What kind of seat does your 5yo LO use in grandparents car for occasional use?
DS1 is tall. Currently in a Graco Nautilus in my car. He was using a Graco convertible in my moms car, but we got that back to use for DS2. Ideally we would like something a little lighter. It will be installed with the seatbealt since he’s right at the limit for LATCH.
nectarine / 2018 posts
@jhd: how big is he? (Weight, height, and torso height) How long do you plan on harnessing?
pear / 1648 posts
We use the Cosco Finale as our travel seat for our 4.5yo and also when she rides in my sister's car. It's extremely lightweight and pretty easy to install (we've always done seatbelt install for this one).
pear / 1565 posts
I'm following! I also use the Graco Nautilus for my 4 year and will need a 2nd seat this summer and on.
blogger / nectarine / 2043 posts
We transitioned my daughter to a booster a few months ago and got the Graco Highback Turbobooster and I'm about to get the same one for my parents to have on hand. It's very light and costs less than $70 depending on the color you get. But that said, it's not harnessed. If your LO is tall, it's probably OK to let go of the harness.
grapefruit / 4278 posts
We had a Harmony Defender for Grandparent use, but I wouldn't recommend it after the latest consumer reports testing.
Once #2 outgrows her convertible, I'll likely get the Graco Tranzitions for Grandma's car.
coconut / 8079 posts
@catgirl: he’s 42 lbs and at least 44 in tall. I need a more recent measurement.
@peachykeen: that’s a seat I’m considering. Good to know it’s worked for you all.
@Mrs. Carrot: thanks I will look at that one
@kiddosc: great to know what to avoid! We have liked Graco seats so I will look at the transitions. Thanks!
nectarine / 2018 posts
@jhd: Most forward facing harness seats are outgrown by torso height first. The harness height on the cosco finale is very low - my tall daughter would have outgrown it just before her 4th birthday, even though she was well within the weight and standing height limits.
The graco tranzitions/wayz is a great seat. The harness height is 1.5 inches taller than the finale. But again, for a tall kid, it might not be enough.
I would still consider the harmony defender. For how slim and light it is, it also has a decently high harness height.
Though at 5 you could consider a booster, it would really depend on maturity: https://csftl.org/harness-or-booster/
coconut / 8079 posts
@catgirl: thank you so much! He’s still harnessed and I’m not in a hurry to let it go, I’d rather have the option to continue as long as possible and then decide not to than to be rushed into letting go of it. My dad will be doing all pick ups and drop offs two weeks from now while I go out of town. But other than that this seat will be used for occasional outings with the grandparents. I just measured him again and I think he’s closer to 45 in tall. To measure torso do you just measure shoulder to waist? (Probably a dumb question!) I got between 11 and 12 inches
nectarine / 2018 posts
@jhd: this has a section on torso height, but basically - have him sit on the floor, legs crossed, back against the wall, and measure from the floor to the top of shoulder. My DD is 45 inches and her torso height is about 17 inches.
https://csftl.org/car-seat-basics-measure-child/
I totally get wanting to remain harnessed. I know my DD will not be ready for a booster at 5, it will likely be sometime between 6 and 7.
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
When we got an extra car seat for my 5 year old (to be used in dad's car occasionally, but I do the majority of drop offs and pick ups and all long car trips are in my car), we got a high back booster. She is still harnessed in my car, but I feel comfortable with her practicing in the booster in his car.
Of course now she asks to take daddy's car since she likes that seat better, but she doesn't really complain about being harnessed. I got a Graco High back turbo booster, with Latch connectors (just to hold the seat in place in the car). I think it was under $50 and we like it fine.
pomegranate / 3113 posts
Graco Highback Turbobooster, unless your child has trouble sitting properly in his seat. I bought one as a travel seat for my 5-year-old DD when she outgrew the Cosco Scenera we had been using. I was a bit nervous going from her harnessed seat in our normal car to a seat belt booster but she was totally fine. She didn’t hassle us about going back to the car seat in our own car, either, we just said basically “different cars, different seats, that’s that.” The seat itself is very light and portable, and can be converted to a backless booster when they’re older. And the basic model is only about $40.
persimmon / 1380 posts
@peachykeen: @jhd: Just got the Cosco finale for my parents' car for my soon to be 4 year old. He's small/short so I hope it works for him for awhile.
pear / 1565 posts
@jhd: FYI, so I'm trying to take advantage of the up coming Target trade-in event (we have an old expired infant seat) next month to get this 2nd seat for us, and I'm 80% leaning towards the Graco Tranzitions, as we have the Nautilus too and are happy with it. The one thing that turned me slightly off about the Cosco Finale is only b/c it starts at 30 lbs but I want my 2nd LO to be able to be in the seat if there's ever a need (we're only keeping 1 seat in grandma's car).
coconut / 8079 posts
Just to update, we decided to go with the Graco Wayz. Most of our car seats so far have been Graco seats so we are all comfortable adjusting and installing them. Both myself and my parents wanted to keep him harnessed a little longer. Today he went out with them and took a little cat nap in the car on the way back so I’m glad to have the harness for times like that!
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