Booster Seat Recommendations

It's time for dd#1 to come out of her regular car seat, and I am now looking
into Boosters (with an internal harness) for her.

She will be 3 next month and is approximately 26 lbs and 34 inches. The
seat will be in the third row of our Windstar minivan (2000).

Any thoughts? Here in NY she must be in a carseat (internal harness) until
she is either 4 years old or 40 lbs. However, we might be moving to AZ, and
from what I understand there it is 5 years AND 50 lbs....so she may be in
this seat for a *very* long time!

Thanks!

Valerie

valerie ramano wrote:
It's time for dd#1 to come out of her regular car seat, and I am now looking
into Boosters (with an internal harness) for her.

She will be 3 next month and is approximately 26 lbs and 34 inches. The
seat will be in the third row of our Windstar minivan (2000).

Why is it time? If your daughter is only 3 and less than 30 pounds,
there is no booster that will fit her, since the lowest weight boosters
are for a minimum of 30 pounds and they are hard to find. Add to that
the fact that you will need to follow the law in either NY or AZ--both
of which preclude using a booster at 26 pounds.


Any thoughts? Here in NY she must be in a carseat (internal harness) until
she is either 4 years old or 40 lbs. However, we might be moving to AZ, and
from what I understand there it is 5 years AND 50 lbs....so she may be in
this seat for a *very* long time!

Valerie, you may want to check out www.carseat.org to learn about all
the safety issues involved. There are also lists of recommended
carseats and boosters that you can download with all the specs such as
minimum weight.

Hope this helps!

julia wrote:

valerie ramano wrote:
It's time for dd#1 to come out of her regular car seat, and I am now looking
into Boosters (with an internal harness) for her.

She will be 3 next month and is approximately 26 lbs and 34 inches. The
seat will be in the third row of our Windstar minivan (2000).

Why is it time? If your daughter is only 3 and less than 30 pounds,
there is no booster that will fit her, since the lowest weight boosters
are for a minimum of 30 pounds and they are hard to find. Add to that
the fact that you will need to follow the law in either NY or AZ--both
of which preclude using a booster at 26 pounds.

I don't think she's talking about the backless boosters. I have 2 Graco high-back
boosters that have 5pt harnesses for children 20-40 lbs.

Laura

Laura Faussone wrote:

julia wrote:


valerie ramano wrote:

It's time for dd#1 to come out of her regular car seat, and I am now looking
into Boosters (with an internal harness) for her.

She will be 3 next month and is approximately 26 lbs and 34 inches. The
seat will be in the third row of our Windstar minivan (2000).

Why is it time? If your daughter is only 3 and less than 30 pounds,
there is no booster that will fit her, since the lowest weight boosters
are for a minimum of 30 pounds and they are hard to find. Add to that
the fact that you will need to follow the law in either NY or AZ--both
of which preclude using a booster at 26 pounds.


I don't think she's talking about the backless boosters. I have 2 Graco high-back
boosters that have 5pt harnesses for children 20-40 lbs.

Laura


Oh, OK. They aren't boosters though. They are regular carseats that
convert
to boosters once you remove the 5 point harness.

I'm sorry I was not more specific. I was talking about the seats which have
the internal harness and have the belt re-routers for when they are ready.
DS has one, but it is not made any more, so I was looking for new
suggestions.

I also figured I'd move her into the new combo, since the baby will be
moving into her own Roundabout, and I'm sure dd#1 is going to be angry she
is sitting in a "baby" seat and not a big girl one. (we have been having
alot of what's "baby" and what is "big girl"- I'm ready to pull my hair
out!)

Thanks!

Valerie
"julia" wrote in message
...


Laura Faussone wrote:

julia wrote:


valerie ramano wrote:

It's time for dd#1 to come out of her regular car seat, and I am now
looking
into Boosters (with an internal harness) for her.

She will be 3 next month and is approximately 26 lbs and 34 inches.
The
seat will be in the third row of our Windstar minivan (2000).

Why is it time? If your daughter is only 3 and less than 30 pounds,
there is no booster that will fit her, since the lowest weight boosters
are for a minimum of 30 pounds and they are hard to find. Add to that
the fact that you will need to follow the law in either NY or AZ--both
of which preclude using a booster at 26 pounds.


