please help me choose a booster seat

[shishamo]

Hello,

I currently have a 4.5 yr old (40 lbs, 45 inches) in Graco Ultra Cargo and a almost 2 year old (30 lbs, 35.5 inches) in Century SmartMove. I am expecting an another one in the fall, and I need to fit 3 carseats in the back on my Volvo S70 sedan when baby is from 0-4 months old (when the baby is 4 months old, our lease to this car will expire and we plan to buy/lease something bigger). The infant seat we have is Century Smartfit Elite which will be exactly 5 years old when we will be using it.
Here is my problem: I don't think I can fit these particular 3 carseats in my Volvo, esp. since Century SmartMove is so huge. I'm thinking either:

A: Buy another Ultra CarGo since we are happy with it for then 2.5 year old and ditch SmartMove
B: Buy a plain booster, maybe Graco My Cargo for my then 5 year old since it's similar to what we have and it's cheaper

Do you think either of these plan will work? I do think I can fit 2 UltraCargo plus an infant seat since UltraCarGo looks pretty skinny (esp. if I take the snack tray off)

Also, I am a little concerned about using an infant seat that will 5 years old. I know it should be fine till 6 years and it really looks brand new (my kids both grew out of it around 4 months), but how safe is it really?

Thank you for reading and I appreciate any input!

[uccomama]

I have been juggling trying to fit three in a row in my Volvo, but is an older version of the S70 ('97 850 GLT stationwagon) but the back seat is probably similar in size. I also needed to fit three boosters in a row. It hasn't been easy but it is doable. I don't have the same seats as you, but I have been able to get a GracoTurbo Booster outboard, a forward facing Britax Wizard (same seat as the Britax Marathon) in the center and a Britax Bodyguard (a belt positioning booster) outboard. The key to getting three seats in a row is how the seats mesh.

Here's what I would do if I had the car seats you do:

Pass the Ultra Cargo to the 2.5 year old, buy a dedicated belt positioning boost like the Graco TurboBooster for your 4.5 year old who at 40 lbs is too heavy to use the harness on the Cargo any longer. While the Cargo is a great combo seat, a dedicated belt positioning boosters generally work better than a combo seat when in booster mode. Another narrow booster to look at is the Britax Starriser/Comfy ($99), you might find it fits better than the TurboBooster. Another option would be the Evenflo Big Kid which while not a particularly narrow seat, it does have flip up armrests which makes bukling in easier. The thing I have found with my Volvo is not that the space it too tight in regard to the seat, but in the center position there is little space between the seat belt buckles. Having a harnessed seat in the center makes things easier. Once you have a new booster for your 4.5 year old, try out the Century Smartfit and see if it fits with the booster and Cargo, if not you might want to buy a new infant seat too. At five years, the Smartfit will little life left to it.

You can see my attempts at getting three in a row in my Volvo here: http://pages.ivillage.com/uccomama/id6.html

Good luck!

Deborah

[Joolsplus2]

I'm agreeing with Deborah, but have one more idea to add...
Why not try the Cargo you have as a booster with your 4 yo, and see if the shoulderbelt fits right across the shoulder, and see if it's easy to buckle next to another seat. That would give you an idea of how it might work as a booster, since it is narrow and doesn't have armrests to contend with. If you are pleased with it as a booster, then you can find a MyCargo for $30 or so (maybe a bit more). I also prefer dedicated boosters as boosters (Graco Turbo, Evenflo Big Kid, Britax Starriser Comfy, even the Cosco Protek might be narrow enough), but since you've got space issues, anything that fits is just what you need.

Best of luck and congratulations on your impending arrival!

oh, ps, yes, I believe the infant seat you have is good for 6 years, so it should be fine for this one more baby, then you can take a sledgehammer to it (or find a less exciting way to render it completely unusable to unsuspecting dumpster divers ;) )
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[shishamo]

Dear Deborah and Julie,

Thank you very much for the information! I am going to try the booster setting with my 4 year old and see how that works. I also need to go retrieve the infant seat from the closet and try that out, too. I am glad to hear that I can use this infant seat again for another (probably our last) baby :) I will make sure it is distroyed sufficiently before I get rid of it.