I am going to be purchasing a booster seat for my 4 year old in the next week and I need some help. I have looked and looked and I have decided to go with one of the models listed above. I have walked around many stores and been highly dissatisfied with the options available. I am hoping some of you have one of these models and could shed some light on them for me. For instance the Britax models appear to have less head room but they also look like the might have the better padding. It is hard to decide just on pictures. Any advice would be helpful. I am just looking for belt positioning boosters.
Thank you all for your responses and your concern! Many of you pointed out the seat that we already have for our 4 year old, the Britax Regent. The reason I was looking for a belt positioning booster was because the regent only goes to 40 lbs unless you can use a top tether (which my parents van does not come equipped with). I called the car dealer and was told they can install anchors for the tethers free of charge. So now I can use the Regent like I had intended when I bought it. My mom does my child care for us so she is the main transporter of him during the day. Thanks again :)
I completely agree that you may want to consider the Graco Nautilus. My son will be 4 next month and he's been in the Nautilus for a few weeks now, and it's the first seat he has loved sitting in, and I am really happy with it. He's very tall for his age and I love the fact that he's not going to outgrow the harness any time soon.
Hi L.,
The seats you have chosen are all good seats. However, 4 years is far too young to sit properly in a booster seat and, therefore, be safe. Even though 4yrs/40lbs is recommended, it's the MINIMUM. 6 years is considered a better age for boosters. Each step "up" (from rear-facing infant seat, to forward-facing convertible, to booster, to backless booster) is a step down in safety. A great seat that will keep your son harnessed for longer (65lbs/19"harness slot height) and then converts to a booster for up to 100 lbs, is the Graco Nautilus. It's fairly new and can be found at some Walmarts, walmart.com, buybuybaby.com, and soon babiesrus. It costs about $150 and is worth keeping your son so much safer than a booster. For more information go to www.car-seat.org it's a great forum for car-seat info.
we love our Britax Boulevard. =)
Sorry, I can't help with the specific models you mentioned. BUT, many times the stores will let you acutally buckle your child in the booster to determine the best fit. I know when we looked at boosters for my older son, the Babies R Us in Maple Grove actually has a bench that you can attach the seat to, and buckle your child in. Now, this won't help determine how well the seat will fit into your own vehicle, but it might shed some light on how your child actually feels in the seat. I was surprised when we did it, and having a "test fit" might be good to compare side-to-side. They also offered to let us install the demo in our van, though we passed on that. Very helpful, though, I thought.
I took my daughter at age5 to Babies R Us and to USA Baby both are located in Richfield. I tried out every darn seat possible and here's what my opinions were.
Britax Monarch was to conforming made my daughter claustiphobic or confined with that particular headrest. I don't think she'd go more than a few days til she would hate that seat.
Britax Parkway was just fine but really seemed to be very very similar to the Graco Turbobooster which I already have and it's fine but not all the roomy. Wasn't bad but I didn't fall in love with it either. In that case I'd just save the money and go with a Graco.
The Compass brand I really liked I could totally see that fitting a larger older child no problem. But... the headrest didn't seem like it would do alot for a sleeping child and mine falls asleep in the car all the time.
Recarro seemed to be the most comfortable but I don't like their prices...
You should just take your children with and have them try out the seats and have plenty of time it's over whelming. USA Baby has the best selection by far.
Because I already owned a Britax Marathon and was in love with it I ended up buying a Britax Regent. My 6.5 year old loves it and she's as safe as possible. Has plenty of room to grow and falls asleep in peace. Our back up seat is a Graco Turbo Booster.
I searched for awhile for booster seats for my twin girls who are 4 1/2. I bought an Eddie Bauer booster seat 1st and they were in it for not even an hour and hated it. After that I asked around and also looked on consumer reports and ended up buying the Compass B510 from Walmart. It was the least expensive one and my girls absoulety love it. The padding is great along with many of the other features. The one thing I would say is that it took me almost a month to get them due to back orders. Good Luck.
Hi, have you excluded Britax Regent for any reason? I own that and since I have never heard of your models I didn't know if there was something you didn't like about the Regent.
Hi L.,
We actually just bought the Sunshine Kids Radian 80. It has a 5 point harness to 80lbs. I would also REALLY reccomend going to www.kyledavidmiller.org before putting any child under 80 lbs in a seat belt/booster. It's just not safe. A lot of states are starting to change their laws on what weight/age kids need to be for boosters.
USA baby has a huge selection and you can go try the seats out but then I would say go back home and buy them on-line because USA babys prices are crazy. For the radian 80 they charge $299 but I was able to find several sites that had it for $250 with no shipping costs. You can also buy seats through www.kyledavidmiller.org sister site www.hipmonkey.com and all proceeds go to getting carseats to families who can't afford them. They also have free or really low shipping.
Good luck...we had a heck of a time trying to decide but I was so happy with the comfort and ease of the radian 80 that we bought a second one for my husbands car.
~A.
please do what others have suggested which is consider a 5 point harness until they are 80lbs. so much safer!
I purchased the Britax Monarch from Baby Universe and my son loves his new booster. I did a lot of research and finally decided on the Britax monarch and I am glad I did!
I highly, highly recommend the Fisher Price booster. They are made by the people of Britax only they are a more afforable option. They are just as nice, too. I adore ours and will buy them for all my future children, too. I found ours for really cheap at www.albeebaby.com. They have great reviews there, too. HTH!
