Booster Seat Question

I got my booster for my child at walmart for 30 bucks its a 2 in one. It has the back that comes with when they are younger and you can take it off once they get much older and bigger. It works out just fine for my son. He is actually more comfy in it that those over sized car seats and he feels like a big boy

I understand your dilema. I went through the same process as you are. I have three grandchildren ages 8,6 and 2. The 2 year old lives in Texas, the other two live here. The two year old sits in a car seat with a 5-point harness.
The six year old still sits in a high back booster seat with a 5-point harness. A child is supposed to be in a child restraint seat until they are 8 years old and/or 80 lbs and 54 inches tall. The high back booster seat we have was purchased at Geoffrey's and goes up to 100 lbs. It doesn't have a bar across the front just the 5-point harness. The brand we got is Eddie Bauer,but there are several other brands. My grandson's head comes to the top of the seat. My granddaughter (who is 8) sits in type of booster seat that just sits on the seat and uses the regular car seat belt.
She is tall but still needs the seat. Hope this helps you in your decision about the booster seat. If you still have any doubts you could go by the the local fire department and ask them. We have gone to several of those car seat check clinics over the years ( ever since our granddaughter was a baby). Every time we got a different type of car seat we had them check it to make sure it was installed in our vehicle correctly. D. of Jacksonville ( proud grandmother of three and married to a retired Marine for 37 years)

South Carolina’s child passenger restraint law requires that:

Children from birth to 1 year old, or who weigh less than 20 pounds, must be secured in a rear-facing child safety seat.
Children 1 through 5 years old weighing 20 to 40 pounds must be restrained in a forward-facing child seat.
Children 1 through 5 years old weighing 40 to 80 pounds must be secured in a belt-positioning booster seat.
Children under the age of 6 are not required to be in booster seats if they weigh more than 80 pounds or if they can sit with their backs against the car's seat and bend their legs over the seat edge without slouching.

I believe as long as she is over 30 lbs she can go in a boster. You need to get one with a back though unless she ways I believe it is 40 lbs. It tells you the weight requirments on the set. My 3 year old has the pink princess seat from tatget. It is around $40 and she loves.

A.

I have the Eddie Bauer convertible seat. I purchased mine at Toys R Us, but Sams Club has the same seat for about $65. My sister in law just got hers there and it's exactly like mine. We are very pleased with them. It has the five point harness and then you can use with the car seat belt.

My daughter is 4 1/2 and even though sthe technically meets the requirements, I don't think she is ready for a booster seat. Remember that with a booster there is nothing holding the seat in the car except the child's weight. You have to be careful to buckle the seat in even when you are not using it so it doesn't go flying if you have an accident. Your daughter also has to be mature enough to wear the seat belt properly so that it can effectively restrain her. No slouching in the seat or moving the seat belt out of position. My 6 yr old son is in a Britax Parkway booster and he loves it. Even though it can be used at 30 pounds, Britax recommends not using it until 40 pounds. There is also a mini
mum height requirement but I don't remember what it is.

My daughter is still in a 5 point harness. She is in the Britax Regent which holds a child up to 80 pounds. My son would still be in his Britax Husky (the older version of the Regent) except that the LATCH system in our van has a lower weight limit (I think it is 40-45 pounds). When we tried to install the Husky using the seat belt, it did not feel secure so we moved him to a booster. I use his old Husky for when I am transporting one of my daughter's friends who is under 45 pounds (we re-installed the seat with the LATCH). We love the Regent otherwise. Just check what the weight limit is for the LATCH system in your vehicle (we did not know to do this) and test-fit the seat using the seatbelt instead of the LATCH. If the seat is secure with the seatbelt, you should be able to use the seat until your daughter is 80 pounds and will not need a seat at theat time (assuming she is 9 yrs old or 5 feet tall)

I know that most car seat manufacturers recommend the 5 point harness for as long as possible and I agree. Good luck. Hope this helped! Check out the Britax seats at www.britaxusa.com They are expensive but worth the money!

Our 3 year old son is the size of a 5 year old and is still in the 5 point harness(Britax Wizard) After watching sad, sad stories on UTube about kids killed in the car accidents, because they slipped out of the booster seat on the impact or got crashed by the audult seat belt, he is staying in 5 point harness till he can drive:)

Hi L.,

The longer you can leave her in a high-back convertible seat the better. They are safer than plain, old boosters. I found that one Eddie Bauer seat (about $120 at Babies R Us) is about 2 inches wider in the seat and shoulders than any other I measured. My boys are 5 and 6 1/2 and still in them comfortably. Once they reached 40 pounds, they went to using them as a booster (using the adult sealt belt and not the 5-point harness). In february, we were rear-ended. The boys were fine (and their car seats have been replaced). I was wearing my seat belt and have a partially torn rotator cuff in my shoulder and whiplash in my back. I'm still in physical therapy. The highway patrol officer told me to leave them in the most protective car seat I could until they outgrow it.

I looked at the more expensive Britax, but it wasn't as wide in the shoulders and hips.

Good luck!!

I have 4 kids-only 1 now who needs a booster seat. I strongly recommend a tall back with the 5 point harness that can change to just using the seat back as they get older and can learn that skill. We have always used Graco brand and have great success. Keep your daughter in the seat with 5 point harness until she is kicking you!!! They are safer for her age and weight. My youngest is 41/2 and he came out of the 5 point at 4 when he was protesting the 5 point because his 8 year old sister was in a different booster seat and he thought that was cooler. At that point he was 40 pounds, he could buckle his own car seat. That is my help! Stay safe.