When to Move Child Out of a Ocnvertible Seat into a Booster

I would NOT buy a booster seat for her yet. Although she is older and does meet the min weight for some boosters, you always want to keep them buckled in a 5-pt harness as long as possible. Most convertible car seats harness up to 40lbs so she still has a while even in them. And then they will be a booster up to 100lbs, so you will get plenty of use out of it. Its up to you if you have the money to buy another set of Britax seats but you can also find quality convertibles for less. My son is in a Evenflo triumph advanced and he loves it. It harnesses up to 50lbs or 5 years. So your daughter will have plenty of use out of it, and it only is about $130 at walmart.

I WOULD not put him into a booster with a seatbelt yet (its not as safe as a 5-pt harness).

Check out this newer one fom Graco (Nautilus). He can be harnessed until 65lbs and than use as a booster. My 4 1/2yr old loves his!!! My son is very comfortable in his and he loves it!!!

Use your current Britax your youngest child.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8112222

Only $142.98 at Walmart....

A lot of "booster" seats these days start between 20-30 pounds and many of them can go up to 90-100 pounds. We have an Eddie Bauer "booster" seat that we bought at Target for around $125. It started at 22 pounds and goes up to 100 pounds. It has a 5 point harness but as your child gets older can be converted to a regular booster seat with a regular seat belt. As far as brands go, it depends on your child. We looked at brands that my friends recommended but our daughter "fit" best into the Eddie Bauer seat we bought. All carseats have to meet safety regulations so they are all safe. A cheap $90 car seat can be just as safe as a $325 name-brand one! Bring your daughters with you when shopping and put them in the seats. See which one "fits" best for them and go with that one!

If you don't want to strap yourself getting two new Britax seats (and trust me, I know how amazing they are, we own two of them, a Regent and a Marathon, for our boys), you could always purchase the Graco Nautilus. It will forward face harness from 22-65lbs, and then becomes a high back booster, and then a low back booster, to 100lbs. They run about $150 and can be found at Wal Mart, target.com, or babies r us. Its really an amazing seat for the price, nad the top harenss slot is almost even with the top harness slot of the Britax Regent. Its a very tall seat, and the higher harness weight of 65lbs will get most kids right up to age 6+ in the harness. My son is 6.5, 50'' tall and 50lbs, and he has another year or so before he outgrows the harness on that seat by height.

That owuld be my advice, instead of spending $600 for two new Britax seats as second carseats, to get the Graco Nautilus seats. Plus they can use the mdown the road as boosters when they outgrow the harness.

It not only depends on the weight but the height of the child for booster seats. The Britax boosters seem to be the best I have found so far. Just make sure your child is tall enough.

We moved our son to a high back booster at 3 1/2 when our daughter was ready for the convertiable seat. I was nervous at first, but he really likes it and I feel safe with him in it. We have always had Britax seats, but I went with a Compass seat for him. He loves it and it easy to clean, has 2 cup/snack holders, and looks nice. They are about $90 at Target and USA Baby.

BUY THE BRITAX - I think the Monarch is the model to look for.
High-Back Booster Seat
• Features Side Impact Panels, Built-In Head Support, Safety Belt Positioners
• Padded Seat
• Buckle Closure
• Cupholders, Armrests
• Front-Facing Seat Only
• Retractable Cupholders, Adjustable Head Support
• Made of Polyester, Energy Absorbent Foam, EPS Foam Fill , Polyester Lining
• Flame Retardant
• Compatible with Shoulder Seat Belt
• Front-Facing Only
• Recommended Ages: 4 yrs. and Up
• For Children 30-100 lbs.; For Heights 38-60"

We bought four of them when the grandkids outgrew the convertible car seats: two for my car and two for my daughter's SUV. A year or so ago I paid between $90 and $100 each for them, though they may be more expensive now. They are excellent quality, exceed side impact safety requirements, and are very durable. This model is light weight and positions the car's seat belt approriately for children in the size range listed.

I bought these primarily because of their side impact safety ratings; they meet all applicable safety ratings, of course, but I was particularly concerned about the side impact protection; my truck got t-boned and totalled a few years back and after that I just wanted the extra protection provided buy the full seat with the "wings" to help protect their heads.

I moved both my children into booster seats after they reached 30 pounds...my daughter had just turned 3 at the time. If your kids are able to sit upright and don't fidgit alot in their seats and they are tall enough, then they are safe as long as the seat belts are positioned properly. At that age, you should get the boosters that have a back (many have backs which can be taken off once they grow). These adjustable backs have an area to thread the belt through which helps position the seatbelt properly across the shoulder. The only downfall with the boosters is if you're taking a longer trip, they're not comfortable for the child who falls asleep like the convertible car seats are. Good luck with whatever you choose!

Definitely keep her harnessed. She actually could still be rear facing at 30lbs since the limit of a Marathon to rear face is 35lbs (or 33 depending on the DOM). Rear facing is 40% safer than forward facing for both children and adults. My boys are are 2 1/2 and 24lbs and 18 months around 20lbs and both still happily rear facing without any problems. A 5-point harness is so much safer than a booster, keep her harnessed as long as possible. A Sunshine Kids Radian 80 harnesses to 80lbs and I know there are others. The carseat box may say that a 30lb child can sit in a booster but in actuality a child under 4 should not be in a booster. Check out www.car-seat.org for more info. They are very helpful over there.

