Booster Seat Recommendations Requested

I did not go with a booster for my daughter. We got the Britax regent which is a carseat for bigger children. It holds children up to 80lbs and 53" tall. I think it is a lot safer than the booster seats just because I like the side impact protection that it provides.

We have the Graco Nautilus and I have no complaints. My son is 4 1/2 and 45 pounds, so we could go with just the seat belt, but I choose to keep him harnessed for as long as possible. He has no problems strapping himself in and most of the time can undo the straps as well. While some might see this as a negative, I like it since I'm dealing with his younger brother who fights me every time he has to get in his seat. The joys of a 2 year old. :)

Here is the link for the NHTSA to check for "recalls" of any booster seat:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/childs...

For my family, we have the Britax "Parkway" (although I don't know if they make this model anymore), and we have the "Compass" brand booster seat.
We are very happy with both of them... and my kids love it too. My friends also have these brands and are happy with it.
My kids are tall/big for their ages, and they fit these and are within the regulations for booster seats.

You can go to www.amazon.com and just put in the search word "car booster seats" and then you can see and read the reviews of different brands. Saves a trip to the store.

Good luck, check the recall listings first, before you purchase.

All the best,
Susan

You don't say how old she is. Size isn't all that matters when deciding to put your child in a booster seat. They have to be mature enough to buckle and stay buckled, sit straight, keep the shoulder belt in the right place, etc.. My 6 yo and 3yo both ride in Britax Regent's - it has a 5pt harness that will take them until 80lbs or 53". This seat has two mesh pockets, one on either side that easily hold a cup and other stuff as well. My 3yo is almost 40" and weighs 38lbs, he is the smallest boy in his preschool class and close to your daughters size, I can't imagine putting him in a booster right now. Please choose wisely.

*By the way, I found both of my Regent's at Amazon.com and only paid $179.00 each (they may not be this cheap now, that was a sale price) but it's a small price to pay for peace of mind.
M.

Hi T.-

We've got the Britax Frontier. It can be used as a 5-point harness until 80lbs. & a booster to 100lbs. And it has a cupholder on each side :) as well as armrests. My son LOVES his seat. :) He's a pretty big kid - 44 inches & 45 lbs at his 4 yr Dr. visit. The Graco seat is nice & less expensive, but if the bottom/seat part of buckle is under your child at all you can't use the 5-point harness anymore. :( It will become an expensive plain booster seat. Hope that helps! Good luck! :)

Hey T.!

I love GRACO! In expensive, safe, cup holders, and you can buy them with or without the back support. You can get them in really cool prints and wash the covers! I have three of them, although two of my monkeys don't need them more. the requirement in California is 6 years old "or" 60lbs. I was also able to fit all 3 of the seats across my car seats...I have a suv.

Hope that helps! Go to Target or even a second hand store....save money!! I use Busy babies, piper space, or children's orchard...all in rancho!

Hi T.,

We have - and love - the Graco backless booster. It's only $20 or so at Target and it happens to be the highest rated booster on Consumer Reports. It has built-in cupholders. Best of luck!

L., author of What Haven't They Told Me? Practical Tips for Surviving and Thriving During Baby's First Year

www.OffRampPublishing.com

Whatever you choose with safety in mind, "Kiddie Kangaroo...a soft pocket system" can be added (they sit under the child with a slot for the 5 point buckle base to slip through) and will hold more than a cupholder..Kiddie Kangaroo has 2 dividable machine washable or wipeable pockets and can hold drinks, snack packs, toys, AND books all at the same time right next to your child, toddler or baby.
Go to www.kiddiekangaroo.com to select color and style. My grandchildren 4 and 1.5 both love theirs and no more spills or dropped items! Traveling is "whine free"!

I would absolutely recommend a 5 point harness! There is ample research that young children (under 6) are not ready for just a lap belt. Please go to youtube.com and type in 5 point harness and watch T. videos. T. one with T. little boy named Kyle is T. one that inspired me. There is also one showing a crash test. Watch them! Then, with that information T. car seats can be rather pricy. T. best is T. Britax Reagent or Marathon........ can't remember which.......... I did not have $300 to buy my 3rd car seat (if I had only known this in T. beginning) so I went with Safety First Apex 65 and ordered from Albeebaby.com. It was $89 no tax or shipping charge. Great deal and it is a 5 point harness up to 65 pounds. My six year old is very comfortable in it......... she is tall and lean...... maybe 45 pounds?? Good luck and do your research!!!

