Which type of booster car seat for my 3 1/2 yr old?

[Disney Ron]

My DS (3.5) was in a Britax Marathon. I just moved him into a Britax Frontier. We are going to move my DD (8mos) into the Marathon.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3433612

I am so thrilled with the carseat and feel like I made the right choice. It was a great investment for my son's safety.

 

[sau418]

I think my girls seats are going to expire before they outgrow them...

We have the Marathon and both girls are on the smaller side. DD#1 will be 4 in July and has a good 8 inches to grow to outgrow it in height and 35# in weight. I am glad to know we are getting our value in it, but man I am tired of looking at that seat, I want a new design

 

[Binnie]

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Britax Regent, but they have discontinued it, from what I can tell. And it doesn't have a cup holder, which seems like it shouldn't be an issue, but it is. It also doesn't have arms, which is one of the reasons I like it, but that DD doesn't.

We also have a Britax Frontier (in DH's car), which I don't love. It positions DD4 funny, so it's fine for Daddy's car, but not for mine, where she does most of her car riding.

Right now, I'm actually using a Graco Nautilus, which is working out great.

Frankly, I intend to keep her harnessed as long as I possibly can. I feel much safer with her strapped in completely, and as long as she doesn't know the difference, she doesn't seem to mind.

 

[aprilgail2]

My personal opinion is that the longer you can keep them in the 5 pt. harness, the better.

I agree- my daughter was in a 5 point harness well into 2nd grade! She is in 5th grade and still uses a booster in the car. No way would I put a 3 1/2 year old in a booster seat!

I never asked for your help. I'm not confused. I know how to obtain pertinent info if I need it.
I never called the seat a 3in1 convertible. You did.
There you go again. You have no clue what seat we are currently using or the specifics of our plans.
We will follow the recommendations of our pediatrician and the AAP. We do not require your input into the care and safety of our child.

Wow- someone really needs to chill out!!

 

[HelenePA]

I think my girls seats are going to expire before they outgrow them...

We have the Marathon and both girls are on the smaller side. DD#1 will be 4 in July and has a good 8 inches to grow to outgrow it in height and 35# in weight. I am glad to know we are getting our value in it, but man I am tired of looking at that seat, I want a new design

Look on ebay they have many different car seat covers for them

 

[Minnie's Pal]

Thanks for all of the advice. Still not sure what I'm going with but this helps.

Buying the right carseats for your child's age/size/etc. needs to be made more simple. How can we do what's best for our child when it's so darn hard to figure it out!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Wow, you really have your panties in a wad
Bren' s mom has offered some valuable information, many parents are misinformed when it comes to car seats/car safety.

And FWIW--pediatrician's aren't Child Car Safety seat experts.

There are ped's that still recomend a child to go forward facing once they reach the weight--and disregard the age. (hence some forward facing 10 and 11 month olds).

This is contrary to guidelines, but it doesn't stop ped's from doing that.

While I do not follow the CSPT( orwhatever the acronym is) to the tee--there is no harm in being more careful. There is harm in being complacent and taking the easy way out.

I don't harness until 5 or rear face until 2, but extending their time in either position isn't harmful.

My 9yo is still also in a booster, but I did finally let her go backless. She's short and the belt does not position correctly otherwise.

 

[Bren's Mom]

Thanks for all of the advice. Still not sure what I'm going with but this helps.

Buying the right carseats for your child's age/size/etc. needs to be made more simple. How can we do what's best for our child when it's so darn hard to figure it out!

You're welcome.

And I agree completely, it shouldn't be so complicated. Even something like LATCH, which was supposed to make things simpler, only ends up confusing the issue more. No standardization among auto makers, not ever among vehicles made by the same company. A 2 position minimum for LATCH seating positions...how does that help parents with 4 kids in a minivan? Varying and confusing LATCH weight limits. It's a mess.

It's why a curriculum was developed and the Child Passenger Safety Technician certification was created...to help parents. Now the problem is that the public agencies that offered ready access to CPSTs are starting to eliminate them from their budgets; in part because of cost, in part because if it's not something you do full time there's just too much to keep track of. And the economy in general isn't helping that any.

Good luck with your decision!