car seat /booster help, what would you do?

[kategrn]

We are traveling to Key West Florida over Christmas. Daughter is 3 1/2 years old and weighs 35 lbs. She will use the lap belt on the airplane. Need something for the 3.5 mile car ride from the airport to our house. We are not renting a car and will mainly be walking with the exception of 1-2 taxi rides mainly to/from airport. I don't want to bring her Britax MA along for this limited use so I need to get something new. It needs to be something light weight and preferably that I could use as her spare booster once we permanently move her out of her carseat later. Plus needs to be an easy install as we will be moving it around. Is she too little for a backless booster for this short time and travel?

[Joolsplus2]

I'd probably go with this... http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...ct_id=10992661
Just sit next to her and make a BIG deal about her sitting properly (and keep her upright if she falls asleep...).
The RideSafer Travel Vest would also actually be lighter to deal with and maybe a bit safer overall.

[grizzlymomma]

Look at the Graco Step 3 Turbo Booster SafeSeat. It has a back which can be removed later on as your child outgrows it. The back adjusts in height and guides the shoulder belt. You will still have to remind your child to sit up straight, but it's easier with the back than without. It is for children 30-100 pounds and 38"-57" tall. My son, and his friends who ride with us, love ours (we have two). As I recall, we paid about $50 each. Also, very light, very easy to move from car to car.

[kategrn]

Thanks for the seat link Julie. We are going with the Harmony lite rider backless booster. Ordered it online and had within a couple days. DD is currently being trained on how to sit, etc. She also knows that this seat is only going to be used on our Florida trip and not on a regular basis until she is much older. Being able to throw the seat in my luggage and not dealing with a carseat at the airport is going to make my life soooo much easier.

One more question. Is it OK to "lock" the seatbelt while using a booster? Meaning to pull the belt all the way out and then retract so it is tight. I'm thinking this might be a good option to make her feel more "stuck" in her seat. I will be sitting right next to her the entire time and it is a super short trip, but just wondering if that is OK to do.

[Joolsplus2]

Yeah, it's ok to lock the belt (if it does, some only lock in a crash, which is a bummer when you are dealing with littler kids learning to sit still in a booster...).