Booster Seats - Lombard,IL

the sunshine kids monterey booster is awesome! My son loves it and I do too. Just do some research but definitely look into this one!

How old is he? Even though he's 41lbs, he likely still needs a harness car seat. Especially if he's under 5 or 6yrs old.

A forward facing car seat is outgrown when the child goes over the weight limit, the ears become level with the seat back, or the shoulders go over the top harness slot.

The Graco Nautilus will harness kids to 65lbs and has a tall top harness slot, allowing most kids to use the seat with the harness to age 6/7, and then it becomes a high back booster seat adn eventually a no back booster seat to 100lbs. Its $150 online (walmart.com, albeebaby.com, etc) and its a GREAT seat that will last your child until a car seat/booster is no longer needed.

Britax also makes the Frontier, which will harness to 80lbs, and then boosters. Makes a great booster too. Its $280.

If you insist on a belt only booster, make SURE its a high back booster seat. A no back booster seat offers zero side impact protection and thats something that is necessary for younger children. In a side impact crash, if your child is in a no back booster, the spine will not stay aligned and the child will be tossed around considerably, not protected enough for a younger child. A high back keeps the child in line and offers the side impact protection.

If your child still sleeps in the car, is under age 5 or 6, and is still immature enough to bend over, reach, stretch to the side or down (reaching for toys, etc) or put the shoulder belt behind their back, a five point harness is still necessary. The Nautilus is a great investment and it will keep your child optimally protected.

ETA seen that you added his age. Yes, he still needs a harness car seat at 4.5. My 4.5yr old son is 43" tall and 45lbs and still harnessed in a Britax Regent, with years to grow still. He would be ok in a booster, but he's safer in teh harness because he still sleeps in the car, and can be goofy at times and I know he would end up leaning to get something, and thats not ok. Keep him harnessed!

Is he short/tall heavy/lightweight for his age? The size of your child will matter as far as which seat you prefer. I recommend staying harnessed for as long as possible. You'll also have to consider what fits and installs properly in your car.

Look at the ones that convert from a harness to a booster like these (I had this info handy b/c I just researched these too), and consider the weight limits for the harness vrs for the booster:

Graco – Nautilus
Harness limits: 65 lbs & 52”
Booster limits: 100 lbs & 57” (converts to high back booster, and then backless) (I have this for my 2 .5yr old and love the seat)

Safety 1st—Alpha Omega Elite Convertible Car Seat
Harness limit: 50 lbs
High back Belt Positioning Booster limit: 100 lbs

Britax – Frontier 85
Harness limits: 25-85 lbs & 30-57”; min 2yrs of age
Booster limits: 40-120 lbs & 42-65”
(the high weight limit is good if your child is heavy for his age, but if he is tall and lean, then you'll hit the height limits before the weight)

There is also the "Compass" booster seats and Britax "Frontier" or "Parkway" booster seats.

Look it up online at Amazon, because then that way you can read ALL the reviews on it.

We have the Compass and the Britax Parkway.
We like it.
Our friends also seem to have these as well.

My son and daughter are big/tall kids. My son is 3.5 and about 42-43" tall and 40 pounds. My daughter, is 4.5 feet tall, but she is 7 years old. She was using her booster from about 3-4 years old.

The Nautilus is a great seat for your child as others have mentioned...nice price too. The Britax Frontier is good too....but pricey and a little hard to install though.
Another option is the Evenflo symphony....it is really easy to install with LATCH (although you need to check your car's owner's manual cause some cars the LATCH system can only be used to 40 or 45 lbs) and also keeps him in a harness to 65 lbs and converts to a booster.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3882167

Sunshine kids also has this seat http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3819500 or the Radian 65 or 80 that harness to those higher weights.

There is also the Safety 1st Apex 65 which is also a really nice seat and big to fit larger children...it has a lower price tag too. Only thing is you need to have high seat backs because the entire back of the seat needs to be supported by the seat of the car. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3999394

Good luck! It is safest to keep them in that harness as long as possible.

We moved our four year old from the britax marathon last year to the britax frontier booster. It keeps her harnessed to 85lbs! We got a great deal at www.albeebaby.com, and any babies r us store should have several different boosters you can look at and try before ordering or buying. B r us also has 20% off coupons often.

my boys are 4 and 6. I use the boosters with backs and seat belt guides in my car due to how the seats are set up, the backless ones do not work well. In my truck we use backless boosters since it has adjustable seat belts.

Even better than a booster seat is the Graco Nautilus. It has a 5 point harness up to 65 lbs. Then you convert it to a booster and then a backless booster. It's good up to 100 lbs. Here is the description from Graco:

finally, the car seat that parents have been searching for is here. Our Nautilus™ 3-in-1 car seat helps keep your child secure in a 5-point harness, from 20-65 lbs. When she’s ready, it converts to a belt-positioning booster from 30-100 lbs. And as she continues to grow, the Nautilus grows with her, transitioning into either a Highback or Backless booster for a comfortable fit up to 100 lbs. Extensively crash tested, including side-impact testing, outfitted with reinforced steel and thoughtfully designed with plush comfort features, this 3-in-1 car seat is will last your little travel companion well into childhood.