I don't think she's talking about the backless boosters. I have 2 Graco
high-back
boosters that have 5pt harnesses for children 20-40 lbs.

Laura


Oh, OK. They aren't boosters though. They are regular carseats that
convert
to boosters once you remove the 5 point harness.

It's time for dd#1 to come out of her regular car seat, and I am now looking
into Boosters (with an internal harness) for her.

She will be 3 next month and is approximately 26 lbs and 34 inches. The
seat will be in the third row of our Windstar minivan (2000).

Any thoughts? Here in NY she must be in a carseat (internal harness) until
she is either 4 years old or 40 lbs. However, we might be moving to AZ, and
from what I understand there it is 5 years AND 50 lbs....so she may be in
this seat for a *very* long time!

Thanks!

Valerie

A seat with a harness is not a booster seat. :-) So your question is a little
confusing. I think you're proposing to move your daughter from a convertible
seat (the type that can be used both rear-facing and forward-facing) to a combo
seat (the type that can be used forward-facing with a harness and then, without
the harness, as a booster).

Most convertible seats have a 40 pound weight limit and a 40-41" height limit,
so your DD should fit in her current seat for quite a while yet. And it's much
safer to leave her in it as long as possible than to switch her to a booster.

Yes, you could buy the type of seat that is a toddler/booster combo and put her
in it now. But there's really no advantage to it unless she's particularly
tall -- used with the harness, the combo seats are no safer than any other
convertible or toddler carseat, and used in booster mode, they tend to be
*less* safe than booster-only seats. The only difference is that, although the
combo seats also have a 40 pound weight limit for use with the harness, the
height limit is generally higher than it is on convertible seats.

In general you're better off keeping her in her "regular" seat until she hits
the weight or height limit for it, and then buying a good booster seat.

If you need her current carseat for a younger sibling, consider getting a
Britax Marathon (convertible seat with a 65 pound weight limit) or Britax Husky
(forward-facing seat with a harness that can be used up to 80 pounds). These
seats are expensive, and they're large (which means they often don't fit well
into smaller vehicles), but they're much, much safer than anything else you can
put an over-40-pound child in. If you get a Husky, you won't ever need to
switch to a booster at all.

Incidentally, regardless of what the law is, it's best to keep your kids in a
carseat until they're large enough to ride without one. Rule of thumb is,
that's 8 years old or 80 pounds; the NHTSA says "Use vehicle lap and shoulder
belt for children who have outgrown a booster seat and can sit with his or her
back straight against the vehicle seat back cushion, with knees bent over the
vehicle's seat edge, without slouching, and feet on the floor (approximately
4'9" and 80 pounds)." Lower legal limits don't help you if you're in an
accident and your 60-pound kid gets her neck broken because she was in an
ill-fitting seatbelt.

Holly
Mom to Camden, 3 yrs
and Laurel, 7 weeks

I totally recommend the Alpha Omega, it's 3 seats in one. Although your
daughter has already outgrown the rear-facing stage of that seat, I still
think it's a worth while investment. When I bought one for my son, he just
outgrew that stage as well, but this one is more comfortable for him than
the other high back booster with 5-pt harness that we got for him. Walmart
sells then for $139.99CAD the last time I check.

"valerie ramano" wrote in message
...
It's time for dd#1 to come out of her regular car seat, and I am now
looking
into Boosters (with an internal harness) for her.

She will be 3 next month and is approximately 26 lbs and 34 inches. The
seat will be in the third row of our Windstar minivan (2000).

Any thoughts? Here in NY she must be in a carseat (internal harness)
until
she is either 4 years old or 40 lbs. However, we might be moving to AZ,
and
from what I understand there it is 5 years AND 50 lbs....so she may be in
this seat for a *very* long time!

Thanks!

Valerie

valerie ramano wrote:
I'm sorry I was not more specific. I was talking about the seats which have
the internal harness and have the belt re-routers for when they are ready.
DS has one, but it is not made any more, so I was looking for new
suggestions.

