Need a Toddler Booster Carseat

I have the Graco 3-in-1 car seat that starts as a 5-point front facing car seat, then goes to a high back booster and later can be just a booster seat. So far so good with it as I've had it for 2 months. It's a about $160 significantly less expensive than a Britax (which I also have). It's not quite as cushy, but easy to install and seems very sturdy.

Hi S.,
We bought the Safety 1st Summit High Back Car seat last year and so far we love it! I did some research at the time and it is called a convertible car seat, meaning that it goes from a forward facing car seat with LATCH to a booster seat. So right now, it has the five point harness, but when my son gets bigger in a few years, we can use the seat belt instead to secure him (it has guides for the seat belt). It is super comfy, and you can recline it with one hand if you have a sleeper. I only paid about $75 on Amazon with free shipping. The seat cover has a little bit of wear where his legs rub on it, but other than that we have no complaints. My neighbors have a Britax booster/car seat, and they were surprised that it is so big that their son has NO foot room in the backseat, so consider the size of the vehicle your son will be riding in. Good luck in the hunt!

I would stay away from any of the combo harness and booster seats which only harness to 40 pounds as many kids who will outgrow the harness in height and or weight before they are ready to sit safely in a booster. We have a Safeguard Go for my 5 year old daughter. It is really nice and compact, is a harness mode to 65 lbs. and then a backless booster. http://www.mystrollers.com/shop/product.aspx?ref=froogle&... It is very easy to install (you need a top tether) and you can take it anywhere. However, it is not the most supportive seat for younger children who still sleep in their car seats. One additional option which I know is often recommended on a carseat forum I visit are the Graco Nautilus http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8112... It harnesses to 65 lbs. and then converts to a highback then a backless booster to 100 lbs. It seems like a pretty good deal in terms of longevity.

Hope this helps!

This one seems to have the best of all possible worlds. It is what I am getting for my son.

http://www.amazon.com/Graco-Nautilus-Car-Seat-Matrix/dp/B...

I agree with the Graco Nautilus - we love it! but I wouldn't move him yet if you don't have to - our 2 year (almost 3 year) old is still very comfortable in the Britax roundabout

I'm not familiar with the Nautilus. If your child is on the large/tall side, I would recommend the investment in the Britax Marathan. I was able to sell mine after several years of use for $100 so you may be able to get some money back. I went for a Graco when my daughter grew too tall for her infant seat when she was 4 mo old because I didn't want to spend the money for the Britax. When she was 2.5 she outgrew the Graco for height and the Britax was the only other choice. Another good point...the Britax straps never tangled like the Graco...other than those two points (size and straps) I did like the Graco.

Evenflow Triumph is the BEST CARSEAT EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Not a booster seat, though. I shy away from th combos too, because I had one with my first and the seatbelt wasn't correctly positioned on him, and the seatbelt slipped out of those outside bracket things all the time.

But the Evenflow Triumph goes forward facing in the 5 pt harness up to 55 lbs, so it will last a long time! And it's the easiest carseat I've ever used! And it gets the same safety ratins as the Britax!!
Good luck!

i don't know where you live but if you are near gaithersburg md i am selling my britax huskey for $50 i think we paid $350 for it. it has a 5 point harness and can hold up to 120 lbs. i bought it when my son turned 2 because he would undo a reg seatbelt with a normal booster. we are a smoke free, pet free household and the seat has never been in an accident. ###-###-#### or ____@____.com

Hi S.!

We had this same decision to make not so long ago. First, can I ask why you are moving your 2yo out of his carseat? Not sure what kind you have for him but we have 4 little ones. 5,3, and 1 yo twins. We use the Britax marathon for all and just moved our then 4 1/2 yo out of the marathon to a booster. If you don't have to move him into a booster yet I wouldn't. If you have a Britax carseat that will surely hold him longer than 2 yo.

