Booster Seats - San Rafael,CA

Hi –
yes there are 5 point harness booster seats

here are some web sites:
http://pediatrics.about.com/od/carseats/g/high_back.htm
http://www.nhtsa.gov/Safety/Booster-Seats
http://pediatrics.about.com/od/boosterseats/Booster_Seats...
http://www.parenting.com/gear-gallery/Gear/10-Safest-Boos... (top 10 safest seats)

good luck

Hi J C, Not too long ago I was wondering about the a similar issue as we needed a third car seat for my husbands truck that he uses to commute. While searching the Internet for the best possibilities I found this web page that honestly change my life. My son is 3.5 and has been in a Brittax since he is 9 month old. I always felt, he was very safe but I did not realialize that we did not use the best method to secure the seat itself. This web page tells the story of a little boy who did not survive a car crash while in a standard booster seat. You will find great information on car seats and booster seats. I hope this will be helpful to you. I certainly was for me.
Good Luck, C.
http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/

We love our SafeguardGo 5pt booster. It has LATCH, a top tether and 5pt harness, folds up into a bag for travel and takes up very little real estate in the backseat when installed. When you're ready for "just a booster" then the LATCH connections continue to secure the seat base to the car. It definitely looks like a "big kid" seat versus our Britax Marathon. Our son's only complaint was that he was sitting so much lower and could not see things his little brother was talking about from the Marathon pedestal. The belt connections and LATCH connectors are identical to our Britax so the transition was easy for all of us. www.safeguardgo.com will show you the seat... we bought ours 3yrs ago and they've since been sold to Safety1st who have renamed it the GoHybrid. Our younger boy is about to graduate from his Marathon and we will definitely get him one just like BigBro. We intend to keep the boys in 5pt harnesses for as long as possible!

I think the backless boosters are only for a certain weight/height. Maybe you could look on the boxes and see.

There aren't "booster seats" with a five point harness but there are child seats with the five point harness. My 6 year old and 4 year old are in the Sunshine Kids Radian80. Unfortunately these seats are very expensive but I feel much better knowing the kids are harnessed. The few times they have sat in regular booster seats they were all over the place and just didn't feel safe to me.

Mothering.com is a site for people into "natural family living" but even if you are not into that they have a great forum on family safety with lots of info on car seats. Check out mothering.com/discussions and scroll down to "family safety." It was that forum that convinced me to buy the bigger 5 point harnesses for my kids.

Wanted to add- my youngest is 1.5 years and is in a Marathon and I just bought her a second one for $159 on www.albeebaby.com which was a great price. I also love that she can be in the Marathon until she is big enough to be in a seat belt and it is so pretty:)

My son is on the larger side but I am a safety freak so when he outgrew his Marathon we purchased two Frontiers. It will keep him in a 5 pint harness til 80 pounds and then as a high back booster til 100 pounds. It is lightweight and doesn't take up too much room and its very comfortable according to my son. It has true side impact protection for the head yet it doesn't interfere with his view of the world. Look into this great seat and I am sure that you will be happy. Your girl is on the small side and should really be harnessed not boostered. Good luck!

Here's a list of seat recommendations from the Certified Child Passenger Safety Techs at carseatblog.com http://carseatblog.com/?page_id=401 and the forums at http://www.car-seat.org are a great place to get helpful car seat info from techs and concerned parents who spend probably more than their share of free time researching car seats.

Booster seats are safe and appropriate for children who have the age, size, and maturity to sit properly in one (the age at which this happens will vary from kid to kid.) For a 6YO, I think it *would* be useful for her to start "booster training" - sitting in a booster for short trips to get accustomed to sitting properly in a booster (and giving you a chance to reassure yourself that she *will* sit properly in a booster), because she's at an age where playdates and field trips become more frequent and (as much as we'd love to keep our kids in 5-pt. harnesses until they start driver's ed) you're probably not going to want to lug her Marathon and install it in someone else's car for a field trip or playdate.

