Moving to a Booster Seat?

My son was out of his 40 lb limit seat before age 3 so we got a larger 5 point harness seat. We picked the Graco Nautilus since we like our other Graco car seats. My son was too wiggly for a booster seat at 3 but now he uses the booster if we are not in our own car. He's 4.5 now and can buckle himself in and out of his own seat and usually a lot better about following safety rules.

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i would not put a 3(or even 4) year old in a booster. very dangerous in certain types of collisions, their spinal column is not as mature as an adults and is easier to injure... there are PLENTY of 5pt harness boosters out there that go up to 80lbs - i'd invest in one of those.

edited to add: i'm just curious how big these 3 year olds were that were "too big" for a 5pt harness, even the largest britax one. i have a TALL almost 8 year old that can still fit in a regent, so it's kinda hard to buy that... to each their own, but it's just hard to believe that so many people have 3 year olds that are 5ft tall and 85lbs. and no, my 8 year old doesn't ride in the 5 pt anymore regularly, he moved to a booster when he turned 7.

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my son has always been in the 98th percentile for height and weight both, so ours was a size issue - when he was too big for the 5-point harness, out it went. it was AWESOME to get to stop using it! the booster is SO much more convenient. boosters will have height/weight recommendations on them just like your carseat does - i would check them out next time you're at walmart (or wherever). i believe your son is well within the size range for a booster.

PS, i really hope no one on here would judge or condemn someone for not keeping a child in a 5 point harness until what, age 10 or 12? how old is a child usually when they hit 80 lbs? i am personally a bit offended at some of these responses. there is ALWAYS some horror story about the poor wretched parents who DIDN'T wrap their child in bubble wrap and lock them in their rooms till age 18.

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My children, ages 8, 5, and 2, all ride in a 5 pt harness seat. Several years ago I witnessed a car accident where two children were killed. They had both been in booster seats and somehow were ejected from the car. After seeing that tragedy I researched about car seats vs booster seats and found out how much safer a 5 pt harness is for kids. 3 and 4 year old don't do as well in a booster because they don't typically stay seated in the proper position the entire ride. When they move around the seat belt can loosen on them which may allow them to "submarine" under the lap belt part in a crash. Also, a 5 pt harness attached with latch and a tether adds an extra layer of protection against seat belts being unbuckled, whether puposefully or inadvertantly. I believe the website Laura S is referring to is kyledavidmiller.org. It tells the story of a 3 year old little boy who died while riding in a booster seat when their van was involved in a crash. My daughter, 8 years old, very comfortably rides in her Britax Frontier. She weighs almost 70 pounds and is 54 inches tall. My 5 year old is very small for his age, but he also is very comfortable in his Frontier at 28 lbs and 36 inches. Please do some more research before putting your child in a booster seat.

Updated

My children, ages 8, 5, and 2, all ride in a 5 pt harness seat. Several years ago I witnessed a car accident where two children were killed. They had both been in booster seats and somehow were ejected from the car. After seeing that tragedy I researched about car seats vs booster seats and found out how much safer a 5 pt harness is for kids. 3 and 4 year old don't do as well in a booster because they don't typically stay seated in the proper position the entire ride. When they move around the seat belt can loosen on them which may allow them to "submarine" under the lap belt part in a crash. Also, a 5 pt harness attached with latch and a tether adds an extra layer of protection against seat belts being unbuckled, whether puposefully or inadvertantly. I believe the website Laura S is referring to is kyledavidmiller.org. It tells the story of a 3 year old little boy who died while riding in a booster seat when their van was involved in a crash. My daughter, 8 years old, very comfortably rides in her Britax Frontier. She weighs almost 70 pounds and is 54 inches tall. My 5 year old is very small for his age, but he also is very comfortable in his Frontier at 28 lbs and 36 inches. Please do some more research before putting your child in a booster seat.

