What Car Seat Should I Buy?

Please watch this before you get a booster seat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ
I would stongly suggest against it. My seven year old still uses a 5 pt harness. My husband has talked to several poilce officers and they all say keep them in a 5 pt harness for as long as possible. Maybe we are over protective but at least she is safe. We have the Summit High Back at it can be a booster seat too. Again, it is a little pricy but you only have to get one seat instead of two for later. Good Luck, J.

We used the Cosco Alpha Omega carseat. It's convertible, so it can be used as an infant seat, toddler seat, or booster seat. It's a little bit more expensive (I think we paid around $115 eight years ago), but you won't need to buy a booster seat down the road, so it's actually pretty cost-effective. We LOVED it.

No booster seat. It is actually recommended that children stay rear-facing for as long as the weight limit allows. Many seats are around 30 lbs, I believe, for rear-facing. At this point, even if a booster seat is made for a 22 lb child, they are not safe.

Go with a convertible seat.

You can verify this with the local police dept. but your child has to meet both height and weight limitations to move on to a booster seat. It may be easier to use a booster but when it is your child's safety in question a little inconvience may save their life. Another plus for the toddler seats are the extras they come with. Many items are made to keep your busy toddler occupied. Good luck!

Please don't use the booster seat yet! Go to babies r us or target (a store that has them visibly on display) and find a thin 5 pt. harness system. She is 8 pounds away from any manufacturer's recommended weight for booster seats! Good luck & be safe (sometimes we have to remind our husbands that just because it is more cost effective, doesn't mean it is the safest option for our children!).

Please double-check the booster seat info! I think most booster seats suggest a minimum weight of about 38# which means your daughter is still way too small. We bought the Cosco Summit carseat for my oldest daughter ... it works with a 5-point harness up to 40# and then works with the regular seat belt up to 100#. It got a very good rating from Consumer Reports and only cost about $80.

Good luck!

Hello
I have a friend who's hubby is a Firefighter, one of the ones certified in Car Seat Safety (don't know exact terminoligy). I asked, he strongly discouraged a booster until 40lbs, regardless of what the manufacturer weight suggests. You could call your local Fire Station to see if they have car seat safety information available.

Please don't put her in a booster seat. She far too young and small for one. I don't know how many children/car seats you have or what kind of car you own, but couldn't you put one on each side of the backseat and leave the middle open? I think if you go to Babies R Us, they'll let you try the floor model carseats in your car before you buy them, maybe you can find one that works. Keep your babies safe and keep them in carseats please.

As for comfort you would want a infant/toddler convertible style, in my opinion. I have a Graco ComfortSport and a Graco (I can't remember the name but I don't think they make them anymore) toddler/booster convertible and the Comfortsport (infant/toddler convertible) is much more comfy looking. I recommend checking out manufacturers websites (like www.gracobaby.com) and searching based on measurements of your child. Then go someplace like Babies R Us and check out the top picks. I didn't understand what you mean by "booster seat requirements are 22 lbs". Do you mean a booster seat like the kind you use a lap belt across her lap? If so, that shouldn't be used until 4 years and 40 lbs. Eventually you'll need a booster, but it sounds like she's on the small side and it really depends on what you're comfortable with - if you want to look ahead and save money I would get a toddler/booster convertible, but make sure you use the harness until 4/40! I hope this helps a little!

Not sure where you are located, but most state laws say that the child has to be in a car seat until they are 4 years old AND 40 lbs. I have a 3 year old daughter and she is still in a carseat. I personally don't think she is ready for booster seat. She is still not tall enough for a seatbelt to fit properly on a booster seat and my daughter is tall for her age. I hope this helps.

My Pedi. want's me to keep my kids in 5 point seats untill 40 lbs. He said OK go ahead an move your son up when he was 38lbs --- BUT HE IS 5 --- at 18 months I would absolutly get another todler seat and not a booster.

Definitely no booster. I am pretty sure Ohio law requires that a child be four years old AND 40lbs before they can use one. It's not safe for an 18 month old at all. And if you get caught without proper child restraints, it's like a $250 fine.

I have an Evenflo Triumph 5 for my son, and it's been working well for the past two years. I plan to get another one for my daughter.

...LF

I don't know if this will help you or not. At the Toledo Hospital they have a program called K.I.S.S. you can get a new carseat for a discounted price and there really nice they also show you the proper way to install it and make sure the other carseats are in correctly. Maybe they would be able to answer your questions better.