DownSyn Forum

Stephanie · Posted: January 07 2009, 1:04 PM Post subject: What car seat are your 5+ in?

We are still in a car seat but need to move Megan to a booster seat with a back, I am sure she will be in that car seat for a while but this December she had her 5 year check up and she is 40lbs. Shocked

38 inches....so should I move her? What car seats and how big are your kids? I need to buy a new one ASAP. I have a 15% off coupon and $10 reward bucks so it is the perfect time to buy until 1/19 LOL

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Joey 3/8/97
Megan, DS 11/8/03
Olivia 7/6/05

moody216 · Posted: January 07 2009, 1:13 PM Post subject:

We still have Nick (6) in a car seat...it does convert to a booster with or without a back but I will keep him in with the straps for as long as I can. In the past, while in a booster, he would so easily slip the seatbelt off. That will be a battle down the road I'm sure. Also, he falls asleep so often in the car, it keeps him upright. With the booster, he literally falls over.

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LovelyKennedy · Posted: January 07 2009, 1:31 PM Post subject:

Yikes...i know! Kennedy's seat only goes to 40 # and alst we checked she was 39#...i am sure she has hit the 40 mark...we need one as well. I thought about giving her camerons....he's still in a high back booster....I am trying to figure out what the law is here for kids his age...does he need one????? Most of his friends dont use one but i thought the law was 4'9" and 80#. I cannot wrap my mind around any of it.
Looking forward to all of the replies....and way to go Megan....40 lbs..woohoo!!!!!! Our girlies are growing up!
Which reminds me...i had a dream the other night that we met you guys....Megan was in MY house playing with Kennedy...do you guys still get up here to Lewiston.....

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Beth Mom to Cameron 2/26/2000, Kendall 6/25/2002 and My Lovely Kennedy 9/10/2003(DS)

Stephanie · Posted: January 07 2009, 1:47 PM Post subject:

No we moved Joe's mom down here about a year and a half ago but we would love to go back to Niagara Falls we are so used to going all the time it feels weird not being there. We want to meet you and Ms. Kennedy terribly!

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Joey 3/8/97
Megan, DS 11/8/03
Olivia 7/6/05

Stephanie · Posted: January 07 2009, 1:51 PM Post subject:

p.s. I was thinking about buying the Graco Nautilus. I have heard good things about it and it is not a fortune. It is $159.99. Is that a good deal?
It goes up to 100lbs. Which will be another 5 years for us I am sure!

http://www.gracobaby.com/Catalog/Pages/ProductListingPage.aspx?catid=10:41||1+10434:4294959424||1#

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Joey 3/8/97
Megan, DS 11/8/03
Olivia 7/6/05

JanetG · Posted: January 07 2009, 4:01 PM Post subject:

We just bought the Sunshine Kids Monterey for my (typical) son who is almost 4 and 42 pounds. I like it so far, and he loves it. It adjusts both height and width wise and provides some cushion on the sides. It also works w/ latch so you don't have to worry about it flying around if your child isn't in it and you get in a crash. It converts to a backless booster as your child grows and finally, it gets really great ratings. It runs about $120.00.

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kris10z · Posted: January 07 2009, 4:08 PM Post subject:

We have the Britax Boulevard. Not sure if that helps you since it sounds like you want a booster. I think that Jane also recommends the Radian 80 with the 5 point, just cheaper than Britax. Ethan is 38 pounds and 40 1/2 inches, so we will be in this Britax forever since it goes to 65 pounds.

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Googsmom · Posted: January 07 2009, 4:17 PM Post subject:

Brook has this one. Same thing in the link above. AWESOME!! I love it. It will hold her in untill she is 100 lbs. She is 2.9 and weighs 35lbs and is 34 inches tall. Even the fire dept guys who put it in said it was one of the best the've seen. Cheepest at Walmart.com w/ shipping site to store. One more thing I did notice this summer. The seat gets hot. I always had to throw a blankie over it when not in use and keep a/c on in summer when driving around.

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marlene · Posted: January 07 2009, 4:17 PM Post subject:

Stephanie, although Aleena is not technically 5 years old yet (23 days to go), I'm replying here because we already made that move and we got the exact seat you mentioned.

Aleena is 42 lbs. She's been in this seat for several months now. We wanted something we could grow with. Even though she isn't required to be in a 5-point harness, we still wanted that feature. This car seat has the 5-point harness, then you can convert to the high back booster with the car's shoulder belt, THEN you can go down to just a booster seat. Like you, I figured it would be with us for a WHILE!

What I dislike are the two fasteners!!!! I think they are difficult/ackward to manipulate. Maybe that's on purpose because the kids are older at this point and smart - I don't know - but I hate them!

Otherwise, it's been just fine!

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Marlene, mommy to my precious Aleena (1/30/04)

LovelyKennedy · Posted: January 07 2009, 4:31 PM Post subject:

Oooh..good ideas and Marlene, although the one you have has a latch that is hard to manipulate...we might need that...Kennedy is a smartie pants and I have had to stop the car on numerous occasions because she has unlatched herself....grrrr...LOL!

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Beth Mom to Cameron 2/26/2000, Kendall 6/25/2002 and My Lovely Kennedy 9/10/2003(DS)

mom4life · Posted: January 07 2009, 10:42 PM Post subject:

I recommend the Sunshine Kids Radian 80 car seat. It holds kids who are up to 80lbs. My kids are 4 years old and they are close to 40 lbs.
They still have lots of room to grow.

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shema4t4 · Posted: July 11 2009, 9:46 PM Post subject: What car seat are your 5+ in?

My 7 year old with DS is in a Britax Frontier which is a harness-to-booster seat. She's only 36 pounds and 42" tall. She's using the harness right now and will for as long as she can. Our local police do car checks and always comment on how impressed they are with the safety record of Britax seats.

burnsun · Posted: July 11 2009, 9:57 PM Post subject:

We use the radian 80's for all the kids at this point!!!! 5 -80 lbs in a harness and I can get three across the back seat. I do feel if Adrian gts a little taler I will move here to their booster..... it just didn;y come in the cool pink patter ar this point.......

but we have 9 of them......8 in the van and one in dad's car.....I still need to buy him the last two......It was a slow replacement!

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violettesmom · Posted: July 11 2009, 10:00 PM Post subject:

We got a Frontier for our 4 year old that I'm planning on putting Violette in at a later time.

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MomtoAndrew · Posted: July 12 2009, 7:44 AM Post subject:

Andrew's only 4.5 but is 40lbs. I just bought him a new carseat and I love it. It's a Safety First Apex 65. 5pt harness goes to 65lbs, belt=potition booster goes to 100lbs. It's roomy, comfy, has serious side impact 'wings' & he loves it. http://www.albeebaby.com/sa1stap65boc.html

I also bought a new seat for his 6yo brother, who is also 40lbs. It's a Recaro high back belt position booster. No 5pt harness on this one but, again, has great side impact protection, fits him great & I don't have a concern with him unbuckling, like I do with Andrew. http://www.amazon.com/Vivo-Booster-Car-Seat-Crimson/dp/B000UCIQ5O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1247402656&sr=8-1

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momofrussell · Posted: July 12 2009, 1:24 PM Post subject:

Russell it busting out of the seams in his Apex which goes to 65 lbs.. he is about right there at this point. The harness is tight.... at 11 yrs old we still don't feel he is "safe" with just a booster so we need to get something else.

For us I think we will be going to the harness systems the school busses use. They run about $90-100.

A.

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Adrienne - mom to: Regan 17, Russell 12 DS, Autism, Visually Impaired, Reece 10.

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naomid · Posted: July 13 2009, 8:24 AM Post subject:

LovelyKennedy wrote:

Yikes...i know! Kennedy's seat only goes to 40 # and alst we checked she was 39#...i am sure she has hit the 40 mark...we need one as well. I thought about giving her camerons....he's still in a high back booster....I am trying to figure out what the law is here for kids his age...does he need one????? Most of his friends dont use one but i thought the law was 4'9" and 80#. I cannot wrap my mind around any of it.
Looking forward to all of the replies....and way to go Megan....40 lbs..woohoo!!!!!! Our girlies are growing up!
Which reminds me...i had a dream the other night that we met you guys....Megan was in MY house playing with Kennedy...do you guys still get up here to Lewiston.....

What is the seat belt law in New York State?

New York State law requires all front seat passengers to wear seat belts. Children under the age of 16 must wear seat belts when they are in the front seat or the back seat. Children under the age of four must ride in safety seats. Children age four, five or six must ride in child restraint systems. The penalty for a seat belt or car seat violation is a fine of up $50. If a conviction includes a person under the age of 16, the driver receives a maximum fine of $100 and 3 points on the driver license record.

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mary c · Posted: August 12 2009, 11:52 AM Post subject:

We have two Britax seats, both of which are supposed to go to 65 lbs. Anna only weighs 39 lbs but she is tall, particularly in the torso area, and has outgrown the seat at 5 and a half. We just went to the Graco Turbo booster with the back and although I don't think it's quite as sturdy as the Britax at least she fits.

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Mary
Mom to Libby 6/92, Alex 9/93, Anna (DS)12/12/03

Please support the Down Syndrome Research and Treatment Foundation http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q284/maryc_010/a13-1.jpg[/img]

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raysmom · Posted: September 14 2009, 2:03 PM Post subject:

Ray was 5 in May but he's still hovering at 31 pounds and 37 inches. We have several 5 point harness carseats for the various vehicles, couldn't tell you the brand. He is loose-jointed enough to escape, but that only usually happens on long trips (whilst doing 70 down the freeway). We used to use electrical tape to keep him from unbuckling the chest strap, but he doesn't do that too much anymore. I have a feeling that the harness and latch system may be our next move. Several kids on his 'bus' (van) need the harness vest to keep them secure. Wiggly little buggers Wink

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thatfield · Posted: September 22 2009, 9:54 AM Post subject:

Chloe is 38 lbs now , so we are going to have to look at something new too. She has to have a good harness because she still gets out of it , you have to stay after her all the time. When she was about 2 she had one that had the top that came over her head and hooked , I looked in the rear view and she was sitting on top of it with her legs swinging and her hands behind her head. It hasn't gotten much better. She is quite an escape artist and will be 7 in Jan. So we have to have one that she can not get out of.

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ajbest · Posted: September 22 2009, 11:13 AM Post subject:

i know i can't post here until Feb. but we LOVE this seat! goes up to 80lbs.

it IS VERY heavy but once in place no big deal. i like that you can take a sledge hammer to it and it doesn't break/crack, etc. this is one tough seat!

http://www.epinions.com/review/Britax_Husky/content_82081320580

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shema4t4 · Posted: September 26 2009, 2:47 PM Post subject: What car seat are your 5+ in?

My 7 year old (barely 36 pounds, 42 inches) is in a Britax Frontier.

KT's Mom · Posted: November 23 2009, 7:16 PM Post subject:

We use the Graco booster seat and it works well for us as Katie is 55 lbs and 4 feet tall at 7 years old.

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Laurie
Katie 03/23/02 (DS)
Allie 12/29/05

shema4t4 · Posted: November 23 2009, 7:58 PM Post subject:

KT's Mom wrote:

We use the Graco booster seat and it works well for us as Katie is 55 lbs and 4 feet tall at 7 years old.

Wow our kids are merely a week apart in age but so far apart in size. I think I gave birth to a chihuahua :o So far, our endocrinologist isn't amused.

KT's Mom · Posted: November 23 2009, 9:31 PM Post subject:

I know, my daughter is a giant when we get together with other kids from our local DS group she is the biggest.

My younger daughter is also tall, she is 3 and always gets asked why she is not in school as people think she is 5 years old.

My husband is 6 feet tall and I'm 5'8 so I guess they get their height from us.

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Katie 03/23/02 (DS)
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KT's Mom · Posted: November 23 2009, 9:31 PM Post subject:

Katie was just under 6 lbs when she was born and she was 4 weeks early. They said that if she was a term baby she would have been quite large Shocked

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Laurie
Katie 03/23/02 (DS)
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mary c · Posted: November 24 2009, 5:38 PM Post subject:

I've just bought the Britax Frontier and we are using that most of the time rather than the Graco booster. I didn't like the way Anna sat in the booster and she could lean over a lot and get her arm out of the position where the strap was supposed to go. She was delighted with the new Frontier and promptly christened it by falling asleep in it, something she couldn't seem to do in the booster.

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Mary
Mom to Libby 6/92, Alex 9/93, Anna (DS)12/12/03

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Tom · Posted: November 25 2009, 11:56 AM Post subject:

LovelyKennedy wrote:

I am trying to figure out what the law is here for kids his age...does he need one?????

The law in NY is safety seat until 40 lbs and then booster seat until 4'9". Mikey is 12 but he is still in a booster seat because he hasn't reached 4'9" yet.

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THESPILS · Posted: November 25 2009, 6:31 PM Post subject:

Hunter has an Evenflo Bigkid Hiback--Long name, but he loves it Smile

It's a booster with a back. It has little 'flaps' on each side of his head so he won't get banged around to much if something happened (which have little lights under them for night time driving), and the back also has an adjustable height for when he hits a growth spurt. And for luxury he get a cup/snack holder on each side and movable arm rests--what more could a kid want Wink

I think NV law is still 60 lbs, but I thought they were trying to up that a while back.

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