"Seeking Advice on a Car Seat/ Buster Seat Purchase"

Hi, A.-
Not sure where you live, but the folks over at Segals in Beaverton are terrific and certified to install car seats, etc. It is worth the drive for me. They are highly informed. They will tell you when your daughter is ready for the next size up (you can even have her weighed and measured there) and give you options as well as address the best fit. I already know the next seat I am going to buy because of the information they gave me. They have always given me the best advice and earned my customer loyalty.

Take care and good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

Definitely time for a regular booster seat. We moved our daughter to the Cosco brand from Walmart when she was 5. It was only 25.00 and is just as good as any other booster out there !

I love the graco turbo booster. I liked it so much with my 4 year old who outgrew his carseat in height before he met requirements for a booster I bought one for my 2 year old also. It is a convertible - my toddler uses as a carseat, 4 year old as a high-back booster. When older, the back can come off to a backless booster. Adjustable height, taller than most seats or boosters I found. The manual says is is UNSAFE to continue using the harness in the seat beyond a certain weight (40 or 50lbs?).

We have the First Years booster seat. you can find it on Amazon. She is plenty big enough for a booster seat. you only have to be 40 pounds. The purpose of them is to raise your child high enough for the regular shoulder strap seat belt to be safe. Look for a seat that has a place to put the seat belt at the shoulder so it keeps it out of their face and off their neck. You need to buy one immediately. If you are only using half the latch at the bottom of her car seat she is not safe riding in the car. You won't be able to tell the durability of the seat in the store. ask if you can take the seat out to your car and put it in and have your daughter sit in it in there. It will give you a better idea of the fit. On the store floor doesn't work. Please go shopping today!

We use the normal backless booster seat. $20 at Target. At her height and weight, it is perfectly safe and will be the easiest for her to learn to buckle herself. She is still too short to be without a booster seat (at least in Washington state - you have to be 4'9" or 9 years old I believe).

She is ready for a backless booster. Definitely NOT the regular car seat (not until she is about 8 years old). Please check out www.nhtsa.dot.gov
They have all the best information on car seats.

most people are ready to switch to a booster at 4 and 40 pounds...you can get one with a back, if you think that it would be more comfortable...

A.,
Your Daughter can ride in a backless booster according to NATIONAL safety regulations. This is what will be printed on the side of the box of your car seats. You need to check your STATE guidelines for their requirements. Many states have stricter safety regulations, such as Washington and Oregon. But I do know that backless boosters raise a child to an "equivalent" adult level and at 60 lbs she should be just fine to hold herself in one without fear of sliding out of it.

We moved our big 4.5 year old from her britax marathon to the britax frontier booster. It is very dangerous to only use part of the seatbelt, hope you find something soon! I've seen them at merry go round in Bellevue and babies r us.

My 5 and a half year old rides in a 5 point also. But we have 3 of the True Fits... We love them. She'll be able to stay there for quite a while longer. My 7 year old has a Ricaro booster seat. It is sturdy and has nice head wings for safety. They were pretty inexpensive.. I think I paid 60 bucks for the Ricaro.
I'd think your little girl is well big enough to be in a booster seat. She is definatly too big for a 5 point.. or that paticular 5 point anyway.

A.,

My son is 6 years old and the size of the average 8 year old. He's always been big for his age. We have the Graco brand booster seat and it fits him just fine. It has two cup holders, a removable back, with adjustable heights for the seatbelt, and adjustable height arm rests. Most Graco brand stuff I believe is usually under $100.

Hope this helps,
M.

Forgot to mention that we moved him out of the 5-point car seat at 3 because of his height and weight.

When my son outgrew his regular carseat before he was even four years old, I absolutely hated putting him into a regular booster seat. It just didn't seem safe enough!
When I found the Britax Frontier booster it was such a relief to be able to put him back into a five-point harness seat again. The Britax Frontier also converts to a regular booster seat (using the seatbelt for a safety strap) when they outgrow the harness, but for my son who is now a very tall five year old, it still has plenty of growing room.

HI A.:
At 5 and a half and 60 pounds your daughter does not need to be riding in a car seat. The Britax (if it is the Marathon) only goes up to 60 pounds and most child grow out of it way before that because of height. The fact that she is riding in in with only one strap defeats the purpose of having her ride in a five point harness. At 40 pounds a child can start riding a regular booster seat using the cars seat belt as the restraint. If she is tall enough for the seatbelt to properly cross her shoulder and chest she does not need the back on it. If not she will need the back to be sure the seatbelt will align properly across her body without cutting into her neck. We have use the Graco version which is fairly inexpensive but Britax also makes one if you are looking to stay with that brand.

