HELP! need combo/booster seat fr my 18mo

[mom2taylor98]

My dd is 18mos, 25lbs and 33in tall. I want to move her out of the convertible seat and into a seat that she can use until she no longer needs one. My wish list is seatbelt harness loops instead of clips, cupholder and max weight limit of 80-100lbs. I had been looking at the Cosco Eddie Bauer High Back booster, but also saw that some people had issues with it. Then I looked at Safety 1st Vantage Point high back booster and the Cosco Summit High Back booster. But then I saw that all of those are actually made by the same company. HELP me find a seat!

Darlene

[Joolsplus2]

You're going to be using the harness on that seat for a long time before you need it as a booster, and that's what you should really look at. The belt guides are NOT mandatory, and have NO effect on the safety of the seat...also, the Cosco ones tend to get really jammed up and don't work as well as they should :(

Yes, all the seats you looked at are made by Cosco, and they all have super twisty straps and low top harness slots. Why do you want to move your baby out of her seat right now, though? Do you have another one on the way who needs it? She'd probably be most comfortable still in the convertible for a long time yet, and I wouldn't rush it if I didn't have to.



Julie CPS Advocate and mom to 2 in seats

[mom2taylor98]

Thanks, Julie. I need to get a new seat bc the cover on this one is falling apart since it is 5yo and been washed many times. It is a Century SmartMove. The belts are yuck and I can't take them off to totally clean them. My dh is tired of me buying new seats, so I wanted to find one that would last us until she didn't need a carseat anymore. I just purchased the Graco TurboBooster fr my older daughter bc she needed a new one as well and it had the open belt loops. But since very few of the seats have the open belt loops right now, I am confued abt which belt clips are better if I can't have the open loops. How does the Graco Cargo models or the Evenflo Chase Comfort Touch compare in the harness mode?

[Joolsplus2]

Ah, ok...dead seat (be sure to remove and cut up the straps and cover, and then take a sledghammer to the seat shell and bag them separately for disposal....people will pick up and try to use those shells if they find them...yikes!)

I think the Ultra Cargo or Platinum Cargo would be great choices (either/or...they just have differnent covers), the tend to fit small kids well, and have the recline bar and the deep sides for young toddlers, plus it's very tall seat that should last decently as a booster (you *might* need another turbo down the line, but that's years away)....and it's quite a bit more padded and with taller top harness slots than the Cosco seats. It's fine as a booster for older kids, even with the not-so-perfect belt guides...you can either not use them at all or if you need them for comfort, you can route the belt through only half of a guide so the belt can still retract (well, that's what i did with a cosco seat of mine that had similar belt guides, and it worked fine). Make sure NOT to get the Treasured Cargo...it has lame padding, twisty straps, and no front adjuster :P.

I love the Chase, too...BUT, it tends not to fit small kids tightly enough (I've seen a baby your baby's size in it, and it wouldn't get tight enough at all, because the on-harness adjuster interfered).

The Comet is ok, but *terrible* for sleep support for young kids, so I'd skip it. The Graco/Century NextStep is also *ok*, not my favorite, but it does have tall slots and a front adjuster, and some folks do like it.

Hope that helps a little more....

Julie CPS Advocate and mom to 2 in seats