Booster Seats - Lenexa, KS

Hi--you can switch a child to a booster when they are 4 years old. So you are definitely safe to make the switch.
Here is the NHTSA website with info: www.nhtsa.gov

The only thing you need to decide is if you need the booster with the back or not. The booster with the back is needed if your car does not have headrests in the seat your booster will be in.

You can also find out more info here: http://mchc.net/programs/safe_kids_metro.aspx

Check out the US Consumer Product Safety Comission here first http://www.cpsc.gov/ to be sure there are no recalls on whatever you decide to purchase.

With the Nautilus (or any other booster/covertableyou are not supost to latch the seat in then use it with a regular seat belt. We have one for our 3 y/o. Check with your police dept. or highway patrol. They can suggest & install carseats (& make sure that they have not come loose over time). As for backless it depends on your vehicle. If you have head rests then use a backless, if not get one with a back. My saturn SL2 does not have head rests in the back seats, so my oldest had a booster with a back.

God bless!

Good Morning AC. We have one of each. Corbin was 4 in March, he weighs 43-45 lbs and is tall. I have the back support booster seat, his parents have the back less one.
You can use the car seat belts with both types. Our back supported one comes with an extra strap to keep the car belts off the neck area. This one keeps them up straighter, but they can wiggle more also. At least Corbin bends forward, and gets things off the seat or can reach over to his brother. WHICH I do not like at all. So he is going back to his side of the car and use the shoulder strap again, not just the lap belt. He wanted to sit by Zane, not gonna happen anymore. He wiggles and moves way to much.

I offered ours to them when they went to TX last week, but they preferred theirs as Corbin has to have a pillow behind his head to sleep and ours won't allow that aspect comfortably. It's to straight up and down.

So that is my 2 cents on both types. Hopefully other Mama's have more information to help you make the right decision for you and your precious Girls.

God Bless and have a wonderful SONday
K. Nana of 5

I just did a ton of research on this. My DD is about the same height and weight. The best one for the price was a 'Graco Nautilus' for us. My DD is very active and I did not want a seat that was not fastened down and would slide all over the back seat when she kicked her legs. It uses latch and has side impact protection. You can also take the back off of it and the lower part still uses the lower latch to keep it in place. It is slender so two can fit next to each other and the kids love the cupholders. We ended up having to buy our 3 yr old one b/c they were fighting over it.

The height in back is very easy to adjust. Installing it is a breeze with latch....may not be as easy as a Britax, but then you are saving $200 by buying an American product.

My DD is almost 5 and can buckle herself into the seat relatively easily. It took some time for her to figure out how to let herself out. We are not using the seatbelts yet. It comes with a 5 pt harness and I just felt it was a really safe bet.

My key criteria were: Cost, Comfort, Seatbelts fit correctly across lap and not abdomen or neck, seat does not slide forward/side-to-side/child slide under belt in event of a crash or general driving. Will go up to 100lbs.

YES! They need to be in booster seats.Most convertable carseats only go up to 40 lbs.You can leave them in their seats if they are still within the height and weight limits.However they should be ready for a booster.My Husband is a liscensed Carseat Tech. and he does NOT reccomend the backless booster seats.We personally use the graco turbo booster.It has good safety ratings and it will adjust as your child grows.I was nervous about moving our daughter to one (she was 4) but as long as you use them right they are safe.And if they do not sit still at first you can lock the seatbelts.If you have anymore questions let me know.

My 5 year old twin daughters are now riding in a backless booster seat. My mother got them when the girls were 3 1/2. To me, it was hard for them to adjust to the backless. I prefered the one with the backs. It seems like they are more secure. However, at 5 years old, they seem to ride perfectly. Me, on the other hand, still thinks that the backless are more secure.

If your daughter falls asleep in the car, I recommend a booster with a back/headrest. Otherwise if you have the backless kind, their head bobbs alot and sometimes they even fall over to the side if they do not have a back/headrest. We learned this with our first child and then only used the ones with the back/headrest -- which worked great. We use the Graco brand (with the detachable back).

Hi,
I got a Graco air booster seat for a relative who came from England ( age 7 ) and needed to use it and then use it now for my 4 yr. old grandson. I like it better than most as it has a mesh like seat and seems less hot or cold and more open and also the back can be left on or taken off. It's for ages 3-10 and between 30-100 lbs., and 38-57 inches. With the back on it's so easy to adjust the shoulder strap and it has cup holder. I like it very much.