.

And there were kids in DD's 3yo room that used backless boosters while DD was still RFing at that point and I have heard them ask their moms why DD was in a baby seat. DD is one of the largest kids in the class and honestly I think the other moms are insane for moving to boosters at super young ages.