Which Car Booster Seat Should I Get?

We have the Britax Frontier for my 6 year old. She has been in it for a year. Love it! Keeps her in a 5 pt harness up to 85 pounds. Then it's a belt positioner up to a 100 pounds. The 5 point harness is so much safer!
My daughter loves it. It's very comfortable. She can sleep in it. It's very easy to adjust for getting in and out and accounting for thick jackets or thin clothes. It also can be height adjusted without taking it out of the seat.
If you have a small car, it might take some work to install it. But so worth it!!

Stick with a 5 point harness! A booster is just not safe enough for a child that young.

We bought a Britax Regent about 6 months ago for our 4 1/2 year old daughter. (She is now 5.) We love it and so does she!.! They no longer make that one but it is replaced with another that is new and improved. That is what we are planning on getting for our son after he outgrows the 5 point he's in now.

The Regent and also the new one goes up to 70 or 80 pounds (I believe). It also has a high height level. Check them out.

I don't like any booster seat for a 4yr old. He should still be in a 5pt harness car seat, there are plenty on the market that will allow him to remain in a harness for quite some time. The Graco Nautilus is $150, will harness to 65lbs and then becomes a booster and no back booster to 100lbs. This seat will last him at least another 2-3yrs in the harness, then becomes a good booster seat. You will get your moneys worth! The Britax Frontier will harness to 85lbs and then boosters to 120lbs. Its $300, but again worth the mone yas it has a 9yr life span.

If you insist on a booster seat, please make sure that he is not only 4yrs old, but at least 40" tall and 40lbs. If he doesn't meet even one of these requirements, he should still be harnessed (and shoudl anyway at 4). A small child has a great risk of internal damage called SEATBELT SYNDROME, because their hips are not square like an adults hips, they are rounded and cannot hold the lap belt down in a crash. The lap belt should ride low on the hips, not up on the belly, but smaller kids just don't have the body to do this properly. He should also always sit in a HIGH BACK booster seat. No back booster seats provide zero side impact protection, and a small body like that of a 4yr old NEEDs that support in even a minor collision.

If he still sleeps in the car, he needs a harness. If he still reaches for things or slouches in the car, he needs a harness. If he's under 40lbs he needs a harness.

Each step up in car seats (from rear facing to forward facing, harness to booster, booster to belt only) is a major step down in safety. Please consider keeping him in a 5pt harness.

A forward facing car seat is outgrown when one of three things happens; the child goes over the weight limit, the ears become level with the seat back, or the shoulders go over the top harness slot.

Go with a five-point harness no matter what. My husband is in automotive research and testing, and he says that is the safest way for small children to ride.

I was about to post exactly what Miranda W. just said. I think they just go up to 65 pounds, but that is the highest I've ever seen for a car seat. There are videos on youtube with crash-tests for boosters and car seats, if you are interested.

Check out www.seatcheck.org to find a free, local seat check location near you. You can also see your state-specific laws.
It's scary what a high percentage of users incorrectly install/use car seats. Please have your checked. It could save a life.

We have the Graco Turbo booster seat from Target. We love it. (We bought two.) It's a regular booster seat (bottom) that also has the (upper part) torso support/highback w/headrest that removes. It's great because it offers the safety of the side impact on the headrest support, only uses the car seat belt, and has two cup holders for an inexpensive price. It's very easy to install and adjust the height too. And then to remove the highback it just folds backwards and slides off easily.

When we use the base only, for my older, heavier child, it's super simple to move it between cars when we car pool with friends. Then, if we go on a long trip, she asks for the highback to be put on so that she can fall asleep and use the headrest to support her head.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=graco+booster+se...

Most of our friends only bought the bottom part, but we love having the option of putting the highback on when needed

I have my kids (4 & 6) in the Sunshine Kids Radian 80 car seat. They go up to 80 pounds and I am much more comfortable with them in a 5 point harness than a booster. My 4 year old is definitely not ready for a booster! The bigger kid seats are a little more expensive but I think they are worth it.

sunshine kids monterey booster. It has more side protection than a lot of other boosters, a lot more head protection, the latch to hold the base in place. Highest rated belt positioning. My sons head doesn't fall forward like he did with our old eddie bauer 3-1 booster. Got rid of that one and now have 2 sunshine kids. The only bad thing about this seat is that its a tad heavier than the others but with the extra protection comes extra weight. I LOVE This booster!!! Plan on getting 2 more when my daughter is ready.

I noticed some responders thought that the Britax was a good brand for a car seat. Although this may be the case for them, not all cars are compatible with every car seat. And if the car seat moves too much while secured, it may not be safe to use because your little one could be injured if in a car accident. (GOD forbid.)

Now, as for me and my little ones, we love the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat. It's the only car seat I will need because it goes from 20 lbs. to 100 lbs. It is very easy to install and the straps never twisted. (I had this problem with my son's previous car seat and it drove me crazy!) The Nautilus (about $145) also does not cost as much as the Britax ($200-$400) and got the same high reviews at Amazon. The child passenger safety technician I used said the Britax is big and bulky, so this car seat may not work properly in every car.

If you want more info, www.little-safe-one.com/toddler-car-seat.html.

Hope this helps,
L.
www.Little-Safe-One.com

I loved my Graco High Back TurboBooster so much that I bought one for each of my children. It has a high back that is adjustable so the seatbelt is positioned correctly, and it has these wing things around the head area--extra protection and a nice place to lean for a nap. The back is easily removable when your child gets older and just needs the bottom part to help with belt positioning. And it has two useful cup holders. My son is 8 1/2 and is just now ready to give it up, so it will last you a long time.

I fully depend on Graco for a carseat choice it was the only thing standing inbetween my son and a huge fully loaded with log semi that decide to jump in my trunk to stop. The car seat broke my son didn't he was only two years old when the truck hit me and jumped in my trunk they had to tow the truck out of my trunk the grill and tires of the truck were directly behind my sons head. The only thing I remember thinking when I turned around to see my son sitting thier with that look on his face as he said" Momma Get me out of here" Was he is still alive after all that ? And not a scratch on him I said " Son your angel is broken now we will have to request a new one to protect you from now on." Wont use another car seat brand after a wreck like this if it can protect him from a semi I can trust it to protect him from a car wreck.