Need help choosing next car seat for a big boy....

[champion2b]

DS just turned 3 in July. He is currently 39.3 lbs and 41" riding in a Roundabout in both of our cars. I checked the straps and he has a little room left before he outgrows the harness. So I need to make a decision soon.

We went to the local BRU to check out the seats. I looked at the TurboBooster, Parkway and Platinum CarGo. DS wanted nothing to do with anything except the CarGo. Originally, that was the seat I was going to purchase but it doesn't make sense since there is less than 1 lb before he outgrows the weight for the harness. He probably liked that seat because it had the same kind of harness as the RA.

I will need to purchase atleast two seats and don't have the $$$ to buy multiple Britax seats once he outgrows the Roundabouts.

Are there any 5 pt harness that are for 40+ other than MA and Husky/Regent? I'm concerned that he will outgrow the MA too soon and I'm leary about the size of the Husky (sight unseen). The local Buy Buy Baby is sold out of Husky and not sure when they will be receiving the new Regent.

He travels to PreK on a school bus. Originally, they had Cosco Summit carseats. Recently, the school district purchased a larger bus and changed from carseats to this vest thing for all the children. I've never seen anything like it. Is that a safe option for everyday travel in a car?

Any and all suggestions welcome.

[Aunt to sweet baby boy]

As of right now the only seats that harness past 40 lbs are Britax. Many other seats are in the works but none are out yet.
Is there one car that ds rides in more than others? Would you be able to buy one husky/Regent/MA/DC/BV and one hb bpb? How does he sit in a bpb? Some children are not mature enough untill they are ~5 while some can sit in a bpb when they are 3. If you have to put ds in a bpb do you have the ability to lock the seatbelt? If you are not familiar with this it is when you pull the seatbelt all the way out and then let it retract so that ds can not move around alot.

I think the vests are safe for children but i am not a tech so i will let someone who knows more about them answer that for you.

GL and HTH

[Joni]

The vests are a safe alternative. Just ask them to double check the weight because there is a variety of weight limits on the vests. The Husky/Regent is large but unless your son is a grown up 3 year old, I'd look into it. Maybe I am misunderstand but I thought you said that the Graco Turbo had a harness to 40 lbs and the Turbo is a dedicated booster, the Graco Cargo's are harnessed boosters. At this point I'd stay away from any seat with a 40lb limit since that's just a good meal away.
If you can lock your seatbelts and are really opposed to getting a Husky, the Turbo is a nice, easy to use, seat. To check if your seat belts lock, pull the belt all teh way out and let it retract partway and try to pull it out again. If you hear a ratchet sound and it will not pull out again, then your seatbelt locks. If you go with a booster, I'd use this method if possible or be willing to be VERY strict with seatbelt use. I have a very grown up 3.5 year old who I still lock the seatbelt on. She is way too tall for harnessed seats but as far as maturity goes, she's more grown up than my 7 year old niece.
JONI CPST