Turbo Booster for 3.5 yr old?

[Elisa]

My 3.5 yr old daughter is 31-32 lbs and is 36-37". She is petite. I will be moving her out of her Britax RA to make way for babysister in the next 2 months.

I like the Graco Turbo Booster. No local stores carry it, so I would be ordering via internet and won't be able to try it out first. The fact that it has foam surrounding the head rest as the RA does is a big plus in my book, although it does not offer a 5-pt harness to start off with.

Do you think the Turbo Booster will be a good choice for us? If not, what else can you recommend for our '99 camry and '02 sienna (without latches)? Requirements I have:

protective foam surrounding the head rest
cup holders (prefer hard vs fabric)
comfortable seat
won't obstruct my view by being too tall
straps won't tangle/twist

Thank you,

Elisa

[uccomama]

While the Turbo Booster is a great booster, I don't think it is the best seat for your 3.5 year old because she is so petite. The best practice is to keep children under 40 lbs in a harnessed seat until they reach the weight limit or outgrow their car seat in height. I would look at the Graco Ultra CarGo from Target. It is nicely padded, the straps aren't twisty and it does have a cup holder (as far as I can remember). It also has a recline feature if your DD still sleeps in the car. I think it is priced around $79. It doesn't have the EPS foam though.

If you would like a seat with EPS foam then the Evenflo Comet (or Apollo non latch version if you can still get it) has it. Finally, you could consider a ff only toddler seat seeing as your DD is still so petite.

Aternatively, if you don't mind spending the money, you could get her a Britax Marathon which is very similar to the RA except it is bigger and has a weight limit of 65 lbs, so it should last her for a very long while especially if you wish to keep her harnessed as long as possible. The MA runs around $230.

Finally, you might want to consider a Maxi Cosi Priori. This is a FF only toddler seat. It has been discontinued but is still available at a few places. Online you can still buy it at Babylove.com for $119. the seat originally sold for $200. The MCP has no twist straps, EPS foam, built-in lock-offs, puzzle buckle, and an awesome recline on the fly feature. No cup holder though. Here's a link: http://www.babylove.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/scstore/p-CAR-02-598.html?L+scstore+ofbg9236+1040933936

HTH

Deborah

[Elisa]

Yes, this is very helpful! Thank you. We actually went to the local Babys R Us the other day and we tested the Turbobooster and Starriser. Lily is definately too small for these.

Why don't all manufacturers put the protective foam in the head rest? I just don't get it. Do you think the CarGo without the foam is safe in a side impact? ... While the plastic head rest will stop my daughter's head from moving much, will it also protect her from a head injury.

TIA,

Elisa