Need input on choosing a second car seat...

[jgwcrna]

I need help deciding on which car seat to buy for our second car. DS is 4 1/2, 38 lbs and 41 1/2". We have a Wizard in my car that he loves, but I would like a safe, lighter weight car seat for my husbands car. I am looking for a seat that can be switched easily to a friends car and travels easily as we fly to Florida 3 or 4 times a year. It would be nice if it had good padding as we also take 5 hour car trips about once a month and a cup holder would be a nice bonus. I have read about several seats that might work, the Compass B500, Britax Parkway, Fisher Price Safe Voyage Booster, I just saw the Safeguard Go mentioned on a recent post, and then there are the Recaro's. This decision is making my head spin from all the choices! I would appreciate any input, thanks!

[Joolsplus2]

The Safeguard Go would be really awesome *IF* you know you have LATCH or at least a top tether in all the cars you'll be traveling in. It really is superbly tiny for travel purposes, and harnessing as long as possible is of course the safest option.
The Parkway is terrific...it's actually pretty small and fits in a carseat travel bag (not sure of which one, but I've seen it, and the box for the parkway is smaller than even the box for the roundabout!). The Compass B510 I'd recommend, but it's not on sale yet, I don't think...the Compass B500 is NOT my favorite fit for kids younger than 5 or 6 (wonder how long it'll take to hit store shelves, that B510... I saw a prototype last month...?). The Graco Turbo isn't too bad of a seat, and it can be broken down so it's easy to pack (Bring the base as carry on, and pack the back...that way you won't be stuck at the airport with nothing if they lose your luggage, and the base fits nicely in the overhead and is also entertaining at the gate...trust me, I've been there, lol). Even the Sunshine Kids Radian would have a lot of growing room (slightly taller than the Wizard...my 6.5 you is still enjoying her radian with room to grow)...and it folds very small for travel (but 3 times heavier than the safeguard Go...)

Hope that helps a little!
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx