carseat for 3 yo

[luvmyfam444]

She is about out of her Britax ROundabout (40lb limit & she's 36 or so). And I'm trying to decide what to buy. Britax makes the only seat I've seen that has a 5pt harness for this weight limit & the other 99% of seats are just the belt positioning shoulder kind. OF course this would have NEVER even crossed my mind had I not read astory about a 3 yo litle boy who died in a regualr booster seat w/out having the 5pt harness.(the car overturned & the sealtbelt broke & he flew out)
I had DD #1 in a regualr booster (actually those AWFUl boosters w/o a back!) & never thought twice about it 'cause I figured if it's out there it must be safe!

ANYWAY I just dont' know what to buy. My gut feeling says just to trust the manufacturers of the cars & carseats & buy the belt positioning seat, but hen of course I can't help but think of that story. AND then also wonder why I can only find the 1 manufacturer that sells the 5pt harness type.... KWIM??

Help me decide what to buy....

 

[Ava83]

We originaly had the roundabout and before we opened it we returned it and purchased the Marathon...I love it and the fact she can be in it till about 60 pounds.

We also have a turbo booster with the back from graco for dh's car and that is also a good seat.

Its a big price difference between the two.

 

[lulugirl]

I think 3 is really young for a booster seat even if she is within the weight guidelines. When my Dd outgrew her Roundabout we got her a Britax Husky. It is a very large, expensive seat but we're glad we bought it.
Just my 2 cents!

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

My 3 1/2 year old has a Britax Husky. Love it!

 

[ChrisnSteph]

We use the Graco TurboBooster Sport Convertible Car Seat for our 3 and 4 year olds:

We always make sure their belts are positioned properly and pulled tight. We also switch cars a lot and they're really easy to get in and out.

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

I just bought my 3 yo the Graco TurboBooster. She fits the weight height guidelines and the belt is a good fit. We have a Roundabout for her but with bulky winter coats, I had a hard time buckling it.

 

[becka]

We looked into getting DS a booster and giving his old carseat to DD but when I read consumer reports the reviews of the boosters were all terrible. I believe there was one they said was decent if you had to buy a booster. It really kind of scared me and I decided that I would just feel safter with him in a 5 pt. harness for a few extra years. We let DS keep the Britax Marathon. I bought DD a Britax Roundabout and I figure by the time DD outgrows the Roundabout DS should be out of the Marathon.

 

[tiff211]

We have a booster seat by Evenflo for DD3. It does have the 5 part harness and can be converted when the time comes to use just the seatbelt.

 

[Aneille]

If you like Britax products and want to stay with the 5 pt try the Britax Marathon.

FF the seat goes to 65#. My 4 year old is in it and she's almost 41" tall and weights about 40# and fits just fine in it still.

My mother has the Husky in her car and its huge and isn't as cushy but my kids like it a lot anyway. But because of its size it may not be a good fit for your car and or seat arrangements. I personally think it works great if its in used in Capt Chairs in a van or SUV because then it doesn't take up room from anyone else. The Husky goes to 80# I believe so you certaintly wont need another seat after it!

I also have the Graco Turbobooster and its a nice seat but I am also not comfortable with my child using it often. She uses it for vacations and also in DH's car. She doesn't ride with him often enough for me to get another Britax product.

 

[justhat]

Well my daughter is not quite 2 yet and still comfortable in her Roundabout, but we bought at Marathon as well for my car (Roundabout is in my husband's). I would definitely recommend this seat since it goes up to 65 pounds and I think about 48 inches (of course that's dependent on their proportion and how high their head is in the seat, but approximate).

 

[Desnik]

My DS is almost 3yo but he is tiny. About 30lbs. We have the Britax Boulevard, the one that has the "wings" for side impact crashes. I love this carseat and it is for kids up to 65lbs! Personally I think 3yo is young for a booster seat.
As far as the story about that 3yo coming out of the booster seat because of the seatbelt breaking, that was a freak accident and accidents do happen. Do you know the age of the car? If the seatbelt was correctly connected? You rarely hear stories of seatbelts just breaking.
Trust me. My DH and I along with or 2 kids, were in an accident in Sept. and we flipped our truck numerous times and my kids diddn't have a scratch! At the time DS had a evenflo carseat, and DD was in a regular seatbelt! They were secured properly in a vehicle that was only a year old and the seatbelts saved their lives!
Do what you feel comfortable with. If you feel saver with a 5 point harness than why not try the Britax Boulevard?

 

[Nicolepa]

S OF course this would have NEVER even crossed my mind had I not read astory about a 3 yo litle boy who died in a regualr booster seat w/out having the 5pt harness.(the car overturned & the sealtbelt broke & he flew out)

Now I am about one of the most paranoid people when it comes to car safety (my grandmother died in a car accident), but how would a 5 pt harness have helped this child if the seatbelt actually broke? That has nothing to do with the safety of the seat, that was a defect of the car. If it was an older car (pre 2003), the seatbelt would still be used to secure the carseat in place and the incident would still have happened.

That said I moved my ds to the Graco TurboBooster at 3. He was still in the weight range for his Britax Roundabout but his weight was all around his middle and the buckle on one side would literally come unbuckled while we were driving. It was also a struggle to get it buckled. I felt it was safer for him to be in a booster and actually be buckled than to be in a seat that would unbuckle randomly. I was terrified of what would happen in an accident. (BTW I love Britax, and one point I had 3 for my 2 kids and a spare.)

 

[luvmy2sams]

We love our Britax carseats!

We used a Roundabout with DD, but when DS2 was born we upgraded to the Wizard. It goes up to 65 pounds and 49 inches and has a great knob that's used to adjust the height of the restraint to perfectly fit your child. It's a great carseat, and I like knowing that he'll be safe in this one until he's really big enough for a booster seat.

DD7 has a Britax Bodyguard booster seat that goes up to 100 pounds and 60 inches. This seat is used with the car's belt, but it has a locking mechanism that you run the belt through before and after it crosses your child's lap. It also locks the shoulder belt into place at the correct height. Our DD is tiny, and I'm sure she thinks she'll be in a booster for her first day of college, but I'd much rather have her in a backed seat than a backless ones.

All three of our Britax seats have been excellent investments. Also, if you do decide on a Britax, I just noticed that their website has free shipping. Happy decision making!