Car/ Booster Seat - Hollywood,FL

First thing....watch this video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ

Now continue to read...

At the time that I last researched seats ( 3 yrs ago)...the Regent is what I settled on. I ordered the Sunshine Radian seat and felt that my son would not get the most growth out of it. Sat him in a Regent at babies are us and there was much more room for growth! Down side to Regents...heavy and bulky. We ended up buying two one for each car. I only bought the second one as it was a store model that they had on clearance. However, I am REALLY glad we did!!!

My son is 6 and still has another notch to go before he grows out of his seat. Their growth slows down quite a bit so I am not worried about him growing out of it until he is at least 8 yrs old.

You may think this is a huge amount of money to spend on a car seat, but think about what you could be loosing!! So lets say your son stays large and he grows out of it when he is 6 instead of 8. That is 3 years of a 5 point harness instead of a really unsafe booster seat.

A friend of mine and I researched this subject to death! When checked out the state requirement sites, we checked out car safety sites, we found experts that talk about the dangers of booster, but the states still don't require them! Heck they even recommend leaving your child rear facing until they are at the very least two! Hard to believe I know! Check out all the videos on utube...this one moves me the most, but there is alot of educational videos out there which can lead you to ask other questions.

We learned alot about the proper use of the buckles at being at the chest level, not being twisted (less effective in an accident), there is so much for us moms to learn out there! :)

I recommend you don't use the booster seats!

Here is a link to check out the Britax Regent..we LOVE ours!!

http://www.albeebaby.com/britax-regent-youth-car-seat-sah...

Good luck on your decision! I know it's not easy..but I can promise you this, if you do get the booster seat you will always worry and wonder, if you get a 5 point harness seat you will be more at peace with yourself.

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Keep in mind that a booster is for kids that are 4yrs old and 40 lbs. I will be keeping mine in his 5 point harness (Britax Boulevard) until he reaches capacity, which is 48" and 60 lbs.

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I have a 4.5 year old who is 47 pounds. He still fits great in his Britax marathon. However, it is about to reach the 6 year expiration, so I will be getting either the Britax Frontier or the Graco Nautilus. Your kid isn't too big for a 5 point harness, you just need to buy the right one. I think 3 is way too young to booster.

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PLEASE do not move your almost three year old to a booster. The child should still be in a five point harness. He is way too young to safely ride in it. The Graco Nautilus is the least expensive 5pt harnessing seat that goes to a higher weight I believe. But there are MANY seats out there that harness to high weights. My son is in a Regent (Britax) and they also make a Frontier. Check out www.car-seat.org for all kinds of safety info and recommendations on seats that are much safer than a booster seat.

ETA~
My son sounds like probably the same build. I do have a higher car also, not sure if as high, but can your son climb into the truck yet? Continue using your seat until he outgrows it and then look for your next option, probably still not a booster though.

I just found the Graco nautilus on clearance at target for only $85!! and I love it my daughter climbs in and out of it by herself and when she falls asleep in it her head doesn't fall at all like it used to in her old car seat.

He can't climb into the carseat by himself? I have Britax seats for my girls (4 & 2.5) and they climb into their seats by themselves. I personal opinion is to keep them in a carseat as long as possible - it's safer - if you can.

I like Evenflo's booster seats, its got alot of padding in the but verses gracos. Just remember to check the requirements for height and wieght.

I agree, don't switch to a booster yet. I switched my daughter from a britax marathon to the graco nautilus and it works great! I plan on keeping her in that as long as I can. She is 3 and 36lbs. My son who is almost 7mos now uses the marathon. Boosters seem easier,but they are just not safe!

Hi there, when my son was about 3 1/2 we switched from the Britax Marathon to the Britax Frontier. I am 100% against seat belt boosters for kids this young. The Frontier uses LATCH and a harness up until 80 lbs. I believe, and then turns into a booster for up to 100. I forget how tall they can be but the headrest grows with them, everytime you need to make the strap staller, the whole heardest top part moives up a notch. SO they can safely ride in this seat until they need no kind of seat anymore at all. 3 is really young to not be harnessed in -in case (God forbid), you're ever in an accident with him in the car.
Check out zillions of reviews of the best choices for the 'big kid seats' on elitecarseats.com.
For boosters I think legally kids have to be 40 lbs. but there's no reason to rush into a booster at 3.

Good luck-oh and it does sit a little flatter on the seat than the Marathon.

When my oldest turned 3, I moved her into an Evenflo High Back booster. She loves it. It is for 30 lbs and up.

Grace,

I moved my son to the Graco booster seat. It transitions, the back later removes so that it is just a booster. It is for kids 30 to 100 lbs. When I buys car seats or boosterseats for my kids, I research for safety. The Graco came in either 1 or second. And it is very reasonably priced. You can find them at Target for right around $40.

Good luck.

S.

I, too, have a tall truck and a heavy kiddo...I taught him to get up on his own and into his own carseat. Letting him have that independence, also deterred any battles. My opinion is to keep them in 5-pt. harness as long as possible.

Please reconsider this. Unless he has reached the height and weight limits for his carseat there is no need to to that. I plan to keep mine in a 5-point harness as long as possible. There are several options out now. The most expensive but highest weight limit for the harness is the Britax Frontier (in a harness up to 80 lbs). There is also the Graco Nautilus with keeps the kids in a harness until 60 lbs and then it converts to a highback booster and then a backless booster. the harness is much safer than a booster. check out www.car-seat.org for asking questions on their forum. This website states "Although some manufacturers may state that any child over a mere 12 months and 30 pounds may use a booster, this does NOT meet safest practice according to crash data research! Toddlers should never ride in a booster. Cognitive ability associated with the necessary attention span to use a booster correctly does not even begin to develop until at least 4 years old. Prematurely "graduating" a child to a booster before the minimum recommendation of 4 years and (not or) 40 pounds puts the child at increased risk of injury from "submarining" and also puts the driver at risk of distraction, increasing the risk of crashing.
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Also try to teach him how to climb into it himself. My daughter started doing that around age 3.

Most of the carseats that also convert to boosters adjust pretty well for larger toddlers. I would keep him in a carseat as long as possible for safety.

Please do NOT get a booster for your son. A five point seat is ALWAYS safer and putting a child in a booster should be ONLY because you cant use a five point based on size anymore. A 2 year old should be lifting himself into his seat and preparing for you to buckle him. If he cant get himself into the seat regardless of the climbing needed, then he is either pretending to be babyish or has some developmental delays that need to be adresses. The Britax is a great seat, but I would get the Frontier or a gently used Regent. Another seat is the True Fit by compass. Please keep him in the safest seat possible and find a reward system to encourage him to do it himself. Imagine that you are preparing your child in the car to head out on the freeway knowing you will hit head on with a semi truck, would a booster seat that he could get out of or poorly position himself in be good enough, or would you have him in the middle with tons of side impact protection, a five point harness and a tether. I know I would never forgive myself if I didn't provide my child with the best possible. Go to You Tube and look up Kyle David Miller car seat, or five point car seat, watch all the dummy videos, you will change your mind.

Grace Ann,

I would try to entice aka bribe him to get into his Britax on his own. Use stickers, cookies, trains, M&Ms. My neck was twitched badly and had to get adjusted and a massage from lifting him in. Regardless, I wouldn't even dream of taking my 3 year old out of the full car seat. It is not safe - check out the stories on the internet regarding booster seats. You've invested in the best car seat money can buy - it's not worth the risk until is is much older!!