Booster Seat - Norwalk,CT

Britax makes a really great 5 point booster...I think it's the Regent...you can Google it.

Good luck!
J.

Hi, J.!

I'm a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician and I'd like to offer some suggestions.
The brain synapses that govern impulse control don't typically develop before age 5-6, the recommended age for full time booster seat use. So, a 5pt harness is a MUST at this age. If your son is mature and weighs more than 40lbs, I'd consider a booster for playdates and short occasional trips, but a harness in the main car.

Here are some options...

The Britax Regent harnesses to 80lbs, but doesn't convert to a booster. It's large and comfy for most kids. My daughter is 7y 8m and rides in the Regent with room to grow.

The Britax Frontier harnesses to 80lbs, converts to a highback booster and has lower top slots than the Regent.

The Graco Nautilus is a GREAT new seat. It's half the price of the Regent (has lower top slots), converts to a highback, then low back booster and harnesses to 65lbs. 65lbs is plenty for a normal weight child, because a seat is outgrown when the tips of the ears go above the shell OR the shoulders creep over the highest harness slots. That's usually well before the weight limit is reached.

The Cosco/Safety 1st Apex is an OK seat. It requires headrests to support it, converts to a high back booster and harnesses to 65lbs. The top slots are lower than the Nautilus.

I hope this helps. C'mon over to car-seat.org if you have any more questions!

Also, car seats do expire. There should be a stamped date, a stickered date or something in the manual. Most expire in 6 years, some 8 years.
Consumer Reports is terrible for carseat rec's and they have flawed and unrealistic testing methods. Ignore them.

Depending on how much your son weighs he might be able to go into the Britax Parkway, which is a booster that uses a seatbelt. The seatbelt loops throught the side so it is held at the proper height for the child. The seat adjusts as the child grows, but provides much better support than a typical booster, although it does not have a 5 point harness. If his weight is appropriate for the seat (check the Britax web site) than this would be the last seat you'd need to buy for him. Also, since the car seat belt is used to harness the child, it's really easy to move this seat from car to car. This is what I moved my girls into when they needed boosters My 7 year old still uses it as she does not weigh 60 pounds yet. Good luck!

Just a little heads up. You can only use a car seat for 5 years. Check the manufacturing date on your Son's seat. It will need to be replaced once it is 5 years old. Not 5 years from the purchase date but the date it was actually made. We went to the local Sheriff's office a few months ago. One of the officers was trained to do car seat safety checks. He checked all 4 of our seats. My oldest didn't need a seat any more and his was too old so the Sheriff's officer took it. My 3rd child's seat was also too old so he took that and gave us a brand new seat (which is better then the two seats he took). My other two seats were fine he just checked them to make sure they were secure in the car and that the 5 point harnesses were tight enough. When I asked how much I owed him he said that it was a free service paid for by the drunk drivers fines. I suggest you call your local sheriff's office and see if they have the same program. They also have a list of all of the recalled seats. They can seat and see if your seats have had any recalls on them. It is a great service and if more people don't start to use it they may decide to cut it from the budget. Hope this helps. It is better than spending $100 on a seat and the seat he gave me is not bulky it is a normal high back, light weight, boaster.

Hi! I have been told that the average life of a car seat is 5 years, and that some now even have expiration dates on them. I'm not sure why, but you might want to look into this before handing down your son's car seat. I do feel your pain, when my son was born both my dtr's were still in booster seats and it was difficult to have room for all 3 of them in the backseat of the car. There are some nice booster seats that even have head impact sides to them, but they can be almost as bulky as a car seat. The ones that are less bulky, just have a bottom to them with no sides or back, and use the car seat. If you do find a great booster seatt hat fits the bill, I would love to hear about it, my son is also 4 and is 36lbs, so once he hits 40lb I will need to look for a booster seat too.

Booster Seat Great Idea!! He's 4 and will prob. enjoy being a BIG BOY!!! LOL and that should ease his transtion. Carseats are for babies booster are for big kids!! For your daughter, My son Anthony 2 was 9lbs 2ozs He grew quick and fast I couldnt believe how fast he grew out of the infant carseat. He was about 6mths when I bought the one that you are referring to. However I never faced it backwards his legs were to long and it was uncomfortable for him. So I placed foward behind the passagers seat. Whatever works! But don't feel guilty about not wanting to bulky carseats in the back because its understandable plus he big enough and I'm sure well trainded for the booster just make sure you keep the child safety on in case he get curoius. You'll be fine!! Goodluck and take care! :-)

I researched it on Consumer Reports last year for my daughter and two years ago for my son. Both years the Eddie Bauer Summit High Back Delux Booster was the best rated. Make sure you get that one though. I bought a different Eddie Bauer one for my daughter because it was $100 cheaper and ended up Hating it.

Make sure your son is at least 40 pounds - we have a Compass B-500 car seat - a little more expensive than some but it has been great - it is lightweight and it folds if needed. I washed and dried the cover after my daughter threw up in it - I should not have put it in the dryer and the seam ripped. I called and told them and the company sent me a new cover free. Graco makes good ones too - just make sure it is a high back seat. D.

graco nautilus! love it!