what booster for 3 1/2 year old

[momtorc]

I have a 3 1/2 year old boy who is about 35-38lbs and 41-42 inches tall. What is the best booster seat to get? He often falls asleep in the car on trips so I want something with head support. We used the Britax RA before and loved it but he is too tall now. I have heard the Marathon is good. Any other suggestions? I do not feel comfortable with just using the seat belt right now.

[CPSDarren]

Hi-

It is a good idea to keep your son in a 5-point harness until at least 40 pounds. The Marathon is a good choice if you liked your Roundabout. A combination booster is another choice, some have wider wings for head support than others-

The Field's have a great booster seat buying guide for sale on their site, and I think it is included in their Toddler Bargains, too.
Here are a few other sites for recommendations:

http://www.carseatdata.org/combo.html

http://www.car-safety.org/carseats.html#comb

http://www.geocities.com/carseatinfo/recommended_car_seats.htm#Combination_Seats

Good luck!

Darren
DuPage County SAFE KIDS
http://www.car-safety.org

[momtorc]

Thanks for your help!

[homemommy]

Hi. You responded to my previous post with your thoughts about the Marathon. I've also heard that this seat isn't a good choice if you have a tall child because the top harness slots are just a little higher than the RA. I hate to buy a seat that we may only have a year or so in. Needless to say, we still haven't purchased another seat as of yet, but we really don't have too much time before we'll have to make a choice. Have you decided on a seat yet and if so, do you like it? I'd have to refer back to my original post, but I thought you mentioned looking into the Komfort Kruiser?? I really like the look of this one and it appears to be good for a sleeper, now if I can only get past the "not having a harness thing" I'll be okay. I'll let you know if I find out more info on seats.

[Dawn Harris]

We just bought a booster for our 3 and 1/3 year old son. He is 40 inches tall and weighs 40 lbs. We bought the new Graco Turbobooster for $59.99 at babies R Us. It is very easy to install and has a nice high back, extendable to 57 inches. It also has deep wings in case he should ever fall asleep in the car. He loves it. It is very easy for him to unlatch, however, so you would need a reasonably trustworthy kid to use this seat. We told our son that if he continued to unlatch his seat we would have to put him back in a seat with a 5 point harness, (which he hated) and that seemed to solve our problem. Good Luck.