OK, now I can help. The best one, according to Consumer Reports is the
Cosco Summit High Back Booster. You need to be careful with some of the
other high back boosters, because the guides where the shoulder belts go
are often too tight, and don't allow the shoulder belt to move freely.
That is dangerous, because it the kid moves forward, and the belt
sticks, then it will be slack in a crash. I believe some of the others
were recalled because of this problem.

Unless it has a hight limit that I don't know about, she actually hasn't
outgrown the rear facing limit for that carseat LOL. It's rear facing to 35
pounds. Aries is 18 months, 27 pounds or so, adn about 36 inches, and still
rear facing. We dont' even have the straps to the highest level yet because
they still fit him properly in whatever slot they are.

Cadie

"Lil Nicky's Mom" wrote in message
news:Z_9Kc.45069$Mr4.12776@pd7tw1no...
I totally recommend the Alpha Omega, it's 3 seats in one. Although your
daughter has already outgrown the rear-facing stage of that seat, I still
think it's a worth while investment. When I bought one for my son, he just
outgrew that stage as well, but this one is more comfortable for him than
the other high back booster with 5-pt harness that we got for him. Walmart
sells then for $139.99CAD the last time I check.

"valerie ramano" wrote in message
...
It's time for dd#1 to come out of her regular car seat, and I am now
looking
into Boosters (with an internal harness) for her.

She will be 3 next month and is approximately 26 lbs and 34 inches. The
seat will be in the third row of our Windstar minivan (2000).

Any thoughts? Here in NY she must be in a carseat (internal harness)
until
she is either 4 years old or 40 lbs. However, we might be moving to AZ,
and
from what I understand there it is 5 years AND 50 lbs....so she may be
in
this seat for a *very* long time!

Thanks!

Valerie






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Holly,

Thanks for your input. I happen to be a Britax lover. DD#1's current
Roundabout (non-latch) is going into DHs car to replace the now 5 year old
seat- no longer safe! DD#2 has a new Marathon for the middle row of the
minivan. So DD#1 now needs a new seat. My current problem with her is she
want to be like her "big brother" who is 5.5 and using a regular booster
seat. She does not want to be like the baby. Plus with winter coming the
convertible seats are tough with the coats on.
"HollyLewis" wrote in message
...
A seat with a harness is not a booster seat. :-) So your question is a
little
confusing. I think you're proposing to move your daughter from a
convertible
seat (the type that can be used both rear-facing and forward-facing) to a
combo
seat (the type that can be used forward-facing with a harness and then,
without
the harness, as a booster).

Yes, that is what I mean. When you search engine them, they are put under
"booster" seat because of the capabilities of being a high back booster.


Yes, you could buy the type of seat that is a toddler/booster combo and
put her
in it now. But there's really no advantage to it unless she's
particularly
tall -- used with the harness, the combo seats are no safer than any other
convertible or toddler carseat, and used in booster mode, they tend to be
*less* safe than booster-only seats. The only difference is that,
although the
combo seats also have a 40 pound weight limit for use with the harness,
the
height limit is generally higher than it is on convertible seats.

In general you're better off keeping her in her "regular" seat until she
hits
the weight or height limit for it, and then buying a good booster seat.



Incidentally, regardless of what the law is, it's best to keep your kids
in a
carseat until they're large enough to ride without one. Rule of thumb is,
that's 8 years old or 80 pounds; the NHTSA says "Use vehicle lap and
shoulder
belt for children who have outgrown a booster seat and can sit with his or
her
back straight against the vehicle seat back cushion, with knees bent over
the
vehicle's seat edge, without slouching, and feet on the floor
(approximately
4'9" and 80 pounds)." Lower legal limits don't help you if you're in an
accident and your 60-pound kid gets her neck broken because she was in an
ill-fitting seatbelt.

Beleive me, I understand what the recommendations are, but quite honestly as
they get older, it does get significantly more difficult and nearly
unrealistic. I myself was not 4' 9" until I was 12 years old! Or 80 lbs
until I was 13!


Holly
Mom to Camden, 3 yrs
and Laurel, 7 weeks