I went to segals kids store in beaverton. Got a graco booster it goes really tall has hideable cupholders head wings and adjutable arm rests. Also when they get to tall the back comes off for just the bottom booster. It was 89 or 99 dollars the guy there said it had the best ratings for boosters. I was looking at a more expensive one and he still suggested it so felt confident in his honesty. U can go to segals on line and c what they have also. I agree though need something immediatly if not using 5 point correctly

She's ready for a booster for sure. Whenever I buy a carseat I check all the online reviews to make sure it fits our needs. We wound up with a folding booster from Target and it's been great for the last couple of years.

A.,

Contact your local Fire Dept. They have all the new rules and guidlines when it comes to car seat/Booster seats. They even install for free.

I was told here in Washington that once my son reaches 40 pounds he can move to a booster seat using the car seat belt. I have an eddie bauer conversion car seat that he can use until he is 100 pounds, it has the back and can be used as a booster with the car seat belt. It is probably what you are looking for.

We bought the Graco Nautilus for our tall 4 year old daughter, converts to booster and then backless booster, up to 100lbs!!! Also harnesses 5 points until 65 pounds! Less than $150, easy to find. We are happy with it, we got one for both cars. A.

Hi A.:
Using a carseat too small for your child is very unsafe. I researched booster seats (on Consumer Reports) when I bought mine and found that the Graco Turbo booster was well rated and runs anywhere from $40-60 (depending on a sale or where you buy it). It has a back that is removable as your child grows, and should easily last you 2-3 years.

Graco Nautilus is around $150, but only harnesses to 65 lbs. The Britax Frontier is similiar but harnesses to 80 lbs, then boosters to 100 lbs. But costs about $300.
Your daughter is way passed outgrown that Britax seat - once her shoulders are above the top strap slots it is outgrown. If you can't buckle her in properly, you are way passed where you should have stopped using it!! She is NOT safe in that seat, please get a new one!
At 5 and a half, and 60 lbs, she could definitely ride safely in a highback booster, and graco turboboosters run around $50 - $60. Many other types available for different prices.... check out www.car-seat.org for more advice if you want to compare different ones.

She needs a booster seat at that age.

Both my boys (4 and 5) have been using booster seats with a back to guide the seat belt for almost a year now. It is secure, and they can buckle them selves in. In my husbands truck where they only ride on occasion they have backless boaster.

I'd definately go with a full back booster. My daughter just turned 6 in Sept and had been in a Marathon and a Radian 65 and a Apex 65. The Marathon she had outgrown, and was at the top slots in the Radian (and if I'm remembering correctly one slot left on the Apex) She was at last check 48lbs and 50in tall (mostly legs though). We got her a Graco Nautilus a bit pricey at $150ish for "just a booster" but we used it with harness for about 3 months (and she still had 1 slot to grow), then we had occassion to need it in my moms car and I just didn't have it in me that day to wrestle with installation so I decided it was best to use it as a booster, well my mistake, my daughter LOVED being a big kid with a seat belt and it did fit her quite well, so from that point on we've been using it as a belt positioning booster.

HTH
E.

A.-

One of my goals is to become a certified carseat installer, the class I need hasn't been offered yet. Acts Oregon offers great advise.
http://www.actsoregon.org/calendar.html

Additionally, Segals in Beaverton has certfied installers on site, Toys R Us and Babies R Us do not.

Just a note, which ever seat you choose, make sure it has a full back. A full back booster helps your child fit properly in the car.

Good Luck!

R. Magby

Check with your pediatritian, but it sounds like your daughter is old and big enough for a booster. All the booster does is position her high enough so the car's seat belt fits her properly.

I have a Graco booster purchased at Fred Meyer for $20. Its light weight and does the job beautifuly for my 5 1/2 year old son. He's been in it since he was 4.

Using a toddler safety seat when the child is too big can be dangerous, especially if you aren't able to fasten all the buckles and latches. Check with your doc on graduating her into a big girl seat.

I have a Graco Nautilus for my 4yo, and it's great to keep lo's harnessed longer. I don't think you need to spend the extra money though. My big 7yo boy rides in a Graco Turbo booster, which converts to a backless booster. He's almost outgrown the high back booster mode at 53 inches and 70+ pounds. I like the side impact head support and seat belt guide of the HBB. When he can ride w/o moving the seatbelt or leaning forward, then he'll be ready for a LBB. HTH!

I'd suggest contacting a certified carseat installer. You can find them on car-seat.org

She is big enough for a backless booster seat. You can pick one up for around $20.