What Size Car Seat?

I think they need to be 40 inches and 50 lbs for most, but even more importantly she needs to understand that she has to stay put. My 3 1/2 yr old just went to the booster seat because of his size and it can be a struggle to keep him sitting in it some days...makes for a lot of pullovers to put him back in.

I left my kids in a five point harness until they were 2,then put them in to a booster with a high back where the car seatbelt clippes onto it, just for my own piece of mind. At two I though my kids were just too "wiggly" for me to feel like they were safe in just a booster.

A few months ago we bought a new seat for my 3 yr old daughter(33lbs) so my 1 yr old son could have hers. Technically we could have gotten her a booster seat but we opted to get a 5 pt harness up to 100 lbs because we felt it was safer. It's an Eddie Bauer and she can use it till she's done with car seats because it have the slots for a car seatbelt also. Sorry I forgot the model but it's quite safe and we love it. And most importantly, we feel she is safer than just a booster for now.

A.,

I just spoke with a car seat tech about this. I have family members with 2 or 3 year old children who are outgrowing either height or weight. At this age it's important that they are still in a forward facing 5 point harness car seat. The reason is that their bones are not as strong as you want them to be to switch them into a booster. (** side note: DO NOT use a 5-point booster, they're poorly made... and if you can't afford the higher limit 5point car seats the high-back seat-belt positioning booster is a MUCH better second option).

So I'd like to recommend 2 car seats to you that have GREAT ratings, and are tested at higher speeds than what the US recommends. The first is a Fisher Price Safe Voyage. It goes up to 55lbs forward facing! It has a think EPS fome and has steel reinforcement!

Next is the Britax Marathon, it goes up to 65lbs forward facing, has thick EPS foam and steel reinforcement. It also has all the bells and whistles like cup holder, storage compartment etc. This one is more expensive but has all the extras. Britax also makes another that goes up to 85lbs forward facing, but is again, more expensive.

Check out both of them at eopinions.com and it will give you all kids of info and link you back to either manfacutrer's site if your intrested in seeing them.

Good luck car seat shopping!!

C.

Most car seats only offer the 5-pt harness up to 40 lbs. A lot of car seats will say 5-80 or 5-100 lbs (like Eddie Bauer) BUT if you look closer the harness only goes to 40 lbs. After that you have to use the booster mode.
That said, there are a few seats that have higher weight limits. The Brtiax Marathon, Decathalon, and Boulevard all go up to 65 lbs. Those are all $270 and up (yikes) and you wouldn't get as much use out of them since you have a fast growing kid. The Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe goes up to 55 lbs and is $130 here -> http://www.albeebaby.com/fiprsavodeco2.html . But I don't think you'd get much use out of that either. Your best bet by far would be the Britax Regent, the Sunshine Kids Radian, or the Safety 1st Apex. The Britax Regent harnesses up to 80 lbs and is great for bigger kids. (It's called the King of all car seats for a reason!) but it's about $270. If you buy it at www.babyuniverse.com though you can get a $50 rebate right now. The Sunshine Kids Radian has a 65 and 80 lb version. You can get the 65 lb version of the Radian for under $200. The Safety 1st Apex harnesses up to 65 lbs and converts to a booster after that. It's a great deal for $90 here -> http://www.albeebaby.com/sa1stsibiboc.html . The only catch is you need your backseat to have headrests or a high back. You need to have solid support behind that car seat at least up to the child's ears.
My daughter just turned 2 in December also. I would NEVER trust her in a booster. Toddlers just don't have the maturity for a booster. Can you guanantee they won't fall asleep, reach for a toy, unbuckle themselves, etc? The guideline for putting kid sin boosters is at least 4 years old AND 40 lbs. A lot of kids (esspecially the hyper ones) need to be harnessed a lot longer than that. Plus it's so much safer. Good luck!

Typically you can use the 5 point harness as a booster also - just check the seat limitations that are printed on the seat (many of them will accomodate up to 80 lbs as a booster only). Good luck.

If you contact your local state police post they should be able to help make sure that you have the correct car seat as well as having it properly fastened. I believe that for a two year old they need to be in a 5-point until they are 3 or 4. Also, you could go to the Safe Kids Coalition website as well, that is www.safekids.org you will find great information on car seats there as well

Hope this helps!

After the age of two you can legally put your daughter in a booster seat. Then at the age of four, you can legally have her in a seat belt alone. Most people agree that the legal age is not necessarily the best age to do away with the safety seats though. I would only suggest a booster seat if you have a car with shoulder belts in the back. If you feel the need to use a car seat, still, then all you need to do is shop around for one that goes up to 80 pounds. In my humble opinion, a quality booster seat is fine, if the vehicle seat belts are agreeable to this as well.

The safest option is a 5-point harness. Britax makes one called the Regent. It is a 5-point harness for kids up to 80 pounds. It is about $250. If you find other brands that make the same claim, make sure to check them out carefully as some seats are only good with the 5-pt. harness until 40 pounds or so and then the seat converts to a booster until 80 pounds. If you go the booster route, make sure your daughter is tall enough...38" might be a little too short. We have the Regent, and I can highly recommend it! It is quite large and pricey as far as car seats go, but I know our daughter is in the safest possible seat. Good luck.

check the weight and height limits on the car seat that you have.

many of the 5 point harness seats are only for kids up to 40 pounds. but there are other seats that are good for kids up to 65 pounds or more.

i went to one of those car seat checks nd they helped with fitting the right car deat to the child. i will tell you that will say no to a booster. nless possibly a high back booster with a strap that goes arou nd her. you can call the local polics station or health dept to ask about car seat checks. hope this helps

Hi A.,

From what I understand, the 5 point harness carseats usually have weight restrictions of 40 lbs. or less. My last one was for toddlers between 20 and 40 lbs. Now that my son is heavier than that, we needed a booster. But he is 3. Check with the weight restrictions on the one you have now. As long as she can carry her own weight (not swaying with the car) a booster might be fine. But from my experience, if children fall asleep in them it can be dangerous. They don't hold a child up (even with the back section in place!). You might even want to look into a transition carseat (like my last one). I'd look into it, because I think some of those go up to 60 lbs. and by the way GEEEZE your little sweetie is huge! My son is huge for his age, and a year older and 4 lbs less than your girl. WOW!!