Booster Seat Question - Meridian, ID

I had the same problem, my son at the age of 3 was over 40 lbs. and I definately did not feel like he was safe or secure enough in a booster seat. After doing a lot of research, I chose the Britax regent. I costs a lot, but is worth every penny. It is very roomy. My son is now 50 lbs and 47 in tall, and is still secure in a 5pt harness. It holds children in the harness, not booster, up to 80 lbs. Good luck.

It sounds like our sons could be twins - mine is also 2 1/2 and weighs 37 pounds right now - We are planning on buying a Britax Marathon - it holds up to a 60 pound child and is ranked high on the safety lists. I don't feel comfortable with a booster at this point, so I think this is the way we are going to go. He also still really likes his "special" seat in the car.

You're right, he is NOT ready for a booster. Most kids aren't until they are about 5! There are a number or car seats with harnesses that hold kids over 40 lbs. The Britax Marathon, Decathalon, and Boulevard hold up to 65 lbs in a harness. The Britax Regent holds up to 80 lbs. The Safety First Apex holds up to 65 lbs but you need headrests in your car to use it. The Radian 65 holds up to 65 lbs and the Radian 80 holds up to 80lbs. The Evenflo Triumph ADVANCE holds up to 50 lbs. Since you son is big for his age I would definitely go with the Britax Regent. It will last you until he is ready for a booster, and longer than that if you choose. I have both the Britax Regent and Radian 80. The Radian 80 works well for my skinny tall daughter but bigger kids seem squished in it. I LOVE the Britax Regent and highly recommend it. It has a bit of sticker shock...but you can order online with free shipping and with so many years of use it's well worth the money. I really recommend going to www.car-seat.org and posting on their free message boards. Car seat safety technicians will answer your questions, tell you what seats will work best in your car, and can point you in the direction of the best deals. Good luck! It's always good to follow mommy instinct. Getting out of a booster is so easy and a two year old just doesn't understand how dangerous it is. The fact is, everyone is safer in a 5-pt harness, that's why race car drivers use them.
To the other posters...I'm not calling anyone out, but since this is a safety issue I think I need to say something.
I had the Eddie Bauer combo seat as well and the harness only goes to 40 lbs, NOT 90. You can use it as a booster from 41-90 lbs but the harness can only hold 40 lbs. Using it past 40 lbs can cause it to fail in an accident. I used to think this too, but if you read the fine print it will say to only use the harness to 40 lbs.
There are a number of car seats that hold over 40 lbs, www.car-seat.org is a great place for information.

If you want to keep him in something that has a 5-point harness, take a look at the new line of seats by Recaro. They are expensive but will last a long time. Some of the seats will fit children from 5 pounds up to 70 pounds or up to 8 years old. I just got one for my oldest daughter; we both love it and I know it will safely last us for a long time which makes the price really worth it.

The time is now. I KNOW! I felt the same exact way, but a 5 point harness seat belt will not hold a child over 40 lbs in the event of a crash. It will snap and your child will fly out. It is really important to get your toddler into a booster, that yes, uses your car's seat belt. Most of them have a back that adjusts so that the seatbelt lays right (between the neck and shoulder).You can also buy velcro pads so the seat belt doesn't directly touch his neck (I actually use a shopping cart soft cloth padded cover and it works perfectly: $4 at Wallmart). My son was also huge for his age and I was forced to put him in one early as well. The only problem I had was when he fell asleep and was used to proping himself up. The first time he fell asleep in his new booster, he was horizontal. But that only happened once, and now understands that this seat doesn't hold him up like the last one did. The booster I have is an Evenflo model, that has a removable back. The seat belt goes through guides that also adjust. This is the best thing for your big guy.

We have the Eddie Baur conversion carseat...it works as a rear facing, front facing and a booster seat...anyway, it goes up to 90 lbs. I would imagine it would be at your discretion as to when to stop using the car seat straps and start using the seat belt in front. My daughter is only 20 months so we haven't looked into that aspect much. Anyway, you might be able to find a front facing car seat that converts to a booster like that and then the weight limit wouldn't be a problem.

Good luck!!!