Decisions...decisions! Which booster is best?

[jillybean66]

My 4yo has nearly outgrown his RA in Grandma's car so I'm ready to buy him a booster. Currently he is in an MA in my car and I'll keep him in that until my younger DD outgrows her RA and needs the MA. I guess what I'm getting at is I'll be buying a booster now and another one in about a year. Anyhooo...

Should I go for a Britax Parkway or a Recaro Young Style? I would like to stick with the same brand/style seat in both Grandma's car and my car and I'll eventually end up owning four of them; two for each car. I've never seen the Recaro in person and from what I can tell, there is not a dealer in my area, so I would be buying it on a leap of faith.

What's the better seat for the money? I would appreciate any guidance anyone can offer.

Thanks!

[Joolsplus2]

How heavy is your ds? 40 pounds, or under 35 pounds? You might prefer the Young Sport if he's under 35, so you can keep him harnessed longer (just a thought... 4 in a booster isn't bad)... The main pro of the parkway is that there's no armrests for booster novices (ie, most grandparents) to try to figure out.
I'm sure our occasionally-resident Recaro owners will pop in...and scroll down a page or two, they've been here with early reviews.
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[uccomama]

Firstly, I agree with Julie, if your 4 year old is 35 lbs or less go with the Recaro Young Sport over the Parkway or the Young Style (if it fits your budget).

Between the Parkway and the Style, Julie has already highlighted the main difference when it comes to usage: he Parkway is easier to buckle because of the lack of armrests, not that the Style is especially hard or anything. Both are awesome boosters and are comparable in quality, the back on the Recaro doesn't go so high, but that doesn't mean it doesn't fit tall kids, the design is different, and the advantage is when you do have a larger kid in it that needs the back adjusted high, your view from the rear windshield isn't so restricted.

Honestly, it boils down to which booster your personally prefer the look of. I have photos of the Parkway and the Recaro Young Style and the Young Sport on my booster website here:

http://members.tripod.com/uccomama-ivil/index.html

Deborah

[jillybean66]

Thanks Ladies. Currently my 4yo is 38.5 lbs, but I'm thinking by the time we get winter clothes on him, he'll hit the 40lb mark, or be right close to it.

[Joolsplus2]

I'm just wondering, Deborah...do you think the armrests on the Sport and Style might be less confusing than the Turbo? It seems like maybe the grooves for where the seatbelt should go are more obvious, maybe? (Of course, I wouldn't believe that the armrests are *so hard to understand* on the Turbo if I hadn't seen it done wrong SO many times :( )
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[threerugratz]

I agree with what Julie and Deborah have already said. For a 35lb or less child, I'd probably get a Young Sport so you can harness now and have a great booster later.

Do the seats all have to be the same? I would lean toward Parkways for grandma's car simply because it is pretty simple to buckle, even for kids, since there are no armrests to worry about routing the belt under. But for your vehicle I would probably lean toward the Young Style (or Sport if your child would have time in the harness) because I like the way the Style and Sport seem to "surround" the child because of the side/head wings (which the Parkway also has) but also because the base sides on the Style and Sport are a bit higher. I think that helps a little to keep my son in proper position. Buckling is not difficult with the Style and Sport but it does take a bit more effort than the Parkway.

Deborah already posted a link to her great pictures but I'll go ahead and post mine too just in case it helps to see more.

Here are Style pictures (there are comparisons to the Parkway)... http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/threerugratz4me/album?.dir=58da&.src=ph

Here are Sport pictures if your son is still under 40lbs. http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/threerugratz4me/album?.dir=e6ea&.src=ph

Although the Parkway looks quite a bit taller, the Parkway base is a bit higher so the Style and Sport appear as if they don't offer as much height room, but all 3 seats are approx. the same from base to shoulder belt guide. My pictures tell the measurements.

Personally, I think the Sport and Style offer better side impact protection in the highest setting than the Parkway as one of my pictures (of the Sport and Parkway I believe) shows.

Edited to add: Ooops, it took me too long to post and I didn't see that you had posted that your ds was almost 40lbs. All 3 seats are great but my favorite of the moment is the Sport. I'd hate to have to choose just one, lol.

Hope that helps a little.
Smiles, Lisa~~mom to 3 rugratz~~11,9 and 6 all in child restraints

[threerugratz]

Not Deborah but....the Sport and Style both have little red labels at all the belt routing areas telling what belt goes there. It's a pretty nifty idea. I think it should help alot with cutting down on confusion.

>I'm just wondering, Deborah...do you think the armrests on
>the Sport and Style might be less confusing than the Turbo? It
>seems like maybe the grooves for where the seatbelt should go
>are more obvious, maybe? (Of course, I wouldn't believe that
>the armrests are *so hard to understand* on the Turbo if I
>hadn't seen it done wrong SO many times :( )
>Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
>http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[uccomama]

I agree with Lisa, the routing for the Style and the Sport is very clear.

Deborah