Booster Seat Recommendations? and Britax Vs. Recaro Booster Seats?

When my daughter was 10 months old we bought the Britax marathon. It was rated #1 at the time. We have loved it ever since. It goes up to 60 pounds and is very easy to install. We take it on the plane with us too. When she turned 4 we bought her the BRITAX Regent because my son was turning 1 and needed the marathon for him. Now I have both. The Regent is a lot bigger and a little harder to get in and out of the car but well worth any time it takes. It has a 5-point harness. The reason we bought her the Regent is because the current law is that a child needs to be in a restraint up to 80LBS, 8 years old and 4' 9". I went on www.nhtsa.gov to check the laws on how long they should be in a booster and then I called them to confirm. This website is a great resource because it talks about the different car seats.

I hope this helps.

K.

I don't know about the Recaro but The Britax Frontier is great. It has the 5 point harness and I think the harness is up to 65lbs and then booster style up to 100lbs. Our son is 3 1/2, 43 lbs, 43" tall and there is tons of room for him to grow. He's been in it since about 2 1/2 (he was close to 40lbs and 40") and haven't had any issues. It still looks brand new and is easy to take apart and clean if needed. This will be his last car seat.

We moved our son from the Britax Marathon into the Britax Frontier. In January, we were in a car accident where her were hit from the side. His Frontier held him safe and secure. He was playing his Leapster at the time of the accident and he kept playing the whole time. Prior to buying the Frontier, I watched Youtube videos on the saftey of a booster vs. 5 pt harness and that is enough to scare you. Buy the best 5 pt booster you can find. I replaced the Frontier that was in the accident with the Frontier 85. Love them!

I just bought the Britax Frontier for my son, since he's close to outgrowing his roundabout. The seat is great! Plus, it will last a long time. He's almost 3 and I know this is the last seat we'll need for him. My friend's daughter is 48" and 62 lbs, turning 6 this month (so very big for her age) and she is still in the Frontier, too.

I do hear that, if you don't have LATCH, it can be a pain to install. So if you plan to move it around a lot or switch it from one car to another, it might not be the best choice unless you have LATCH. That's the only complaint I've ever heard.

K.
http://oc.citymommy.com

I would avoid booster seats at all costs, and get a seat with higher weight and height limits that has a 5 point harness. I have a Britax Marathon and a Sunshine Radian 65. Both go to 65 pounds, Marathon goes to 49 in, Radian goes to 53 inches. Radian is much cheaper, both have great reviews and great quality. There is also a Radian that goes to 80 pounds, if you think your daughter will outgrow weight before height (I know my son never will he is tall and thin). I bought the Radian just for travel, although I love that it also allows me an extra couple of inches, should last my son for years. Even though you will spend extra money on this, you have to think about it as your child's safety. I had an accident when my son was still in his infant seat (hit by a guy running a red light, totaled my car), and that really put things into perspective for me. An accident can happen to anyone, and a 5 point harness is so much safer than a booster seat without one.

I would recommend you look into a higher harness weight seat. A forward facing car seat is outgrown when one of three things happens, the child goes over the weight limit, the shoulders to over the top harness slot, or the tops of the ears become level with the top of hte seat back. When even one of these happens, its time for a new seat. Chances are, she's already outgrown it, as most seats are outgrown in heightl ong before weight, and if her shoulders are over the top harness slot ,she needs a new seat NOW.

The bare minimum for a booster seat is 4yrs AND 40lbs. Under 40lbs and the child is at a great risk of submarining under the seat belt, and at a much higher risk of seatbelt syndrome. Google both terms for more information. Its best to keep a child in a 5pt harness car seat until they are mature enough both mentally and physically to sit in an adult belted booster seat properly 100% of the time.

Here are a few seats that will harness her longer now, and then booster later.

Evenflo Generations 65- $99 will harness to 65lbs nad then becomes a high back booster. Try her out in this one, the top harness slots to see if she has enough growing room to make the purchase worthwhile.

Graco Nautilus $150 will harness to 65lbs and then becomes a high back booster, and eventuall ya no back booster, to 100lbs. This is a GREAt seat for the money, most kids can use the harness to age 6/7, and then it makes a good booster seat too.

Britax Frontier $300 will harness to 80lbs and then becomes a great high back booster seat. It will harness most kids to age 7.

If you insist on a booster seat for her now, make sure its a high back booster seat. Graco Turbobooster fits smaller children pretty well. We have a Sunshine Kids Monterey for our 8yr old, and its a great seat, very sturdy and amazing side impact protection.

When using a booster seat, make sure the child NEVER moves the shoulder belt, it should always rest across the chest and onto the shoulder. the lap belt should be low on the hips, if its up on the belly the child is not big enough for a booster seat. Children should remain in a high back booster for as long as possible, a no back booster provides ZERO side impact protection, and they need that to keep their spine aligned in a crash.

So stick wit ha 5pt harness as long as possible, but if you insist on a booster seat, please make it a high back booster, and make sure it fits her properly or it will do no good in a crash.

Hello Pk ~ My 5 year old was transitioned from the Britax Marathon to the Britax Parkway she loves it finds it very comfy. One of the features that sold me on this was the secure guard which is a belt in between the legs that works w/the regular seat belt to prevent the child from sliding under the lap-belt portion of the safety belt (submarining) during impact, thus minimizing the risk of abdominal injury. It's a lightweight which is great & easy to switch between mine & my husbands vehicles. It's a tall back booster that can be used a backless booster as well. Here is a link http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats/parkway-sg
I found a coupon online & paid less than $100 for it also if you do a bing search on msn you can also get cashback.

We had the Britax Roundabout. It was great. Britax seats are always highly rated and come in different sizes and prices and fabrics. If you check consumerreports.com they have the latest safety ratings and prices. Once you pick the model you want, check different websites on the internet to get the best price and the fabric you want.

Hope this helps!

Updated

We had the Britax Roundabout. It was great. Britax seats are always highly rated and come in different sizes and prices and fabrics. If you check consumerreports.com they have the latest safety ratings and prices. Once you pick the model you want, check different websites on the internet to get the best price and the fabric you want.

Hope this helps!

Hi,

I would suggest getting a booster with 5pt harness. Much safer! We just got the Britax Frontier 85. Love it! You can use the 5pt harness up to 85lbs and then it turns into a high back booster up to 100lbs. Britax is highly rated for safety. Expensive though!

I highly recommend Britax. They get the best safety ratings. 5 point harness is a must. We've been very happy with ours.

OUr 5 year old just outgrew his Britax Wizard and we're getting him Britax Frontier 85. He is 49lb and 49 inches and has so much room to grow. My kids will be in 5 point harness till they can drive:)

'
'

we just purchased the recaro young sport forward faceing seat for our almost one year old (her height and weight are in the 99% on chart) and she loves it. when she falls asleep her head does not slump forward. these seats are made by a car racing company so they know their stuff. the seat is heavy and very well made. we found it on amazon for 212.00 free ship and no tax. check it out on their website. the head rest grows with child. it goes to 80lbs and 59 inches.

When it was time to move my youngest into a bigger seat, we bought the Graco Nautilus for both of our kids (at the time 2 and 10 mo.). Once the little one was ready for the bigger seat (at 12 mo.), we moved both kids in. They are now 4 and 2 and we LOVE the Graco. As previously mentioned, it will become a high-backed booster, then a backless one. Graco states it will be "the last carseat you'll ever need" and I agree--once your child is ready for forward facing. Good luck w/ your decision! We found them cheapest online, but I found a coupon for babies r us which brought it to the same price & no shipping.