Century Combo Seat vs. Britax Husky or Parkway

[cwoelfle]

Hi,
I am utterly confused. My daughter is nearly 38lbs and she is 41 1/2 inches tall. She has totally outgrown her Britax Roundabout and I am trying to decide on a new booster or combo seat for her. I read about the Coso High back summit but I think she is too tall for the harness since I read there is a 40 inch limit. I cannot believe that Consumer Reports does not recommend any other combo seat. So now, I am considering the Britax Husky or Parkway. It seems the Parkway can be used as a booster before the weight of 40 lbs. Since it's brand new I guess there's not much feedback yet. Has anyone purchased the Parkway yet?

Has anyone purchased a Century Next step combo seat and had any experience with it as a booster? I have read alot of the booster/combo seats do poorly as a booster due to the poor belt guides.

HELP!!!!!

[Joolsplus2]

How old is your dd? Do you think she is ready for a booster, maturity-wise?
Yeah, I can't believe Consumer Reports only mentions the Summit, and doesn't even bother to test the Graco Platinum Cargo or Evenflo Chase, which are both fantastic seats.

Unless you find a NextStep on clearance, you won't find one, as they've been discontinued for at least a year now.

Anyway, back to your dd...is she mature enough for a booster seat? If you think she's bound to wiggle and lean and sleep a lot, then you'd be happier with a harnessed seat, and since she's so close to 40 pounds, you'd need a higher weight limit seat, like a Britax Husky or Marathon. If you think she's fine in a booster, you can order a Parkway, or look at one of the other boosters out there (the new Graco Turbo Boosters with more EPS foam and Gracopedic foam in the bottom have headwings almost as big as the Parkway/Bodyguard, and really aren't a bad choice for younger kids, either).

You can use your Roundabout till her shoulders are just above the top slots, or till the tops of her ears are even with the top of the seatback or till she's 40 pounds (whichever comes first), so that may give you at least another safe couple of weeks to booster shop, hopefully!

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[cwoelfle]

Hi,
I think maturity wise she would be ok with the regular booster but for safety sake I am a little hesitant. I keep reading that the 5 point harnesses are still the best way to go. Are there booster seats that start at less than 40 lbs? And is it ok to put them in a regular seat belt/booster before 40 lbs?

I looked at both the Graco cargo platinum and evenflo chase but was turned off after I read the baby bargains special booster report where they stated to stay away from any booster seat with the plastic strips as they tend to cause the belt to jam or derail causing slack.
(Also stated by consumer reports)

My other option is to just purchase the Britax marathon or maybe see if anyone else makes a booster for less than 40 lbs.

Any further suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Joolsplus2]

The Bodyguard is the only highback booster that starts at 40 pounds, all the others start at 30 or 33 (Parkway, Turbo, Starriser Comfy, Compass B500, Evenflo Big Kid, Combi Yorktown...as long as a child is mature enough to sit still and meets the height and weight minimums, a booster is quite safe.

As for the belt guides on the Evenflo and Graco seats, people really make a big fuss about them, considering they are not necessary for the seat to work safely and properly, so I generally disregard those warnings and go more with the positve harnessing and installation features (which the Summit doesn't have at all :P). But since your dd is so close to 40 pounds, none of them are a great choice at all, really.

:)

Good luck finding a seat! You might want to take your dd along and see which she likes best (unless you adore the parkway, which *should* be on shelves quite soon...fingers crossed!)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx