Booster Seat Recommendations.. - Boynton Beach,FL

The Today Show just did a story this morning on booster seats. If you do decide to switch to a booster seat, be sure to check out the link for the reviews put out by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Many of them apparently do not provide good lap and shoulder belt fit.

http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/boosters/default.html

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Please consider keeping him in a 5 point harness for many more years - we have the Britax Frontier, it has 3 crotch belt positions and my 5 1/2 year old is still in the smallest one. It is a 5 point harness for up to 65lbs then converts to a booster you can LATCH in and use seatbelt across the child for up to 100 lbs. Graco makes a cheaper version of this called the Nautilus - both are excellent choices bt we love our Britax Frontier!

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For a 4YO, your best bet is what is (confusingly) known as a "Combination Seat" - a forward facing seat that can be used as a 5 pt harness seat or as a belt-positioning booster when the child outgrows the harness by height or weigh.

The ones most frequently recommended by child passenger safety technicians for working well as a harnessed seat (high height and weight limits) *and* as a booster seat (positioning the seat belt well - lap portion low across tops of thighs and shoulder belt crossing at middle of shoulder) are the Britax Frontier (~$280 retail), and Graco Nautilus (~$180 retail). If those are both beyond your budget, the Evenflo Maestro is a good moderately priced option - it doesn't have as high a height or weight limit as the Frontier or Nautilus and is a short booster so your child would need another booster when he outgrows it, but for the price, you'll have money left over to get a good booster later when you need it. ($80 retail - currently on sale at Amazon for $59.99 shipped http://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-Maestro-Harness-Booster-Sea...)

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Look for a high weight limit 5 point harness that converts to a belt positioning booster. There are lots of them on the market now. Do not put him into a belt positioning booster until absolutely necessary.

I had this same question recently - I was considering a booster for my 4 1/2 year old 45 pound son. Until someone sent me this link.

www.kyledavidmiller.org

Seatbelts fail. A 5 point harness is the SAFEST option. Use it as long as it is available, and at your son's weight, it will be a while. There are lots of 5 point harness carseats out there that have a 65 lb. weight limit, and Britax makes one that goes up to 80, I believe. There may even be others that high now. Check around. You'll find one that you'll feel good about, and when your son finally does grow out of it, you can convert it to a booster. We have a Graco Nautilus and a Britax Marathon that both go to 65 lbs with the 5 point harness, but the Britax doesn't convert to a booster. But we like them both very well. Both well made, and comfortable. No complaints about the crotch strap being too tight, and my son is heavier than yours.

Stick with a 5 point until you HAVE TO SWITCH.

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The Britax Frontier and Graco Nautilus seem to be the best ones from the reviews and research I've read.

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I just bought the evenflo generations 65 and it's great. It was only $99 at babies r us and it has three slots for the crotch snap.

I came across a really informative article on this just last week.
The article has some great info and is very straight forward. It names which seats to avoid, which are 'best' and which are good.
http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/110599/car-b...

I like the Evenflo booster seats cause they have more padding in the seat. Target and Walmart have good prices.

I love Recaro~ Extremely safe and well made.

sunshine kids monterey booster seat. It uses the regular seat belt but has good side protection like a car seat. Awesome seat!!!!! It is one of the top for belt positioning too which many boosters fail to do.

A Marathon is the Britax brand, and it will harness to 65lbs. It is outgrown when the child reaches the weight limit, his shoulders go over the top harness slot, or the tips of his ears are level with the top of the car seat.

At only 4yrs old and under 40lbs, you do not want to put him in a booster seat. You want to put him into a bigger 5pt harness car seat. I'm sure he still fits into the Marathon, a tight crotch buckle isn't a bad thing but I have two boys so I understand.

Graco Nautilus or the Britax Frontier are both good choices for him. He's not big enough or old enough for a booster seat.