Booster Car Seats for Kids Before 4

Sunsine Kids Radian
Safeguard Go Booster

These are the 2 seats I bought after my son grew out of Britax (which I loved.)when he was 2 1/2-3 years (he's a tall boy.) I decided to keep him in the 5-point harness--his dad bought one like the Britax Booster which just uses a should strap (the seat doesn't latch into car at all) and my son is too small really. The shoulder strap is too far from his body to restrain, leaving a gap between his body where he can slip out of if jolted suddenly like being thrown in a car accident. After seeing that I believe all that I read about 5 Point harness systems.

These 2 seats have 5 point harnesses up to the highest weight/height possible. They also latch into the car--another feature I feel very good about.

Most boosters do not latch into the car, so if the shoulder strap is extended and you get in an accident, the shoulder strap will lock and the seat will slide within that gap.

The Safeguard also has a detachable back to leave just teh booster seat latched into the car...once your child is like 6, 7, 8? and only needs the booster.

I bought them both online at Elite Car Seat and love that web site! Free shipping!

I would listen to your pediatrician. But if you want more information go to Consumer Reports & they will give you a list of the ratings on all the brands of booster & car seats.

We were just shopping this weekend for a new carseat for our 6 month old. My thoughts were that we would get a booster for our 4 year old and give his carseat to the baby. When I was in the store, I didn't like the way he was sitting in the booster seats. I was thinking that if we were in a car accident, would the shoulder/lap belt in the car secure him enough? We decided to keep him in his 5 point harness carseat and get another one for the baby. Hope this helps.

My daughter is also 3 1/2 and I recently bought the Compass B510 booster seat for occasional taxi, car rental or carpool use. (Booster seats are not approved for airplanes since they require a shoulder belt.) It is rated for children 30-100 pounds and 38"-57" tall (the height adjusts 6 times!) CarSeat.org responses to my purchase were not favorable since most 3 1/2 year olds cannot/will not sit straight or do not weigh enough to anchor the booster seat in place. I do believe a 5-point harness is the safest, however, I contacted our car seat safety inspector. She recommended/suggested we secure it by pulling the lap belt securly across her hips, tightening it across her shoulder and through the shoulder belt holder. Once this is done, pull the seat belt all the way out from the car and feed it/ratchet it until it is snug across your child's chest and locked in place. This kept her and the booster seat very secure. It takes me about 30 seconds to get her in securely. She is just over 41 inches tall and about 32 pounds and NOT a wiggler in any car seat. We don't own a car. We have several other car seats as well: Britax Boulevard installed in my mother's car, Radian by Sunshine Kids since it folds and is great for plane trips, although not recommended for very long trips unless you get the Dry Seat pad by Sunshine Kids ($10) to cushion their tush. We also have a Tote 'N Go DX by Cosco, but this is very difficult to install quickly and securely so we have only used it a couple of times.

Overall, we love the Compass B510, especially since we use taxi's fairly frequently. It received a lot of great reviews from everywhere we looked. It has side impact wings that don't block her view, yet keep her noggin safe. It folds, has a carrying bag and is lightweight. She loves the pattern and the cup holders.

If you don't use taxi's where you are pressed for time to install and prefer a 5-point harness, consider the Radian. It has latch and many if not all of the safety features of your Britax. It is narrow, so does only take up one seat in a car (Many people stated they can fit 3 across in their sedan's!)

My daughter just turned 4 and uses a Britax Regent. It was one of the few boosters I could find that used a 5 point harness and accomodated tall children. I agree with the idea that if you use a shoulder belt and a booster, pull the belt out until the safety catches, so that there's no question about whether the safety will engage in a crash. I decided on the Regent because the 5 point just seemed more secure. The drawback is that it's huge and heavy, but the plus is that it's quite comfy and seems really secure. Plus, your child can be in it much longer.

I'd keep the 5 point harness as long as possible. The booster seat requires that the child is mature enough to sit straight and upright. For some 3 year olds that's a lot to ask for! Once my daughter hit 40 lbs she was a couple of weeks from her 4th birthday. We made the switch, but it took some getting used to. I had to explain to her how to sit in the new seat.

We use the Britax Parkway. It's very safe, but honestly, it's not really comfy.