Confusion on Booster Seats

It is safest to be in a 5-point harness for as long as possible. The Graco Nautilus would be a good choice as it has a harness for a decent length of time plus the high back and then backless booster. There are other options out there, but that is the one I am planning on getting my 2 year old when he is finally forward facing.

I agree with Rebekah as I did some research as my 3 1/2 year old was right at his weight limit in his current seat... My recommendations - Go to your local Babies R Us and try them out! Yes, or at least the one by us does, The have a van seat that has been modified to set safely on the floor and then you can test the seats out that they have on display. From buckling the safety seat into the car seat to putting the child in as well. I will tell you go when your child is in a good mood, as after about five times in and out of seats mine was done, LOL! & after all of that and actually playing with the seats, the Graco Nautilus was the best one I found for them to be able to stay in a five point harness for longer... My little guy is tall, so that is where I ran into problems at, and this one seat went taller and a heavier weight than all of the others. This seat sells at Wal-Mart, Target, Babies R Us & I think Toys R Us - And ranges from $159 to $179 depending on which store and fabric you like... I know Babies R Us puts coupons out for a percentage off of carseats, so you might want to watch for those if you have a little time!

Good Luck!

Keeping your son in a harness for as long as possible is safest, you are correct on that :)

The minimum age a child should be in a booster is 4 with a minimum weight of 40 lbs. Children under 5 are at significantly higher risk of death or serious injury in an accident if they have been moved to a booster seat. (this is safest practice, not what it says on the booster seat box). So you are right to be looking for a 5 pt seat for your child. And then remember that kids should be in High Back booster seats for as long as they fit in them as they are significantly safer than the backless boosters. Backless boosters are truly meant for much older kids.

It really depends on his height and weight but 2 seats that are great are the Graco Nautilus and the Britax Frontier. If you have a headrest in your car where the seat will be the Safety First Apex also goes to 65 lbs, but it's not as good as the other two. I have a Frontier for my 4 year old.

I also got the Graco Nautilus and really like it because of its versatility. I was used to the Britax so I was researching the Frontier as well but couldn't find it locally (plus the Nautilus is $100 cheaper). In my research people seemed to like the Nautilus and Frontier equally. My children are almost 5 and 6 1/2 and maybe it is overkill but I still keep them in a 5 point harness. My friend who is extremely safety conscious says that it is safe to move them into a booster when they sit still and are the appropriate age over 4. I don't trust that this is happening with mine so they are still in 5 point. There are also some websites that point to more safety with 5 point harnesses compared to boosters using safety belts only.

This is unrelated to your choice of car seat but another thing to be aware of is the weight limitations with the latch system. When your child reaches a certain weight (around mid 40's maybe), you can no longer use the latch system to secure your carseat. You need to use seat belts. I had a mild discussion with a Babies R Us employee who would not accept this as true. However, it is in the car seat owner's manual. Although this employee owned the seat and loved it, she obviously didn't read her manual. I think the weight restriction is dictated by your vehicle and not the carseat. On the other end of the spectrum, the seat belts in some older model cars are not safe to use with booster seats. For more information check out carseat.org/ or www.elitecarseats.com/New-on-ECS/5-point-harness/index.cat

Good luck with your choices.

I have 3 kids in booster seats right now. My 4 year old twins and my 3 year old are all in boosters. It depends on the height and weight requirements on the booster. All my kids are big for their age and all fit the booster requirements. You just need to research the options. The height and weight limits vary by manufacture.

Like some of the other ladies I have a Graco Nautilus. My Youngest is 3 & he loves it. My oldest is 7 & I have him in a booster seat, but the hightest level of the 5 point harness would work for my 7 y/o too! Awesome seat!!!
I would keep you son in a 5 point until he out grows it.
The nautilus harness goes up to 65 lb. & the booster 100 lb.

God bless!

I recommend the Graco Nautilus as well.
I have a three and a half year old and an almost six year old and they both love their seats. My almost six year old is still in the harness and it's wonderfully comfortable. We got these when the kids were two and four and a half, and they fit wonderfully then as well.
These are the most reasonably priced seats for what you get... and they are the most compact, while still being extremely solid.

We have our 5 1/2 year old boy in a SafeGuard Go that we bought through Elitecarseats.com We love it and so does my son. It does use the latch and since it is such a compact and light weight seat, the company states you can use the LATCH past the 40lb limit. I love how it is compact and still uses the harness but then converts to a basic booster once your child is ready to move on to using the seatbelt. I plan on getting another one when my now 2 year old is ready to move up.

You need to see what the 5 point harness goes up to.Some are nly 40 lbs.Each seat has a weight and height maximum so it depends on how big your child is on what he needs.Most four year olds are safe enough to just go straight to a regular high back booster seat.You can buy a seat that will have a 5 point harness that goes past 40 lbs but you probably don't need to.If he is under 40 lbs I would leave him in his current seat as long as he doesn't exceed the max. height for your seat.Most boosters start at 30 lbs.We personally use the Graco Turbo Booster which is a great seat and reasonably priced.The only seat I would put better than that is by Britax and it's quite a bit more expensive.My Husband actually is a liscensed Carseat tech. so please if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me!