2 moms found this helpful

I would start with one that has a back with a seat belt guide to be sure the belt does not hit his neck in the wrong place.

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Go to www.seatcheck.org and find out the laws for your state!
This isn't a guessing game, so use the site to find a local, free, trained inspector and pick his/her brain.
Good luck!

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Get him a Graco Nautilus. Its $150 and will hanress to 65lbs, then booster to 100lbs. He's only 3yrs old. He may seem big to you, but physically and mentally he's not mature enough for a booster seat. With a Graco Nautilus you can harness him for at least another two years, which is much safer for him.

1 mom found this helpful

My son, since 3 years old, was in a booster. He is a big/long/lanky boy.
My son would not fit in a car-seat... even the bigger Britax one. Which we also had.

For us, we use the Britax Parkway Booster and the Compass booster seats. You can check it out at Amazon.... my friends have these too.
It is not a 5 point harness... but has good ratings and safety ratings...

I would use, a booster seat that has a back. Not one of those "block" type boosters that a child just sits on, like a stool.

all the best,
Susan

We moved J to a booster by 3. he only tried to get out a couple of times but we made a big deal out of that and got in trouble.He has done fine otherwise.

Hi,

My 4.5 year old is in a Graco Nautilis which as other people mentioned goes to 65 pounds harnessed. It also turns into a high back booster and a regular booster seat. So we plan for this to be the last car seat we ever have to buy for her. My 2 year old is also in this model.

My daughter hit the 40 pounds/height limit at about the same age. So what I chose to do is get the Nautilis for our car which she is in about 90% of the time and a booster seat for the grandparents cars. My mom and my MIL both pick up my daughter from preschool once a week and there is no way I could afford $600 worth of car seats. I have a 2 year old who they watch on the days they pick up my daughter and he needed car seats too. I know they say you can't put a price on safety, but I had to! My daughter is excellent about sitting properly in all her car seats. She buckles and unbuckles herself.

If you can afford it, I'd go with something like a graco nautilis so you can keep him harnessed longer since it is safer and there are no cons to that. Plus you'd be able to convert the seat later anyway without needing to buy another one. If you do decide to get a booster instead, make sure you get a high back booster (I think you can eventually take the back off most of them) mainly because it has a seatbelt guide to help the seatbelt be positioned properly. You will be the best judge as to whether he's mature enough to sit in a booster properly. Be sure to check the height and weight limits for whatever you get.

I went through the same decision making process when my daughter was the same age so I feel your pain. At the time, Target was running a special on Graco car seats, so that helped. Good luck!

I like the graco nautilus. A 3 yr old no matter how big is not mature enough to be in a booster. You need something with a 5 pt harness.

The only thing important is that a 5 point harness is safest, there are no cons! We have the britax frontier, harnesses to 85 lbs but there are minimum height and weight requirements, check britax's website for details. We were in a fatality accident and I trust britax's safety ratings and reputation. You can try them at babies r us, and there are good deals at www.albeebaby.com or new in box on eBay.

Once your son reaches the height or weight limit, you need to change his seat as soon as possible.

The five-point harness is safest so if you can get a booster seat w/ a five-point harness that is rated for your son's height and weight, it would be best. The next best thing is a good, high-back booster. I personally don't like the ones without the high-back, they just don't seem very safe to mean. I have seen some that seem awful wide for a preschool age child to be in (even though they are rated for their weight) and they don't seem to fit snug enough to keep them secure.

Look for a 5 point harness-it is much safer and our weight limit on our seats go up to 80 lbs for the 5 pt. There is a website and I am drawing a blank on it right now-I know someone will post it-it is a video of a family who lost their son when he was not in a 5 pt harness-so heartbreaking, but so true-so through their loss they put this video together to educate others . Make sure you watch it with a box of tissues. Boosters are easier yeah, but not safer. Hope this helps and I hope someone posts that site for you or if it comes to me I will write ya. L. :) I believe Jill posted the correct site-please please check it out.