The Graco Turbo Booster and Recaro Vivo are two high back boosters that generally fit smaller booster riders well. The Britax Parkway SG has a special "slide-guard" clip that makes the booster sort of a 3-pt. harness that could be good for smaller booster riders also - see review here: http://carseatblog.com/?p=2996. You want to make sure that the lap portion of the belt crosses low across their hips/top of thighs and the shoulder portion is crossing at the middle of the shoulder. This link shows some photos of what proper belt fit looks like: http://carseatblog.com/?p=3966

If you want a harnessed seat that converts to a belt positioning booster (these are called "Combination seats") - the most frequently recommended ones are the Britax Frontier (~$279, high height and weight harnessed limits, adjusts taller than any other booster in booster mode so it'll definitely last until your daughter can fit the seat belt alone - here's a carseatblog entry of a tech's 12YO using it as a booster: http://carseatblog.com/?p=5671), and the Graco Nautilus (slightly lower harnessed weight limit - 65 lbs, but plenty for your petite daughter to reach a suitable booster age, retails for around $170, converts to highback or backless booster). The Evenflo Maestro is a good budget option but will be outgrown as a booster at about the same time as it's outgrown as a harnessed seat. The other combination seats on the market are generally not recommended because they either have low harnessed height/weight limits, position the belt poorly as a booster, or both.

I recently learned about the 5 point harness for older children and I just couldn't get it out of my head. I was very sad when I saw that they were all so expensive (I know safety is important but money is tight and I was having nightmares after learning about the what ifs that I never knew before). But then I did find a model at Babies R Us for $99 with the 20% off coupon, it came out to about $87 with tax (so happy). My son is actually more comfortable in that than his booster seat (he's 42lbs and 40+inches). I definitely like to have a spare seat, I don't think it's safe always installing and reinstalling the car seat. You really love your Britax, I would definitely stay with a 5 point harness. Look online at Babies R Us.

We just moved to the Britax Frontier 80 for both of my girls. They are almost 3 and almost 4, but both on the bigger side. It is a 5 point harness seat that goes to a booster after a certain weight or height. My oldest is is bigger than your child but not ready for a regular booster as she is not even 4 yet and I wanted my kids in the same seat (they are only 13 months apart and would have fought over different seats). I feel the 5 point seats are much safer especially after we just got rear-ended and my Britax seats kept my girls from harm while I went to the hospital with back issues. My girls love their new seats as they now feel they are "big girls".
Because she is still so small I would put her in a 5 point booster (you can find some cheaper than others). Hope this helps!

Well from just putting my 4yr old 40+ pounds in a backless booster seat, I am realizing it isn't as sturdy as his 5pt harness car seat. I will be looking into another option soon, because when the car turns or brakes suddenly, he comes forward or leans to the side. From that experience I would suggest one with a back.

Hi. I've used all 3 types of seats.

Yes there are high back boosters that have 5 point harnesses. Most however only go to 40lbs for the harness. These tend to be more expensive, in the $60+ range.

For the backless booster, they can be safe, but there are now 2 types. One is for 30 - 100 lbs, and one is 40-100 lbs. They look similar, so read the label on the side. When you use a backless booster, the regular car seat should have a high back that is above your child's head.
Ex. the back seat of my hubby's truck has a short back support that is at my child's shoulders. So, for his truck we use a highback booster. My FIL's car has an odd angled backseat. The highback won't fit properly. When we use the backless, the regular seat is still above my son's head, so he is supported properly. When using the seatbelt, be sure to pull the shoulder belt tight. This helps keep them from moving around, etc.

M.

Hi,
Yes, don't even consider a backless "booster" seat - they are NOT safe and kids have died in accidents who were "safely" seatbelted in one of those. Sorry, but true.

Our 5 1/2 yr old daughter has been in Britax 5 pt harness seats from birth. For the past year or so we have used the Britax Regent - yep, it's a big seat, but very comfy and very safe (5 pt restraint) and it's good up to 80 lbs so we will be using it as long as she fits in it. She's quite tall for her age and is about 45 lbs now.

Hope this helps,

S.

5 point harness is safest , especially for smaller bodies. We let grandparents use booster, since it was not that frequent.
P..

Yes I would keep them in a 5point for as long as possible! We just moved our daughter to the britax frontier. We too got a good deal at www.albeebaby.com after three accidents with her I want nothing but the safest!

I am a car seat technician. You are right in keeping your daughter in her car seat, as long as she does not exceed the height and weight requirement foe the particular seat. That is the safest option. Booster seats Are made to raise the child up enough for the vehicle seatbelt to work. Boosters do not have harness straps and are not strapped to the car. I hope that helps!

Yes some boosters are better than others. I know there is a website to help answer your questions but I can't remember it. You can talk to the CHP. They have people that are trained in car seat safety and they can give you the best anwsers.