It has been posted already but please please please consider a 5-point harness seat for your precious children. You can find suggested models at www.kyledavidmiller.org and you can buy any one of them through www.hipmonkey.com or at any local children's store such as Target.
I was looking at booster seats for my 3 year old who is tall for his age when I stumbled accross the video for Kyle. After watching Kyle's video, I will keep my kids in a 5-point harness seat until I just can't any longer.
D.
I love the Britax Parkway! I have two kids, and we have four of the Parkways, so that we have two in each of our cars. I've been completely absolutely satisfied with these. Kids have been able to sleep easily in the seats, and they've easily adjusted with growing bodies. My daughter is 6 and a half, and my son is 3 and a half...we got our first Parkway right when they first were available for purchase a couple years ago...
:) Good luck! I think you'll be happy with any of these models.
R.
Hi L.
I also have a son who is turning 4 in April and we have also been loking fo a booster seat. I am feeling frustrated as you are and would also like some suggestions. We are intersted in the Compass and the Graco with the 5 point harness. I can't decide if I want the seat belt positioning or the 5 point harness for a while longer.
Sally B.
Hi, L.! We have the Compass B510, and we love it. Our little boy is only 3 1/2, but he's 40 lbs and 40" tall, and the Compass B510 has a nice, wide seat, where the sides angle up, instead of down like some of the other boosters. I think the seat is quite cushiony; our son never complains about being uncomfortable, and he sleeps in it all the time. He also loves the cup holders. The Compass is a lot less expensive than the Recaro and Britax Monarch. It is so easy to move between cars, and the fact that it folds is a nice addition, especially if you travel frequently. There are some good in depth reviews at the Elite Car Seat website:
http://www.elitecarseats.com/Compass-B510-Premier.pro?sou...
We've been pleased with it, so much so that we bought another! We have the Pacific and Aspen prints. Good luck!
The best thing I did was to take my child to the store with me and actually put him in the seat before I buy it. I found ones I liked online but when I got to the store to purchase it, my son hated it. Several were uncomfortable where his head was and he just hollered. I found one that he was comfortable in and got that one. He really enjoyed trying them all. He felt like a really big guy with a say so in the decision. I did this even when he was 4 months old getting the bigger car seat due to his huge size. I haven't done this with the middle two because they are both small and the same size despite their two year difference. But, I have found that letting them try them is the best way for me to go.
we have the britax parkway for my now 5 yr old. she is very tall for her age and likes to fall asleep in the car. this booster is awesome, it holds her head upright when sleeping and she never has trouble breathing or neck pain. there is plenty of room and she has never said it was uncomfortable. she loves it!!!
I use the Graco Turbo Boosters for all of my children who are of the booster seat age. They belt position and are highly rated. Before I purchase any car seat I have looked at car seat/booster seat ratings from both Consumer Reports and then from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (www.nhtsa.org and then click on left where it says Child Seat "Ease of Use" Ratings). I have 4 children (aged 7 to 9 months) and have been married 10 years.
I love the Recaro seats. I have the newest convertable seat they just came out with and really love the technology and quality that comes with the seat. We will definitely be getting the booster when William outgrows this one. My husband use to race back in Virginia, so he knew a lot about Recaro and their racing safety gear. Anyway, good luck with everything, and I hope you find a seat that fits you and your toddler's comfort level. :)
My research lead me to the Britax Regent. It's large, but my son is now 5 and I plan to keep him in it as long as he is willing to ride in it. You could purchase it now and use it for a very long time.
Please visit this site before considering putting him in a belted booster seat:
http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ
Check out this one also.. It just came out and everyone loves it. Harness goes to 65lbs. We just purchase 2 of them for our son and I love the seat!!
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8112222
I want to ditto SoNo S totally. Her advice is great. If I were you I would consider the Graco Nautilus for your child to keep him in a five point harness to 65lbs. This seat will harness to 65lbs, then turns into a high back booster. IT looks just like the Graco Turbobooster, but with the harness. its a GREAT seat for $150, and so versatile.
As for the boosters, the Monarch has very deep side impact wings. Good for side impact protection, but some kids relaly dislike them. The Parkway is a GREAT seat, excellent padding, very comfy, great headrest. The Recaro seats are excellent as well, but may not fit older kids, so try it out first. The Compass seat is a great wide booster, will fit kids easily up to no longer needing a booster.
But we own a Britax Regent for our almost 6yr old, and LOVE it. We have a Turbobooster as his backup seat in our truck, but I honestly hate the thing. Its hard and not very comfy. The Regent will harness him to 80lbs, and hten my youngest can take it over until it expires. This would be the case in your situation as well, you could purchase the seat for your oldest, and hwen your youngest outgrows his current seat in a few yeyars, you could pass it down, nad then safely move your oldest to a booster.
BUT out of the choices you listed, I would go with the COmpass or the Parkway.
I also have a 4 yr. old, and am looking for a booster. personally, i think we're going with a britax. we've done research for our kiddos through all stages of seats, and have ended up with britax, from infant to now booster, soon. i'm curious to see what the consensus is. :)
I suggest you check this website out before you decide on the next seat for your child. http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/
We purchased the Britax Regent in January and LOVE it. And I feel confident that it the safest option for my child. It is available at Babies R Us.
