car seat for large toddler

I have the Britax Roundabout that my 36lb, 22mon son uses. I want to get a car seat for my second car that he won't outgrow in just 4 more pounds. Britax told me the Super Elite won't be available until late fall. I was thinking of the FP Grow with Me based on CR report. Any suggestions as to viable alternatives? When (age wise) can he use the Evenflo Right Fit booster seat (i.e. should he wait until 4 yrs)?

You've got several alternatives that will work well, but as you said, last longer than another Roundabout.

First, your son should be 40 pounds AND at least 3 1/2 or 4 before you move to a belt positioning booster. So you'll do best to find a 5 point harness for him for the next couple years.

There are a number of "combo" seats out there that have harnesses that can be used to 40 pounds, but high harness slots that he should not outgrow by height first. Then the harness comes off and the seats can be used as belt positioning booster. Even though your son is 36 pounds now, he may well stay under 40 for another year or more. Lots of kids slow down in their weight gain at about his age.

Choose a combo seat that fits well in your car, has a front adjuster for the harness, and has the higher harness slots. The FP Grow with Me and the Evenflo Express are two of the newest of these seats, and have some of the thickest padding and deepest wings. There are other choices if you can't find these or if they don't fit.

Another choice is the Fisher Price Futura. It has a harness that goes to 60 pounds, but doesn't convert to a belt positioning booster. You can try ICIP (www.cipsafe.org) or the Right Start Store and see if anyone has them in stock.

Or, if you can find one, there is the Super Elite.

I hope this helps.

Toby, CPS tech

[aunt83me02]

My sister had a large baby and went with the Fisher Price Futura 20/60. Her son, who will be three in September has used it since January(he currently weighs 42lbs.). The nice thing about it is that the harness can be used until the child is 60lbs. The Futura can be used on aircraft while the Super Elite cannot(it's base is too wide for the seats). The Futura can also be used with the lap-belt only and does not require a tether. The Fisher Price Grow with me and the Evenflo Express have harnesses that only go to 40lbs.(the same as your roundabout) I might also add that the Evenflo Express was not recommended to be used as a belt-positioning booster by Consumer reports. Rightstart.com currently doesn't have the Futura in stock. The International Center for Injury Prevention www.cipsafe.org has them for $95 I believe but www.dmartstores.com has them for $82. That is where my sister bought hers and was very pleased the service and delivery. I believe the shipping was only $10. My sister has the 4-point version because she couldn't find the 5-point. Dmartstores currently has the 5-point. I'll paste a direct link for it http://www.dmartstores.com/fut20carseat1.html When your child outgrows the Futura you can buy the Evenflo RightFit and not mess with the combo booster. The price will probably come out about the same. This is just a suggestion, but I really believe in this seat!(in case you couldn't tell) Good luck!