Stressed About Picking the 'Right' Booster Car Seat for My Son

When we moved my son from his infant carrier into the convertible car seat, we got the Alpha Omega seats. They are rear facing to 35 lbs, forward with harness to 50 lbs and then a high back booster to 100 lbs. At $170 each, we will never need another seat for our son.

If you are simply looking for a booster, the Graco TurboBooster is a good pick. They are a high back booster while they need that, then the back comes off for when the child is old enough to only need the seat portion.

However, please keep your children in the harnesses (and the younger one rear facing) for as L. as there is a seat to support them. Its said that with each new position/seat you are stepping down in safety. There is actually a push to increase the required age/weight for rear facing and for harnesses

I don't know if this helps because I too have the Britax. But I can tell you why I picked it. It was a combination of things. First, it had a high weight/height limit, so I knew I could keep it a long time. Second, it had a 5-point harness which I wanted to keep my child in as long as possible. And it converts to use a seatbelt, so when I think she is old enough, I can transition her. I know some people get seats without all the harness and head protection. These are easy to carry in an dout of cars, etc. but I like having her in a "car seat" as long as she tolerates it!!!

PS - If you can, go to a couple stores and ask for coupons a few weeks before you want to buy. I went to Buy Buy Baby and signed up for their mailing list. They send a 20% off coupon every couple of months which was good on Britax (but proabbly whatever you buy).

There are other things to stress about. Please don't stress about this. flip a coin. Really.

If its a booster you are looking for then I recommend Graco. We bought a Graco for our son and it works fine. If you are looking for a regular carseat i would recommend the Britax. If you are ok with a used one there are alot for sale on craigslist. Britax are made to last and as long as you can find one where you can trust that it hasn't been in an accident than I would buy one of those. I sold my sons on craigslist and it had alot of live left in it. Just maybe something you can consider.

The 'right' booster seat is the one that gets and keeps the belt in the proper postion. The rest is all frills and keeping up with the Joneses. Check fit, then worry about style. Buying something because that's what everyone else has is like eaating a food that gets you sick because that's what everyone else is doing, it's just worth the trouble or expense.

Hi A.. Britax is a fabulous brand, I can understand your friends being sold on them. However, Booster seats are different than car seats. By the time a child is big enough for a booster seat, their bodies are much stronger and they don't need the same protection as a car seat offers to a smaller/younger child. You are right, if they are sold on the shelf of a retail store they meet all the safety standards necessary. I would not recommend buying one from a re-sale store because you do not know if they have ever been in an accident. I would recommend ones with the 3 point harness. Your kids are still young. You can always switch to the regular seat-belt strap later if they get too big for the harnass. If your 3 year old doesn't fall asleep in the car, the "co-pilot" booster is super easy. Good luck. Hope this helps.

We have the Graco Nautilus and love it. You can use the harness to 65 pounds and it converts to both a high-back and backless booster.

Jen

We bought just the $30-$45 ones at Walmart. I did type in the brand online and look at some reviews. (One is the Alpha Omega Elite and I can't remember what the other is)Basically they passed the same inspection standards but some are just more "basic" than others. We love what we have, and we didn't break the bank getting them, either. Our kids were also comfortable on the 14 hr drive from our home to my inlaws' in south Florida, so we figure they must be pretty good carseats for the kids to not be cranky or complaining after that trip.

Go to consumerreports.com and type in "child car seats." They are a respected organization, been around for decades, and I have found their reviews very helpful over the years.

Sometimes "expensive" means "the best" and sometimes it just means "there's a sucker born every minute." Get the ratings, make an informed decision and stop stressing!

I have an almost new Evenflo seat that my 42 lber (just turned 4) just grew out of. We bought it cos it was top rated for safety by consumer reports and have loved it. I'd like to sell it cos it is in wonderful condition. Wish I could have found one like it instead of having had to buy it new. Let me know if you want more details. Blessings, S.

I agree with Amber; the Graco Turbo booster has been great and the kids have never complained that it's uncomfortable I bought it through Sears, ordered online for in-store pick-up - very easy.

i have the graco nautilus. it will have him in a 5 point harness until he gets to 65 pounds which should get you to 5 years which i beleive it the best. i've heard of kids dieing because the cars seat belt cut their insides in half form a light accident. they ned the 5 point harness to spread the weight of the impact so not just one part of their body takes the force of a crash. then after they get to 65 pounds or the hieght restriction it is a belt positioner. then it becomes a booster. my daughter is 40 pounds 4.5 years old and 41 inches tall and fits in it perfectly. its the last car seat you need or the only one you need other than an infant seat. before i got this seat we were using the alpha omegas and i love them but the ones i have only go to 40 pounds (the new ones go to 65 i think) so i had to get a new one anyway because i want her in a 5 point. i like the position of the cup holder on the nautilus better though and the alphas dont turn into boosters. other than that they seem the same.

