Another Booster Seat Question!

we are starting to look at booster seats for my 3 year old.

we will be buying a booster with a 5 point harness.

The kids are much safer in a 5 point harness. There are seats that have a 5 point harness and go up to 60 or 80 pounds.

The seat that I am thinking of buying is the safety first vantage at walmart for $89.

It is not the cheapest seat or the most expensive but I think it will be comfortable and easy to use.

My kids are on the small side so I dont think a seat best would hold them properly in a crash..

The ones with the back guide the seatbelt so it does not cut across their neck. My son used a booster with a back because he was too heavy for his harness carseat but not tall enough for a backless booster yet. If you have an SUV the seatbelt is more likely to cut across his neck and not lay across his chest where is should be for maximum safety. The booster with a back usually has an adjustable back so the seatbelt guide can be set at the right height to prevent this from happening. My son is six and has only just gone onto using the booster without the back on it.
For me it wasn't a comfort or cost issue but more about his safety. I don't know if one is more comfortable than the other but my son just changed over and has not mentioned any difference in comfort. I would say if he is only four he probably needs one with a back. A lot of the ones with backs are convertible, the backs can be removed when they are big enough for a backless one.

The high back booster seats will position the seat belt correctly over his shoulder. It's not so much of a weight issue, rather a height issue. Some of the backless will include a strap that goes up from the booster to hook the shoulder strap and position it correctly, but not all do. I know that Graco does and Cosco does NOT. I'm not sure about Evenflo. I would recommend a style that starts out as a high back booster and later you can convert to a backless. I believe that Graco has the conversion capability. My four year old is 42 inches tall and is using a high back booster seat. She'll stay in that for another 6 or 7 inches.

I prefer the seat with the back, I feel like my daughter is more secure in it rather just the bottom. Just yesterday she dozed off in the car so I think the back and sides at the top help her stay put. She really wants the one with the just the bottom but I am going to stick with the back.

The back/backless is more for how the seatbelt lays/sit acrossed their shoulder. I know with the back part on the clips are adjustable[slide up or down] so the shoulder retraint fit a 30lbs child [ which in my opinion is WAY to small to allow a child to use a shoulder belt]. If you son/daughter still can fit in their 5 point harness I would leave them in that provided they are within the weight guideline for the seat. Now they are making 5 point seats suitable for a child up to 65 lbs. My 7yr old who is rather tall and solid does not even weigh 65 lbs. That fact alone should tell you that a 30-40lbs child is to small for a shoulder belt booster. Not tell you what to do/not do but giving insight.

M.,

I didn't read the last question but since you are new to Michigan you should know we have stricter child restraint laws than other states. I got this from the Michigan State Police website:

Michigan law requires:

Children from birth until age 8 be properly restrained in a child safety seat or booster seat in the vehicle, unless 4'9" tall.

Children who are eight years old but less than sixteen years old must use a safety belt no matter where they are riding in the vehicle.

INFANTS
An infant (up to one year of age) should travel in a federally approved infant safety seat that must always face the rear of the car. Facing rearward protects the infant's fragile head and neck if a crash does occur. The seat should also be semi-reclined so the baby's head does not flop forward.

TODDLERS
Convertible seats are for children up to about 4 years of age. This seat is used facing the rear while the baby is under one year old. It may be turned around to face the front when the baby is about one year old.

When children outgrow a convertible seat, they should travel in a booster seat. A booster seat makes the safety belt fit better and more comfortably.

My four year old is still in a car seat with the five point harness, but that little stinker has unbuckled the belt attaching the child seat to the car seat on more than one occasion, so I am ready to switch her to a booster. We will probably move her to the booster with the back on it which our 6 year old son has been using and get the backless one for our son.

Buckle those kids up!

The booster with a back will help to position the shoulder strap across the body and not the neck. If you are in an accident and the shoulder strap is not positioned correctly it could break the childs neck. We use the one with a back on it. I think that the booster with the back is more comfy for long trips because they can rest their head on the side while sleeping!

If your vehicle does not have a headrest in the seat he will be in, then he needs a booster with the back. :)

I was told by the firestation the only time a booster with a back is needed(legally) is when your car or truck doesnt have the head suppport things at the top of the seats,but you said you drive an SUV so Im pretty sure youre does.
Edit:My daughter is 6 years old.

We have back less ones My kids love them. I never tried the ones with the back. There cheaper with out the back. I would think they are more comfortable without the back. Just because than you have the cars soft seat behind them and they can recline the backs for comfort for sleep on long trips. Well hope I helped use your gut do what you think is right.

The difference is saftey. The high back booster are much much safer!

Hi,
It is all a matter of height & personal preference. We use the backless since my daughters were 4. We also travel long distances. That is what pillows & blankets are for. I wouldn't want to sleep straight up & with hard plastic behind my back. Why would I make my child? That being said my children are tall nad the seat belt at the chest/neck was not an issue, plus our SUV seat belt strap is adjustable for height.
Good Luck

First of all, welcome to Michigan! What on earth made you come here in the recession? Hope that everything goes well for your family. I'm not far away from you - we live in Plymouth. Anyway, there have been lots of good responses to your question. I had a high-back booster for my son at a pretty early age because of his height. He was also an escape artist and would frequently put his head on my shoulder as I was speeding down the freeway at about 70 mph. (I swear, that is why I have white hairs.) The high-back boosters adjust up to a certain height. The back needs to be removed when the child gets taller. Then, when he was sitting on the booster without the back, the seat belt was correctly placed across his shoulder. We bought him and backless booster and saved the first high-back booster for his younger sister. He is 7 1/2 years old now and is about 4'1" tall. My daughter is almost 5 years old and is about 3' 7" tall. One more thing, the car seats and high-back boosters are now required to have more protection around the head of the child. This does provide a place to lean their head when they fall asleep in the car. And, the higher priced seats usually have more padding that make them more comfortable. Which might be a better thing for a seat that will be used and abused. Hope this helps you! D.

Hi M., the one with the back on is a 5 point seat buckle, verse the booster, with only one, plus yea they are confertable to some children. My 5yr old grandaughter has one, she is small for her age, but as she grows, the back comes off, to be just a booster seat.