arghhhh! choosing another car seat

[bagelhead]

My son has outgrown his RA and now it's time for a booster seat. I would be happy with another britax (I liked the bodyguard) but I don't know if my son would be comfortable in such a heavy duty seat compared to the seat belt positioners his friends have. Safety is the most important but if I can't get him to sit in it, I need to have an alternative. Does anyone any suggestions about this or recommendations?

Thanks. Barb

[Joolsplus2]

How old and heavy is he? Is he really ready for a booster? If his friends jumped off a bridge, would you let him? Ok, that's just silly, but really, car crashes are THE leading number one cause of deaths for children and adults age 1-34, so is putting him in the bare minimum safety device really *enough* for you, just because his friends are in them?
My son is 7 and loves his Husky and his Bodyguard, and neither of us care a lick what seats his friends are (or sadly, aren't) in, because HE knows what's safest for HIM.

That said, any properly used booster is quite safe, it's just that they are only required to, and only comply with, the government's frontal crash testing, which is very un-strict, and Britax has tested the Bodyguard and Parkway to side impact standards above and beyond the government's bare minimum requirement. If he's under 4 and 40 pounds, then a taller-slotted harnessed seat would be a much safer option for now, as kids under age 4 or 5 are generally incapapable of sitting safely in a booster seat.

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

[bagelhead]

My son about 3 1/2 and about 42 lbs, maybe 43 already. (How important is height in this decision?) In making this choice, safety is *VERY* important and I think I'd be more comfortable with the bodyguard than the husky, mostly because of the price. But what's this you say about being under 4 or 5? Are you recommending that we get a taller harnessed seat and then get a booster? Or will the bodyguard meet our needs at this point? I was hoping this would be our last car seat purchase.

Barb

[bagelhead]

Gosh, I just downloaded video of crash testing with one dummy in a booster and one dummy in a harnessed seat. It seems worth the extra $130 for the more expensive husky...

Barb

[Joolsplus2]

Yeah, at 3.5, a booster would be iffy--they really have a hard time sitting still, and when they fall asleep, they are all over the place and out of the seatbelt. He's several pounds too heavy for the Roundabout, so you need to decide quickly. If you can keep him harnessed long enough, to age 8 or 9, then this may BE your last carseat purchase (the Husky is massive), except for that little flimsy booster you can get for putting in other cars when you hate to move the Husky.
My 7 yo loves his Husky and I was going to pass it down to his sister when she outgrows the Marathon, but I may well just get another Husky for her and keep him in his longer...
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[bagelhead]

I had just about decided to get the Husky when another concern came to mind. My son goes on occasional trips from preschool which involve moving his car seat to another car. Is the husky easy to install? Also, we travel occasionally and need to take a car seat with us. The Husky isn't FAA approved for aircraft but we'd need to take it with us anyway for car trips.

Maybe the solution is to get a husky for my car (I drive him around the most) and a booster (like the bodyguard) for my husband's car, the preschool trips, the travelling. Might be the best idea...certainly the most expensive.

Barb

[Joolsplus2]

Yup, the best idea IS the most expensive. That's really what most Husky owners resort to: a pretty much permanent Husky in the main car, and a more portable booster for travel and the other car. The BG is extremely bulky to travel with, and maybe the Turbo Booster would be a lighter and easier to deal with choice (you can separate the back from the base, makes it more versatile, and the models with three times the EPS foam in the head are almost as cushy as the BG, but the seats run as low as $40 compared to the BG at 129 or whatever.
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx