# booster seat for 48 inch, 47 pound 4 year old



## spedteacher30 (Nov 20, 2005)

We are looking for options for our son--who is extremely large for his age. At not quite 4 and a half, he is 48 inches and 47 pounds.

He has a Regent in one car which has been retro-fitted with the top tether anchor, and we're thinking a booster for the other car. (The second car does not have a top tether anchor, and cannot be retro-fitted with one--it's a 1998 RAV-4. I would love to be proven wrong about the retro-fitting, but the dealer and mechanic don't think it can be). He has outgrown his Boulevard rather spectacularly, and we are borrowing the Nautilus my mom has for the short term while we sort out our decision-making process.

Does it really matter which high back booster we get? It seems like most of them are pretty similar, aren't they? We aren't planning on a Nautilus because it seems like he is almost out of the shoulder straps on the Nautilus in grandma's car, so the added expense of the 5 point harness for a few months doesn't seem worth it.

I suppose we could buy the booster, and put it in grandma's car, and put the Nautilus in the RAV as a short-term solution, but she eventually wants the Nautilus back for her occasional trips with my nephew when he visits.

We're in a state with an 8 and 80 law for boosters, but I suspect he will be way over the height guidelines long before age 8.









ETA: he has ridden in a booster for short distances before, and was very well behaved with the seatbelt and remained properly positioned the whole time. We would probably still use the car with the Regent for long trips when he is likely to fall asleep or get restless.

thanks, everyone!!


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## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

I love our Graco TurboBooster. It's adjustable for the strap so it grows with them (unlike our previous one which didn't). The back detaches so that if you need to stow it, it does so easily. You can also use it as a backless booster if they grow out of the high back portion, and it comes with a nifty little strap that adjusts the seatbelt for the backless booster too. And it's affordable.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

I wouldn't personally be comfortable with a 4yr old in a booster. The new frontier 85 has straps as high as a regent though, so it would last a long time- I had a friend just find one with coupon codes for less than $200.

-Angela


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## spedteacher30 (Nov 20, 2005)

Angela--

someone just pointed me toward the new Frontier--I hadn't seen it before and remember when the Frontier had a 18.25 inch strap height. I need to measure his shoulders and see how close he is to the height limits. Also, does the Frontier need to be top-anchored for proper use? The car it is going to be in can't be retro-fitted with a top-anchor and is pre-latch.


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

I would encourage you to look into the retrofitting a bit more. When we got tether anchors installed in our 1997 Ford we were told it was impossible by dealers & mechanics--- then found out that they didn't even understand the difference between LATCH & tether anchors. I was eventually able to educate them enough to get them installed luckily (this was several years ago, though).

Here is a form to order a Pre-2001 Tether anchor kit for Toyotas:

http://www.carseat.org/Events_Media/...TetherInfo.pdf


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

You can certainly get the Rav-4 retrofitted. Cars since 1989 have pre-drilled holes, and cars made after 2000 have the actual anchors. Someone with a LATCH manual can give you the part number.


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## spedteacher30 (Nov 20, 2005)

I ordered the part to retrofit our 1996 Corolla. A CPST-friend on another board looked up the 1998 RAV-4 specifically and said there is no retro-fit for it. Apparently, it is a quirk of that specific year and make.







The information I found on various carseat boards seemed to corroborate this.

Does the Frontier require top-tethering past a certain weight like the Regent does?


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Actually, the LATCH manual states that 1999 and 2000 RAV-4s cannot be retrofitted with tether anchors. It does not say the 1998 can't.


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## spedteacher30 (Nov 20, 2005)

thanks! I will have to do some more serious follow up. Can you steer me toward where the holes might be?


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Probably in the cargo floor (maybe under the carpeting), possibly on the seat backs, possibly (but not likely -- this seems to be a Subaru thing) in the ceiling.

ETA that you're probably not going to find a drill hole -- they usually drill the hole and then put some sort of nut and bolt in to fill the hole. If you see a random nut in the floor of your cargo area, there's a good chance that's where your tether anchor goes.


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## goodheartedmama (Feb 1, 2007)

DS is 4.5 and has been boostered full time for several months, at the same size. He's in a Sunshine Kids Monterey. We took a 16 hour trip, and he did fabulously the whole way. Some kids are ready at 4, and if they are, there's no safety disadvantage. For a second car, I think a booster is a fine choice.


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## spedteacher30 (Nov 20, 2005)

temporarily, we are doing a carseat shuffle to end all carseat shuffles, and he will be in an inexpensive booster as his tertiary seat--the one that goes with him when he is picked up by someone other than one of his two parents.

I obviously need to do some research before making a final decision, so the nautilus that was his tertiary seat is now his secondary seat while we think about our next step.

Sometimes I wish I could be one of those parents who just goes into the store and grabs something off the shelf and uses it.







Instead, I have to spend months researching everything from carseats to shoes and second-guessing it all.


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## Adventuredad (Apr 23, 2008)

Using a HBB for older children, 4 and up, is just as safe as using harnessed seat so your son should be fine. Harnessed seats being safer is a common car seat myth myth which is not supported by any research, data or real life experiences. The most knowledgeable researchers, the sWedes, actually recommend against using any harnessed seats for older kids who sit forward facing.

A good belt fit is important but this is more an issue when a child is very short. Since your son is quite large make sure to try to seat first to make sure he's comfortable.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Adventuredad* 
Using a HBB for older children, 4 and up, is just as safe as using harnessed seat so your son should be fine. Harnessed seats being safer is a common car seat myth myth which is not supported by any research, data or real life experiences. The most knowledgeable researchers, the sWedes, actually recommend against using any harnessed seats for older kids who sit forward facing.

A good belt fit is important but this is more an issue when a child is very short. Since your son is quite large make sure to try to seat first to make sure he's comfortable.

I realize that there is not a lot of research showing one more safe than the other, BUT for a booster to work correctly, the child must be properly positioned in the belt. I have had a number of kids ride in my car in boosters (that fit them properly) who did not sit correctly. Most of these kids were 5 and 6+ when they rode with me. They could not sit correctly for the ~20 min car ride. They were leaning down and over, putting the belt behind them, etc. I have trouble visualizing a 4yr old sitting correctly for the entire ride, always.

-Angela


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
I realize that there is not a lot of research showing one more safe than the other, BUT for a booster to work correctly, the child must be properly positioned in the belt. I have had a number of kids ride in my car in boosters (that fit them properly) who did not sit correctly. Most of these kids were 5 and 6+ when they rode with me. They could not sit correctly for the ~20 min car ride. They were leaning down and over, putting the belt behind them, etc. I have trouble visualizing a 4yr old sitting correctly for the entire ride, always.

-Angela

Most 4yos probably can't, but there are exceptions. My ds1 by 4 1/2 could sit perfectly in a booster and has since then. He was so motivated to not be in a harness!


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## BethSLP (Mar 27, 2005)

Just wanted to add that the new Frontier (called the Frontier 85) harnesses to 20 inches seated shoulder height!

http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats/frontier-85

I have a tall 4 yr old (43.5 inches tall) and we went this route.

So far, we love it, but have only had it a week.
XOXO
B


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