I need help picking a booster seat

[forbesh]

I work in an Emergency Department my experiences have made me very cautious. I recently saw the car seat my nanny has for her 4 year old daughter and am very worried about her safety. The car is old, there is no latch. The car seat is a convertible and appears very old (unsure of brand). It is only buckled in and moves many inches from side to side. I tried to reinstall it as I realized it was not safe, but was unable. I am not a CPS tech, I was unable to get the seatbelt to lock by pulling it all the way out (my knowledge is limited past this). I have directed my nanny to carseat safety checks but am unsure if she will go.

Bottom line is I am considering purchasing her daughter a booster seat. She is 43Lbs so probably has outgrown the other seat anyway. My son is 22 mos and so I have not even thought about booster seats until now. Can anyone recommend a safe booster for a reasonable price. I really want her daughter to be safe, but don't have alot of money to spend. Thanks for any help you can offer.

[Joolsplus2]

Oh, you're wonderful for doing this. Yes, her old seat only goes to 40 pounds, and requires a locking clip for proper installation (from the way you describe it...).

Probably the best seats, whichever is least expensive of the two, would be the Graco Turbo Booster or Evenflo Big Kid... They have fancy and plain models, and you can probably find ond of the plainer ones for about $40 or less.

Sometimes there are cheaper boosters that are just "combo" seats without the harness, by Cosco or Evenflo, but honestly as boosters, they aren't that great...they hold the lapbelt too high or the shoulderbelt guides aren't smooth, and they are short in the seat and back so won't last as long as the Turbo or Big Kid

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?dest=9999999997&product_id=3542153&sourceid=1500000000000001353000 (the cheapest Turbo I could find was $49...darn)

Anyway, good luck!
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[forbesh]

Thanks Julie. I will get the Graco or the Evenflo. I saw both at Target but just wasn't sure. I really appreciate your help.

Heather