Back to your question... since we absolutely LOVE Britax we purchased the Regent but had to return it because it was HUGE!!!! We have a Honda Odyssey and it didn't not fit in the third row with the other marathon next to it. If it weren't for that we would have kept it. I loved the fact that it was a booster but still the 5pt harness. We ended up with the Britax booster instead.

I don't know of any other 5 pt boosters, but I haven't done the research.

Hope this helps a little!

You've got a lot of good suggestions on here, but if you need to move him to another seat, you want to be looking for a "car seat" or a combo "car seat/booster seat" for him.

In Virginia the law states that a child must be in a car seat until they are at least 4 years old or 40 lbs. They must be in a car seat or booster seat until they are at least 8 years old.

Just wanted to mention this, as you want to make sure you're not getting a 'booster seat' for your son, since he is so young.

HTH!

The safeguard go booster is excellent. It was recommended to us by a friend who had talked with a pediatrican. It is a 5 point harness and incredibly easy to install and great for traveling. It folds up and has it's own carry bag. It is so easy for my son to get in and out of and with the new laws we won't have to get any other type of booster.

We also have a Graco Nautilus and love it. My 2.5 year old is very tall and still has two more slots above the ones he is at now for the harness. Then it will be a booster and a backless booster.

Someone recommended the Evenflo Triumph but I wouldn't get that for your two year old if the reason you are moving him is because of a height issue with the regular seat. The harness slots aren't that much higher than my Graco comfort sport which my son was outgrowing. It is a good seat, but not the best to buy for a 2 year old in my opinion.

Graco Nautilus hands down. It has high top slots and a 65 lb. harness limit. It will be the last seat he needs. It will easily keep him harnessed to 5 (or longer) and then it converts to a high back booster and then a no back booster. I think it's like $150 at Walmart so a lot cheaper than the Regent.

My two and a half year old daughter grew like a weed and was too tall for her infant car seat at around 18 months or so. I went to Walmart and paid maybe $60 to $70 for a Graco Convertible Seat. This has a five point harness now and then when she gets big enough, it can then have the harness straps removed and used as a booster seat with slots for a shoulder strap to go into. It also has the LATCH system on it as well for the newer cars (most newer cars have these automatically in them - a good thing to have). It is now good for her up to 100 pounds. I chose this because I'll be able to get years and years of use out of it and the price wasn't that bad (well worth it). So, I would recommend any Graco seat from Walmart. Check them out online or even in the store. Hope this helps and good luck.

Depending on what type of seat you have now, you may not HAVE to move your 2 year old to a new seat yet.

My daughter is 2 and she is in an Evenflo Triumph Advanced seat. I LOVE that seat and she has PLENTY of room to grow in it.

My son is 4 1/2 and we have the Britax Regent for him. Our "spare" seat for him is a Graco Nautilus. If you are worried about money then that would be a good seat.

The Graco Nautilus goes to 65lbs using the harness so that is still pretty generous. I got mine for $150 at Walmart.

I just had to move my 4 year old to a booster and tried to avoid the Britax Regent due to the price. I searched and searched and could not find one that was comparable. I did watch the prices at Target.com, and a few other sites. I found one that went on sale for $249 and had free shipping. So, if you have time, google Britax regent and check all the prices. S. L.

I recently was having the same predicament. I wanted the britax but needed two carseats so I couldnt really justify spending $600. I finally decided on the Graco Nautilus 3 in1 (from babies r us and target). It uses a harness up to 65 lbs and booster/seatbelt up to 80 I believe. My kids love it, its got head support and a steel enforced frame and lots of great reviews from other parents. Good luck with whatever you decide!

I got my daughter the Graco Nautilus a few months ago (she's almost 2 1/2) and she LOVES it. She's very comfortable in it, and it was about $159. This seat transforms from a seat w/ 5 point harness, to w/out harness, and finally a booster seat w/out back support. The weight range goes up to 100 lbs. I got mine at Buy Buy Baby, but they have them at Target too.