Do some research: Go to the library and get Consumer Reports magazine and find its latest ratings of car seats. Also, go to www.cpsc.gov (Consumer Product Safety Commission) and search to see car seat recalls in recent years -- you will probably find some companies that have repeated recalls and I'd always avoid those. You can also go to www.nhtsa.gov (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration) to see what they recommend; as of today the NHTSA web site has several items on car seats and car seat installation etc. on its front page.

That said...I always used Britax seats and believe they are worth the cost. You will be using these items every single day of every week possibly for years, so on a day to day basis, the cost isn't really that great. A friend's toddler son was in an accident where their van did 360-degree donuts along a DC street but he didn't even notice and didn't budge one inch. He was in a Britax.

One other thing -- you said boosters but your sons sound young for basic "backless boosters" that just raise them off the seats and use the regular seat belts. Do you mean convertible car seats or boosters with backs? An 11-month-old is not ready for a booster, even one with a back, but needs a larger car seat for quite a while to come.

Oh, and keep your boys in a five-point harness as long as you can get seats that fit them and have the harnesses. I wish my daughter could be in one but she's eight and way too tall for even the biggest big-kid seats other than a basic booster!

Britax is definitely a wonderful carseat...but like you said, EXPENSIVE. The upside to Britax is the quality and if you are ever in an accident, they replace the carseat for free.
but if you just can't afford them or rationalize spending that much, I would go with Graco. We have had 4 (two infant and two toddler for two cars)of them and they are wonderful carseats, both the infant and toddler seats. No issues, great reviews and will go on to accommodate our second child as well. Happy hunting!

Hey A. - I talked to and emailed a car seat "expert" quite a bit before purchasing our convertable car seat for our son last year, and from what she said, you are correct(she ran a foundation offering car seats to families which couldn't afford them, promoted extended rear-facing, and 5 point harnesses for as long as possible..ie not putting them in boosters until they are over the weight limit of the car seats.) Anyway! ALL carseats sold have to pass the same safety standards in order to be put on shelves...the more expensive usually means more comfortable and more bells and whistles. The main points she made were to look for a seat with the highest weight limit possible (I think some go up to even 80 pounds now! but the most common are 50-65) and if your son is long-torsoed, make sure the top shoulder slots are high (for example, the Evenflo Titan isn't...it only goes to 15" which apparently is rather low) so he can use it until he hits the weight limit - not because he gets too tall. I think the BRITAX are the creme de la creme of car seats, but there are lots of good ones out there. Just make sure it's installed correctly and ALWAYS used correctly. Hope this helps! =)
~K.

I was in the same boat as you--did not want to spend the extra money for no good reason. However, I have been very happy with our Britax. Here is the beauty of it--it can accommodate the kids up to something like 50 pounds. So you can keep the child in the harness a lot longer. Downside=no cup holder!

In a perfect world, we'd all own BMW's or Mercedes, retire early and have Britax car seats!!! Isn't it nuts the pressure we put on ourselves. When we were looking for car seats (we have twins) I immediately went with the Graco Duo Glide with the baby seats that pop in and out of the base and snap on the stroller. This was after much research and much debate over could we afford to shell out the money for the top of the line seats/stroller. The answer was "not really" but after researching the seats safety standards on line, I found that they were highly rated so I felt much better. Then the time came when they outgrew those seats so we had to start over again and look for convertable seats. The questioning of friends and the research began anew. Britax was basically at the top of the safety ratings but was also at the top of the price scale. I then looked at the next couple seats on the list and if I remember, that year was the Alpha Omega car seats and another brand I forget the name of (it's been about 4 almost 5 years since this occurred). Anyway, we looked at both at Babies R Us and since they were pretty close in price, it came down to which one's we liked better. We ended up choosing the Alpha Omega seats and never looked back. We were very happy with them and also just had to give ourselves a break in that we just couldn't afford 2 new Britax car seats. Of course we want the best and safest for our boys, but we also had to be practical. My guys are now 6 and they use a bottom booster seat only (with seat belts) and we've been fortunate to not have had any problems.

We all want safe but just because it's the top of the bunch doesn't mean the next one or two down the list were so different that they aren't safe. Don't try to "keep up with the Jones", as long as you find one with a good safety rating, then you'll be just fine.

Good luck,
Julie

We have 2 Britax Marathons and 1 Regent. We bought them because no one could stay asleep in the booster seat(no head support). We also like that they hold up to 65 and 80 lbs and will only need one carseat each instead of 3. Having to get a van I also worry that if we would ever roll the booster could slide out from under them causing the belts to loosen and the girls to fly free. (Not a van fan)They oldest(5) likes too that she can see out the van windows plus she buckles and unbuckles her sisters.
Sometimes expensive now means cheaper later.

