My son is 3.5 and I'm looking for a booster car seat for him. He's currently using the Britax Marathon convertible seat, but we need an extra for my husband's car so I thought a booster seat would work for him now as opposed to another convertible seat. That said, it seems the prices ranges for these seats is huge. Low-end Graco or Evenflow is around $50 and high-end Graco or Eddie Bauer is upwards of $170. Not sure if this is a design and packaging thing or if the more expensive ones are truly safer. Does anyone have research or experience they can share on this? Which ones have you tried and which ones are the safest? FYI: my son just passes the height/weight requirements by about two inches and about 3lbs.
Thanks everyone. Just an FYI: I was not considering a booster without a 5-point harness and a high back - I know that would not be safe.
We love the Recaro Vivo Booster seat-- it was around `100 bucks--lots of sales right now and is incredibly safe!
M
When it comes to belt positioning booster seats with a back, the Graco Turbo Booster gets high ratings consistently across the board. It's about $50 and has a removable back so it still grows with your child. That said, it is safest to keep a child in a 5 point harness for as long as the seat's height and weight requirements allow.
I am on a car seat safety group on cafemom, and the main ones I see reccomended are the Even-Flo Maestro and the Graco Nautlous, but if you PM me your son's full height, weight, and torso height (from butt sitting on the floor to top of shoulders) I may be able to find out if there are better ones for you. Also what vehicle you drive. Some seats do not fit well in all vehicles.
sunshine kids montery booster is about 130.00 I love it own 2 and am getting ready go buy 2 more. It does depend on the car you are putting it in. It fits good in my husbands toyota tacoma and my pilot on each of the sides but not in the middle. Not sure how it would fit in a tiny car since it is kinda big but it has awesome side protection and great belt positioning.
Sorry Mama, he needs a 5pt harness still. You can pick up the Evenflo Maestro for $79. Or you can get the Evenflo Generations 65 for $99. These will harness him for much longer and both will turn into boosters. The Graco Nautilus is $150 and will harness to 65lbs.
He's only 3yrs old, he needs a harness. These seats are not convertible's, they are forward facing only and then turn into a booster seat. These are appropriate for his age, a booster is not.'
If you DO choose to buy him a booster seat, always insist on a high back booster. The Graco Turbobooster is a good one because it fits small children well. But please dont booster him yet, he's only 3yrs old, regardless of his size his body is still only 3 nad not mature enough for a booster.
We love our Britax Frontier. Goes up to 120 lbs and 65 inches. You'll never have to buy another seat. Diapers.com recently had it on sale with free shipping.
do what you want but your 3 yr old is much safer in a 5pt harness. If you are going to spend 170 you might as well get the nautilus it can harness to 65lbs and then can be used as a booster.
