So confused - is it time for a booster????

[kokonis]

My son will turn 3 on Sept. 3rd and is currently 39 lbs. He rides in a Roundabout but has outgrown it. What should I buy next? I really don't want to have to buy another car seat that he can only use for a short period of time. Can he go into the Britax Parkway Booster? I had to buy 2 Roundabouts (one for each car) so I really want to minimize costs if at all possible. I know the Parkway does not have a 5 pt. harness system so what other choices do I have that won't be too expensive but will still keep him safe?

Thanks.

Kim

[Joolsplus2]

The Marathon should last another three years, then he should *really* be ready for a booster :). I *wish* there were more higher harness weight seats to choose from, but only Britax has the magic so far (really tough to pass the testing for seats over 40 pounds...). The Husky would last a full 6 years, till he's 9, as long as he's not 80 pounds first.

Maybe if he only goes in the other car for very short, well-supervised trips, the Parkway would be ok, but kids really, really need to be at least 4 or 5 before they are ready for a booster full time.

It's tempting to "graduate" a kid to a booster early, but it's not as safe as a harnessed seat...here are lots of kids happily harnessed in their big kid seats http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/ffalbum.aspx (I need to submit a picture of my almost 8 yo in his Husky)


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

[Joni]

If he were turning 4 in September it would be more appropriate to consider graduating to a booster but since he's just turning 3 I really see the only safe option being a Marathon or Husky. I noticed several new Marathon's on Ebay for $160 since I always look around there. They are new but its always a risk there. My experience is Roundabout is usually the last convertible kids outgrow with a 40 lbs limit. Sorry, but I'm afraid the best suggestion is to buy a seat with a higher weight limit.
JONI
CPS TECH.