I bought a Compass booster and then learned it got poor ratings for seatbelt placement in a study conducted last year. The study (as well as Consumer Reports) recommended the Graco TurboBooster. I got a top-of the line Graco for $89, the AirBooster, and it's awesome. The seat part is made of Herman Miller-style Aeron chair material so their butts don't get sore on long trips. If you feel the bottom of a regular Turbobooster, there is only thin padding covering the hard plastic. My son loves it and it's very sleek looking. I bought mine at Target but haven't seen them there since. Here's a link to it, but it seems to be unavailable:
http://www.amazon.com/Graco-AirBooster-Youth-Seat-Brown/d...

If you are referring to a convertible carseat (instead of boosters) for your sons when they turn one, my kids had the Britax Marathon, but there are several other brands/models with good safety ratings.

Okay- almost a year ago, someone brought an article to my work about booster seats and safety. All I remember is the LONG list of the ones deemed "unsafe", and a short list of ones that were very safe... Apparently, even some very expensive ones weren't safe- it is ALL about seatbelt positioning.

I didn't keep the article nor do I remember where it came from (was an independent study), but, I was lucky enough to find out that the ones that we already bought were highly recommended. We have two Graco Turbo boosters. Those are supposed to be very good... good news- they are certainly NOT expensive. I will tell you, though that they aren't as plush and comfy, but I get NO complaints from my "princesses" about them, so they can't be that bad- they would let me know! Trust me!

HAHA- I just read the response one of the other moms wrote... I guess they read the same study! Well, shows I didn't make it up! Hahaha...

Personally I never went for brand. I got the one that was the right size for my son, and my vehicle, and that felt the most cushiony and comfy, with whatever other extras I wanted or needed. Sometimes it was cheaper and sometimes more expensive. So far I never regretted my choices.

go to consumer report website. They have the most accurate info on safety tests etc. I'd also consider how much time your kids spend in the car. if it is no more than 30 min at a time the cheaper one will work as good as the more expensive brands. if your kids spend hour and more at a time or you are frequent car traveler i'd go for more expensive ones, because they are usually softer and more comfortable. I'd also consider boosters with detachable back.

hey A.!

first of all, good luck on your quest. i am a mother of 3 and due in jan. researching which product to buy is ALWAYS stressful! hopefully this will help. we have had britax carseats and they are great! but if your looking for a booster i recomend the graco turbo booster. it is a belt positioning booster which your child can use at 3. at 4 you can remove the back (which is adjustable) and it becomes a backless booster. we have a britax parkway for my eldest, who is almost 6. she will use this until she no longer has to be in a seat. but my son, who just turned 4, has the graco can technically use it backless at this point, though we have opted not to do so just yet, mostly because my daughter will be upset because the back of her britax isn't removable. we would move her to the graco and him to the britax but bought a gender specific britax. we may go ahead and get her a backless graco booster at this point.
i've always been one of those people who figured, "well this is more expensive so it MUST be better". but in the case of the boosters i wish i had gone with the graco turbo in the first place. I have nothing against britax and LOVE thier car seats. but in the specific case of the booster i'd go with the graco! hope this helps, and good luck again!

sorry another Britax lover, we have six of them.

My rationalization is that how much did you spend on your car and what upgrades did you get for your car and how much did it cost you? now remember that your kids will be riding in that same car that you purchased as much as you and how much does that car seat cost relative to all the additions that you got for the car? My same logic goes for strollers, as I see parents spend so much money to satisfy all their sport or other hobbies and complain about the cost of a stroller. how much did their bike, skis, snowboard, etc... cost them? or even electronics... sorry to digress...

Yes, some of the extra perks of the more expensive brands are comfort alongside with safety qualities, but I, too, would like to be comfortable if forced to sit in the car seats and strollers day-in and day-out.

We absolutely love our Alpha Omega's. I've had both the elite and the eddie bower edition and loved them both (I replaced the seats after a car accident. I researched a lot when first purchasing and found that there was nothing more immpressive about the Britax except the price and maybe the fabrics. I even bought our Alpa Omega elites super on sale (about half price) at the end of the season one year from babyage.com . We bought them in November and they were manufactured in November so they weren't even a month old when they arrived.

Hi A.,
I have my son in a Cosco backless booster seat and he has done really well in it since he was 30 lbs and he is now 4 yrs old and 43 inches tall. My daughter uses an Evenflo triumph convertible carseat that used to be my son's and she can use it until she is 40 lbs. I just don't think she is ready to sit in anything with less than a five point harness to keep her secure. She will be 3 in December and I'm seriously considering getting a Graco Turbobooster High backed booster seat, but she needs to be at least 38 inches tall. It has a belt positioner and eventually can be backless. I wouldn't want to pay all that money for a Britax either.

We have the Alpha Omega seat as well. I love it! We do several trips to Vermont so comfort was a big deal as well. My daughter never complained about being uncomfortable. We did eventually have to get a small booster since my daughter got grew out of it. I love the Graco boosters too. We're on a tight budget so I don't look at price I look at quality.