I have the britax boulevards for my 3 year old (42 lbs forward facing) my 22 month old (24 lbs rear facing) and my 4 month old (20 lbs rear facing). We just had them rechecked at our fire station, and I asked if it was really safer to have my almost 2 year old still rear facing? They said "Do what ever you can to keep them as safe as you can!" I personally would keep them in a 5 pt. harness for many years to come! The boulevard is rear facing till 35 lbs and forward facing till 65 lbs. (we even had a TV installed in the back of our suburban facing the rear facing kids, it can play the same thing as the regular facing TV) This is a quick video to remind everyone we can all try to do the best thing for our kids.
http://youtube.com:80/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8

It's about carseat safty.
E.
mother to 3 yr old and 22 month old boys and 4 month old girl.

Our local First District Center has a car seat specialist that answers all of our carseat needs. Ask your doctor for a referal.
They say at age seven they can be done with the booster seat but I'm keeping my daughter in her seat. It boosts her up so she can see better and I believe it is more safe. Better safe than sorry!

I got my daughter a pink flowery (she picked it out) Graco booster that has a back attachment, cup holders, and uses the sholder belt in the truck. It's for 3 and up and 30 pounds, she just turned 4 and is 31 pounds. She loves it, it fits her great, the reviews on it were excellent, and best of all, it was $40. It's super cushy and has little armrests and all the works. She thinks she's the biggest girl with it. I got it at walmart but I've seen them at target too. Good luck.

If you are in WI the law is 40 lbs and 40 inches before a belt positioning booster can be used. Not sure about MN though. I'm sure you could check a transportation web site to get that info.

If you are talking about one that also has the harness and then the harness comes out and can be used as a booster, you would be fine. I have used the Eddie Bauer one for both of my children and been happy with them.

Hope this helps you some.

Stay with BRITAX and get the REGENT style. It is a 5 point harness until 80lbs. I just moved my 50lb son into one and we love it. If you don't want to compromise your childrens safety then i would not get booster seats. Here's a link to a site explaining why not to get a booster and why you should definately stay with a 5 point harness.

http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/

5 pt. harness seat is safer!

I personally would NEVER put a 3yr.old in a booster.

My daughter is 7 and still in a 5pt.harness we don't really like boosters at all. They require the child to sit properly/maturely at all times. Plus my daughter falls asleep in the car and slips out or slouches to much in a booster.

Any carseat expert will tell you just because a booster starts at 3yrs./30lbs doesn't mean to go for it. I personally wouldn't use a booster til a child is more like 5-6years and 40lbs.

There are alot of new seats out there that harness past 40lbs. that don't cost a fortune.

Check out this website it's extrememly helpful and car seat techs can answer your question.

http://www.car-safety.org/faq.html

Then here's another youtube video about how this little boy died using a booster and if his mom could go back she'd have had him a 5pt.harness

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R.,

The booster will hold a child that big just fine. The real issue is whether your child will attempt to climb out or unbuckle the booster. It is very difficult to get out of a 5 point harness that is correctly fitted (i.e. very, very tight) but because you just have a seatbelt through the booster, your child could climb out or unbuckle it. This is a great convenience because it means they can start to get themselves in and out of the car seat. But don't do it unless and until your child will obey you when you say stay in the seat.

Good luck,
S.

Depending on which state you live in, you may be required to use a 5-pt harness until 4 yrs and 40 lbs. I believe in Wisconsin this is the case. A 5-pt harness is always much safer(if being used correctly and tight enough on the child). The reason the Britax seats are so great is they are really easy to install correctly. The Regent may be the best option for you, it goes to 80 lbs and 53'' height. It is a 5 pt harness. We do have a booster for my 5.5 yr old, which we use for shorter trips or when we need to send a car seat with someone else, because it is easier to install correctly for someone who is inexperienced with car seats. Good luck with your choice, I agonized over this decision, and my husband thought I was nuts, but I kept visualizing the unthinkable happening, at that point it would have been worth the extra couple hundred bucks.

http://www.britaxusa.com/products/product_detail.aspx?ID=9

This is the governments safety page....

click on "Chart on Correct Usage of Child Seats"

http://www.nhtsa.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.9f8c7d635...

If I were you I would go with your gut. If there is an accident, you want to know that you did everything in your power to keep you child safe.

We also used the Britax Marathon car seats and we loved them, but we bought them b/c at the time, it was the only seat that would allow the 5 point harness above 40 lbs. My kids are really tall even when their young. We knew that our 2 year old, at the time, would have stayed in his seat.

I would either leave the seats that you have at daycare, buy another set for your husbands car, or buy a cheaper line. They really don't have to be Britax to be safe. Even if Britax car seats are super cute and chic.

Hi R., I would say contact your local Department of Human Services,I think thats who you call if not they will know. They have things every once in awhile where they show you what types of car seats to have your children in and, how to adjust them so your child is safe and the good part is If you do not have the right ones they give you brand new ones, for FREE. Hope this helps