Moving to Car Booster Seats

I realized recently that I was in the same situation with my daughter. After doing some research, I determined that a high-back booster with a 5-pt harness is the safest way for a small child to ride in a vehicle. I also felt very weird about having her fastened in with only a seat belt (and booster seat, of course). My research found three booster seats that use 5-pt harness for children over 40 lbs.:
Britax Regent (up to 80#), approx $249
Graco Nautilus (up to 65#), approx $149
Safety First Apex (up to 65#), approx $129
(if anyone knows of another such seat, please let us know, as I need to buy one more for the other car.)

I found a Britax Regent (in the color I wanted - yay!) on Ebay for about $200. Because I will be able to get so much use from it (my daughter is only about 36 lbs now), I was able to easily justify the cost to myself - not to mention the fact that she is much safer. She happens to LOVE the new seat, too.

FYI, I found a few short videos on youtube during my research that, while they are a little depressing, make very good arguments for using 5-point harnesses over regular booster seats with the vehicle's lap and shoulder belts. If you're interested in seeing any of them, search on youtube for 5-pt harness or booster seat.

Good luck on your search!

3 moms found this helpful

I got my kids (6 yrs and 3 yrs) Ricaro boosters. They have head side impact protection and are for up to 80 lbs. There is only a couple of stores in the area that have them but I ordered mine at Target.com when they had free shipping. Check them out www.recaro.com. This company makes racing car seats and are very safety conscience. Good luck with your search!

2 moms found this helpful

I would SERIOUSLY consider going to a 5 point car seat like the Britax Regent that is a 5 point harness for kids up to 80 pounds. Booster seats are not safe for 4 year olds.
My 5 year old is 45 pounds and rides in the REGENT by Britax and loves it. there are other car seats that have the 5 point for bigger and older kids than 3-4.I think Graco makes one. I got my Regent on Ebay brand new for 200 with shipping. worth it because it will last for several years and we wont ever need a booster. I believe its good from 20-80 pounds.
Hope that helps, A. J

1 mom found this helpful

Hi S.!!

I definitely agree with the other girls...a 5 point harness system is the way to go, although I would imagine 4 seats @ $200 each would be too costly. My husband is a Police Officer and he has really opened my eyes to the difference in booster seats...from what I understand the ones without a back are more for lap belt use - which is dangerous. Of course I could be wrong at that, BUT the booster seats that have the full back have a hook/notch that the shoulder belt kind of slides through and would be much more comfortable and I would think safer. If you can find the the seats that have the 5 point system and are affordable, they are definitely the way to go!! I know that there are several brands out there that are no where near $200 each.

Good luck!!

L. F.

Hi S.,

Not what you were looking for, but I would seriously consider spending a little more money and getting 5 point harness seats that go above 40 pounds. I know that legally 40 pounds is the okay weight for booster seats, but kids are so much more protected in a 5 point harness - I'd try to keep them in one as long as possible.

C.

I recommend the Graco brand with the backs. We have these kind and they are great! The back has a place to put the shoulder strap so that it stays off of your child's neck.

Do you really need to buy 4? They are so easy to switch from car to car, we simply just move them when we need to. Just trying to save a little $$$.

Hi S.,
We bought the backless booster seats for our boys and the one reason I would not suggest them is because when they (the boys)fall asleep they lay their head over on the auto seat belt - looks really uncomfortable! This has not been a problem for just running errands - but when we go on trips I have to prop a pillow between them and the door!
K.

You probably won't need to get 4 as the boosters are SUPER easy to get in and out of a vehicle. I have a Britax Parkway and we love it. It was about $100 at Target. It is sturdy, but light weight and the back doesn't pop off like the Graco one my mother in law has which is frustrating and difficult to get back together. I think Graco or Evenflo makes a new car seat that has a 5 point harness that holds kids up to 65 lbs and then will convert to a booster. You may want to check into that too as your kids are still a bit light for a booster (according to the Dr anyway...).

The car seats I have ( I think Graco) turn into belt positioning boosters - you just remove the straps, and there are two or three belt holders on the sides at the top - the seat belt goes through there and fastens. Saved some money.

Definitely go with the high back - they're more secure in an accident.

S.

We bought the Graco Booster with the back. The back is removable so it will last you a lot longer. It has nice cup holders too. BONUS! I have one son with really long legs and no torso so he still has seatbelt issues and it works great! We actually have 4 I would definitely recommend them.

S.,
I agree with the other moms that you really need to buy a booster seat with a back.
I am a foster parent so I have a lot of car seats. The Graco Booster seat is great and not too costly. I have bought all of my car seats at Wal-Mart and find their prices to be the best.
H.

I would definitely consider moving up to a car seat that still has a five point harness and holds a bigger child. Its always safer for them to be in a five point harness as long as possible. With that said... if you are intent to get a booster I would go for the high back booster type. They help provide your child with side impact protection and as always the more protection the better, right! There is a great graco one out now called the Natilus that converts to a 5 point harness car seat holding up to 65lb (I believe) to a high back booster... so you could really get some wear out of that one - I know you can find them at Walmart.

www.momtomombiz.com

Just by reading previous posts with this same question, I've decided the 5 pt harness is the safest. I bought a saftety first that goes to 65lbs and it was $100. I'd already bought a booster by Evenflo that I loved (so did my 4yr old), but after reading some of the information out about differences in boosters and 5 pt harness I put the booster in the garage until he's older! Seemed strange having him just strapped in w/a seatbelt anyway.

I have to agree with the first two posters. My son just turned five, is 46 inches and 44 pounds and we just got him a Graco Nautilus which is a five point harness seat til 65 pounds and then can be used without the harness system later on as just a highback booster. They generally run about $150 at Walmart and are DEFINATLY worth the investment since you'll use it til it expires. Please keep your kids in a harness system as long as they can, it's just safer and the carseats will be priceless knowing that they're saving your kids lives.

Check your existing seats - many of them are designed to work with a 5 part harness for the smaller child, and as a booster without the harness straps for a larger child.

If that doesn't work, here are some things to consider. We did the full back booster for a while, but found strapping them in and out to be a real pain. The way they are designed it's almost impossible for the kids to buckle themselves in and out on their own. So we switched to the smaller backless seats. They can now get themselves in and out of the car with very little effort, so they feel like big kids. I was also able to pick up three backless ones at the salvation army family store for $4-$7 each as opposed to $12 (Big lots, when they have them) or $15-$20 each in a regular retail store. You can try one and see how they do getting in and out, and how you like it, without committing to big dollars. My kids prefer the backless seats. Good luck.

If you get the ones without the back, you can easily move them from car to car and will probably only need two. My son can carry his by himself and he sounds about the same size as your sons. Besides the ones with the back wouldn't fit in my car. The way my headrests are positioned made it impossible for the booster seat back to lay flat against the back of the seat.