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Christi
06-15-2002, 10:43 PM
HI Toby!

I've just started looking into booster seats. My son is only 17 months and 26lbs. He sits rather comfortably in his car seat at the moment but gets very frustrated because he can't play with things due to the overhead bar that comes down in front of him. I too, hate that thing and would not buy another one like it again.

So, I'm starting to look into boosters (the 5 point harness convertable kind)so that he can sit comfortably for longer periods of time with the help of being able to play with toys/books in front of him. Any ideas of where I can start, models to check out?

I sure like the idea of the Britax removable back seats, but the Britax models seem so huge! And the seat that I'm going to purchase needs to be FAA approved. One more thing...I just now (due to this board) realized that carseats will now have to use the LATCH. But some of the suppliers aren't making the seats just yet. So, am I better off waiting to make a purchase until the LATCH seats come out? I honestly don't want to wait though, as my little guy seems to be getting more and more restless in the car lately!!! I would love any suggestions that you may have for me!

Thanks a million!
Christi

tobymc
06-17-2002, 08:36 AM
Hi Christi.

Glad you found this board. I am also not a fan of the overhead bar seats, and my daughter liked the freedom of movement in her 5 pt way better than that bar. So hopefully your son will too.

You didn't mention what kind of car you drive. If your car is a 1999 or older, you probably don't have the latch attachments. You can check your manual to be sure. If you have an "older" car and aren't going to be buying a new one in the next couple years, then you don't have to worry about latch. You must have the connectors in your car AND the ones on the seat to use latch. If you do have latch capabilities, most of the seats now accept latch retrofit kits. Evenflo, Century/Graco, and Cosco have kits.

I'd try your son in an Evenflo Express or a Graco Grand or Ultra CarGo. With the CarGos, make sure to skip the Treasured CarGo since it has a rear adjuster (totally impossible to keep the straps tight). One step up in price gets you the Evenflo Apollo, which has a few nice features like eps foam, Memory Harness, and a knob to adjust the harness. Take your son with you to try seats.

The Cosco Summit/Safety 1st Vantage Point also looks good in many ways, but has very low top harness slots. You can try your son in it. Make sure you get the straps in the top slots that can be used with the harness (the very most top slot can only be used in booster mode). Then look at how much room in the shoulders he has to grow in this seat. At 17 months, you'd like to see several inches of shoulder growth room. Many kids outgrow this harness before 40 pounds because the harness is so low, but if you like the seat and he's got a lot of room, you could risk it. All the other seats I listed above have higher harness slots so he'll for sure make it to 40 pounds.

Happy shopping!