I recently did a lot of research on this topic. The Britax is supposed to be the best, but I just couldn't afford it. I bought what I believe to be the next best... Graco Nautilaus. I actually bought two. I chose this one because it has the 5 point harness which I plan to use for as long as possible. Then you can take the harness off and use it as a high back booster. You can also take the back off and use just the seat part for a booster for when they are older. This seat was a good price and could be used as your child grows. They also fit well in my Honda Accord and they even have a cup holder. I bought them for my 3 and 5 year old. Hope this helps!
ps. I bought mine online and saved about $30. They are a lot more expensive in the store. I bought mine through Toys R Us (amazon).

All the best info and more are on here!!! This woman turned her tragedy into our learning lessons!

http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/

If she's 4 yr's old she can be in a booster seat, if she's not and not 40 lbs my advice wait a little longer and when she reach's legal age or weigh get the graco booster I got the one with the back and those sheep skin looking seat belt cover's for them when the snooze. It also make's them less inclined to remove the seat belt due to it being uncomfortable. I spent $110 on both boosters and the seat cover for 2 girls. Mine has two cup holder's which can hide inside it. Warning big cup's like straw take and toss 8 oz cup's will tip over during a turn so use small cup's if possible. I use them for snack's and my kid's hold their water bottle cups. Shop around and check target for the booster seat and take her with you when you pick it out so she's happy and so are you. Target has them on display so you can try it out before hand. Walmart has them to but walmart tends to have crappy one's on display. Target you will need to ask for assistance but it's worth it. I also have washed my cover's for our booster seat's a few time's now and they look great and fit well still. I love them, and they are so easy. We have a compact car and they fit perfect.

http://www.chp.ca.gov/community/safeseat.html

You can go there and click on the different link's and see the law's for CA and see which seat is best for your child. Good luck.

I would recommend the Britax Frontier it has a harness for upto 100lbs. This booster is rated to be very safe and has cup holders on both sides

I guess I would try to keep her in a 5-pt harness system as long as possible, but eventually she will even have to move out of that. We have use the Graco Turbo Booster with the adjustable back support/headrest...this works well for us in cars with a low or no head rest in back, the back support is also removeable if you want. I have never had any difficulty with the stationary arm rests, as they actually help position the belt properly: low and over the hips...not the belly (the belt goes under the arm rests, not over). This model does have 2 flip out cup holders...they are handy. Good luck in your choice.

Honestly, boosters are basically the same. The only difference will be if you choose a high back booster or no back booster. As long as your child has head support from your vehicle seat, you can get a no back, but most people opt for the high back (hb) booster. The other benefit to the hb is that there are belt guides that can help the shoulder belt fit your child more properly. However, as a Child Passenger Safety Technician and Instructor, I would NEVER put your child in a booster any before the seat he/she is in with the 5 point harness is outgrown. This usually happens around 40 pounds, but many seats go to a higher weight as the 5 point harness system is so much safer than booster seats. Good luck!

Hi T.,
I checked consumer reports.com before I bought my booster seat. They are pretty much the same but I went with the one with the best price and best safety rating. I bought the Graco Turbo Booster. It comes with 2 cup holders and with or without a back. If you buy the one with the back, the back comes off if you want to travel with the seat only (I take it with me on vacation when I'm flying and renting a car. It fits under the seat on the airplane or in the overhead.)

I bought mine at Target. The high back version is about $60 and the seat only version is about $20. I bought 3 high backs (for my car, my husband and my mother) and 2 low backs (for my mother in law and for my dad).

My son is 48 inches and 50 lbs and he fits fine in it. And he loves the cup holders to hold coins and toys.

Hope this helps.

We have the Graco Nautilus - it is a 3 in one. It can be used as a car seat with a 5 point harness, a high back booster, or a booster seat. It does have a cupholder and I love that feature! I believe the recommendation is 40 pounds for a booster and at least 4 years old so if you got this seat you could keep her harnessed until she gets there.

I actually just did a lot of research on booster seats to find the safest one possible according to the crash tests. My ultimate choice is the Deluxe Graco Turbo Booster with the high back function. It has cupholders too! I just bought 3 of them for our cars. They are just under $100 at Babies R Us, and if you buy 2 or more of the exact same one, you get a 10% discount.

I like the Graco ok, it does what it's supposed to... BUT the arm rests don't flip up out of the way to getting the seat belt over your kid's lap and then under the arm rest and then latched is a serious pain in the butt - everytime you're going somewhere! - especially if you have a high SUV (we have a yukon). The armrest also makes it too difficult for my son to buckle himself in, which would be so helpful if he could do it while I get the baby situated. If I could go back and do it again I would probably get the evenflo - same basic features, but the arm rest flips up!